New Delhi: The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, held in line with the Prime Minister's vision to position India as a global content creation hub, drew participation from over 1 lakh individuals across 100 countries and facilitated business collaborations worth ₹8,000 crore, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan told the Lok Sabha that WAVES 2025 brought together creators, policymakers, media platforms, industry leaders, and technology innovators under one roof. Over 140 sessions were conducted, including 50 plenaries, 35 masterclasses, and 55 breakout sessions.

The summit hosted the WAVES Declaration, committing to promote media for peace and digital inclusion. A key highlight was WaveX, a platform for M&E startups, where entrepreneurs pitched ideas to investors over two days.

The WAVES Bazaar enabled more than 3,000 B2B meetings and facilitated transactions in scripts, music, comics, and AV rights. The event also saw the signing of MoUs focused on investments in film cities, creative tech education, and live entertainment infrastructure.

The Create in India Challenge attracted over 1 lakh registrations globally across 34 creative categories, including animation, gaming, AR/VR, and music. The Creatosphere section featured live showcases, competitions, and masterclasses to promote next-gen Indian talent.

The Bharat Pavilion offered an immersive journey through India's storytelling traditions, underlining its global soft power. Additionally, 12 community radio stations were honoured at the 8th National Community Radio Conference for innovation and inclusive programming.

The summit underscored India's growing influence in the global media and entertainment landscape, Dr. Murugan said.