Event Coverage
“I don’t have many artists on the panel because artists don’t like finding another artist”: Simon Cowell
CANNES: MIPCOM 2014 has kickstarted with some great content from across the globe and some great sessions. The biggest content market on day one saw an interesting question and answer session between producer and talent scout Simon Cowell, who has been named the ‘personality of the year’ and a former Got Talent judge Piers Morgan.
Excerpts…
Was it in your blood to be in the entertainment industry?
I loved entertainment since childhood. My dad was a very loyal guy, he told me one thing, whatever you do, remember that in every person, there is an invisible sign which says, “make me feel important.” And that’s how I started making my TV shows.
What was the key moment for you in the business? When you started work and then everything fell, everything you dreamed of, crashed, what did all that tell you?
If you work in TV, film, music business, only two things matter, stars and hits. I had nothing. When there is no training, you make more mistakes. I owned the bank half a million pounds. But in a way, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Although I don’t want to do it again!
You made the genius move of fusing the power of TV to power of music. You did it at a time when no one had thought of it…
The truth is it was always there. Right from Elvis to Beetles, TV played a massive part in spreading their fame worldwide and for me I was very concerned about the stranglehold that radio companies had on record artists, and then I thought TV was the medium that I could use to connect with music.
You have been critical of the participants who come on X Factor and Got Talent, will you sober down with age?
In my business you have to become the audience permanently. So when I am editing and noting one of my shows, it has to be what I like and find emotional or funny. You can’t treat the audience like idiots. If somebody comes on stage and is literally tone-deaf, and if I say take a couple of singing lessons and you’ll be a star, they’ll think I’m mad. I am a perfectionist. The day you just let go without looking at it, that’s the day you lose it.
What about stars as judge on the show?
I never wanted to put too many artists in the panel, because artists don’t want to find another artist.
About partnership with FremantleMedia…
Without FremantleMedia, I would not have been sitting here now. What I really liked about Fremantle was that it understood that the combination of a music company making a TV show was better than a TV company making a music show.
You created One Direction, through your show…
I don’t like the word ‘create’. I didn’t create them, I gave five people the opportunity to be in a group because I felt as a whole they would have a better chance of being successful because they were so young and inexperienced.
The groups, I have to admit, were terrible that year, but I felt these guys could work together. What I did was because that’s what I needed to do, I gave them the opportunity and the boys ran with the opportunity. It was a fantastic collaboration.
What happened to X Factor America?
I haven’t given up on the format in America. We just gave up on it too early.
How important are the broadcasters in each territory?
The broadcaster is one thing; it is the people in the channel who are important. They have trusted us and our partnership has been great.
What do you look in people when you look for partnerships?
Trust in both ways. If we didn’t have them trusting us in the first place, I wouldn’t have been here. They look after the shows and make it their own. That’s what I love.
Are you moving into movies?
Yes, but slowly. So we will do what we did in TV. My thought process is that with so many artists, I am looking at something like a High School Musical.
Why have you done so few shows?
Because it is difficult to come up with hit shows like X Factor or Got Talent. Too many shows will kill the market. The show these days are more about gimmick.
Do you see a problem with multi-screen viewing?
I don’t see a problem with it. If there are new ways of watching our shows, it is only to our advantage.
When you relook, what’s that one moment you look to?
The second week’s ratings of X Factor UK. The numbers had gone up by millions, as compared to the first week. So I felt really good.
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.
