Media and Entertainment

 The Media and Entertainment International (MEI) was a global union federation representing workers in the arts.

The federation was founded in 1993 with the merger of the International Secretariat of Arts, Communications, Media and Entertainment Trade Unions and the International Federation of Trade Unions of Audio-Visual Workers. Originally named the International Secretariat for Arts, Mass Media and Entertainment Trade Unions (ISAMMETU), in 1995 it renamed itself as the "Media and Entertainment International".[1]

The federation campaigned in support of public service broadcasting, and in support of minimum working conditions for freelance film and theatre workers. The federation failed to agree a common policy on whether governments should mandate that a particular percentage of media should be produced locally.[2]

On 1 January 2000, the federation merged with the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees, International Graphical Federation and Communications International, to form the Union Network International.[3]

Throughout its existence the federation was led by general secretary Jim Wilson and president Tony Lennon.[2]

The media and entertainment industry in India consists of many different segments under its folds such as television, print, and films. It also includes smaller segments like radio, music, out-of-home advertising, animation, gaming and visual effects (VFX) and internet advertising.[1] The entertainment industry in India has registered explosive growth in the last two decades making it one of the fastest-growing industries in India. From a single state-owned channel, Doordarshan in the 1990s there are more than 400 active channels in the country. Worldwide, 2010 saw the global economy begin to recover from a steep decline in 2009. Improved economic conditions in 2010 played a major role in a rebound in customer spend. Since the world economy began to recover from the global financial crisis of 2008, improved economic conditions played a major role in a rebound in consumer spending.

While India was not critically impacted by the downturn in 2008 and 2009, it demonstrated one of the highest growth rates this year and continued to at a healthy pace. The rising rate of investments by the private sector and foreign media and entertainment (M&E) majors have improved India's entertainment infrastructure to a great extent. As per the recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers[2] (PwC), Indians are likely to spend more on entertainment in the coming years with steady growth in their disposable income. And as per the combined survey report by KMPG and FICCI, the entertainment industry in India is expected to expand by 12.5% every year and is likely to reach US$20.09 billion by the year 2013. The industry pegged at INR 5808 billion in 2009 as compared to INR 3565 billion in 2005. The Indian media and entertainment industry grew from US$12.9 billion in 2009 to US$14.4 billion in 2010, a growth of 11 percent, according to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and research firm KPMG. The report also states that backed by positive industry sentiment and growing media consumption, the industry is estimated to achieve growth of 13 percent in 2011 to touch US$16.2 billion. As the industry braces for exciting times ahead, the sector is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14 percent to reach US$28.1 billion by 2015.[3]