T-Series is one of the biggest names in Indian cinema. The firm, which started as a music company, gradually ventured into the film production arena and is now one of the leading production houses in India. The man who has been instrumental in taking the flag of T-Series to this height is Bhushan Kumar. After taking the reins of the company at the tender age of 19 in adverse circumstances on account of his father Gulshan Kumar’s untimely demise, Bhushan Kumar has boldly taken the firm to newer heights and recently led to his inclusion in Variety 500. This list of the most powerful people in entertainment in the world includes the likes of Tom Cruise, Tim Cook, Shah Rukh Khan, Satya Nadella, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mukesh Ambani, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Steven Spielberg, and Elon Musk among others.
Bhushan Kumar and T-Series: 5 strategic decisions that made them world leaders in entertainment
Speaking about his initial challenges, Bhushan Kumar says, “Having established our leadership across music and digital platforms, the last several years I was working very hard to bring in the best creative minds and storytellers into the realm of the T Series cinematic universe. We are very proud of the evolution of the T Series Studio business as we are telling stories across genres and working with creative minds from various regions. T Series has been a leader in music and digital and has now gained the trust of cinegoers across India, as have leading OTT platforms, as we continue to deliver stories that resonate with the diversity of India. The next few years we will further consolidate our leadership leveraging the immense network we have built with the continued blessings of my father, whose dream it was to build an Indian media and entertainment conglomerate that the world will look up to.”
Here are the 5 key strategic decisions that have helped T-Series’ Bhushan Kumar establish his place on the Indian Entertainment landscape:
1. Consolidating Leadership in Music: The Company was founded by Gulshan Kumar who started with devotional music after realizing the huge market for that genre, not just in Hindi but in other languages too. Apart from Hindi, the firm also ventured into other regional languages as well as the Sufi genre. Talking about his journey, Bhushan Kumar adds, “In the recent past, T-Series has been driving focus back to chart-busting singles that can be heard everywhere. “The dual challenge I faced was both a learning curve and an implementation phase simultaneously. Setting up the Music Company and establishing relationships were initial priorities, but eventually, I navigated through the complexities of the business.” Over the years, T-Series diversified into film music albums, but continues to focus on the development of music videos and singles as well.
2. Big on Digital: T-Series was one of the leading firms to adopt the digital way of life. This can be seen from their presence on various digital music platforms and, most importantly, YouTube, Meta, and their share across all music OTT platforms globally. Their early partnership with Hungama Digital Entertainment set this base and gave them a head start in the world of digital entertainment in the years ahead. They lead the way with marketing and promotions online, which became a huge norm for entertainment marketing in the future. This division, led by Neeraj Kalyan, President, T-Series – Digital has won global accolades including becoming the world’s largest YouTube Channel network with a community of 275 MN and counting. Setting the benchmark for online and digital promotions, the collaboration with Hungama and the digital footprint assisted and displayed the reach of the digital medium among the Indian audience.
3. Big on Production: Besides being the first to venture into the digital space, T-Series has, over the years, diversified from only music to production as well. Today, regarded as one of the largest film production houses, T-Series has been consistently providing the audience with not just entertaining visuals via films, but also engaging music albums that eventually become a rage. Touching upon this Bhushan Kumar said, “At the forefront, it’s all about content. Content is King. Creating an impactful teaser is our starting point when it comes to marketing. With the right content, we create a teaser and then a trailer that resonates instantly with a broad audience. With the right teaser and trailer, we believe the impact is effectively made and sets the stage for the rest of the promotional efforts.” With super-hits like Bhool Bhulaiya 2 and this year’s second highest grosser in India, Animal, T Series is now well on its way to a consistent and significant revenue contribution on film revenue alone, making it the largest independent film studio in India. It is Bhushan Kumar’s passion for storytelling with the support of Executive Vice President-Films, Shiv Chanana that has seen them emerge as the studio of choice for filmmakers from Hindi and Telegu cinema.
4. The Franchise King: With its focus on film productions paying dividends T-Series has emerged as the literal Franchise King. With titles like Bhool Bhulaiya 3, Raid 2, De De Pyaar De, Aashiqui, and the recently released Animal with Animal Park in the wings, the mega production house has been cultivating and developing franchise films that will last a legacy.
5. $6 BN+ Enterprise: Not many in the industry realize that apart from its enormous clout in music, digital, and film production, T Series is by far the most profitable company in Indian cinema. A completely debt-free enterprise with consistently large free cash flows each year, were they to be a listed entity they would trade at approximately $6+ Billion valuation making it arguably one of the largest media and entertainment companies not just in India but across Asia.
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