Netflix India Partners With IICT and FICCI

Netflix is teaming up with India's leading business lobby and a government-backed creative institute to develop homegrown talent for the country's burgeoning animation and extended-reality industries, addressing a skills shortage that has hampered growth in the sector.

The streaming giant signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry and the Indian Institute of Creative Technology on Oct. 7 at FICCI Frames, an annual media and entertainment conference in its 25th year. Sanjay Jaju, secretary of India's Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, attended the signing.

The partnership will integrate Netflix's creative expertise with IICT's academic infrastructure and FICCI's industry connections to align coursework with marketplace demands in animation, gaming, visual effects and extended reality, collectively known as AVGC-XR.

IICT, a relatively new institution, aims to raise its industry profile through the Netflix collaboration. The institute currently operates from a single campus at NFDC Mumbai.

"This MoU strengthens India's AVGC-XR sector by creating an industry-led ecosystem that nurtures talent, drives innovation, and fosters sustainable growth," said Munjal Shroff, chairman of FICCI's AVGC-XR Forum, at the event.

Netflix Scholarships and Industry Training Programs

Under the agreement, IICT will develop industry-driven curricula while Netflix joins the institute's national, research-and-development, academic and industry development councils to provide strategic direction. Netflix will deploy its Creative Equity Fund to award scholarships to select IICT students and conduct masterclasses and workshops, either directly or through partner specialists.

Details concerning council structure, membership, and scholarship eligibility criteria remain broad at this stage and are expected to be clarified as programs are rolled out.

FICCI will leverage its industry network and policy framework to facilitate corporate partnerships and internship opportunities through its AVGC-XR Forum.

Mr. Jaju disclosed plans to expand IICT's footprint with a new campus at Film City in Mumbai's Goregaon district, with the additional facility expected to begin classes by 2028.

The initiative reflects India's push to reduce dependence on foreign talent by cultivating a domestic workforce equipped for the creative industries. By aligning academic programs with industry requirements and targeting scholarships toward underrepresented groups, the collaboration seeks to position India as a competitive force in global immersive-media production.