Event Coverage
Indian Digital BrandFest 2023: Demonstrating Marketing ROI In A Complex Digital World
Mumbai: The 3rd edition of Indian Digital BrandFest 2023 kicked off and had brands, advertisers, and tech platforms discuss all these trends and more. The summit looked at the latest trends driving the change in consumer behaviour and how it has impacted the industry’s growth.
Whether it was a boom in influencer marketing or the popularity of short-video platforms, brands did not hesitate to jump onto the digital bandwagon to up their marketing game. So Indian television.com is taking this opportunity to bring a host of industry experts together under one roof to discuss all these new trends shaping the future.
The panellists for this session were EaseMyTrip co-founder Rikant Pittie, Warner Bros.Discovery South Asia, marketing, OTT & broadcast Azmat Jagmang, Policybazaar.com CMO Sai Narayan, CleverTrap senior VP- India. The session chair for this panel was Fractional CMO Partners managing partner Jayant Kshirsagar.
Kshirsagar began the session and spoke on how marketing ROI has changed so much in the last two decades. He also asked the same to the panellists on their marketing journey.
Acharya replied first by saying, “ While you are looking for a brand, the brand is in the same breath looking for you. What are you interested in, what content you consume and here the data is the king. And if data is the king then definitely content is the queen and personalisation is the prince.”
Jagmag shared her perspective on her marketing ROI, “ I had the opportunity to work with the traditional media houses going digital and OTT etc. There are times wherein often you do your best, especially in an industry like ours, which is media and you still have limited control on the outcome.”
Narayan said, “The first thing that Policybazaar did was to keep the power of hands to the consumer. We are super passionate about helping Indians get educated about insurance.”
Pittie said, “When you are designing a media strategy and you are measuring all the ROIs and it gets increasingly complicated. We end up putting all the media spending on some measurable metrics. And to me search trends are an honest indicator to show that what this entire noise and euphoria that you are building, is resulting from a consumer perspective.”
Lastly, the panellists thanked Kshirsagar for asking enriching questions and also for keeping the session engaging.
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.
