The fact that Punjabi films alone earned domestic GBOC (Gross Box office Collection) of Rs. 250 Cr in 2019, steadily increasing from Rs. 220 Cr they earned in 2018 is significant enough to highlight the importance of the Media & Entertainment industry. Not just the contribution in GDP; this industry has played a vital role in the creation of jobs as well. In fact, the media & entertainment industry has generated close to 4 million jobs all across India.  

Punjab government realizes the valuable contribution of this industry and is focusing on uplifting the economic metrics and the social metrics including recreation opportunities. Films, televisions and songs are particularly popular in Punjab; considering this, the Government of Punjab has come out with a notification in October 2020 for single-window clearance system for applications of film shooting permissions.

Some of the facts related to Punjab in the Media and Entertainment Sector are conspicuous and very inviting for the Punjab government to recognize the opportunities –

• Punjabi movies are one of the most prominent segments in the north Indian Movie Industry.
• Around 80 movies are released in the language every year with an annual investment of around Rs 3 – 7 Cr each.
• The movies are released with a global demand mostly from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom.
• The unique culture of the state is prominent in many national and international movies.
• Nearly 50 % of the revenue of major Punjabi films is generated from overseas.
  

Punjab: An ideal shooting location

Punjab’s landscapes and climatic conditions make it a preferred location for shooting films. The state has a very good ecosystem in the Media and Entertainment sector. The state has very good shooting locations – Agricultural fields, Freedom trails, Monuments, Shrines of religious importance, border zones, heritage railway stations, havelies, traditional village sites etc. The state has very good Air connectivity with six airports spread across the state with a landmass of 1.5 % of India. Mohali, Patiala, Amritsar, Ropar are some of the popular shooting locations in the state.

Punjabi Media & Entertainment Industry’s growth momentum 

The state has a very good music industry which is received well all across the globe. In fact, the Punjab music industry is one of the largest independent music industries globally. While the market size of the Indian Music industry is pegged at around Rs. 1300 Cr, the Punjabi music industry is pegged at Rs 700 Cr including revenue from songs and live events. Punjabi Industry has 400 registered music labels and releases on an average 15 to 20 songs daily. In 2019 over 4000 Punjabi Songs with Videos were released. The music is prominent is many national and some international level creations.

The media and entertainment industry of Punjab has been growing steadily over the years. New tariff order was put in place by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and under which, the customers could pick and choose the channels they wanted to watch. In a report published by FICCI – EY, the content in the Punjabi language gained the most. There was an increase in consumption of Punjabi language content by 20 % in 2018 and 2019. In terms of the growth of movie screens, the state has seen a 12 % increase in 2019 as compared to 2018. The state was among the 5 states which registered a growth of over 10 % in the screen count.

The state government’s notification of a single-window clearance system for applications of film shooting permissions has received an overwhelming response from the industry. The industry has welcomed this move which allows an applicant to obtain permissions to shoot in the state within 15 days of making an application on the business first portal of Invest Punjab. This is a major step towards ease of film shooting in the state. As notified, Invest Punjab is the Nodal Department for all film shooting permissions in the state. 

Indeed, Punjab government is taking steps towards a reformed way of doing business by incorporating the digital means and the new changes will usher in a new era of growth for the media and entertainment industry in Punjab. There is a long way to go, but this surely is a solid start.

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