The inaugural WAVES Bazaar, organized under the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), concluded on a high note, registering business deals worth more than ₹800 crore over three days. Organizers expect the overall valuation to cross ₹1,000 crore soon as negotiations are still underway post-event.
Huge Participation and Market Buzz
One of the top highlights of the event was the colorful buyer-seller market alone, which amounted to over ₹500 crore worth of transactions. With over 3,000 business-to-business (B2B) meetings held, the platform gave the entertainment and media sector a serious boost.
Emerging creators also took center stage, showcasing their intellectual properties (IPs) to a world audience of producers, buyers, and collaborators, paving the way for new alliances and creative undertakings.
Global Partnerships and Cultural Exchange
WAVES Bazaar also emerged as a focal point for global collaborations. A significant announcement was a suggested partnership between the Film India Screen Collective and Screen Canterbury NZ to organize the very first Indian film festival in New Zealand, with a view to consolidating cultural bonds and taking Indian cinema to new audiences.
Negotiations were underway between Only Much Louder (OML) CEOs and Gazprom Media CEOs to pursue a partnership involving cross-cultural festivals and co-production of comedy and music shows in Russia and India.
Strategic Alliances and Key Releases
In a noteworthy strategic maneuver, Prime Video unveiled a multi-year agreement with South Korea’s CJ ENM. Under the partnership, global customers in over 240 countries will be able to stream high-quality South Korean material, with support features comprising 28 subtitle options and 11 dubbed languages.
Another landmark announced at the summit was the release of “Devi Chowdhurani,” a period drama and India’s first ever official co-production with the UK. The initiative was premiered with a pre-teaser and is backed by major Indian institutions, reflecting the nation’s increasing enthusiasm for international collaborative filmmaking.
A New Era for India’s Creative Economy
Through its stunning debut, WAVES Bazaar has set itself up as a strong impetus for India’s growing global presence in the creative and entertainment sectors. Not only has the event created tremendous business, but it has also opened doors for long-term commercial and cultural partnerships.
