Event Coverage
Portfolio Entertainment inks deals with multiple broadcasters
MUMBAI: Toronto-based Portfolio Entertainment cruises into next week‘s television trade event Mipcom with nearly a dozen recently signed broadcast deals with territories spanning the globe for programming across multiple genres including lifestyle, animal, children‘s, culinary, travel and how-to series.
Portfolio Entertainment director of sales and acquisitions Jon Rutherford says, “The growth of our sales this past year is due in part to the diversity of our current slate of programming. We are committed to acquiring even more new series in a variety of genres in the months ahead”.
Discovery Asia (Japan) renewed the second and third seasons of Animal Miracles.
The Pet Network (Canada) has acquired 26 hour-long episodes of Top Dogs. This is a series featuring canines of all sizes, shapes and breeds as they compete in spectacular events worldwide.
Canal + / Domo TV (Poland) is the first in line for the first season of Mansions. The series provides a glimpse into the world of high-stakes wheeling, dealing, designing and building of multi-million dollar homes.
Astro Xpresi (Indonesia) set its sights on all 26 half-hours of Workforce. This is a career exploration series designed to help young people make educated decisions about their future careers.
City7 TV (Hungary) purchased all 26 half-hours of Campus Vets which details dramatic tales of students and animal patients; all 26 half-hours of Workforce the career exploration series for tweens; the first season of French Food At Home.
Here host Laura Calder articulates the philosophy of French cooking with passion; and all five seasons of Chef At Large featuring Chef Michael Smith as he travels to meet other skilled chefs, investigates their amazing, diverse kitchens and documents their unique and challenging worlds.
OutTV‘s Netherlands channel picked up a full order of Bump!, an international travel series targeting the sights, culture and cuisine of gay-friendly locales.
Telemundo (Puerto Rico) picked up 26 half-hours of Heads Up!. This is an astronomy series that takes children and tween viewers beyond the basics of the Big Dipper and the Moon, and introduces them to the magical content and practical context of the universe.
Civitel (Chile) sets off on a journey with the DVD rights for all 26 half-hour episodes of the animated children‘s adventure series Toad Patrol.
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.
