India’s growing creator economy is making its mark in the global stage with the unveiling of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 in Mumbai. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the four-day extravaganza is a defining moment for India’s digital content ecosystem. For the first time, creators and influencers are being given a central platform to contribute to India’s rapidly growing media and entertainment industry.
WAVES 2025 is a large-scale event bringing together over 10,000 delegates from 90+ countries, including 1,000 creators and representatives from more than 300 companies and 350 startups. With more than 100 sessions—ranging from plenaries and breakouts to masterclasses—the summit spans industries such as animation, gaming, digital media, and infotainment.
The focus of the event on creators is also in line with the government’s initiative to showcase India’s “Orange Economy,” which is the creative economy fueled by arts, culture, and digital content. Speaking on the launch, PM Modi welcomed creators of all geographies and genres in appreciation of their contribution to evolving India’s digital presence and cultural impact.
Subtaining the vision is an official fund with a value of $1 billion focused on powering the creator economy. The fund would provide creators with access to capital, skill development, and global market access. The Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) with a sanctioned budget of ₹391 crore will also upskill talent in creative and digital technologies.
The timing is right. India’s creator economy has seen exponential growth, growing from less than a million influencers in 2020 to more than 4 million by 2024, as per a Qoruz report. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and short-video apps have made it easier for youth across metros and small towns to become content creators. Gaming, fashion, infotainment, and parenting are among the top-performing categories.
This momentum is also being noticed by brands. An EY report states that influencer marketing is expected to touch ₹2,344 crore in 2024 and, as per forecasts, is set to hit ₹3,375 crore by the year 2026. Brands from FMCG, ecommerce, and automotive categories are now looking to invest heavily in influencer campaigns, mainly collaborating with nano and micro influencers due to their niche engagement and affordability.
But the industry is still nascent. Though an increasing number of content creators today rake in between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh a month, close to 70% view content creation as a part-time job. Encouragement from the government in terms of WAVES and initiatives like WAVES Bazaar—a cyber bazaar for content creators where they can propose and sell their content globally—is moving the script towards providing the creators with useful means to evolve their hobby as legitimate businesses.
WAVES 2025 is not a celebration of content creation alone—it’s a strategy to position India as a digital and cultural exports destination of the world. Since content is also emerging as an economic driver as well as an instrument of soft power, the creators of India are leading the change, determining the global profile of the country in the age of digital transformation.
