CREATIVITY REIMAGINED
In a world hungry for authentic stories and innovative entertainment, India is all set to revolutionize the global media landscape. The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) isn’t just another media & entertainment stakeholder—it represents a transformative vision that will redefine how creators, policymakers, and audiences worldwide engage with content. Set to unfold from May 1-4, 2025, in Mumbai, WAVES emerges as perhaps the most visionary initiative undertaken by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for the creator ecosystem, establishing a new gold standard for global entertainment forums.
For decades, India has been a storytelling powerhouse, captivating the world with its films, music, and digital content. Yet, despite its sheer creative output, the country has rarely dictated the terms of engagement in the global entertainment industry. WAVES seeks to change that narrative. This isn’t just about showcasing Indian creativity—it’s about shaping the global conversation around media, entertainment, and technology. If Davos is the nerve centre of economic policy and Cannes the temple of cinema, WAVES aims to define the future of entertainment through innovation creation and collaboration of key stakeholders- ‘The Sangam of Artistic Brilliance’.
WAVES is not just about big-picture strategy—it’s about real opportunities for creators, businesses, and investors. The Bharat Pavilion will celebrate India’s storytelling legacy, tracing its evolution from ancient epics and folklore to AI-driven content and immersive digital storytelling. This is India telling the world: our stories are timeless, but our storytelling is cutting-edge. At the same time, the WAVES Bazaar, a first-of-its-kind year-round global content marketplace, is set to transform how content is bought, sold, and distributed. Moving beyond the traditional festival-driven acquisition model, this digital-first platform will enable constant global transactions, ensuring that content creators from India and beyond have access to an always-on monetization ecosystem.
Recent successes like “Dune: Part Two” winning the 2025 Oscar for Best Visual Effects with significant Indian VFX contributions exemplify the creative potential WAVES aims to showcase and nurture on a global platform. But beyond all the industry talk, what makes WAVES truly different is its big-picture vision. This is not a one-time event—it is a long-term strategy to position India as the global headquarters of entertainment innovation. As the global M&E industry moves toward a $3 trillion valuation by 2030, India is making its case not as an outsourcing hub, but as a global leader in entertainment production, policy, and investment. The summit’s integration of content creation, financing, policy discussions, and emerging technologies makes it a launchpad for the future of entertainment.
The summit’s ambitions extend beyond showcasing talent to fostering international cooperation through the Global Media Dialogue. This diplomatic initiative, aims to create a truly global ecosystem that connects creators and industry stakeholders across continents under India’s leadership. The Global Media Dialogue will culminate in the landmark ‘WAVES Declaration 2025’—a visionary roadmap for the global media and entertainment fraternity that will establish the foundation for an enduring World Entertainment Forum. This declaration will address critical industry trends and challenges while proposing inclusive frameworks that benefit creators worldwide.
One of the most groundbreaking initiatives at WAVES is the WaveXcelerator, a startup incubator designed specifically for creative entrepreneurs. With the rise of AI-generated content, interactive media, and virtual production, the need for structured mentorship, funding, and market access has never been greater. WaveXcelerator ensures that India not only fosters cutting-edge storytelling but also builds the businesses that will define the next decade of entertainment. By integrating investment facilitation with intellectual property protection, India is signalling to the world that it is serious about creating a sustainable creative economy.
A major highlight of WAVES is its focus on talent discovery and mentorship. Through its Create in India Challenges, the summit has already identified 725 top-tier creators across gaming, comics, animation, music, esports, and broadcasting. These selected talents will participate in CreatoSphere, an interactive hub filled with live competitions, master classes, and collaborative projects, ensuring that the best new voices in entertainment emerge from India and onto the global stage. This structured talent pipeline underscores India’s ambition to be not just a content hub, but a talent powerhouse.
The summit’s Thought Leaders Track will bring together CEOs, media executives, policymakers, and creative pioneers to tackle some of the biggest questions in entertainment today: What does the future of storytelling look like? How will AI reshape content creation? What new monetization models will define the streaming era? How do we balance creativity with regulation? These aren’t just conference buzzwords—they’re the real debates shaping the future of entertainment, and WAVES will be at the centre of them.
WAVES’ strategic objectives align perfectly with global industry needs: driving sector growth, nurturing innovation through emerging technologies like AI and immersive experiences, empowering young talent, and facilitating meaningful cultural exchange between Indian and international media professionals. The benefits extend far beyond the summit itself. WAVES positions India to attract substantial investment in its creative industries, solidify its leadership in global entertainment, strengthen its contribution to the worldwide creative economy, and develop a skilled workforce prepared for the industry’s future demands. By focusing on diverse areas—from content creation and financing to gaming, animation, music, and IP development—WAVES addresses the full spectrum of media and entertainment challenges and opportunities in an increasingly interconnected world.
As the countdown to May 1, 2025 begins, the world is paying attention. WAVES isn’t just a media summit—it’s a movement. A movement where creativity meets commerce, tradition meets technology, and India meets the world on its own terms. The entertainment industry is at an inflection point, and India is making sure that when the next chapter is written, it’s written in bold letters, with WAVES at its center.
(The Author is former Civil Servant. Courtesy: PIB)
