Event Coverage
‘The Amazing Race’s’ 6th season licensed to five b’casters in APAC
MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television – Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) has licensed the two-time Emmy Award winning reality-competition series The Amazing Race to five broadcasters across Asia Pacific. This announcement was made today by BVITV-AP vice president and general manager Steve Macallister.Licensees of the sixth season of The Amazing Race include regional action-adventure channel AXN Asia, Singapore’s Channel 5, Australia’s Channel 7, New Zealand’s TVNZ and Studio 23 in the Philippines.
Eleven teams of two people, each with a pre-existing relationship, set out on The Amazing Race around the world to compete for one million dollars. The series tracks the teams’ progress across the globe, chronicling dramatic conflicts and deepening friendships that develop between and within the teams throughout the gruelling competition. The first team to reach the final destination after a race around the world wins the million dollar prize.“The Amazing Race is an incredible challenge,” commented Macallister. “Teams must overcome obstacles that all travelers face including foreign languages, unfamiliar customs, unusual cuisine and increasing fatigue with the added pressure of competing for a million dollars. The latest installment of this exhilarating reality-competition continues to generate significant interest from broadcasters across the Asia Pacific region.”
The Amazing Race won the 2003 and 2004 Emmy Award for Best Reality Series. Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster (who co-created the series along with Elise Doganieri) and Jonathan Littman are the executive producers for Bruckheimer Films and Earthview Inc. in association with Touchstone Television and Amazing Race Productions. Past seasons of The Amazing Race have included pit stops in China, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Philippines and New Zealand.
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.
