Soon, budding content creators can pitch projects, showcase them via online viewing rooms

According to government officials, these will be included as part of the development of the second phase of the WAVES Bazaar.

The online pitching sessions would ensure access to budding content creators with top mentors and investors.

The online viewing rooms, it is learnt, would ensure secure streaming, aiding content buyers to preview content, thus helping content creators showcase their projects to them.

Content buyers could include film production houses, OTT platforms, television or other platforms dealing with gaming, animation or other fields under the media and entertainment sector.

Launched in January 2025, Waves Bazaar is a content marketplace that provides a networking space to content creators across various fields, including films, television, animation, gaming, advertising, music, sound design, radio, among others to connect, exchange ideas, learn and do business. The portal, an initiative of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry is also aimed at furthering India’s plans of making it a global content hub.

Discussions are currently underway between OTT platforms, many of which are already on board this portal, to formalise engagement in terms of sourcing content from WAVES bazaar.

Officials told The Indian Express that other key features which would be developed in the second phase of WAVES Bazaar include artificial intelligence (AI)-based matchmaking that would throw up recommendations for projects, talent, financiers, and distributors.

For instance, if a budding content creator is working on a project under specific genres such as horror, the portal will throw recommendations of buyers who are looking for horror content, in a way recommending possible matches between the creator and the buyer.

There will also be AI-based profile building, which includes automated project profiling, pitch decks, and discovery tags. This means the AI in the portal will suggest ways to improve a budding content creator’s profile and score so that the buyer can study the profile and make an informed choice before procuring content from him.

Other features which would be developed in the second phase of WAVES Bazaar include the creation of webinars and a knowledge hub, which would comprise regular masterclasses with industry experts available online for all interested content creators.

There will also be a global outreach conducted under WAVES Bazaar to take Indian creators to international events, to not only give them a global exposure, but also arrange B2B formal interactions for investment and co-production, while also furthering existing co-production treaties with other countries.

Officials said there would be further efforts to increasingly go beyond films under the portal and integrate music, gaming, animation, podcasts, and short-form creators.

Officials explained that the idea of the portal is to primarily support Indian content creators for investments, collaboration, and international exposure, showcase Indian content and talent in global events and platforms, and boost India’s creative economy by attracting investments.

To date, the portal has onboarded over 6,000 content creators and sellers, over 5,500 buyers and companies. Over 2,000 projects are already live on the platform.

Officials said over Rs1300 crore worth of business leads were generated in the first Waves summit in Mumbai and dozens of international co-production conversations were initiated. So far, Rs100 crore investment discussions have been initiated for filmmakers via WAVES bazaar editions in Toronto and Melbourne, they added.

Additionally, delegations and buyers from over 40 countries have been engaged under this initiative, there has been high-level participation from OTT platforms, studios, and international film commissions. Institutional collaborations between the premier Film and Television Institute of India, Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), and international institutions of similar interest are also being facilitated under the aegis of this initiative.