Universal Music India Buys 30% Stakes in Bollywood Powerhouse Excel Entertainment

Mumbai, 7^th January 2026: Universal Music India (UMI), the Indian arm of global music giant Universal Music Group (UMG), has acquired a 30% stake in Excel Entertainment, one of India’s most influential film and digital content studios, in a landmark strategic partnership valued at ₹2,400 crore.

“This partnership unlocks fresh opportunities for artists, film soundtracks, and culturally rooted stories on a global stage,” said Akhtar and Sidhwani. The deal marks Excel’s first overseas strategic investment and underscores growing global confidence in Indian content studios, particularly as film music continues to drive consumption across streaming platforms.

Vishal Ramchandani, CEO, Excel Entertainment said, “This partnership with UMG marks a pivotal step in our journey to broaden creative opportunities and tell Indian stories with a global lens. With a shared vision for innovation and excellence, we aim to transform Excel into a creative global studio—one that brings clutter-breaking, original content to audiences across platforms and geographies.”

Under the agreement, Universal Music India gains global distribution rights to all future original soundtracks from Excel’s slate of films and series, a move that firmly intertwines music and narrative content in India’s booming entertainment ecosystem. The collaboration also includes the launch of a dedicated Excel music label, to be distributed globally by UMG, and positions Universal Music Publishing Group as Excel’s exclusive publishing partner.

Adam Granite, UMG’s CEO of Africa, Middle East and Asia (AMEA), said:“Today’s announcement further strengthens UMG’s position in India, a dynamic and strategically important music market for the group globally. Original soundtracks remain at the heart of India’s fast-growing music market, with Indian listeners showing a growing desire to access more music in that genre. By investing in and partnering with Excel Entertainment, UMG will be uniquely positioned to contribute from the earliest stage to Excel’s future endeavours and throughout the creative process, providing huge benefits to both parties.”

Devraj Sanyal said, “Farhan and Ritesh have built an exceptionally impressive business, and we’re thrilled to be working with them on the next phase of their journey. The Indian film scene presents a hugely exciting opportunity for music and the music-led entertainment business, and Excel is the perfect partner for us to work with going forward”.

Excel founders Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani will retain majority ownership and full creative control, ensuring that the studio’s signature storytelling ethos remains unchanged while benefiting from Universal’s international scale. UMI’s Chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal will also join Excel’s board, strengthening cross-industry collaboration.