Telangana IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu, Union I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju and others at the IndiaJoy 2025 inaguration in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Arrangement
The 8th edition of IndiaJoy 2025, a two-day event dedicated to media and entertainment, got underway in Hyderabad on Saturday with IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu reaffirming the government’s commitment to growth of the sector and Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju announcing plans for a regional centre of the Indian Institute of Creativity and Technology (IICT) in the city.
The State government is working to position Hyderabad not just as an IT capital but also as India’s Creativity Hub, the Minister said, inviting animation studios, gaming developers and creative entrepreneurs to partner with the government in setting up a Creative Futures Fund, an Esports Academy and initiatives to support women creators and startups in the digital media sector. Hyderabad now represents a space where technology, storytelling and design intersect and this blend is poised to shape the city’s next phase of growth, he said.
The government envisions for itself a role beyond being a regulator, as a co-creator and enabler for the VFX, animation, gaming and digital content ecosystem. The upcoming and proposed infrastructure projects such as the Image Tower, AI Innovation Hub and AI City are bound to reinforce Hyderabad’s global standing. The Image Tower, being designed with international-standard production and post-production facilities, is expected to be operational next year, Mr. Sridhar Babu said.
Mr. Jaju said Hyderabad will soon get a regional centre of IICT. It will further strengthen the growth of the gaming, animation, and digital entertainment industries. “The Indian Institute of Creativity and Technology, the first of its kind in the country, will be established across India, and one of its campuses will soon come up in Hyderabad,” he said.
Highlighting the contribution of Telugu film industry and Telangana government’s efforts in promoting the AVGC sector, the I&B Secretary said Hyderabad continues to consolidate its position as the hub of India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics ecosystem, driving the growth of the nation’s creative economy. India’s media and entertainment sector is rapidly expanding, serving as a vital expression of the nation’s soft power, he said.
An MoU was signed between IICT and T-Hub to promote startup incubation and innovation in the media and entertainment sector, the programme organisers said in a release. WAVES Animation Bazaar is also being organised with IndiaJoy. Speaking on the WAVES initiative, Mr.Jaju said it envisions India as a global leader in creativity and digital innovation. “South India, particularly Hyderabad, plays a pivotal role in driving Indian cinema and creative technology. Many pan-India films have been produced from Hyderabad, supported by world-class studios and a policy framework that encourages innovation and artistic excellence,” he said. The WAVES initiative is poised to revolutionise the Indian film industry by integrating creativity with technology and building a global platform for collaboration and innovation.
The two-day event, being organised with support of Telangana government, the Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association and the Union Ministry of I&B is dedicated to the creative economy across films, e-sports, VFX, animation, OTT, comics and other emerging digital entertainment sectors.
Published – November 01, 2025 07:42 pm IST
