India is no longer just a consumer, we are global storytellers: MoS I&B Dr L Murugan at Storyboard18 DES 2025

At the Digital Entertainment Summit (DES) 2025 hosted by Storyboard18, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting; and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. L Murugan, delivered a stirring address that underscored India’s meteoric rise as a global digital entertainment leader.

From AVGC-XR and streaming to gaming and live entertainment, Murugan declared that India is no longer a content consumer but a global storytelling force- economically, technologically, and culturally.

“Our Prime Minister has envisaged a future where India not only keeps pace with the global creative economy but leads it with innovation in its spirit, inclusivity in its intent and integrity in its execution,” Murugan said, adding "India is not merely a consumer of content. It is a producer of stories, technologies and talents- from our smallest town to our largest metros- creativity is flourishing in our country."

Read more: “For India’s M&E sector to grow, digital has to grow at a higher pace”: MIB's Sanjay Jaju at Storyboard18 DES 2025

Recalling the success of WAVES 2025, India’s first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit, the minister said, “It was not just an industry event, but a global celebration of storytelling, innovation, technology, cultural and traditional exchanges with participation from 77 nations... WAVES brought the world to India and showcased the immense creative potential we hold.”

The economic footprint of WAVES was massive, with Murugan revealing, “Almost Rs 1,300 crore worth of business discussions at the WAVES Bazaar and a worth of Rs 8,000 crores signed by the Maharashtra government with global universities and media companies.”

Set against the backdrop of the government's landmark WAVES, DES 2025 aims to spotlight policy innovations, new frontiers in gaming, and the tech ecosystem's next growth wave. The event unpacked India's strategy for leading the digital entertainment economy, with top policymakers outlining how talent, technology, and governance will fuel future-ready growth.

"The Digital Revolution- Unlocking Human Potential"

Murugan lauded India’s progress in digital empowerment. Recalling a recent visit to Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, he narrated a personal moment. “I bought some cucumber... I asked the vendor, shall I pay? She said, no, you have to send me the Google payment.” Refuting past political skepticism, he said, “Earlier... our finance minister P. Chidambaram told our people don’t know how to operate the mobile. But what I see now... we are the number two transaction country in the digital world.”

From immersive formats like AR/VR to live digital events in rural India, Murugan painted a picture of a deeply transformed entertainment ecosystem. “We have hosted 3,000 live events in 2024,” he said. “These events are not just about entertainment, they are engines of economic activity, cultural pride and community bonding.”

He shared compelling data underscoring the digital boom. “India has over 971 million internet subscribers and more than 562 million active smartphones. The media and entertainment sector alone reaches a valuation of ₹2.5 trillion in 2024.” Murugan stressed these figures represent more than scale, they reflect “a society deeply engaged with content, with ideas, with opportunity.”

Emphasizing the economic and employment potential of content creation, Murugan stated, “Currently, our Indian media and entertainment sector employs over 2.8 million people directly and indirectly supports close to 10 million jobs... Creativity is not only luxury, but it is also core economic driver.”

The minister emphasized that the digital entertainment revolution is not just about screens or bandwidths, it is about unlocking human potentials, turning dreams into livelihoods, giving every artist, every creator, every developer, no matter how small, their beginning, a chance to make global impact.

India’s digital entertainment ecosystem has undergone radical transformation in the past decade, led by initiatives like Digital India and events like WAVES 2025. With over half a billion internet users, a booming smartphone economy, and strong policy backing, the country is poised to become the global hub for creative industries—from gaming and animation to immersive tech and streaming. The AVGC-XR sector is already being recognized as a key growth driver in India’s $30 billion+ media and entertainment industry, which continues to outpace global averages in both scale and innovation.

"India Is World's Most Vibrant Gaming Market"

He also spotlighted online gaming as a transformative cultural force.

“With a player base exceeding 500 million, India is emerging as one of the world's most vibrant gaming markets... where once games were seen as time passers, now it is earning money, making careers... Gaming today is an economic sector, a communication medium and an art form.”

Murugan positioned the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector as one of India’s strongest creative tech pillars. “We are rapidly becoming a global hub for creative technology,” he said. “That is why Hollywood movies’ post-production work are taking place in Chennai, in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune... done by our engineers, our technicians, our skilled manpower.”

The minister further noted that, "Our responsibility as a government is not just to encourage this (digital) growth, but also to ensure it happens within a safe, inclusive and ethical ecosystem. We are working to establish strong regulations, support age appropriate content and protect young users while enabling innovations.

The energy of youngsters, their curiosity and creativity are the true drivers of India's medium and digital revival. To nurture this talent, we have invested a strong skilling infrastructure across the country."

On institutional support, Murugan highlighted the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai. “The government is going to spend Rs 400 crore... It’s a big campus like IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai,” he said, calling it a milestone for skilling and incubation in creative technologies.

He also noted significant reforms, such as the Cinematography Act Amendment (2023) and new rules in 2024 for curbing piracy and streamlining CBFC certification. “Copyright laws have been updated to meet the demands of the digital age,” he said.

Public broadcasting, too, has seen robust growth. “Before 2014, there were only 148 community radios. Now... 531 community radios in our country,” Murugan noted, along with over 50% growth in All India Radio and FM networks.

In closing, Murugan called upon creators to view themselves as ambassadors of India’s digital soft power.

“Let us create, collaborate and co-lead this new cultural era for India,” he said. “Let us see ourselves not merely as consumers of entertainment, but as catalysts of cultural growth. Let us dare to dream. Let us build with purpose. Let us lead with integrity. Let us empower our Bharat.”