Event Coverage
MIPCOM 2014: Culture Machine to bring What’s Trending to India
CANNES: MIPCOM 2014, now in its 30th year, is the biggest hub where the industry’s major players converge to turn every moment into an opportunity. Making the most of it, Culture Machine, a next generation digital video entertainment company, has announced a strategic tie-up with the award winning US based network, What’s Trending.
In a first-of-its-kind content alliance, Culture Machine will launch the India channel/network for What’s Trending and create exclusive programming under the brand for the region. This strategic alliance will not only strengthen Culture Machine’s leadership in the space but also provide digital consumers with a wide array of international quality content.
Through this alliance, Culture Machine will work closely with What’s Trending to create content, featuring talents and brands across the Indian sub-continent and syndicate What’s Trending India and International content in the region.
The video entertainment company will use its network strength of over 500 YouTube creators, brands, state-of-the-art production facilities and proprietary technology capabilities to grow the What’s Trending brand in the country. This marks a first time partnership where an original digital property is formatted locally by an international digital network.
“Culture Machine and What’s Trending both work with the core objective of creating entertaining, trending and shareable digital video content that reaches out to audiences at scale through powerful, creative and path-breaking digital programming. This alliance is a perfect match. We are delighted to partner with What’s Trending and spearhead the first international digital format partnership in the space,” said Culture Machine CEO Sameer Pitalwalla.
What’s Trending is an award-winning US-based media company which gives its audiences the hottest trending videos and internet culture every day, starring the biggest traditional and digital stars anywhere. With over 50,000,000 views on YouTube, What’s Trending works with the biggest brands in the world to entertain audiences via any and every screen.
Culture Machine COO Venkat Prasad added, “Culture Machine has a unique and unmatched understanding of India’s digital market and through our proprietary technology, we not only understand what the audience sitting online wants but have the capability to deliver it and scale it, consistently, time and again. We are confident of our capabilities to provide the best platform to What’s Trending in India and make the brand grow in the region.”
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Culture Machine, a company that shares our vision of creating television quality entertainment for the digital generation,” said What’s Trending CEO Damon Berger. “With Culture Machine, the format of What’s Trending will inform and delight audiences all over India and Southeast Asia,” he concluded.
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.
