Why are content creators happy with union budget? Little-known facts about India's thriving orange economy

Amidst the kerfuffle of the union budget 2026, a key point from the presentation failed to gather much attention among the public — The Orange Economy.

Orange Economy

The creative economy is also known as the 'orange economy'. It is a sector driven by ideas, technology, culture and intellectual property rather than traditional production methods. It includes industries such as animation, gaming, film, music, design, digital content, advertising, software, fashion, publishing and content creation.

It creates jobs and promotes urban development and cultural value. The concept of the orange economy refers to how cultural heritage and creativity can drive sustainable economic development.

The central government is reportedly considering creating content creator labs in educational institutions and setting up a National Institute of Design. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned the rise of India's orange economy in his inaugural address, 'Waves 2025'.

Budget announcement

'Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) is a thriving industry in India. It is expected that two million professionals will be required in this sector by 2030. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, has been directed to support the establishment of AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 secondary colleges,' Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Union Budget yesterday.

Economic Survey 2025-26

The Economic Survey 2025-26 identifies the ‘orange economy’ as a key driver of India’s employment, urban services and tourism. It is considered a sector capable of absorbing a large workforce that is not available in the traditional manufacturing sector. The survey sees the orange economy as a crucial component of India’s services-based growth model.

The main revenue streams in this sector are live entertainment and musical nights. India’s live entertainment industry crossed Rs 10,000 crore in 2024. In addition to ticket sales, live entertainment also creates demand for hospitality, transport, logistics and local services.

The survey found that creative industries contribute between 0.5 per cent and 7 per cent of GDP globally. In the US, live music alone created over 900,000 jobs and generated over $130 billion in revenue in 2019.