Event Coverage
Zodiak to showcase 10 new formats
MUMBAI: Zodiak Television World (Zodiak) will be arriving at next week‘s television trade event Mipcom with 10 new formats available for international buyers, it was announced today by President, Heather Stevenson.
The entertainment show Sounds of Saturday follows the search for musical artists – local performers of traditional folk and popular music.
24 musical acts are championed by six veteran music artists – through casting, coaching and performing – for the record deal of the dreams. Sounds of Saturday is produced by Dinamo Story and will air on NRK in September 2007.
To Understand and Forgive Zokiak states establishes a new genre in television, the Psychotherapy Docudrama. Whether it’s adultery, blackmail, sentimental issues or rivalry, psychotherapists are always ready to help out as each episode follows a self-contained case offering strong drama portrayed in a unique real life style.
With over 200 episodes aired on Russia’s First Channel, the programme continues to achieve exceptional viewing figures far above the broadcaster’s average.
It will also showcase reality format Wanted: Roommate. It looks to take the traditional house-hunting show to as new level, as each episode follows people renting rooms and people seeking rooms. People both young and old, just starting out their careers as well as seasoned professionals are seeking roommates these days – but do they all find the companionship, variety or surrogate family they are looking for? The 30-minute format premiered early this year on Vox Germany, which has just commissioned 100 additional episodes.
Fight Knight is a sports competition show that let’s men be men as it were. Old scores, office grudges and heated rivalries are settled in a head to head, winner takes all duel, using weapons, armour and strategy inspired by medieval knights, to bring out modern man’s inner warrior.
Each one hour episode sees two sets of contestants training with the “battle master”, picking protective armour and equipment and squaring off in the “ring of fire” to establish who is the winning Fight Knight.
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.
