Parliament Question: Role of WAVES

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4196 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 ROLE OF WAVES

4196. SHRI ASHISH DUBEY:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has assessed the role of WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit) in promoting Indian content, creators and production capabilities on global platforms;

(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government to leverage the outcomes of the summit for the export of Indian audio-visual content;

(c) whether the summit supported job creation and skill development in the Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector;

(d) if so, the details of the proposed measures to follow up on the findings thereof;

(e) whether the summit deliberated upon the lack of proper guidance for talent and the absence of skill development programmes in the entertainment sector in regional languages particularly with reference to Jabalpur; and

(f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS. (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (f) The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 was organised in line with the Government’s vision of making India a global hub for content creation under the “Create in India, Create for the World” initiative. The Summit provided an integrated platform for Indian creators, producers and startups to engage with global buyers, investors, OTT platforms and technology leaders from over 100 countries. It witnessed participation of more than 1 lakh people and featured over 140 sessions including plenaries, masterclasses and breakout sessions with global industry leaders.

The Creatosphere, attracted over 1 lakh registrations from creators across India and over 60 countries in multiple creative sectors including animation, gaming, VFX, XR, music and digital media. Around 750 finalists were showcased at the summit. The WaveX startup initiativeshortlisted 30 startups for pitching sessions where around 100 startups showcased their products and solutions during the summit. The WAVES Bazaar a year-round global marketplace for film, television, animation, gaming, XR and digital content sectors. The platform has over 4000 registered buyers and 6000 sellers facilitating business-to-business meetings, generating potential business leads and investment discussions.

In knowledge sessions and master classes held during the Summit, participants had several deliberations. This included discussions on skilling the youth, and creating inclusive pathways for regional and vernacular storytellers to reach global platforms.

The creators identified through Create in India Challenges, WaveX & Waves Bazaar were

provided opportunities for showcase and business, through WAVES Bazaar outreach activities.

These included several international platforms like the International Film Festivals at Melbourne, Toronto, Venice, Busan; Tokyo Game Show and the Expo 2025 Osaka. It also included domestic programmes like India Joy, India Game Developers Conference and IFFI.

The Government continuously assesses impact of its various programmes and initiatives including WAVES 2025. ***