India's content investment surge fuels race to nurture new writing talent

With India projected to invest about $2.65 billion in entertainment content this year, the media and entertainment industry is intensifying efforts to identify and nurture emerging screenwriting talent to meet the growing demand for original content.

The push has prompted broadcasters, streaming platforms and industry bodies to launch new programmes and expand existing ones aimed at expanding the pool of writers beyond established creative hubs and supporting the development of fresh intellectual property and diverse storytelling.

Netflix has launched its first NextGen India Writers' Program in the country, while the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) is set to invite applications for its 2026 Screenwriters' Lab. The initiatives add to recent programmes by Zee Entertainment and independent platform Cininfo, reflecting an industrywide effort to discover and develop the next generation of storytellers from across the country.


Netflix’s NextGen India Writers' Program is open to writers with up to three years of professional writing experience. The two-month hybrid programme will offer mentorship, workshops, and guidance from industry experts. Participants will develop original series concepts into professionally structured series bibles, gaining insight into the process of taking an idea from concept to screen.

Applications are open from July 1 to September 1, 2026, with India becoming the third country, after France and the Netherlands, to host the global initiative.

"Streaming has fundamentally expanded the opportunity for creative talent, but today, discovering and championing new voices is no longer just an opportunity, it is a necessity," said Monika Shergill, vice president, content, Netflix India.

She said the programme aims to discover and nurture emerging creative voices that will shape the next generation of storytelling from India.

Industry leaders have increasingly voiced concerns about the industry's reliance on a relatively small pool of creative talent concentrated in the metros. As content consumption grows across the country, they have underscored the need to widen the talent pipeline and nurture storytellers capable of creating authentic, locally rooted narratives that resonate with audiences across both urban and rural India.

Zee Entertainment launched the Zee Writers Room last year in nine languages, including English, Hindi, and several regional languages, offering selected writers the opportunity to develop stories for the company's television, digital, and film platforms.

"Writers need three things — respect, recognition and remuneration,” Zee Entertainment Chief Content Officer Raghavendra Hunsur told ET previously. “We aim to provide all three through Zee Writers Room.”

Zee also runs initiatives such as a short-film contest and a Pan-India outreach programme to better understand audience preferences. According to Hunsur, these programmes could eventually rank among the company's most valuable assets, as the creative industry is driven by talent.

The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) also conducts its annual Screenwriters' Lab, which helps emerging writers strengthen their scripts through mentorship from internationally recognised script consultants and film industry experts.

Held in association with Film Bazaar, the programme exposes participants to global approaches to screenwriting and filmmaking while equipping them with the skills to present their projects to producers and investors in India and international markets. Applications for the 2026 edition are expected to open soon.

India is emerging as a major content investment hub in the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for 12% of the region's projected $22.1 billion content spend in 2026, according to Ampere Analysis. The growth is being driven by broadcasters and global streaming platforms ramping up investments in locally produced content, increasing the need for a stronger pipeline of skilled writers to create original intellectual property.