Event Coverage
Movistar+ & Telefonica partner with Beta on first originals
CANNES: The Spanish telecom giant Telefonica and its premium Pay-channel Movistar+ partner with Beta Film on their first original productions, The Zone and the Velvet-spinoff Velvet Collections.
The prestigious, high-budget series The Zone is plays out in a post-Fukushima-like mid-sized community and rural area in the North of Spain whose struggle for a return to any semblance of normalcy is severely hampered by a sudden series of gruesome killings in the no-go zone. Velvet Collections takes the best of the ratings-hit into the next generation, when the Marquez-clan opens a glamorous shopping palace in Barcelona.
The Zone and Velvet Collections are the latest productions in the cooperation of Beta Film and Telefonica, which also includes the Tom Tykwer event-series Babylon Berlin, Oliver Hirschbiegel’s The Same Sky and Sky Italia’s political thriller-series 1993.
Beta Film’s EVP Acquisitions & Sales Christian Gockel: “We’re extremely proud and bullish about this new installment of our long-standing, successful partnership with Spanish broadcasters and media houses, further underpinning BetaFilm’s position as an essential partner in helping to bring great Spanish TV product to the screen and international marketplace. We are thrilled to be a part of this groundbreaking effort of taking the already high standards of Spanish storytelling and production quality to the next phase.”
Written, directed and produced by Jorge & Alberto Sánchez-Cabezudo, the Zone (eight hours) follows Inspector Hector Uria, the only survivor among those who were the first to help after the meltdown in the nearby nuclear power plant and his quest to conquer not only the killer but the demons of his own past. Physically recovered but mentally far from it, Hector is drawn into the investigation of the killings which show traces of cannibalism. The eight hour, highly ambitious series marks Telefonica’s first venture into Spanish domestic production and will be delivered at the end of the year.
Velvet Collections from the Spanish production powerhouse Bambu follows in the footsteps of its outperforming Free-TV-predecessor, sold to more than 100 territories worldwide including a format-deal to the U.S., when the clan sets his sights on the Catalan capital Barcelona where new opportunities call. Telefonica has scheduled ten episodes of the glamorous series for its PayTV-platform Movistar+.
Both series are currently in pre-production and will be presented by Beta at MIPCOM 2017 in Cannes.
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.
