India's creator economy to influence $1 trillion in consumer spending by 2030: BCG report
New Delhi: India’s burgeoning digital creator economy is poised to drive more than $1 trillion in annual consumer spending by 2030, according to a new report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The study, titled "From Content to Commerce: Mapping India’s Creator Economy," was unveiled at the WAVES 2025 summit in Mumbai.
The report estimates that India’s digital creators currently influence consumer decisions worth $350–400 billion annually. Despite only 8% to 10% of the 2 to 2.5 million active creators effectively monetising their content, the sector already generates direct revenues between $20 billion and $25 billion. This figure is projected to rise fivefold to $100–125 billion by the end of the decade.
Significantly, the report notes a shift in audience demographics, with creators expanding their influence beyond urban Gen Z users to reach diverse age groups and consumers in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Short-form video remains the dominant content format, with genres such as comedy, cinema, television serials, and fashion leading in popularity.
Monetisation opportunities are also evolving, with creator incomes expected to rise 1.5 to 3 times in the near future. The trend reflects a broader transformation in brand strategies, with digital creators becoming central to marketing, commerce, and distribution efforts.
The BCG report was launched during the ongoing WAVES 2025 summit, India’s first major international event dedicated to the audio-visual and entertainment sectors. Running from May 1 to May 4 in Mumbai, the summit features over 10,000 participants, including 1,000 creators, 300 companies, and 350 startups. It spans key industries such as film, OTT platforms, animation, gaming, virtual reality (AVGC-XR), comics, broadcasting, and artificial intelligence, highlighting the growing convergence of media and technology in India’s digital future.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
