Universal Music’s Investment Raises Excel Entertainment Valuation to ₹2,400 Crore

Global music major Universal Music Group has acquired a significant minority stake in Excel Entertainment, the Mumbai-based production house founded by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, substantially boosting the company’s valuation to around ₹2,400 crore. The move marks a major strategic investment in India’s fast-growing entertainment and content creation sector.

Under the deal, Universal Music’s Indian arm has picked up a 30 percent stake in Excel Entertainment. Despite the investment, the founding partners will continue to retain majority ownership and creative control, ensuring that the studio’s vision and storytelling approach remain unchanged. The partnership is being positioned as a long-term collaboration aimed at scaling content creation and expanding global reach rather than a change in leadership.

. By aligning with Excel Entertainment, Universal is expected to gain closer access to film soundtracks and music-led intellectual property, while leveraging its global distribution network to amplify the reach of future projects.

As part of the arrangement, Universal Music India is expected to have representation on Excel Entertainment’s board, reflecting deeper strategic alignment between the two companies.

Excel Entertainment, which has been active in the industry for over two decades, has built a reputation for producing commercially successful and critically acclaimed films and web series. With this fresh capital infusion, the studio aims to expand its production slate, explore new formats, and tap into international markets more aggressively.

As demand for Indian content continues to grow worldwide, the Universal-Excel partnership is expected to play a key role in shaping the next phase of film and music-driven storytelling from the country.