Event Coverage
Digitisation key to future of entertainment
MUMBAI: With piracy looming as a major threat, most speakers at the inauguration of the Ficci Frames 2010 stressed the need for speeding up the process of digitalisation.
Turner Broadcasting System International president Louise Sans, who is also EVP and General Counsel for Turner Broadcasting, Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO James N Gianopulos, and Ficci SVP Harsh C Mariwala particularly emphasized on this and also said this had opened up several other mediums for entertainment content.
Sans also stressed on the increasing investments by Turner in India and said that apart from having come to India with CNN in 1991 and Cartoon Network and Pogo in 1995 and 2004 respectively, the conglomerate had now entered Hindi entertainment by acquiring Imagine TV which had been started by NDTV.
“India has emerged as the largest revenue market in the Asia Pacific region. India was also where we made our largest investment overseas in 2009,” said Sans.
Cartoon Network had been the first international channel to show Indian animation films overseas in 2001.Turner had also entered into a fruitful alliance with Subhash Chandra‘s Zee Group to create Zee Turner.
Gianopulos said digitalisation was redefining Hollywood and Bollywood. As against the VHS ten years earlier, entertainment was now being transmitted through DVD, BD Live, PPV, VOD Cable, VOD Online, Digital Copy, E-Copy, EST, Streaming, Flash Media and Mobile Video.
Gianopulos said the high costs of production in America had forced producers to move out and seek new tie-ups, and India was a favourite destination. He said India had great stories, but these would not sell unless they were told with the global audience in mind. There was need to act local but think global. “There is need to make films for everyone. We also have some movies made for someone’, he added.
He said this was one of the reasons for films like ‘My name is Khan’ getting released in 44 countries including the United States, and becoming the first global film from India.
Referring to the revenues from entertainment, he said the United States earned $10,675 million from a population of 340 million in the domestic market while a sum of $19,235 million was being earned from 6,500 million people in the international market.
India had a 93 per cent share in the international market in entertainment as compared to 60 per cent in Japan and 53 per cent in China.
The international revenues of ‘Avatar’ comprised 40 per cent from just 17 per cent of the screens in India.
But he regretted that while a film fails at the box-office in India, it succeeds in pirated versions. Infringement of copyright needed to be checked very strongly.
Mariwala referred to three developments in Indian entertainment: digitalization, growth of edutainment, and corporatization.
Ficci Entertainment Committee co-chairman and filmmaker Karan Johar who conducted the first session hailed the growing popularity of Indian films and actors, and said 3.2 billion people knew Shah Rukh Khan overseas as compared to a following of 2.9 billion for Brad Pitt.
Ficci Secretary General Amit Mitra said a whole new social milieu was coming into Indian cinema and television with a change in themes and stories.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
