Event Coverage
MIPTV 2016: Deal making, the Goenka brothers and the Indian presence
Cannes: A 100 plus strong delegation has been making its presence felt at Reed Midem’s MIPTV 2016 in this picturesque small town of Cannes on the French Riviera. Thankfully the weather has held up and the skies have been clear on most days, excepting for one when it drizzled steadily throughout. Touts on the streets made a killing selling umbrellas. On other days, a nip in the air forced everyone to bring out their cardigans and overcoats.
But on Day 3 of the 50 plus year old market cum festival, the sun came out in all its glory with the temperature climbing up and television executives feeling its full blaze even as the deal making and the conferences and debates hotted up.
MipTV, the festival-cum-market has attracted upwards of 10,500 participants, at a time when Europe has been grappling with warning signs about it being a no-visit zone courtesy the terrorist attacks.
For the Indians, the highlight of MipTV is the honouring of the two Goenka brothers – Punit and Amit Goenka (the scions of media entrepreneur Subhash Chandra) – with the Medialle des Honneurs on 6 April. Punit, who was supposed to come, could not make it on account of a family emergency, but Amit did. This is the first time an Indian is being honoured as such by the French company Reed Midem.
Additionally, the other high points have been an India format session moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder Anil Wanvari, and a session on 4K in which TravelXP CEO Prashant Chothani participated. Other panelists on the India session included: Ajay Nair (OML), Rahul Sangari (Grey Matter), GoQuest Media (Vivek Lath), and Yogesh Karikurve (ZeeTV).
Indian companies such as Zee TV, Star India, GoQuest, Vedic Broadcasting, DQ Entertainment, Cosmos Maya, Eros Worldwide, Indiantelevision.com, Indiacast, Green Gold Animation, Rajshri Entertainment, are among those companies which have come on as exhibitors.
Film producer Prasad Devineni who bankrolled the Indian multilingual blockbuster film Bahubali and who also churns out many a TV show in the Telugu market made it to MIPTV to explore new avenues for his company Arka Media Works.
Cosmos Maya CEO Anish Mehta was cock-a-hoop with delight about the deals his company had managed to sign on at MipTV.
MIPTV also had some grand moments like the premier for Roots and The Story of God (Morgan Freeman), Morgan Spurlock’s keynote, the launch of MipDrama Screenings, the keynotes by author and writer Harlan Coben, Vivendi Content & Havas Media CEO Domiqnique Delport, RTL co-CEO Gullaume de Posch, Mattel COO & President Richard Dickson and Wildness chief strategy officer Margaret Czeisler.
At the time of writing all eyes were turned towards the Medaille D’Honneur ceremony which was slated to be held late on the evening of 6 April. Amit is expected to receive the award for himself and his brother in front of an audience consisting of leading global TV executives.
In addition to Punit Goenka and Amit Goenka, three other distinguished TV industry leaders will receive Médaille d’Honneur in Cannes including: Germany’s Studiocanal TV MD Rola Bauer, Disney Media Networks global distribution president Ben Pyne from the US and Mexico’s Comarex president Marcel Vinay.
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.
