iWorld
Coronavirus fallout: MWC cancelled; HK FilMart postponed
MUMBAI: The Wuhan-originating coronavirus is leaving its impact on industry confabs in Europe and Asia.
The Mobile World Congress which was scheduled to be held from 24-27 February in Barcelona was cancelled yesterday, following the pullout by a large number of partner companies, with concerns over the spread of the viral menace. LG, Ericsson, Nvidia, Intel, Vivo, Nokia, Amazon, Sony are some of the major players who decided to give it a skip.
Chinese companies are some of the major participants in the Mobile World Congress and with many embassies in China refusing to issue visas to travellers, many of them would not have been in a postion to attend.
Keeping all this in mind, the GSMA – which organises the congress – decided to cancel it for the year.
Then the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) announced on 13 February that it would push forward the dates for its Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FilMart) 2020 from 25-28 March to 27-29 August 2020.
“The safety and well-being of our exhibitors and participants has always been our priority,” said the HKTDC in a note sent out to participants. “The decision is made in response to the preventive measures taken by the Hong Kong SAR government and health authorities worldwide to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic. Your admission badge record will still be valid for the postponed FilMart 2020. Details will be announced later.”
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
