Event Coverage
The force with mobile TV at Mipcom 2005
CANNES: It was a quiet day as Mipcom 2005 after the wild Wednesday. If it was the buzz around mobile TV that swept through the Riviera, torrential rains and the resultant water seepage into the Riviera side of the mart forced a number of exhibitors to shift out.
MTV Networks International, Granada Programme Sales and Hallmark Entertainment were among the big exhibitors hit by the storm aftermath.
If mobile was the new wave flavour at MipTV 2005 earlier this year, it was the dominant theme at Mipcom and more than lived up to the hype that had been built up at Mip.
There were good numbers on the attendance front as well. By the end of Wednesday (Day 3) attendance was at 11,616, well ahead of the 10,924 participants final tally at Mipcom 2004.
A numbers check at the end of Day 3 gives the following stats:
Total companies attending 3,917, up 11 per cent from the 3,522 last year.
Total programme TV buyers 3,482 up 7 per cent from 2004.
Total countries represented 92, down from the 95 2004.
Total participants arrived 11,616 up 7 per cent from 10,815 last year.
When queried about the fact that quite a few sessions, particularly on Wednesday were overbooked with people being turned away, Johnson said the investments made in order to increase the facilities and number of conferences were obviously paying dividends. Johnson said how to effectively manage the turnout effectively would be one of the challenges going forward.
For Indiantelevision.com, one really positive strand that came through in most of the sessions was that the digital world and the multiplying platforms were only going to enhance and bring to centrestage even further the role of quality content. The way forward is time and space shifted media consumption and in such a world there will really be no place to hide if the content dips in quality or is not up to scratch. Switch out and off will be instantaneous.
It must be said though that really big deals seemed lacking at this year’s market. As regards major hype, it was Buena Vista International Television, the distribution arm of Walt Disney Television International, which splashed out on full-coverage banners draping the Croisette hotels and on an even bigger harbor yacht. All thanks to the general gung ho spirit within the company confidence the mega-success of its drama slate, which includes Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy. Disney also made the mart the launch pad for its upcoming education oriented CGI animated series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Other highlights of this year’s event included Tuesday’s CEO Mipcom Superpanel and the three keynote speeches from Endemol’s Peter Bazalgette, Howard Roffman from Lucasfilm Licensing and Dan Romanelli of Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products. Fittingly, it was Bazalgette who dominated Mobile TV Day at Mipcom.
Then there was the first Mobile TV Screenings and Awards and the Mipcom DVD Awards. Cisneros group of companies chairman and CEO Gustavo Cisneros receiving the Mipcom 2005 Personality of the Year Award.
Tipping its hat to the increasing global interest in the telenovella, there was a special day of screenings and panels dedicated to the genre.
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.
