Regional is the new global: Rabindra Narayan on India’s creative future

 On the sidelines of the recent WAVES Summit, Rabindra Narayan, Managing Director and President of PTC Network, painted a compelling vision for the future of India's media and entertainment industry. Held in Mumbai, the summit brought together key stakeholders from broadcasting, film, gaming, animation, digital, and music to explore the future of content creation and monetization.

Calling it "an absolute mela," Narayan described the gathering as the biggest convergence of creators ever seen in India. “These sorts of summits used to happen in the USA, Amsterdam, Singapore, Dubai. It’s the first time this kind of summit is happening in India and at this scale,” he said. “The participation we are seeing from delegates, creators, broadcasters, studios, actors, performers, directors, and musicians is perhaps a first.”

With over 100 sessions, Wave Summit 2025 has become a breeding ground for new ideas and disruptive technologies. Narayan pointed to a startup using AI to cut promos of full-length films within minutes, complete with metadata and thematic direction. “The world is moving at a very fast pace in the media, and I am glad the Government of India has recognized this and decided to hold a summit of this kind,” he remarked.

Narayan echoed the government’s vision of turning India into a $50 billion content economy by 2029, but emphasized that true creation comes not just from funding, but from creative freedom and easy access to resources. “Creation does not happen just with funds. It happens with a free mind. If systems ensure that creators have no roadblocks, the results will be extraordinary,” he said.

Highlighting India's growing contribution to global productions, particularly in VFX, music, and post-production, he stressed the importance of providing global-level infrastructure and support systems to local creators. “If we provide the same standards and atmosphere that are available globally, we will definitely become a hub.”

Narayan believes regional content will be a major driver in the coming years. “Regional is now the new global. We are entering an era where region, country, and language will be secondary. What will matter is creation,” he said. With AI-powered tools enabling real-time dubbing in any language and software like Sora and Runway revolutionizing animation, content will become universally accessible and rapidly scalable.

He also predicted a paradigm shift in content monetization. Traditional  rating systems are becoming obsolete, replaced by real-time, addressable metrics across DTH, cable, mobile, and streaming platforms. “Content rating points will replace TV rating points. A creator will be able to monetize their content directly, or demand better terms based on total viewership, not just TV numbers,” he explained.

Narayan welcomed recent regulatory shifts like TRAI’s recommendation to abolish mandatory satellite uplinking and the endorsement of cloud-based playout systems. He envisions a future where cloud-based newsrooms and remote collaboration enable real-time global discussions from experts across continents.

“As long as the content is good, it will rule,” he concluded.