In a major step toward driving growth and investment in India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has announced the launch of the first-ever CII Global Media and Entertainment Investor Meet, to be held during the 12th BIG Picture Summit on December 1 and 2, 2025, in Mumbai.

According to a PTI report, the new initiative, developed in partnership with WAVES Bazaar, aims to accelerate investments and unlock new opportunities across India’s rapidly evolving M&E landscape. CII has appointed Elara Capital as the Investment Partner and Vitrina as the Global Financing Partner for the Investor Meet. WAVES Bazaar, known for its project pitching and B2B networking platform, will be integrated into the CII Marketplace at the summit, where it will showcase a range of projects from its own slate as well as from the WAVES Film Bazaar.

This year’s BIG Picture Summit, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is themed “The AI Era: Bridging Creativity & Commerce.” The summit will see participation from top policymakers and industry leaders, including Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; Gaurav Banerjee, MD & CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India; Rajan Navani, CEO, Jet Synthesys; and Gunjan Soni, Country Managing Director, YouTube India. The Investor Meet will serve as a unique platform for curated one-on-one interactions between global investors and high-potential Indian ventures spanning film, streaming, gaming, animation, VFX, and live entertainment.

“India’s M&E industry, despite its rich history, has thrived largely on private passion and capital. CII’s Investor Meet is a major step to change that,” said Shibashish Sarkar, Chairman of the CII Global M&E Investor Summit, Group CEO of Reliance Entertainment, and President of the Producers Guild of India. “For the first time, we’re bringing global investors and Indian M&E enterprises together in a curated, one-on-one format. This summit is not just a generic expo but a true matchmaking event aimed at showcasing Indian companies as viable, exciting investments. I see this as the beginning of a journey.”

Harendra Kumar, MD of Elara Capital, added, “Elara Capital is pleased to partner with the CII M&E Global Investor Summit. We look forward to bringing together the investor community and corporates in the M&E space, driving synergies for both sectors in the best possible manner.”

Echoing the sentiment, Atul Phadnis, CEO of Vitrina, said, “Vitrina is proud to partner with CII and the M&E Investor Meet on this landmark initiative. India’s M&E ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and our mission is to spotlight India’s potential on the global stage, connecting the right investors to the right opportunities.”

The BIG Picture Summit remains one of India’s most prominent gatherings for M&E stakeholders, featuring investors, producers, policymakers, and creative leaders. This year, CII Marketplace and WAVES Bazaar will jointly host exclusive B2B meetings to facilitate co-productions and content partnerships, while participation from WAVEX and WAVES Creatosphere will create dedicated zones for startups and innovation-led collaborations — marking yet another milestone in the growth of India’s creative economy.