WAVES 2025 Sets the Stage for India's Creative Boom with Rs 9,000+ Crore in Deals
The first edition of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) concluded in Mumbai with a thumping success, opening a new page for India's creative economy. The four-day international event that witnessed widespread presence of industry professionals, artists, academia, policymakers, and public at large proved to be a big platform for collaboration, innovation, and business generation in the media and entertainment industry.
Hosted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the conclave saw heightened industry interest with its signature 'WAVES Bazaar' program alone sealing business deals with a value in excess of Rs1,328 crore. At the conclave, more than 3,000 business-to-business (B2B) meetings were organised, which are an indicator of the strong attendance by exhibitors, content players, technology providers, and producers.
To the economic contribution of the summit, the Maharashtra government inked Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) valued at Rs 8,000 crore. These were MoUs valued at Rs 1,500 crore each with the University of York and the University of Western Australia. The Industries Department of the state inked further agreements with Prime Focus (Rs 3,000 crore) and Godrej (Rs 2,000 crore), with the aim of increasing investment in media, education, and entertainment infrastructure.
Speaking at the summit, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar underlined the importance of balanced synergy between tradition and technology. He highlighted empowering youth through innovation and skill development to address the changing needs of the creative economy.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the revolutionizing role played by digital means in creating content. He suggested more promotion of local content, global co-productions, and collaborative models of funding to promote India on the global media front.
The summit was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who underlined India's increased standing as an international content center. The meeting drew a pluralistic assortment of attendees that spanned iconic artists, international tech moguls, startup entrepreneurs, and business planners.
During the four days, WAVES 2025 presented a comprehensive agenda of exhibitions, talks, and B2B networking meetings, reaffirming India's increasing dominance in the media and entertainment landscape. The 'Conference Track' was the intellectual hub of the summit, comprising more than 140 sessions and over 100 global speakers in eight halls. Three of these halls had capacities of over 1,000, and were filled to capacity throughout, testifying to the high level of interest among participants.
Plenary sessions included more than 50 keynote speeches from prominent voices including Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, WPP CEO Mark Read, and Instagram Head Adam Mosseri. Sessions covered themes like digital transformation, advertising trends, and future-ready storytelling.
Indian film industry also came into the limelight with its stalwarts like Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Nagarjuna, and Allu Arjun all members of the WAVES Advisory Board gracing panels discussing the future of cinema, AI-powered storytelling, and virtual production technologies taking the center stage.
The summit's 40 masterclasses provided tips and creative insights. Sessions such as The Art of Acting by Aamir Khan, The Craft of Direction by Farhan Akhtar, and Insights into Filmmaking by Michael Lehmann were taken in by the attendees as worthwhile learnings. Masterclasses on AI avatars, AR lens designing, game development with generative AI, and back-end storytelling gave glimpses into the future of creative production.
Moreover, 55 breakout sessions delved into specialized domains like OTT, music, news, animation, live events, comics, broadcasting, and virtual production, leading to more in-depth discussions on the future of entertainment.
One of the highlights was the Global Media Dialogue 2025, with representatives from 77 nations reaffirming India's pivotal position in the world of entertainment.
Union Minister of State for I&B Dr. L. Murugan also launched five seminal reports on India's media and entertainment ecosystem, including content production, policy frameworks, and the growing live events sector providing stakeholders with a strategic playbook for the years to come.
WAVES 2025 has established India as a creative hub in earnest, set to spearhead the next wave of global media innovation.
