WAVES 2025 was a celebration of India’s bold, diverse and endlessly imaginative stories. As Netflix continues to champion local storytelling, this inaugural event provided the perfect platform to showcase our investment in Indian stories and amplify them with the world. Through insightful conversations with industry leaders and immersive experiences that brought fans closer to Indian storytelling, Netflix’s presence at WAVES 2025 highlighted how India’s creative community is contributing to the global media and entertainment industry.
A major highlight was the special in-conversation session Streaming the New India: Culture, Connectivity & Creative Capital, featuring Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and iconic actor Saif Ali Khan. They discussed the importance of India’s media and entertainment sector in sharing local culture around the world, with Sarandos emphasizing Netflix’s support for the local industry. Since 2021, Netflix’s investments in India have generated over $2 billion in economic impact, creating jobs, developing skills, and supporting infrastructure. Having filmed in over 100 towns and cities in India across 23 states, Netflix has collaborated with more than 25,000 local cast and crew.
The Netflix Pavilion, a larger-than-life experiential zone, explored how the magic of Netflix content comes to life and the fandom that follows. Thousands of attendees explored behind-the-scenes exhibits, engaged in interactive storytelling experiences, including dubbing their favorite Netflix scenes. The pavilion offered a true celebration of the craft behind these stories, from the creativity that fuels them to the technology that amplifies them for global audiences.
A lunch was hosted by Netflix with Sarandos for policy stakeholders, which included bureaucrats from several Indian states, ministers, industry association partners, Netflix Fund for Creative Equity skilling partners and consultants. Thoughtful dialogue was enjoyed, and many new opportunities for collaboration to grow the media and entertainment sector were discussed.
WAVES 2025 also convened some of the entertainment industry’s brightest minds for a series of panels and masterclasses focused on the future of Indian content. Key sessions included Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Storytelling in a Digital Era, where Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Tanya Bami, Guneet Monga, Supriya Yarlagadda, Siddharth Roy Kapur, and Michael Lehmann discussed how digital platforms are reshaping creative possibilities and expanding the global reach of Indian stories. The Balancing Act: Do Audiences Shape Creators or Do Creators Shape Audiences? panel, featuring Monika Shergill, Prerna Singh, Sameer Nair, Shefali Shah, Aditi Rao Hydari and Zahaan Kapoor, explored the dynamic relationship between creators and audiences. Other discussions, such as OTT Revolution: How AI, Personalization & Interactive Content Are Changing the Streaming Landscape, shed light on how emerging technologies are transforming content creation and the streaming experience in India.
At WAVES 2025, Netflix demonstrated the power of immersive experiences, thought-provoking discussions, and the celebration of India’s storytellers. By showcasing the future of content, Netflix reaffirmed its commitment to fostering diverse voices, championing creativity, and ensuring that every story has the opportunity to be heard — not just in India, but around the world.
