Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Meets PM Modi, Pledges To Deepen Investment In India's Creative Ecosystem

 

 

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, during which both of them discussed the "immense potential" of India's media and entertainment sector.

PM Modi said India has a rich tradition of storytelling and an extraordinary pool of creative talent, which can be leveraged to strengthen the nation as a global hub for content creation. "Glad to have met Mr. Ted Sarandos. Discussed the immense potential of India's media and entertainment sector," PM said in a post on X.

Netflix India said Sarandos discussed with the Prime Minister their shared vision to take India's media and entertainment industry global. He also discussed the expanding global influence of Indian storytelling and reaffirm Netflix' long-term commitment to India's creative economy, the company said in a statement.

"Celebrating 10 years of Netflix in India! It was an honour for our Co-CEO Ted Sarandos to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to discuss their shared vision to take India's media and entertainment industry global," Netflix India wrote.

 

The OTT giant said it has unveiled the 'Netflix India Storytelling Initiative', an investment that will help nurture the next generation of the country's creative talent through partnerships with IICT and NFDC. "We can't wait to see what India creates next," it said.

Further, Netflix committed to deepening investment in India's creative ecosystem as part of its expansion plan, a senior official of the company said.

Sarandos said that India has always been one of the world's greatest storytelling nations. "Over the past decade, we've had the privilege of seeing Indian stories connect with audiences not just across India, but around the world. As we begin our next decade here, we believe our greatest investment is in the people who will tell India's next generation of stories," he said.

 

The company said it will have a multi-phase investment in India's creative talent pipeline and will create strategic partnerships with key Indian institutions to help build the next generation of Indian storytelling talent.

The initiative will help equip the next generation of storytellers with industry-relevant skills across the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) ecosystem, which serves as a key driver of India's 'Orange Economy', the statement read.

"The Netflix India Storytelling Initiative reflects our long-term commitment to strengthening India's creative ecosystem by creating more opportunities for emerging creators, because investing in creators is investing in India's creative future," Sarandos said. India's creative community has created over 200 originals and filmed across more than 100 locations across the country for Netflix.

 

Netflix India has announced a partnership with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) to co-develop an industry-ready curriculum in Visual Effects Mastery and Media Technology Workflows, ensuring students graduate with skills aligned to evolving production needs.

The company is offering 100 scholarships to Indian students towards in-person programmes at IICT, including in Interactive Comics and Sequential Art, Virtual Art Department Content Creation, Art of Character Animation, E-Sports and Gaming Management, and other emerging creative disciplines.

It has also partnered with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) to build a talent pipeline to fill new jobs created by the Prime Minister's accessibility agenda.