WAVES: India's Bid To Reshape Global Entertainment Landscape
In a world hungry for authentic stories and innovative entertainment, India is set to revolutionise the global media landscape. The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) isn’t just another media and entertainment stakeholder – it represents a vision that will redefine how creators, policymakers and audiences worldwide engage with content.
Set to unfold from May 1-4, in Mumbai, WAVES is an initiative by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for the creator ecosystem. For decades, India has been a storytelling powerhouse. Yet despite its 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. 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, will transform how content is bought, sold and distributed. 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 towards 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 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. The Global Media Dialogue will culminate in the WAVES Declaration 2025 – a roadmap for the global media and entertainment fraternity that will establish the foundation for an enduring World Entertainment Forum. One of the most groundbreaking initiatives at WAVES is the WaveXcelerator, a startup incubator designed 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 cuttingedge storytelling but also builds the businesses that will define the next decade of entertainment. 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 talents will participate in CreatoSphere, an interactive hub filled with live competitions, masterclasses and collaborative projects, ensuring that the best new voices in entertainment emerge from India and onto the global stage. 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. 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 Author Is A Former Civil Servant
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