Event Coverage
Indian participation at Mipcom set to double
MUMBAI: With India being the country of honour at next month‘s television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France, interest among the Indian television fraternity, whether it be content producers, distributors or channels, has risen substantially compared to last year.
The event, which takes place from 8-12 October, will have around 200 Indian delegates, twice the number that attended last year‘s market. There are eight exhibiting firms – Zee, Sony, Shemaroo, Sahara, Ficci (taken a pavillion), Venus, Star (part of the Fortune Star stand) and Suman Films.
Indiantelevision.com founder and CEO Anil Wanvari, who is also Reed Midem‘s representative in India, says that there is no better and more relevant platform than Mipcom and MipTV to show the world what Indian television has to offer.
“Currently, the global market is more aware of Indian cinema than it is about Indian television. Mipcom will increase awareness about Indian entertainment and television. People will find out what India has to offer and they will also get an idea of what they can expect from India in the future,” says Wanvari.
“For Indian firms, the event offers opportunities to send their content abroad through licensing and syndication deals. There are also opportunities to find co-production partners,” he says.
India Day
The first day of the market, 8 October, is India Day. Zee Group CMD Subhash Chandra, one of the doyens of Indian media, will deliver a keynote on the topic The Indian Market Explosion: What Does the Future Hold?.
UTV founder and CEO Ronnie Screwvala will deliver another keynote on Indian Media – A global Destination. Sony Entertainment Television India CEO Kunal Dasgupta will present a report containing details on the state of the Indian entertainment industry.
Meanwhile, global firms looking for opportunities to enter the Indian media landscape will find a session on Indian Content on the Move useful. It is being organised in partnership with The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).
The session will gather players from the Indian and international media industries to discuss the various opportunities available to global businesses in the Indian film, TV, animation and gaming industries. The speakers are DQ Entertainment CMD and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti; Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal, Bag Films and Media MD Anurradha Prasad, Ernst and Young partner business advisory services Ashok Rajgopal, Ocher Studio MD Soundarya Rajinikanth, and Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj Roy.
On 9 October, there will be a ‘Master Class‘ on The Format Business Inside Out. This will help Indian firms understand how they can export their content to different markets.
As part of Reed Midem‘s initiative in highlighting the business opportunities in this area, it is inviting Indian delegates to a specially dedicated Entertainment Master Class Session in which key players from within the industry will share their own experiences, exploring the tricks of the trade and the ropes of the business. They will further discuss how to pitch, sell and protect a format.
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.
