Event Coverage
Being a lean aggressive company has helped us, says Sony’s Steve Mosko
CANNES: Right from the hit series Breaking Bad to the new show on the block, Outlander, Sony has been in the middle of it all. And taking the centre stage for the first master keynote at MIPCOM 2014 was Sony Pictures Television president Steve Mosko.
He set the right tone for his keynopte by saying, “Our buyers have doubled due to the digital feed.” With business spanning around TV channels, production and distribution, where does he fit? Answered Mosko, “When people think of Sony, they think of multi-platform. On TV we have found that our independence has helped us in the US. People say, you cannot exist as a standalone. We have 30 original shows on air with 14 networks. Internationally being a lean aggressive company has helped us.”
Mosko believes that a number of great ideas come from the smart creative development people. “World is becoming consolidated and this also increases work in order to put everything together,” he opined.
Delving on piracy he said that while one cannot control piracy but can minimise it. “We have done a couple of things to minimise it. So we have instilled tight controls, where we do the dubbing, subtitling et or a show.”
Sony, from a business solution point of view, is working with its partners across to ensure that the shows are aired closer to the US telecast dates. “We cannot limit pirates, we just have to minimise it,” he added.
Mosko during his keynote also spoke about selling shows to new digital buyers globally. “Added competition makes everyone better. We have seen our buyers double around the globe, in the past five years,” he said.
Mentioning the growth of Netflix he said, “The platform has gone from zero to where it is today. Media companies are observant of what is happening in the US, for us, all this given us more buyers and makes us more creative.”
He is firm believer of the fact that it is the content that drives platforms. Talking about Sony Pictures within Sony he said, “There has never been a time when different parts of the company have worked so closely. Within the company we are working closely to maximise the business.”
Sony Pictures currently is doing big budget TV shows on playstation “and the budget is equal to what we are doing on cable TV. We have been working towards making the model work,” he informed.
Mosko said that everyone takes pride in being in the TV business. “TV experience is great now. Sony is making investments in 4K to enhance quality of content. This goes a long way to convince people to be in the TV business,” he said.
During his keynote, he pointed out that tax benefits to shoot in different countries act as a great booster.
Talking about the millennial kids, he said that they are not obliged to watch content when they are told to watch. “There is more opportunity to watch content today,” he said, adding that TV viewing is going up because of the great content.
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.
