WAVES Summit 2025, also known as World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit, was scheduled from 1st May to 4th May 2025 at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. It was the biggest and the inaugural international conference and exhibition in the MEI industry of India, which the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting conducted. The Summit focused on putting forward India as a world powerhouse in media, entertainment, and digital space, under the slogan “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries,” Over 10 thousand visitors from over ninety countries, including creators, startups, industry leaders, and policymakers, attended.
The Prime Minister of India inaugurated this conclave with the government’s core objectives- to leverage creativity, technology, and talent towards a better tomorrow. The dignitaries present during the event were the Governor, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Union Ministers. Thus, the Summit was not only focused on business and technologies. There was also their staple grand celebration of Indian culture, dance, and musical shows, as different acts enthralled the crowd.
Key Themes and Objectives of the Summit
To organize the WAVES Summit 2025 conference, four main thematic tracks were identified: Broadcasting & Infotainment is one of the most obvious categories, AVGC-XR refers to Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics & Extended Reality, Digital Media & Innovation, and the Films category is also quite noticeable. These tracks spanned across the spectrum from conventional broadcasting to state-of-the-art technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and the metaverse.
The Summit aimed to foster discussions, generate ideas, and promote media and entertainment industry convergence. Its goal was to turn India into an engine for digital content and creativity. The Summit also discussed the issue of globalisation of Indian Media, the future of creating content, and the effects of technological advancement on entertainment.
Particular emphasis was paid to the topic of India’s soft power in the context of cinema, music, and non-military diplomacy; as well as opportunities and threats connected to shifts in technology, including the use of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Blockchain. Specifically, the issue Create in India Challenge was one of the features of the Summit that received more than 85000 entries, including 1,100 from other countries. Finally, 750 Make It competitors performed before the 50 models of judges in Stratosphere, a separate hall for exhibitions of master classes, training grounds for participants, computer games, and the award finals.
Major Attractions and Activities at WAVES 2025
WAVES 2025 includes the following: WAVES went beyond being just an annual conference in its name, as 2025 portrayed. It turned out to be a giant show with over 15,000 sq m of space, with over 100 MNC top-tier companies, including Netflix, Amazon, Google, Meta, Sony, Reliance, Adobe, Tata, and many others. Others featured were new generation and brilliant ones such as JetSynthesys, Digital Radio Mondiale, Free Stream Technologies, Neural Garage, and Fractal Picture, making it a creativity innovation platform.
Among the most famous exhibitions was the Bharat Pavilion, which showcased India’s evolution from conventional to digital art. This pavilion had four zones to drive storytelling: Back to Basics of India; Reflection Deeper: design sketches; Divya SSK: Skills, Storied Structures; and From Art to Addiction: The Creator’s Leap under the theme Kala to Code. People could see how Indian people told stories before through oral tradition and how it progressed to technologically advanced ways.
The show also transformed the pavilion area, where the states of India, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and others, such as Goa, Gujarat, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, etc., provided a glimpse of their cultural and artistic prowess. For instance, the MSME Pavilion and the Start–Up Booths enabled existing and new companies and great minds to showcase themselves and interact with leaders and investors.
Global Media Dialogue and Thought Leadership
One area of MaryPop specifically designed for the younger population was the Gaming Arena with brands such as Microsoft Xbox, dream11com, Krafton, Nazara, MPL, and jioGames. This arena highlighted the FSIZE [emerging importance of gaming / growing importance of gaming] and esports in India and their role in the global digital environment. In its effort to engage the worldwide society in a multi-stakeholder conversation and as part of its thought leadership endeavour, the FMC provided leadership in facilitating dialogue and generating knowledge on the media industry.
One of the phenomenal features on this occasion at WAVES 2025 was the inauguration of the Global Media Dialogue in India for the first time. This event involved the Ministers of 25 countries, policy makers, the press and media, and industry players to deliberate on cross-national cooperation, media standards and regulations, and advancement. The Thought Leaders Track comprised plenary and breakout sessions and engaged global CEOs & experts to address key topics regarding strategic partnerships and market trends.
There were 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses that encapsulated various areas of broadcasting and infotainment and managed AVGC-XR films and other digital media. The Viewing Room Library selected 100 carefully chosen movies from eight international locations, from India, the USA, Germany, Sri Lanka, and the UAE, to ensure filmmakers could showcase their masterpieces to the world. The WAVES Bazaar was where content creators and media workers could find business partners and content. Almost ₹1,300 crore of business deals were closed, with creators and filmmakers from across the country participating in the WAVES Bazaar.
WAVES Summit 2025 Star-Studded Event
The WAVES Summit 2025 was the event that lined up big celebrities and personalities from the Indian film industry and many other fields. Thus, within the framework of the four-day agenda, the association celebrated one of the largest-scale events with the participation of more than 40 film and entertainment stars. Celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kriti Sanon, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao, Kartik Aaryan, Riteish Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor, and Anupam Kher were also present in the summit.
For this event, old Mollywood stars Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, and Nagarjuna Akkineni graced the event along with the new generation stars Allu Arjun and Vijay Deverakonda. Other prominent movie industry professionals were also there, including movie makers S S Rajamouli, renowned music composer AR Rahman, and entertainment tycoon Bhushan Kumar. Other influencers from the global media industry that attended the event include Ted Sarandos, the Co-CEO of Netflix, Mark Read, who is the CEO of WPP, Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, and Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, among others, indicating that the event is global.
Cultural Showcase and Celebrating Diversity
FUN, WAVES Summit 2025 was a grand cultural celebration. The night was spectacular, which presented an impressive show that enchanted the audience with an infinite variety of Indian art. Spectacular folk dances, martial art demonstrations, and energetic rhythms in drums made the audience awe. The cultural programs demonstrated to anyone wishing to follow that media as a form of communication could break barriers and accommodate people worldwide.
The expo spaces ‘Shruti’, ‘Kriti’, ‘Drishti’, and ‘Creator’s Leap’ physically mapped out a trajectory from past to present India and took the visitors through India’s storytelling tradition. This spectacular performance reflected India’s change from the above art forms to digital media and world culture. A National Sammelan on Community Radio was also organized, explaining how local channels can bring change and empower the people. The Exhibition Pavilion will present such developments in the media and entertainment industry due to the latest technological breakthroughs, enabling a future view of the industry.
Impact and Significance of WAVES Summit 2025
About WAVES Summit 2025, the importance and influence of the WAVES Summit 2025 was a game-changing event for India’s media and entertainment industry. The Summit has facilitated the centralization of leaders in the media and entertainment business, creators, investors, and innovators worldwide, making India the global hub for media and entertainment. The event was meant as a call to open a $50bn market by 2029 and grow the entertainment business in India. The Summit created an environment that promoted global cooperation, partnership opportunities, and invaluable access to investors and advisors for up-and-coming companies.
For instance, the Wave Accelerator platform plays a role in developing India’s media and entertainment startup scene. WAVES 2025 also proved necessary for projecting soft power through cinematographic and musical diplomacy, where India successfully created a conflict-free public diplomacy footprint. This way, the Summit organization helped advocate for India’s rich culture and creative potential in the international forum.
Conclusion
WAVES Summit 2025 was a unique event that raised global awareness regarding India’s emerging dominance of media, entertainment, and technological sectors. Regarding creativity, innovation, and collaboration, the Summit was perfect for promoting India as a global entertainment hub. WAVES Summit 2025 was all business–work meetings and technological presentations, as well as artistic performances, cultural sessions, and diplomatic talks.
Also Read: 1983: Bollywood Cinematic Revolution, Near-Death Drama, and the Dawn of Inclusive Storytelling
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