The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 was organized in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global hub of content creation. It brought together creators, policymakers, industry leaders, media platforms and technology pioneers on a single platform.

WAVES provided a platform for Indian creators to connect with new technologies, investors, producers and buyers. It saw participation of more than 1 Lakh people from over 100 countries. The event featured more than 140 sessions including 50 plenaries, 35 masterclasses and 55 breakout sessions with participation from global industry leaders.

Salient features of WAVES 2025:

● Global Media Dialogue: Key stakeholders, including government and private sector representatives, discussed the evolving role of media & entertainment. WAVES Declaration was adopted to promote media for peace and digital inclusion.
 ● WaveX: Platform for startup-led innovation in the M&E sector. It included a two-day live pitching event where startups presented ideas to investors.
 ● WAVES Bazaar: Enabled over 3 thousand B2B meetings by functioning as a marketplace for scripts, music, comics and AV rights, creating new revenue streams.
 ● Economic and Strategic Outcomes: MoUs worth Rs 8 thousand Cr were signed for investments in film cities, creative tech education and live entertainment infrastructure.
 ● Create in India Challenge (CIC): A nationwide next-generation creative talent hunt across 34 creative categories like animation, gaming, AR/VR and music. It attracted over 1 lakh registrations from creators from around the world.
 ● Creatosphere: Masterclasses, competitions and live showcases were hosted to highlight India’s next-gen creative talent.
 ● Bharat Pavilion: It offered an immersive experience into India’s storytelling legacy by projecting India’s soft power and cultural leadership globally.
 ● 8th National Community Radio Conference: 12 stations received the National Community Radio Awards for innovation and inclusivity in community broadcasting.

This information was shared by Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, in the Lok Sabha today.

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 Dharmendra Tewari / Navin Sreejith