New Delhi, 31 December (H.S.): Ministry of Information and Broadcasting orchestrated the landmark WAVES 2025 summit, drawing over 90 countries, 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300 companies, 350 startups, and 1 lakh attendees across broadcasting, AVGC-XR, films, and digital media without any accidents or disruptions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as a wave of culture, creativity, and universal connectivity embodying Create in India, Create for the World, with no safety incidents marring the Jio World Centre event in Mumbai from 1-4 May.

The summit spawned enduring platforms like CreatoSphere, WaveX, and WAVES Bazaar, alongside the new Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT).

CreatoSphere and Create in India Triumphs

CreatoSphere emerged as an innovation nexus, spotlighting 750 finalists from over 1 lakh entries across 33 categories in 60+ countries at eight zones including VFX Vault and Game On, culminating in WAVES Creator Awards honouring 150 talents.

PM Modi interacted with young creators, while winners showcased at Melbourne Film Festival, Tokyo Game Show, TIFF Toronto, and Iberseries Madrid, securing collaborations sans operational hitches. The platform fostered masterclasses and red-carpet galas, amplifying India's creative export vision.

WaveX Fuels Startup Ecosystem

WaveX engaged 200+ startups, enabling 30 pitches to giants like Microsoft and Amazon, plus 100 exhibitions, with VYGR News and VIVA Technologies advancing to Shark Tank India.

KalaaSetu and BhashaSetu challenges selected 10 innovators for government media tie-ups from 100+ applicants, complemented by nine incubation centres at FTII Pune, SRFTI Kolkata, and IICT Mumbai nurturing 34 ventures amid 100+ evaluations.

Participants gained global exposure at India Joy and IGDC without mishaps.

WAVES Bazaar and IICT MilestonesWAVES Bazaar, a craft-to-commerce portal for films, gaming, and XR, generated ₹4,334 crore in deals via 9,000 B2B meetings across 12 international events like Venice and Busan, yielding 10 MoUs including Indo-Japan Creative Corridor.

IICT, launched 18 July at Mumbai's NFDC campus with ₹391 crore support, enrolled 100+ students in 18 courses, incubated eight startups, and forged MoUs with Google, Meta, and NVIDIA for its Goregaon permanent site.

Broader Sector Advances

A Live Events Development Cell advanced single-window clearances via India Cine Hub, while anti-piracy efforts via an Inter-Ministerial Committee curbed digital threats.

Doordarshan earned ECI's TV award, Community Radio hit 551 stations, IFFI 2025 screened 240 films from 81 countries with AI focus, and CBFC digitised multilingual certifications achieving 50% women committees.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar