Sony Pictures Networks India CEO Gaurav Banerjee urged the entertainment sector to adopt an AI-enabled creative stack at the CII Big Picture Summit. He argued that current business models relying solely on audience reach are outdated. Instead, he called for stronger intellectual property protections and structured talent development, similar to the Indian Premier League model, to improve long-term profitability in the industry.
Sony Pictures Networks India CEO Gaurav Banerjee has called for a significant overhaul in how Indian entertainment companies operate, specifically targeting the integration of artificial intelligence and stronger intellectual property (IP) frameworks. Speaking at the CII Big Picture Summit, Banerjee highlighted that the current business model, which often measures success primarily through audience reach, is becoming unsustainable in an era where viewers shift constantly between linear television and digital streaming.
The core of the argument is that Indian media firms need to move away from short-term content production toward a focus on building long-term IP franchises. Banerjee noted that while Indian entertainment has a massive domestic audience, the ability to turn this into a global exportable asset is limited by current practices. For investors, this shift is critical because media companies have historically struggled with high content production costs that do not always translate into long-term monetization. Building characters and stories that last for decades, rather than single-season hits, is seen as a way to improve the Return on Capital Employed for these firms.
Regarding the role of artificial intelligence, Banerjee warned that firms should not view the technology merely as a tool for cost-cutting. Instead, he proposed using AI as a sophisticated 'creative stack' to improve research, development, and content discovery. The intent is to enhance human creativity rather than replace it. This distinction is important, as the industry faces pressure to optimize costs while maintaining high-quality content standards to compete with global streaming giants and local peers like Zee Entertainment, Sun TV, and Network18.
Banerjee also raised questions about the industry's talent discovery process, drawing a direct parallel to the systemic success of the Indian Premier League. He argued that the entertainment sector lacks a structured approach to coaching and talent pipelines. By fostering deeper collaboration between educational institutions, technology companies, and creative studios, he believes the industry can move toward a more predictable economic model.
Investors in the media sector typically track how these companies balance heavy spending on new content against advertising and subscription revenues. While firms like Saregama have focused heavily on IP ownership, others are navigating the volatile transition from traditional television ads to digital monetization. The success of any AI or IP-led strategy will ultimately depend on whether companies can reduce their dependence on 'hit-or-miss' content and instead build sustainable, recurring revenue streams. The next major update for investors will be whether firms begin to explicitly report IP-related revenue growth or provide clearer metrics on content monetization efficiency versus simple audience reach figures.