Event Coverage
Vidnet 2024: NexC: Distribution that pays off
Mumbai: The OTT business in India is buzzing with new streamers, niche, and language offerings. However, early players are struggling as heavy content spending isn’t matching revenues, and India-specific low pricing hasn’t spurred subscriptions. Growth has plateaued as consumers return to post-COVID normalcy, preferring to binge occasionally.
Adding to the churn is the shift towards AVOD by giants like JioCinema, offering premium events like cricket for free, with Disney+Hotstar following suit. This has strained streaming bottom lines. The rise of FAST channels is also causing industry jitters. Vidnet explores the future of the streaming ecosystem. The Vidnet 2024 is being held on 19 July 2024, at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai.
The fireside chat saw Indiantelevision.com group founder, chairman & editor-in-chief Anil NM Wanvari in conversation with Planetcast COO – digital Venugopal Iyengar.
The fireside chat delved into the evolving landscape of distribution technology and the challenges faced by Planetcast in its 28-year journey of serving media customers. Venugopal Iyengar highlighted Planetcast’s mission to streamline content creation to delivery, emphasising the integration of software programming and AI in transforming processes and improving cost efficiency.
“We have been in the business of distribution technology, serving media customers for 28 years,” said Iyengar. “Our goal is to pave the path from content creation to the endpoint where viewers watch it on their screens.”
Iyengar introduced NexC, a unified platform that simplifies the distribution journey by offering a single access point for all necessary products and services. “NexC gives you a single point ingest and seamless access to all the products and services you need in your distribution journey,” he explained.
Addressing challenges, Iyengar noted misconceptions about NexC being a monolithic product and concerns over transitioning to cloud solutions. “It’s not a monolith. You can enter through any one product and still be part of the platform,” he clarified. To ease cloud adoption, Planetcast offers hybrid solutions, combining on-prem and cloud services.
Iyengar also discussed differences between Indian and global markets in cloud adoption and highlighted the significant impact of AI. “AI has been fabulous for us,” he said. “Applications like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and scene-by-scene tagging are now seamless.”
In conclusion, Iyengar emphasized the importance of embracing technological advancements to meet customer needs effectively. “We must acknowledge the benefits AI brings and continue to innovate in our approach to content distribution,” he stated.
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.
