Financial Mechanics of the Deals

Understanding the Investment Strategy

The Booming Music Industry

Cost and Return Analysis

Long-term Ambitions and Minority Stakes

Industry Reactions and Surprises

Expert Insights: Mika Singh's Perspective

Comparing Deals: Universal vs Saregama

Conclusion: The Future of Content Ownership

Are music labels about to dictate the terms of Indian cinema? What began as strategic investments—Saregama's ₹325 crore stake in Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions and Universal Music's acquisition of 30.8% in Excel Entertainment—has sparked questions about consolidation, control, and the future of India's entertainment ecosystem. In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with ET’s film journalist Rajesh N Naidu and Nirmika Singh, founder of MOX Asia, former Editor, Rolling Stone India to decode the financial mechanics behind these deals.The discussion explores whether this signals industry consolidation or smart cost control, how music labels are securing IP at cheaper rates while expanding global reach, and what differentiated strategies—Universal's premium content scaling versus Saregama's long-haul domestic focus—reveal about competitive dynamics. 

You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin

Check out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?, How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z, India’s Labour Law Reboot, Viral to Valuation: Building Women’s Cricket as a Brand and much more.

Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.

Are music labels about to dictate the terms of Indian cinema? What began as strategic investments&mdash;Saregama's ₹325 crore stake in Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions and Universal Music's acquisition of 30.8% in Excel Entertainment&mdash;has sparked questions about consolidation, control, and the future of India's entertainment ecosystem. In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with ET&rsquo;s film journalist Rajesh N Naidu and Nirmika Singh, founder of MOX Asia, former Editor, Rolling Stone India to decode the financial mechanics behind these deals.The discussion explores whether this signals industry consolidation or smart cost control, how music labels are securing IP at cheaper rates while expanding global reach, and what differentiated strategies&mdash;Universal's premium content scaling versus Saregama's long-haul domestic focus&mdash;reveal about competitive dynamics.&nbsp;
You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media:&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AnirbanET">X</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirban-chowdhury-b5067219/">Linkedin </a>Check out other interesting episodes like: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000742733036">How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000740924439">How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000738734300">India&rsquo;s Labour Law Reboot</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000738205536">Viral to Valuation: Building Women&rsquo;s Cricket as a Brand</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777">much more</a>. Catch the latest episode of &lsquo;The Morning Brief&rsquo; on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/podcast?from=mdr">The Economic Times Online</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PL5kfPbwURBEu6fHCVTOL?si=26ec0fbfa7134fea"> Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.jiosaavn.com/shows/the-morning-brief/1/GNPiFQD2xpY_">JioSaavn</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/f378141f-9afb-495d-83da-9b08ec5047ac/the-morning-brief">Amazon Music</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theetpodcasts">Youtube</a>.

To make sense of the week’s hottest stories in business, economy, politics and markets, journalists from the Economic Times chat with reporters and industry leaders in this thrice-weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) podcast.