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Average Media Program Director Salary in India for 2026

A media program director in India earns about 656,800 INR a year. That's 71% above the national average of 384,200 INR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in India sit around 315,700 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 1,030,200 INR. Everything on this page is in Indian rupee (INR, symbol ₹), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in India, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a media program director make in India?

Average salary
656,800 INR
54,733 INR per month
Lowest reported
315,700 INR
26,308 INR per month
Highest reported
1,030,200 INR
85,850 INR per month

A typical media program director working in India brings home around 54,733 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 315,700 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,030,200 INR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior media program director working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How media program director pay ranges in India

A good way to think about salary in India is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all media program directors in India earn less than 681,500 INR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 447,700 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 890,700 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of media program directors sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 315,700 INR. The highest stretch to 1,030,200 INR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

315,700
Low
681,500
Median
1,030,200
High
447,700
25th
890,700
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Media program director pay by experience in India

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a media program director in India, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical media program director salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    367,200 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +42% from previous
    520,900 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    687,100 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    844,100 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    896,700 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    983,700 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a media program director typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Media program director pay by education in India

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving media program director pay in India. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average media program director salary in India broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    457,300 INR
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +16% from previous
    528,600 INR
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +46% from previous
    772,700 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +23% from previous
    949,600 INR

Media program director gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male media program directors in India earn an average of 695,400 INR a year, while female media program directors earn around 638,700 INR. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Media Program Director gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in India.

Men 695,400 INR
Women 638,700 INR

Pay raises for a media program director in India

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in India sees a raise of about 14% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 10% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in India, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in India:

  • Banking
    1%
  • Energy
    2%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Media program director bonus rates in India

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

84%

84% of media program directors in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a media program director a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 16% of media program directors reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in India

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Media program director: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in India is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

5%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in India on average.

Public sector 392,300 INR
Private sector 371,100 INR

Media program director salary by city and region in India

Media program director pay is not even across India. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • West Bengal
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Karnataka
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Rajasthan
  • Bihar
  • Hyderabad
  • Orissa
  • Maharashtra
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
West BengalRegion817,800 INR781,200 INR424,300-1,249,900 INR
Uttar PradeshRegion790,600 INR790,600 INR394,500-1,224,800 INR
KarnatakaRegion780,600 INR748,600 INR404,600-1,195,600 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion778,500 INR791,600 INR381,800-1,212,800 INR
Tamil NaduRegion773,400 INR728,500 INR412,000-1,181,200 INR
RajasthanRegion772,900 INR790,300 INR378,800-1,212,800 INR
BiharRegion767,400 INR828,400 INR351,200-1,224,800 INR
HyderabadCity762,400 INR810,400 INR359,900-1,212,800 INR
OrissaRegion761,400 INR731,700 INR394,500-1,165,400 INR
MaharashtraRegion757,600 INR743,300 INR385,300-1,165,300 INR
ChennaiCity754,900 INR741,500 INR384,500-1,160,900 INR
MumbaiCity751,100 INR721,600 INR390,000-1,148,200 INR
AhmadabadCity739,500 INR680,100 INR398,300-1,114,700 INR
PuneCity736,700 INR677,100 INR396,300-1,110,500 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion735,200 INR751,100 INR362,200-1,148,200 INR
Delhi (city)City728,500 INR713,900 INR371,100-1,124,200 INR
KolkataCity722,100 INR735,200 INR353,600-1,125,500 INR
BangaloreCity718,000 INR744,600 INR345,100-1,125,500 INR
AssamRegion717,900 INR675,100 INR381,800-1,089,400 INR
KeralaRegion714,600 INR658,300 INR384,500-1,077,700 INR
GujaratRegion714,300 INR698,200 INR365,400-1,099,800 INR
KanpurCity712,100 INR754,900 INR335,100-1,122,500 INR
JharkhandRegion712,100 INR712,100 INR354,000-1,104,400 INR
JaipurCity707,600 INR679,200 INR367,900-1,079,600 INR
Delhi (region)Region707,600 INR748,600 INR332,500-1,116,700 INR
HaryanaRegion693,100 INR650,700 INR367,900-1,051,400 INR
LucknowCity689,900 INR702,800 INR339,100-1,075,700 INR
SuratCity687,100 INR725,700 INR322,600-1,085,600 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion687,100 INR714,300 INR330,700-1,077,700 INR
UttaranchalRegion683,800 INR714,600 INR327,300-1,074,200 INR
IndoreCity681,500 INR736,700 INR314,500-1,084,200 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion681,500 INR681,500 INR340,400-1,057,100 INR
NagpurCity679,200 INR719,100 INR318,800-1,070,600 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity671,000 INR727,400 INR308,300-1,067,500 INR
PunjabRegion671,000 INR712,100 INR313,700-1,059,800 INR
VisakhapatnamCity659,200 INR687,100 INR315,900-1,037,600 INR
ManipurRegion652,200 INR614,600 INR345,700-991,100 INR
BhopalCity645,800 INR672,600 INR308,300-1,011,300 INR
CoimbatoreCity641,900 INR602,700 INR340,400-974,600 INR
PatnaCity638,700 INR663,200 INR307,400-1,000,700 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion637,500 INR687,100 INR294,700-1,009,200 INR
TripuraRegion633,300 INR683,800 INR292,000-1,006,300 INR
VadodaraCity628,000 INR639,900 INR308,900-979,300 INR
LudhianaCity626,800 INR650,700 INR301,300-985,700 INR
GhaziabadCity620,300 INR620,300 INR312,400-962,900 INR
NagalandRegion619,000 INR619,000 INR308,300-960,900 INR
MizoramRegion618,800 INR642,800 INR296,000-972,200 INR
MeghalayaRegion618,800 INR665,300 INR282,500-983,700 INR
GoaRegion615,700 INR628,000 INR301,300-960,900 INR
PondicherryRegion605,700 INR559,000 INR327,800-917,200 INR
ChandigarhRegion605,700 INR633,100 INR292,000-953,300 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion597,800 INR575,100 INR311,700-917,700 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion595,300 INR631,200 INR281,500-942,700 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion592,200 INR580,600 INR301,600-913,400 INR
agraCity581,300 INR566,900 INR294,700-890,100 INR
MaduraiCity571,300 INR618,800 INR263,900-909,300 INR
SikkimRegion565,100 INR555,800 INR290,800-874,300 INR
Daman & DiuRegion559,000 INR516,100 INR301,600-846,500 INR
LakshadweepRegion529,600 INR563,000 INR251,500-838,100 INR

Media Program Director in India: FAQs

  • How much does a media program director make per month in India?

    A media program director in India earns about 54,733 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 656,800 INR.

  • What's the salary range for a media program director in India?

    Entry-level media program directors in India start near 315,700 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 1,030,200 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 447,700 and 890,700 INR.

  • Is the median media program director salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 681,500 INR, higher than the average of 656,800 INR. Half of media program directors in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for media program directors in India?

    Men working as a media program director in India earn around 9% more than women on average (695,400 vs 638,700 INR a year).

  • Do media program directors in India get bonuses?

    About 84% of media program directors in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do media program directors earn more in the public or private sector in India?

    In India, the public sector pays a media program director about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do media program directors in India get a pay raise?

    A media program director in India sees a raise of around 14% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.