Event Coverage
MipTV 2004: Day One Notes
CANNES: Outside, the wind was blowing hard threatening to tear off the roof of the tent which houses the Press Club close to the Palais de Festivals in Cannes. The sun was bright and high in the sky, but it did not send the temperature soaring like it does in India. The ocean was a strikingly clean blue. And the croissette was more crowded than usual.
But inside the Palais, well, there was a buzz of activity as acquisition and sales executives, large media corporations, production companies moved around in a bid to stitch co-production, format and programme syndication deals. MipTV 2004 was on in full swing. Press announcements, conferences with a session on Brands and Integrated Product Placement, cocktails at the various booths it was all happening The highlight of the market this year was the Chinese presence at the market.
And amongst the thousands of executives from all over the world, what was heartening was the Indian presence. On the Air France flight from India this morning was the amiable Miditech founder Nikhil Alva who without much rest, just a quick change into formals, charged for the Palais. One came across Sony Entertainments Sunil Lulla and Tarun Katiyal – on the ground floor – who were brimming with energy in the wake of their tie up with Freemantle for Idols and the successful weekend block that they are developing for the channel.
Optymystix was present in full force with Vipul D Shah, Sanjeev Sharma and Rajiv Vyas seeking out new understandings of the formats and game show business from international companies. Star Indias representation came in from Shantanu Nalvadi and a bubbly Deepak Segal.
However the piece de resistance was the Zee Network booth the largest an Indian company has ever taken up – which had a durbaan dressed in all the finery, a live puppet show, and even temporary tattoo (mehandi) artists. A livewire young team led by Punit Goenka, consisting of Ajay Gupta, Ashish Kaul was aggressively buying up content and promoting its DishTV DTH service. Clearly, here is a company with a mission. The network was expected to make an announcement about its alliance with Mondo TV for its group company Padmalya Telefilms. The company had planned a large scale bash with chairman Subhash Chandra, but it was called off after he could not make it.
The Bollywood Eros Network also had a well done up booth. And one came across Achal Mehra of Fifth Avenue Media who apparently is cobbling together something new.
The feel definitely was high energy. MipTV promises a lot and everyone was looking forward to the opening nights evening cocktail party.
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.
