India's advertising, media and entertainment industry will cut more than 1,000 jobs in 2025 as companies accelerate the use of artificial intelligence, restructure operations and consolidate operations, according to human resources executives and industry estimates.
Losses did not decrease evenly. New graduates continued to find openings, especially in digital jobs. But mid-career and support employees responsible for routine reporting, basic production support, low-complexity creative coordination, and account-heavy work are increasingly being opened up and their tasks absorbed into software that can produce first drafts, edits, and analysis at speed and scale.
“It's difficult to arrive at exact numbers, but the number of layoffs is clearly in the four digits,” said one industry executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Global job cuts announced by US-based media companies have also been narrowed down to their India operations.”
One of the most visible job cuts took place at Zee Entertainment, which laid off about 200 employees a year as part of a renovation. The owner of ZeeTV and ZeeCinema channels said it is restructuring its business around an omnichannel approach and merging departments to create a leaner and more collaborative structure.
The cuts were even greater in radio, an industry that has long been under pressure. Nearly 300 employees across India's FM network lost their jobs. Radio City, operated by Music Broadcast Ltd, has cut an estimated 100 to 150 jobs. A major FM has cut between 50 and 70 roles. Dangal TV, a free-to-air general entertainment channel, has laid off around 40-50 staff due to increased competition from major networks and rising costs in DD free dishes.
For agencies and media companies, this year has been a year of restraint.
Shantanu Rooj, Founder and CEO, TeamLease Edtech said:
Hiring hasn't stopped, but the character has changed, he said. Narrow roles, short learning curves, and immediately applicable skills are preferred, especially in digital execution, content operations, and analytics.
The layoffs in India reflected the broader global economic contraction. U.S. media and entertainment companies cut more than 17,000 jobs in 2025 due to consolidation, cost reductions, and the rapid adoption of AI across newsrooms, studios, and marketing departments.
U.S. media companies announced 17,163 layoffs through November, an 18% increase from the same month last year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Companies cited AI in more than 54,000 planned job cuts as generative tools took over tasks once performed by designers, editors, marketers, and junior journalists.
“News, which Challenger tracks as a subset of media and includes broadcast, digital and print, has announced 2,254 layoffs so far this year,” the report said.
A high-profile reorganization highlighted this change. The Paramount-Skydance merger will eliminate about 2,000 jobs, while Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal have cut roles ahead of a planned spinoff of their cable companies as television revenue continues to decline.
The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, has cut its workforce by about 4% following a major overhaul.
CNN has cut about 200 positions in preparation for a corporate restructuring related to its parent company's cable strategy. CBS News has laid off about 100 employees and canceled multiple streaming news programs. In addition, eight on-air correspondents and hosts were given pink slips by the company. As Comcast spins off Versant, NBC News is cutting about 150 jobs, or about 7% of its workforce.
Digital publishers also cut staff. Business Insider cut 21% of its workforce as it pivoted to an “AI-first” operating model, and Forbes cut its headcount by about 5% after failing to meet its financial goals.
Condé Nast has closed Teen Vogue as an independent business and cut additional jobs across its portfolio as it consolidates its brands and cuts costs.
Disney re-initiated global layoffs in June, affecting hundreds of employees in its television, marketing, casting, development and corporate finance departments.
In the advertising industry, Omnicom Group Inc. announced it would lay off more than 4,000 positions after it acquired rival Interpublic Group Inc. (IPG) for $13 billion. The combination will bring several agency brands into Omnicom's existing network, and most of the job cuts are expected to be in management, although some leadership roles will also be affected. IPG itself laid off around 2,200 staff in the first nine months of 2025.
Even though jobs disappeared, the industry did not completely stop hiring. Recruitment activity in India increased modestly in the second half of this year, driven by growth in digital advertising, creator-led businesses, and live commerce. Companies began seeking roles that reflected the shift toward content that could be measured, tracked, and monetized in real-time, such as campaign optimization and live commerce operators.
Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice President, TeamLease Services, said: “The industry is decisively moving from a reach-driven model to value-driven monetization.”
“The next stage belongs to those who can combine creativity with data and digital fluency.”
However, paid packages remain an issue. According to Foundit Insights Tracker, entry-level salaries in the media and entertainment industry range from 1.9 million rupees to 5.7 million rupees per year, while senior roles rise to 1.8 million rupees to 25 million rupees.
“Traditional sectors such as media and entertainment face challenges in offering competitive salaries,” Foundit officials said.
Looking ahead, industry executives say they expect cautious growth in 2026, although there is no return to past employment patterns.
“Jobs will come back, but it won't look the same,” Ruge said.
As budgets continue to move towards measurable channels, digital-first jobs are likely to have more stable employment. Retail media and connected TV are expected to be notable growth engines in 2026, leading to demand for platform specialists, content-to-commerce operators, and measurement talent. Hiring will continue in the traditional agency model, but compensation will increasingly increase for “full stack” profiles. “Broadcasting and entertainment employment should continue to be supported by OTT consumption and the long-term expansion of content supply chains, but with a clear driver for efficiency and multi-skilling rather than large staffs,” he added.
Ruge said growth is about reconfiguring the workforce, replacing junior-heavy executive roles with fewer, more specialized positions in automation, analytics, creative work and commerce-driven media.
Read more: 2025><2026: The past year and the year to come
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