Information and broadcasting ministry officials said the event is likely to feature global leaders such as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Amazon Prime Video senior vice president Mike Hopkins, who are among the headline speakers at the summit.
Both Netflix and Prime Video consider India a key market for future growth, driven by its young demographic, high internet penetration and booming content consumption across platforms.
The event, championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to position India as a global creative powerhouse. Originally scheduled for February in New Delhi, it was postponed and will now take place from May 1-4.
WAVES is expected to attract more than 200 industry leaders from around the world, underscoring India’s growing influence in the global content ecosystem, the officials said.
Other high-profile speakers likely to participate include Ajit Mohan, chief business officer at Snap Inc.; Chris Ripley, CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group; Vince Gerardis, co-executive producer of HBO’s Game of Thrones; and Fred Davis, partner at The Raine Group.At an event in Mumbai on Friday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said 5,000 delegates from 100 countries are expected to attend the summit, which will be held in Mumbai every year.Notably, both Sarandos and Hopkins serve on the WAVES advisory board, which also includes Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja and Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla, among other influential figures from the entertainment and corporate sectors.
At WAVES, PM Modi will hold a special roundtable discussion with top global CEOs. There will also be a Global Media Dialogue where ministers will engage with key policymakers from around the world in the media and entertainment sector. The Thought Leaders Track will feature conferences and breakout sessions on important industry topics.
In addition to industry executives, WAVES is expected to welcome ministers and senior officials responsible for media, information and broadcasting from more than 50 countries. All participating nations are expected to adopt the WAVES Media Declaration.
