WAVES 2025 Breaks Records with ₹1,328 Crore in Deals and 3,000+ B2B Meetings

WAVES 2025 was inaugurated on 1^st May by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the event a “wave of culture, creativity, and universal connectivity.” In his keynote, he highlighted India’s emergence as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, music, and live events, encouraging youth and creators to share their stories with the world. Declaring WAVES as the dawn of India’s Orange Economy, the Prime Minister called upon the world’s creators to invest not only in platforms but in people.

Thought Leadership and Knowledge Exchange:

Over four days, WAVES 2025 hosted a rich array of conference tracks, including plenary sessions, breakout discussions, and masterclasses, drawing more than 100 international speakers. The summit featured:

• 140+ sessions across 8 venues, including 3 large halls (1,000+ capacity) and 5 smaller ones.
• Keynote addresses by global leaders such as Mukesh Ambani, Ted Sarandos, Neal Mohan, Shantanu Narayen, Adam Mosseri, Mark Read, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
• In-depth discussions on AI, virtual production, OTT, gaming, animation, and more.

Prominent voices from the Indian film industry, including Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Allu Arjun, Akshay Kumar, Chiranjeevi, Hema Malini, and Shekhar Kapur, contributed their perspectives on the future of content creation.

Practical Learning Through Masterclasses:

WAVES 2025 offered 40 hands-on masterclasses, delivering practical insights from leading creatives and professionals. Highlights included:

• “The Art of Acting” by Aamir Khan
• “Craft of Direction” by Farhan Akhtar
• Filmmaking insights by Michael Lehmann
• Case studies such as the making of “Panchayat” (Amazon Prime), designing AR lenses, creating AI avatars, and game development with generative AI

Focused Dialogue Through Breakout Sessions:

55 breakout sessions offered deep dives into niche domains including music, live events, OTT platforms, broadcasting, digital media, virtual production, and more. Industry giants such as Meta, Google, Amazon, Snap, Spotify, NVIDIA, DNEG, and Netflix shared their strategies, alongside representatives from FICCI, CII, and IMI.

WAVES Bazaar: A Global Marketplace for Creativity

The first edition of the WAVES Bazaar emerged as a dynamic marketplace for business in the creative sector, recording ₹1,328 crore worth of business transactions, with ₹971 crore resulting from over 3,000 B2B meetings. Key highlights included:

• Announcement of the first-ever Indian Film Festival in New Zealand, via a collaboration between Film India Screen Collective and Screen Canterbury NZ
• A proposed MoU between Gazprom Media (Russia) and Only Much Louder (India) for co-production of cultural content
• Prime Video and CJ ENM announcing a multi-year partnership to globally distribute premium Korean content
• The launch of India’s first official Indo-UK co-production, “Devi Chowdhurani”, and the Indo-UK film “Violated” produced by Fusion Flicks and JVD Films

The Maharashtra Government further boosted the summit’s commercial scope by signing MoUs worth ₹8,000 crore, including major deals with the University of York, University of Western Australia, Prime Focus, and Godrej.

Held alongside WAVES 2025, the Global Media Dialogue saw participation from 77 nations. Union Ministers Dr. S. Jaishankar and Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw spoke about aligning tradition with technology and empowering local creators through co-production and content funding.

Fostering Innovation Through Startups and WAVEX:

The WAVES Start-Up Accelerator selected 30 high-potential startups to pitch directly to a panel of 45 major investors, including Lumikai, Jio, CABIL, and WarmUp Ventures. Key achievements:

• Investment proposals worth ₹50 crore are in the pipeline
• Over 100 startups showcased ideas in a dedicated pavilion
• WAVEX announced plans to build a network of incubators, mentors, and seed investors, especially for early-stage ideas without tangible products

WAVEX’s inclusive platform spotlighted innovators from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, positioning them at the forefront of India’s creative economy.

WAVES 2025 not only showcased India’s creative and technological prowess but also laid a strong foundation for global collaboration in media and entertainment. By fostering innovation, empowering startups, and promoting ethical content creation, the summit has positioned India as a leader in the global creative economy.