Creating the Stories That Matter
Media, Entertainment & Sports
Executive Search
50+ C-Suite Placements in Media & Entertainment — typical mandates close in 95-120 days, with a 12-month candidate guarantee.
Is This Your Situation?
If any of these sound familiar, you're speaking to the right practice.
→Your OTT platform's Chief Content Officer resigned to launch their own production house. You need a replacement who can commission ₹1,500 Cr of original content annually across Hindi and 4 regional languages.
→Your top-flight cricket franchise is professionalising its commercial operations and needs a CEO who can manage sponsor relationships worth ₹300 Cr, build a year-round fan engagement platform, and navigate national-governing-body relationships.
→Your gaming studio raised Series B funding and needs a Head of Product who understands both real-money gaming regulations and casual gaming monetisation in the Indian market.
→Your broadcast network's ad revenue is declining 8% annually. The board needs a Head of Digital who can build a profitable streaming business without cannibalising the linear TV base.
Our Media & Entertainment Track Record
Finding the Storytellers, Platform Architects, and Content Strategists India's Media Industry Keeps Behind Closed Doors
The most valuable talent in media and entertainment does not appear on job boards. A Head of Original Content who has greenlit 15 series with proven viewership metrics, a Broadcast Engineering Director who has led IP mig…
See how Gladwin International & Company helps India's leading organisations access hard-to-reach specialist talent in Media & Entertainment — the profiles that never appear on job boards.
650+
Media & Entertainment professionals mapped
14+
Specialist mandates placed in 36 months
12
Industry guilds, production houses & OTT platforms in our network
Situation:
Major Indian OTT platform with 45 million subscribers needed a CCO to lead content strategy across originals, acquisitions, and regional programming. Content cost per subscriber was 40% above benchmark.
Outcome:
Placed in 44 days. New CCO rationalised content slate by 25%, increased originals success rate from 30% to 52% (based on viewership benchmarks), and reduced per-subscriber content cost by 18%.
Situation:
Emerging professional sports league needed a CEO to build commercial operations from scratch — broadcast rights negotiation, franchise sales, sponsor acquisition, and digital fan engagement.
Outcome:
Placed in 52 days. Secured ₹400 Cr broadcast deal in first year. Sold 8 franchise licenses. Social media following grew from 200K to 4.2 million within 18 months.
Situation:
Real-money gaming platform with 15 million monthly active users needed a CTO to rebuild the technology stack for scale, reduce latency, and implement responsible gaming features mandated by emerging state regulations.
Outcome:
Placed in 38 days. Platform latency reduced from 180ms to 45ms. Responsible gaming features launched across all states. DAU grew 2.3x while maintaining compliance.
All client details anonymised. Specific mandates available for reference under NDA upon request.
Our Media & Entertainment Practice
India's media and entertainment sector is being fundamentally restructured by the streaming revolution. With 700 million internet users and some of the world's lowest data costs, India has become one of the world's most important digital content markets — attracting investment from global SVOD players and a dozen major Indian OTT platforms. Traditional broadcast and print media are simultaneously navigating digital transformation, advertising market changes, and content differentiation imperatives.
Our Media, Entertainment & Sports practice at Gladwin International Leadership Advisors covers broadcast networks, OTT streaming platforms, digital media companies, film and content production houses, gaming studios, sports organisations and leagues, talent agencies, and advertising and communications groups. We place content, commercial, technology, and general management leaders who understand both the creative and commercial imperatives of this uniquely complex sector.
Sports business is an increasingly important dimension of our practice. India's top-flight cricket, football, kabaddi, and emerging sports leagues have created sophisticated sports business organisations that need commercial, operational, and technology leadership at the highest level.
The Media & Entertainment Landscape Today
India's M&E sector is $28 billion and growing at 8-9% annually, driven almost entirely by digital media. Television remains a $7 billion market but is under structural advertising pressure. OTT has grown from near-zero to $3 billion in 5 years. India's gaming sector is $3 billion with 450 million players — the world's largest gaming market by users. Sports rights valuations have soared: India's top-flight cricket league has crossed $10 billion in enterprise value, and new leagues across football, basketball, and kabaddi are professionalising rapidly. Podcasting, short-video, and creator economy are all emerging high-growth sub-sectors. AI-generated content is beginning to disrupt traditional content production models.
