Event Coverage
Cross-platform entertainment formats offer incremental revenue options
CANNES: One thing that the burgeoning technologies and convergence offer content creators and distributors are different avenues of revenues.
Participation TV is one such (which looks like getting ever more important with time) that has seen a marriage of TV programmes and new media channels to create compelling cross-media entertainment formats. Using mobile, web and interactive TV, viewers can vote contestants off reality TV shows, match their abilities against quiz show contestants for cash prizes or the chance to appear on the show themselves, play cards, bet and vote for the best shows to be aired.
A really interesting example of that was provided by Nuno Miguel Bernardo of Beactive in Portugal whose company has created what it claims is the world’s first multi-format cross media soap opera targeted at teenagers “Sofia’s Diary”.
Every episode of the show is open ended with the viewers voting in (through mobile, Net and phone lines to decide what track the plot should take in the next episode (obviously from among to three options). Not only does Sofia get feedback from viewers but also offers her own suggestions top viewers.
Bernardo said the show had already found an audience in some European and Asian countries (not India though).
Some of the advantages that participation TV offers is an innovative embedded experience. The aim of course being to allow everyone who wants to participate – at a cost of course.
A point that was made during the discussion was that budgets (10 to 15 per cent of overall production cost) should be factored in at the beginning itself rather than being bunged in later as an afterthought.
This is important because each programme package has to be usable across multiple platforms At the very basic level there are the billing solutions that have to integrated with the live component of the channel.
A successful Indian example? The Cellcast Group’s live interactive reverse auction TV show Bid2Win successfully partnered with Star India. A reverse auction on Star Plus for jewellery worth Rs 2 million (promoted through its serial Kahin to Hoga) received over 6.7 million bids.
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.
