Event Coverage
‘Desperate Housewives’, ’24’ nominated for Mipcom’s mobile TV awards
MUMBAI: Television marketplace Mipcom MIPCOM has announced the nominations for the inaugural Mobile TV Screenings and Awards.
A series of projects have been pre-selected from the hundreds submitted. These will be showcased during Mipcom 2005 on Wednesday 19 October 2005. For the first time the screenings will be followed by an Awards ceremony in which the winning productions, chosen by an international grand jury, will be honoured.
One of the nominees is 24 Conspiracy. Mobisodes inspired by Fox’s television series 24 were created in association with Vodafone. ABC’s hit show Desperate Housewives which had content in the form of recaps tailored for the mobile has also been nominated.
Sponsored by mobile operator Orange and European broadcaster Arte, the Mobile TV Screenings & Awards will be key components of the Mobile TV Day at Mipcom 2005 and are designed to focus on the creation of new mobile entertainment concepts and formats.
The first of its kind, in the emerging field of Mobile TV, the Mobile TV Screenings & Awards were launched a couple of months ago and attracted 235 entries from 135 companies from 30 countries.
An independent panel of industry experts selected the 23 nominated projects that will be screened at Mipcom for four categories – Best Made for Mobile TV Content/Format; Best Repurposed Video, Film, or Animation Content for Mobile; Best Mobile TV Channel or Service and Best User Interface for a Mobile TV Channel/Programme Guide.
During the Awards ceremony which will be held on the evening of the 19 October and presented by the well-known British TV presenter, Ray Cokes, the international grand jury will present a “Mobile TV Award” to the most creative project in each category. The grand jury includes Nokia (UK) VP multimedia Mark Selby, Mobile Media Worldwide VP Matt West and The Interactive Channel chairman and founder Robert Chua.
Reed Midem’s television division director Paul Johnson says, “By creating the Mobile TV Screenings & Awards, Mipcom aims to take an active role in supporting content development for Mobile TV which offers a significant opportunity for the TV and Mobile industries.”
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.
