**Policy Summary: Promotion of India's Live Events Industry**
On August 26, 2025, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Government of India, convened the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on the promotion of the Live Events Industry in New Delhi. Chaired by the Secretary, MIB, Shri Sanjay Jaju, the JWG aims to foster collaboration between government and industry stakeholders to propel India's live entertainment sector. This initiative, directed by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeks to position India among the top 5 global live entertainment destinations by 2030, projecting the creation of 15-20 million jobs.
The JWG comprises representatives from Central and State Governments, industry associations (EEMA, FICCI, CII, ILEA), music rights societies (IPRS, PPL, RMPL, IMI Trust), and major event companies (BookMyShow, Wizcraft, Saregama, District by Zomato, Touchwood Entertainment Ltd.). Participating government bodies include the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Culture, Youth Affairs & Sports, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Finance, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and the Sports Authority of India, along with officials from the State Governments of Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.
Key outcomes and objectives outlined during the meeting include:
* **Single Window Platform:** Integrating live event clearances into the India Cine Hub Portal to streamline business processes.
* **Music Licensing & IP Rights:** Launching a Centralised Digital Music Licensing Registry by October 2025 in collaboration with rights societies.
* **Infrastructure Development:** Creating a model policy to enable multi-use of stadiums and public spaces for live events, and promoting the development of new greenfield venues in the States.
* **Skill Development:** Incorporating live entertainment skills into the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
* **Financial Incentives:** Exploring GST rebates, blended finance models, subsidies, and MSME recognition for the live entertainment sector.
The initiative recognizes the significant potential of India's live entertainment market, valued at ₹20,861 crore in 2024 and growing at 15% annually. The JWG will meet periodically to track the progress of subgroups and formulate consolidated policy recommendations, building upon the "India's Live Events Economy: A Strategic Growth Imperative" White Paper presented at the WAVES 2025 Summit. The white paper can be found at: https:mib.gov.insitesdefaultfiles202506indias liveeventseconomywhitepaperfinalcompressed0.pdf.
Further information can be obtained from Dharmendra Tewari and Navin Sreejith, Release ID: 2161855.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: The Indian government ministry responsible for information dissemination and broadcasting regulations, playing a central role in shaping policies related to the live event and concert economy.
Joint Working Group JWG: A committee comprising representatives from government and industry, formed to promote India's live entertainment sector and achieve specific goals like job creation and global ranking.
New Delhi: The location of the first meeting of the Joint Working Group, indicating the central government's direct involvement in these policy discussions. Union Territory in India.
Shri Sanjay Jaju: Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, chairing the first meeting of the Joint Working Group and playing a key role in driving the initiative.
India Cine Hub: An online platform where a single window clearance mechanism for the live events industry will be developed.
Shri Narendra Modi: The Prime Minister of India, who has emphasized the potential of India's live entertainment sector and its role in economic growth.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw: The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, under whose directions the Joint Working Group was constituted.
Maharashtra: One of the State Governments that participated in the first meeting of the JWG.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Government Initiates Dialogue on Live Event and
Concert Economy; Secretary, MIB chairs First
Meeting of Joint Working Group (JWG) Held in New
Delhi
JWG Brings Together Government and Industry to
Promote India’s Live Entertainment Sector, Projected
to Create 15–20 Million Jobs and Achieve Top 5
Global Ranking by 2030
JWG to work in mission mode to harness concert
economy as a driver of infrastructure creation,
employment, tourism, and cultural soft power : Shri
Sanjay Jaju
Dedicated online Single Window Clearance
Mechanism for live events industry to be developed
on India Cine Hub platform
Posted On: 29 AUG 2025 4:15PM by PIB Delhi
The First Meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on promotion of the Live Events Industry was
th
convened on 26 August at the National Media Centre, New Delhi, under the Chairmanship of the Secretary,
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Sanjay Jaju.In his recent addresses, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted the vast untapped potential of India’s
live entertainment sector, emphasizing its role as a key driver of employment, investment, tourism, and
India’s cultural and global influence. Constituted in July 2025 under the directions of the Union Minister for
Information & Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, the JWG brings together representatives of Central and
State Governments, industry associations, music rights societies, and major event companies to shape India’s
concert economy.
The meeting was attended by key representatives from the Ministries of Information & Broadcasting, Culture,
Youth Affairs & Sports, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Finance, Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Sports Authority of India. Officials from State Governments of
Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka were also present at the first meeting of the
JWG.
Industry associations viz. EEMA, FICCI, CII, ILEA, and all major stakeholders including BookMyShow,
Wizcraft, Saregama, District by Zomato, Touchwood Entertainment Ltd., participated in the JWG meeting.
Representative from rights societies includinng IPRS, PPL, RMPL, and IMI Trust were also present.Key Outcomes
· Single Window Platform: Integration of live event clearances into the India Cine Hub
Portal for ease of doing business.
· Music Licensing & IP Rights: Launch of a Centralised Digital Music Licensing Registry
by October 2025 in collaboration with rights societies.
· Infrastructure Development: Creation of a model policy to allow multi-use of stadiums
and public spaces for live events and also to promote new green field venue development in the
States
· Skill Development: Inclusion of live entertainment skills in the National Skills
Qualification Framework (NSQF).
· Financial Incentives: Consideration of GST rebates, blended finance models, subsidies, and
MSME recognition for the live entertainment sector.
The Secretary, Ministry of I&B, underlined the Government’s commitment to establishing India as one of the
Top 5 global live entertainment destinations by 2030, with the potential to generate 15–20 million jobs,
expand infrastructure, and strengthen India’s global cultural influence. He also said that JWG will work in
mission mode to harness concert economy as a driver of infrastructure creation, employment, tourism, and
cultural soft power
Background
India’s live entertainment market valued at ₹20,861 crore in 2024 and growing at 15% annually is among
the fastest-growing segments of the media and entertainment industry. With rising demand across Tier-1 and
Tier-2 cities, surging music tourism, and premium audience experiences, the sector is emerging as a critical
pillar of India’s creative economy.
The JWG will meet periodically to track progress of sub-groups and present consolidated policy
recommendations, building on the White Paper “India’s Live Events Economy: A Strategic Growth
Imperative” presented at the WAVES 2025 Summit. (https://mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-06/india-s-
live-events-economy-whitepaper-final-compressed_0.pdf )
***
Dharmendra Tewari/ Navin Sreejith(Release ID: 2161855)