WAVES strengthening India’s global content creation ecosystem: Government.

New Delhi, February 13, 2026: The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) was organized in line with the Government of India’s vision to position the country as a global hub for content creation under the Create in India, Create for the World initiative.

This information was provided by L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Summit provided an integrated global platform for Indian creators, producers, and startups to engage with buyers, investors, OTT platforms, and technology leaders from over 100 countries.

WAVES is helping creative talents:

A key pillar of WAVES is the Create in India Challenges (CIC)—a nationwide creative talent identification and nurturing program conducted through 33 challenges across sectors such as animation, gaming, AR/VR, music, and digital media.

The initiative received over one lakh registrations from creators worldwide.

Winners are being supported for participation, showcasing, and B2b engagements at major international platforms, including Melbourne, Osaka, Toronto, Tokyo, Madrid, Busan, and Cannes.

Similar opportunities were also extended at national events such as IndiaJoy, IGDC, and IFFI Goa, positioning CIC as a major engine for creative talent discovery and intellectual property creation.

WaveX, a startup-driven innovation and incubation platform for the media and entertainment sector, is playing a crucial role in promoting entrepreneurship and job creation.

Currently, WaveX is incubating 34 startups under physical and hybrid models, with over 100 applications in the pipeline.

Ten startups selected under the KalaaSetu and BhashaSetu challenges have already begun pilot deployments with government organizations.

WaveX is expected to scale significantly through institutional partnerships with T-Hub, Hyderabad, and FITT, IIT Delhi, enabling pan-India incubation and R&D.

Additional partner incubations include IICT, FTII, IIMC, and other premier institutions.

The WAVES Bazaar has been operationalized as a year-round digital B@B marketplace facilitating licensing, co-productions, investments, and international market access for Indian audio-visual content.

Currently, the platform hosts over 6,000 sellers and 4,000 registered buyers and companies, enabling more than 8,000 B2B meetings.

Beyond WAVES, the Bazaar has facilitated engagements across more than ten international markets spanning four continents, leading to multiple MoUs for co-productions, licensing, and investment partnerships.

The government support for the employment generation:

The government is also expanding WaveX incubation centres and ensuring the sustained implementation of the Create in India Challenges to further strengthen skilling, entrepreneurship, and employment generation.

Masterclasses, workshops, and knowledge sessions conducted by global experts are contributing significantly to upskilling India’s creative workforce.

Continued international outreach through WAVES Bazaar is expected to translate creative talent into sustainable livelihoods and boost exports of Indian audio-visual content.

Also Read: HORIBA India joins Hands with IIT Delhi to support three technical development research projects.

EOM.