Event Coverage
TWI secures deals for John Lennon doc ahead of Mipcom
MUMBAI: Television production and distribution firm TWI has secured a raft of deals in advance of the television event Mipcom 2005 for Double Jab’s documentary John Lennon: Working Class Hero.
It has signed deals with Australia’s Nine Network, New Zealand’s TVNZ and DRTV in Denmark. The 90-minute show, which is narrated by Gary Oldman, has already been picked up by the BBC, and deals in the US and Germany are also in the pipeline.
The programme, delivered in the year of Lennon’s 65th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his death, contains Yoko Ono’s previously unseen collection of personal home movies, rare footage and photos of the Beatles legend, plus her most revealing interview to date. It also includes interviews with Lennon’s children, first wife, lover and former contemporaries, and new musical material.
Meanwhile TWI will be bringing the show The Lennon Show to Mipcom 2005. Another show it will bring is Mind of a Demon, a shark adventure with a twist. it will also bring a six half hour episode reality series featuring a Las Vegas defence attorney. This will air under the title of Las Vegas Law on Court TV in the US later this year.
The one hour special Mind of a Demon follows the grandson of intrepid underwater explorer Jacques as he plunges beneath the waves inside a lifesize replica of a Great White Shark to examine the behaviour of the fearsome man-eaters. It has already been sold to American broadcaster CBS.
Bucky offers a behind-the-scenes look at the life of basketball/ rap star Shaquille O’Neal, are among the first projects under the banner of Transend, the brand new joint venture between TWI and Hollywood talent agency Endeavor.
Other new shows TWI also represent include: Hybrid Films’ The Red Orchestra, the story of the largest resistance group operating in Nazi Germany; and The Prestige: Tanker Time Bomb. This is a re-enaction of 2002’s breakup of a fully-laden oil super tanker sparking an environmental crisis and the subsequent salvage operation, made by Cinenova.
TWI original programming that it will showcase at Cannes includes E-Force about an environmental Swat team who tackle anything from toxic spills to alligator rescues. In War of the Wives celebrities in the same profession teach their own wives to do battle against each other. It is already being piloted for Bravo in the US and will be pitched by TWI at Mipcom as a format.
TWI is the television, broadcast and new media arm of the IMG, the world’s premier sports marketing agency, which was acquired last year by Forstmann Little. It claims to be the world’s largest independent producer, packager and distributor of sports programming, producing more than 6,000 hours and distributing nearly 9,000 hours of live events and original programming each year, across 200 countries and covering more than 240 sports.
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.
