The January 2026 issue of Fortune India marks Netflix’s decade in India, examining its growth strategy and mass-market push, with CEO Ted Sarandos on the Warner Bros. Discovery bid. The issue also features Best Investments 2026 and a pre-Budget roundtable with leading experts.
The January 2026 issue of Fortune India arrives at a moment when the country’s business and cultural landscape is being reshaped by technology, capital flows, and shifting consumer aspirations. The first issue of the new year brings together some of the most consequential conversations and analyses that will define boardrooms and policy debates in the months ahead, anchored by a deep dive into Netflix’s decade-long journey in India—a story that mirrors the evolution of the Indian digital economy itself.
When Netflix launched in India in January 2016, it entered a market that was still discovering streaming. Data was expensive, smartphones were only beginning to proliferate, and entertainment consumption remained dominated by television and cinema. Ten years on, Netflix’s presence in India is both more complex and more deeply rooted. The platform has commissioned original series and films in multiple Indian languages, partnered with some of the country’s most influential filmmakers, and steadily expanded its subscriber base even as competition intensified. The anniversary package in this issue traces how Netflix navigated regulatory uncertainty, pricing challenges, and fierce rivalry from global and domestic players to build a sustainable business in one of the world’s most demanding markets.
A key theme explored is how Netflix is balancing its premium positioning with the realities of mass subscriptions in India. Unlike markets where high average revenue per user is taken for granted, India has forced the streaming giant to innovate on pricing, formats, and distribution. Mobile-only plans, local-language originals, and stories rooted in Indian social realities have all been part of this recalibration. The feature examines the strategic trade-offs behind these decisions and what they reveal about Netflix’s broader global playbook, especially as growth in mature markets slows and emerging economies become critical to the company’s future.
Adding a global dimension to the story is an exclusive conversation with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who speaks candidly to Fortune India about the company’s ambitions beyond streaming. Sarandos addresses Netflix’s bold bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that has sparked intense debate across Hollywood and financial markets. In the interview, he reflects on consolidation in the media and entertainment industry, the economics of content creation at scale, and how Netflix is thinking about intellectual property, theatrical releases, and long-term shareholder value. For Indian readers, the conversation offers rare insight into how decisions taken in Los Angeles boardrooms could ripple through local content ecosystems and talent markets.
Beyond media and entertainment, the January issue stays true to Fortune India’s core mandate of helping readers make sense of money and markets. The annual Best Investments 2026 package is a comprehensive guide for investors navigating an environment marked by global uncertainty and domestic opportunity. With interest rates, inflation expectations, and geopolitical risks all in flux, the package brings together data-driven analysis and expert perspectives to identify asset classes, sectors, and strategies that could deliver resilient returns in the year ahead. From equities and fixed income to alternative assets and emerging themes, the coverage is designed to serve both seasoned investors and those looking to refine their portfolios as the new financial year approaches.
Equally timely is the magazine’s pre-Budget Round Table, which convenes economists, industry leaders, and policy experts to discuss expectations from the Union Budget and the broader direction of economic policy. As India seeks to sustain growth while managing fiscal discipline, the roundtable captures a diversity of views on taxation, infrastructure spending, manufacturing incentives, and social-sector priorities. The discussion also reflects on how global headwinds—from slowing growth in major economies to supply chain realignments—could influence domestic policy choices. For business leaders and professionals, these insights provide valuable context ahead of one of the most closely watched policy events of the year.
What ties these disparate strands together is a sense of transition. Netflix’s ten-year journey in India underscores how quickly consumer markets can evolve when technology, content, and capital intersect. The investment package reflects the changing calculus of wealth creation in an era where traditional assumptions are being tested. And the Budget roundtable highlights the policy choices that will shape India’s growth trajectory in the near term. Together, they capture the mood of a country—and a global economy—at the start of 2026: cautious yet optimistic, challenged yet ambitious.
The January 2026 issue of Fortune India thus sets the tone for the year ahead. It offers readers not just news, but perspective—on how global giants adapt to local realities, how leaders think about risk and opportunity, and how individuals and institutions can prepare for what lies ahead. As the first issue of the new year hits stands, it invites readers to reflect on the past decade, assess the present moment, and engage thoughtfully with the forces that will define the future.
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