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WAVES Bazaar 2025 secures Rs 250 crore in deals, unveils major global alliances: MIB Secretary Sanjay Jaju
At its debut edition, WAVES Bazaar 2025 has already recorded deals worth over ₹250 crore, with that number expected to cross ₹400 crore over the coming days, announced Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, at the event in Mumbai.
At the 2025 edition held in Mumbai, Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, announced that WAVES Bazaar had already facilitated over ₹250 crore in confirmed deals—with expectations of surpassing ₹400 crore by the summit’s close.
WAVES Bazaar, the flagship global market initiative of the WAVES Summit, has emerged as a powerful catalyst for international collaboration in the media and entertainment industry.
Created to connect content creators with investors, buyers, and collaborators across borders, WAVES Bazaar is set to position India as a strategic hub for global content commerce.
At the 2025 edition held in Mumbai, Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, announced that WAVES Bazaar had already facilitated over Rs 250 crore in confirmed deals—with expectations of surpassing Rs 400 crore by the summit’s close.
In its inaugural edition, WAVES Bazaar brought together leading stakeholders from 22 countries—including South Korea, Japan, the USA, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The event saw participation from 95 global buyers and 224 sellers. Key buyers included Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Meta, Disney Star, Zee Entertainment, Banijay Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony LIV, YRF, Dharma, Jio Studios, Rotterdam Film Festival, and Rushlake Media.
Viewing Room & Market Screenings:
A total of 115 filmmakers showcased completed works to international buyers. From these, 15 standout titles were selected as “Top Selects” and screened live.
These filmmakers were felicitated by renowned casting director Mukesh Chhabra, with actor Tiger Shroff lending support to one of the selected films. Additionally, Market Screenings featured 15 notable projects from emerging talent.
Pitch Room: From 104 project submissions, 16 curated projects were selected to pitch live over two days, offering early-stage creators a rare opportunity to engage directly with industry stakeholders.
B2B Buyer-Seller Market: WAVES Bazaar launched India’s first dedicated B2B buyer-seller meetings in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), held from May 1–3. The initiative enabled targeted deal-making and creative business development across film, TV, music, animation, radio, and VFX.
Early Business Outcomes
WAVES Bazaar recorded confirmed transactions worth Rs 250 crore across film, music, animation, radio, and VFX sectors within the first day and a half of the market. This figure is expected to rise significantly over the next two days and expected to cross more than 400 crores.
Notable deals and Landmark Announcements on May 2, 2025
• “Khidki Gaon” secures post-production & VFX support One of the “Top Selects,” Khidki Gaon, clinched a post-production and VFX deal with the Asian Cinema Fund (ACF)—a prestigious support program from the Busan International Film Festival.
• 30 Million Euros Indo-European Animation Alliance Broadvision Perspectives (India) and Fabrique d’Images Group (Europe) signed a 30 million euros co-production agreement for four animated features, each budgeted at 7–8 million euros. The alliance—finalized by Mark Mertens (COO, FDI Group) and Sriram Chandrasekaran (Founder & CEO, Broadvision)—will operate under Indo-French and Indo-Belgian treaty frameworks.
• India–UK Co-Production MoU Amanda Groom (Founder & CEO, The Bridge, UK) and Munjal Shroff (Co-founder, Graphiti Studios, India) signed an MoU to co-develop a slate of factual series exploring India’s colonial history. The partnership, years in the making since its origins at Film Bazaar, was finalized at Content India.
• “Shin Chan India Year” Initiative by TV Asahi TV Asahi announced a special initiative to celebrate the popularity of Shin chan in India. Key highlights include: – Theatrical release of Shin chan: Our Dinosaur Diary on May 9 – Diwali 2025 release of The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India – Fan events at Anime India (August) and Mela Mela JAPAN (September)
This initiative cements India’s growing significance in the global anime ecosystem and further strengthens Indo-Japanese cultural ties.
SPOTLIGHT
At the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spotlighted the critical role of traditional media in an evolving digital landscape. He emphasized that such gatherings can aid the govt in formulating more effective policies for a balanced and sustainable media ecosystem.
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