Event Coverage
Strong Indian delegation at Mipcom
MUMBAI: The television marketplace Mipcom kicks off on Monday 17 October 2005 in Cannes France. Around 100 delegates from India representing 38 companies will take part.
The number of companies participating though could reach 45 by the time the event starts.
Two Indian firms will have stalls there – Sony and Weg India. Star India, which used to have a stall, will now be a part of Fortune Star’s exhibition space.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on what Sony expects from the event, Kaushal Modi, AVP licensing & telephony, says, “We are taking two shows Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and Yeh Meri Life Hai to Mipcom for the purpose of syndication and formatting.” Sony will be offering customised solutions for the two shows which will tweaked to suit different regions. This is what telenovela companies from South America like RCTV successfully do each year.
On the film front Sony will be taking pushing two key properties that it has the rights to – Mughal E-Azham and Mangal Pandey – The Rising. Among the 1,000 or so movies in its library, Sony also has films from the Yash Raj catalogue, a notable recent offering being Hum Tum.
Zee will have a seven member team present. A company spokesperson says, “We will be looking to explore every aspect of the group’s media business at Mipcom. It will include content creation, publishing, syndication, distribution, satellite, cable and multiplexes. Speaking about convergence, we want to explore the event to get the best out of the latest developments in areas such as digitalisation, triple play, the advent of 3g and IPTV.
“Regarding format acquisition, we have meetings lined up with all prominent format owners. We are looking to grab some formats this time. Then we have other usual suspects including syndication. We are looking ahead to use this platform to market our formats, shows and all kinds of other content. Zee’s good form abroad as a broadcaster has also boosted our morale.”
For Zee, business development manager Gagan Goel will be looking at strategic business opportunities. One area he will look at is VOD solutions for Zee’s Dish TV DTH platform. Deblina Chakrabarty, acquisitions – English channels, will be looking to purchase content for Zee Studio and Zee Cafe.
T-Series will be sending a four-member team not just to sell its home videos to the international community but also to buy home videos that it feels will fare well in the Indian market.
Animation will be pushed: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will also be visible. It will host a Ficci Networking Luncheon Session on Tuesday 18 October 2005 at Hotel Carlton.
It will be an informal session for business networking. The lunch will be attended by representatives from international studios that have partnered/outsourced or are potential partners to the Indian animation industry .
Ficci’s Sumeet Gupta says that the aim is to project and promote the Indian animation industry. “Depending upon response and industry feedback, we might scale it up and explore other possibilities as well.”
Offering his view on Mipcom, Gupta points out that the event is one of the biggest animation and TV markets globally. One can meet almost each and every one from the industry. A presence at Mipcom affords Ficci the chance to make the overseas studios interested in working with their Indian counterparts. In addition Ficci is also looking to use Mipcom as a platform to promote the Frames convention that it organises every year in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai-based Graphiti Multimedia is looking to take Mipcom by storm with its original liveaction cum animation series J Bole to Jadoo which is co-produced by Nickelodeon Asia.
Graphiti director and COO Munjal Shroff is excited as this is the first time he will be attending Mipcom. Speaking to our sister concern Animation Xpress, Shroff said, “This year in addition to our other IPs we also have J Bole to Jadoo, which was one of the first 3D live action animation shows to be made in India, and is also amongst the top rated shows on Nickelodeon.”
This year at Mipcom, Graphiti will be looking for syndication (with broadcasters) and distribution (home video) for J Bole Toh Jadoo. Besides, the studio also has three other IPs which it shall pitch at the market, including Tree House Set, Action Hero BC and Krish, Trish and Balti Boy. It will also market its animation skills to studios looking to outsource work.
“Outsourcing is now a big part of our business with clients such as Disney. We’ve just completed a series of idents and bumpers for Disney’s Peek character. 3D & Flash are our core skills,” remarked Munjal.
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.
