WAVES 2025 to host ministers from 50 nations; plans media declaration

New Delhi: The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is set to become the world’s largest congregation of the media and entertainment sector.

To be held at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai from May 1 to 4, the summit will host a “Global Media Dialogue,” with ministers from over 50 countries expected to participate.

Following the Global Media Dialogue, the Narendra Modi government is planning to release a WAVES Media Declaration, modelled on global summit declarations such as the G20 Declaration.

“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, WAVES is poised to be a global summit on an unprecedented scale. India successfully hosted the G20 Summit in September 2023 and achieved the G20 Declaration,” said a source in the Modi government.

“The governments of over 50 countries are expected to participate in WAVES. The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, is among the confirmed dignitaries attending the Global Media Dialogue,” the source added.

Government sources told BestMediaInfo.com that the Global Media Dialogue will take place on Day 2 of the summit, Friday, May 2.

“We are preparing for the WAVES Media Declaration after the dialogue, modelled on the G20 Declaration,” the sources confirmed.

WAVES 2025, a flagship initiative of the Indian government, aims to position India as a global hub for content creation, investment, and ‘Create in India’ opportunities while fostering international collaboration.

The summit has garnered support from both Indian and global media giants.

Prominent Indian media and entertainment leaders involved include Uday Shankar, Vice-Chairman of Jio Star; Gaurav Banerjee, Managing Director and CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India; Aroon Purie, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India Today Group; and Arjun Nohwar, SVP and Country GM of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Global streaming and tech giants are represented by executives such as Gaurav Gandhi and Nikhil Madhok (Amazon Prime), Monika Shergill (Netflix), Shivnath Thukral (Meta), Preeti Lobana (Google), Ajay Vidyasagar (YouTube), Amarjit Singh Batra (Spotify India), and Puneet Chandok (Microsoft).

The participation of these industry leaders signals robust support from their organisations, as they collaborate closely with the government to ensure the summit’s success.