Key Leadership Challenges in Media & Entertainment
OTT content strategy — finding content heads and chief content officers who can develop IP that works across global streaming algorithms and Indian viewer preferences simultaneously
Monetisation in a low-ARPU market — India's media companies must find creative ways to generate revenue from users who resist paying for content, requiring innovative commercial leadership
Technology for media — streaming technology, content recommendation, ad-tech, and production technology require CTOs who bridge the creative-technology divide
Sports commercialisation — premier cricket and emerging sports leagues need professional commercial, marketing, and operations leaders who can build sports businesses to global standards
Creator economy integration — traditional media companies must find leaders who understand and can partner with or compete against the rapidly growing independent creator economy
Regulation and content moderation — the evolving digital media regulation landscape (IT rules, OTT content guidelines) requires leaders with strong legal, regulatory, and public affairs capability
Roles We Typically Place
Why Gladwin International Leadership Advisors for Media & Entertainment
Broadcast network relationships across India's major Hindi, English, and regional broadcasting groups
OTT platform coverage — India's leading SVOD and AVOD streaming platforms, plus regional language streaming services
Sports business — premier cricket league franchise operations, national cricket governing body commercial operations, top-flight football clubs, and emerging sports leagues
Gaming sector — leading real-money-gaming platforms, listed Indian gaming companies, and global gaming company India operations
Content production — major Bollywood studios, digital content production houses, and independent production companies
Organisations We Serve
Broadcast television networks and news channels
OTT streaming platforms (global and Indian)
Sports leagues, franchises, and governing bodies
Digital content production and distribution companies
Gaming studios and esports organisations
Media & Entertainment Leadership Assessment — “SPECTRUM”
Seven dimensions calibrated for media, entertainment, and sports leadership.
C-Suite Function Practices
Each function we place in Media & Entertainment has a dedicated practice with sector-calibrated assessment.
Discuss a Media & Entertainment Mandate
Confidential · No obligation
Response within 4 business hours · All enquiries handled by a senior practice partner · Strictly confidential
Specialist Search Within Media & Entertainment
Leadership mandates in media & entertainment rarely map to a single profile — the assessment that wins a sub-sector search is almost never the one that wins a generalist search. Each sub-practice below runs as its own retained engagement, with calibrated archetypes, compensation context, and candidate bench.
36+
Broadcast Leadership Placements
Broadcast Television
GEC · NEWS · SPORTS · REGIONAL · HD / 4K · CABLE & DTH
Broadcast television in India remains a ₹80,000-Cr ecosystem serving 175+ million pay-TV homes across DTH (Tata Play, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV, Sun Direct), cable MSOs (GTPL,…
48+
OTT Leadership Placements
OTT & Streaming
AVOD · SVOD · BVOD · REGIONAL · LIVE SPORTS STREAMING
OTT / streaming in India is now a ₹34,000-Cr market across JioHotstar (merged JioCinema + Disney+ Hotstar, largest by MAU), Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Sony LIV, Zee5, Apple TV…
34+
Film / Studio Placements
Film Production & Studios
BOLLYWOOD · SOUTH CINEMA · REGIONAL · STUDIOS · THEATRICAL
Indian film production is a ₹18,000–22,000-Cr theatrical-plus-digital ecosystem led by the Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Excel Entertainment, RSVP, Maddock, Nadiadwala Gra…
30+
Digital Media Placements
Digital Media & Publishing
NEWS · MAGAZINES · DIGITAL-FIRST · CREATOR-LED · NEWSLETTERS
Digital media and publishing in India spans legacy newsroom brands transitioning to digital-first (Times Internet, Hindustan Times Digital, The Hindu, Express Digital, Business…
28+
Sports Leadership Placements
Sports Leagues & Franchises
CRICKET · FOOTBALL · KABADDI · HOCKEY · TENNIS · MULTI-SPORT
