Event Coverage
Radio poised for rapid OOH growth
 |
MUMBAI: Advertiser apathy and crippling music royalties are eating away at the FM radio indstry in the country, that‘s registering fast growth and is poised to grow even bigger in the coming months with the increasing penetration of mobile phones. Industry players, who converged at the “Radio Rocks” session on the second day at Frames 2008 were unanimous in their opinion that while radio is increasingly emerging as a sexy medium that captures more attention than TV, it is still perceived as a passive medium by the advertiser. |
Radio Mirchi CEO Prashant Panday in fact averred that the industry has grown at a rate of 55 to 60 per cent over last year, a figure much higher than the PwC report that estimates radio growth at 24 per cent. “Radio is a sexy urban medium that one consumes on a daily basis, and people spend more time on radio than on TV,” he pointed out. Advertisers however are not looking at radio as a medium that can deliver on a local basis, with separate creatives for separate markets, he rued. Red FM COO Abraham Thomas agreed, saying that operational efficiency still drives radio revenues although “radio has moved beyond radio.” “Radio rocks because radio is simple to access and use, and 49 per cent of listeners have radio on their mobile phones,” Abraham said. While out of home listening will grow faster in the coming months, content creation too has changed to adapt itself to various media like television and mobile, said Abraham. |
Concurred Tata Teleservices VAS and Enterprise Market planning president Pankaj Sethi, ” ‘Not at home‘ opportunities will grow. 50 to 60 per cent of handsets today are already FM enabled”. “85 per cent of radio listeners are still at home”, Sethi said, adding that the patterns of radio listenership will change when the nature of content changes with the advent of genres like news and sports and different formats, allowing radio to monetise content and claim its share of the Rs 70 billion VAS market in the country. |
However, radio stations will continue to be unviable till the issue of music royalties is settled, Panday said. “125 of the 200 odd stations currently operational in the country are financially unviable due to the crippling royalties charged by ‘monopolistic patterns followed by the music industry‘”, he added. “If radio spreads, the music industry will do better. You download songs when you hear it on radio first,” he pointed out. Radio Today Broadcasting COO Anil Srivatsa, one of the few players who plays differentiated content on radio, stressed that the medium needs to raise its own respectability, if it has to be taken seriously by the advertising and media planning community. |
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.
