The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has established the Live Events Development Cell (LEDC) to accelerate the growth of India’s concert and live entertainment economy, with the aim of creating a more structured, globally competitive ecosystem for large-scale events.

As per an ANI report, the LEDC will function as a single-window facilitation mechanism to streamline processes for the live events industry and support India’s ambition to emerge as one of the world’s leading entertainment destinations by 2030. The move comes at a time when the organised live events market has gained significant momentum, recording a valuation of Rs 20,861 crore in 2024 and growing at 15 per cent, outpacing several traditional media segments. The sector is projected to maintain a robust compound annual growth rate of 18 per cent.

The cell was constituted in July 2025 under the directions of Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw. It brings together representatives from Central and State governments, industry associations and major event companies to ensure coordinated and sustained expansion of the sector.

The decision follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the WAVES Summit in May 2025, where he underlined the untapped potential of the live entertainment industry as a catalyst for investment, tourism and cultural influence. The sector already supports over 10 million jobs across the value chain, with a single large-format event capable of generating more than 15,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities.

The Ministry also highlighted the growing importance of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in shaping India’s live entertainment landscape. Citing a BookMyShow report for 2025, it noted that Visakhapatnam saw a sharp 490 per cent rise in live entertainment footfalls, while cities in the north-east such as Shillong and Guwahati recorded growth of 213 per cent and 188 per cent, respectively. Overall consumption across musical concerts, sports and theatre increased by 17 per cent, with more than five lakh people travelling to other cities to attend live events.

Industry players see these trends as signs of a maturing market. Deepak Choudhary, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Eva Live, pointed to global artistes like Enrique Iglesias performing in India, alongside extensive multi-city tours by Indian performers such as Arijit Singh and A R Rahman, as evidence of rising scale and audience appetite.

To further support the sector, the Ministry has formed a Joint Working Group with private stakeholders, including District by Zomato, to address infrastructure gaps and improve ease of doing business. Recent successes such as Rolling Loud India 2025, which drew around 65,000 attendees over a single weekend, underline the impact of improved infrastructure and coordinated planning.

With the LEDC in place, the government aims to double the size of the live events sector, generate 15–20 million jobs and position India among the top five global hubs for live entertainment in the coming years.