Indian sports leagues and franchises are now a ₹25,000-Cr+ ecosystem spanning BCCI / IPL and its 10 franchises (Mumbai Indians, CSK, RCB, KKR, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals,…
34+
Gaming / Esports Placements
Online Gaming & Esports
FANTASY · RMG · CASUAL · MIDCORE · ESPORTS · GST & REGULATORY
Online gaming in India is a ₹16,500-Cr category (pre-GST impact) spanning fantasy sports (Dream11, My11Circle, MPL, Fantasy Khiladi), real-money gaming / RMG (rummy, poker — Gam…
24+
Music / Live Entertainment Placements
Music & Live Entertainment
MUSIC LABELS · STREAMING · LIVE EVENTS · CONCERTS · TICKETING
Indian music and live entertainment spans labels (T-Series, Saregama, Zee Music, Sony Music India, Universal Music India, Warner Music India, Times Music), streaming platforms (…
Don't see the exact sub-practice you need? Tell us about the mandate — we frequently run searches at the seam between two sub-practices.
OTT and digital streaming — at the forefront of India's most transformative media shift
Top-flight cricket and sports business — deep relationships in India's premier sports commercial organisations
Gaming and esports — early-mover practice in a $3 billion market
Looking for a Media & Entertainment Leader?
Our Media & Entertainment practice is ready to help. Guaranteed placement · 12-month candidate guarantee · Affordable pricing for organisations across the value chain.
India's leading executive search firm in Media, Entertainment & Sports.
Six structural advantages we bring to every media & entertainment mandate — three proprietary platforms (WHISPER, SYMPHONY, GRAFA), three commitments (partner-led, triangulated references, one-firm service). The full case lives on our executive search page.
Read the full caseFrequently Asked Questions — Media, Entertainment & Sports Executive Search
Common questions about recruiting Media, Entertainment & Sports leadership in India.
Our Media & Entertainment practice covers linear broadcasting, digital streaming (OTT), film production, digital media, gaming, sports business, publishing, PR, and advertising. We maintain deep relationships with senior content, commercial, and technology leaders across India's media ecosystem — including the rapidly evolving OTT and digital-first media landscape. Our search methodology spans traditional media houses and the new generation of creator economy, gaming, and digital entertainment platforms.
We fill the full spectrum: CEO/MD, CFO, COO, Chief Content Officer, Chief Business Officer, Head of Streaming/OTT, Head of Ad Sales, Head of Subscription, Head of Production, Head of Licensing, Head of Digital, Head of Gaming, Chief Marketing Officer, and Board Directors for media holding companies. We serve broadcasters, OTT platforms, production houses, gaming companies, sports organisations, digital publishers, and advertising agency networks.
OTT and streaming leadership in India requires an extremely rare combination: deep content sensibility, data-driven decision-making, technology platform understanding, and the commercial discipline to balance subscriber growth with content investment returns. The most effective OTT leaders can manage a diverse content slate across multiple languages and genres while optimising acquisition costs, subscriber retention, and advertising revenue simultaneously. India's multi-lingual, multi-platform complexity makes this significantly harder than in many other markets.
Yes — gaming and creator economy is a fast-growing segment within our media practice. We place CEOs, CTOs, Head of Game Design, Head of Monetisation, Head of Esports, and commercial leaders for mobile gaming companies, gaming studios, gaming infrastructure companies, and creator economy platforms. India is rapidly emerging as a global gaming talent hub, and we are actively building our network in this ecosystem.
CEOs of large broadcasting or OTT companies in India typically earn ₹3–8 crore CTC. Chief Content Officers and creative heads at major streaming platforms typically command ₹2–5 crore. CFOs and COOs of media companies typically earn ₹1.5–3.5 crore. Gaming and digital media CEOs often have significant ESOP components. We provide current, market-specific compensation data for every media search.
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