Event Coverage
Ronnie Screwvala’s 10 commandments
MUMBAI: Ronnie Screwvala, the founder-promoter of UTV, believes in an integrated business model that is highly scalable. He also thinks addressing the youth will bring in big advertising monies as India is on the right side of the demographic shift.
The man who last year forecast that only one-third of the films produced would be released, spells out his 10 ‘game changing‘ commandments at the Ficci-Frames 2010 summit.
Mobile: 3G and 4G will be the game changers for the industry. The 80:20 revenue share arrangement between the telcos and the content providers, however, has to change.
Broadcasting: Screwvala said that keeping focus only on a single channel and not on a 360 degree approach would result in declining revenues. Such business model needs to be changed, he added.
Competition: Citing the example of movie business, Screwvala said that the industry needs to constantly analyse competition. The film industry will also have to counter the IPL window every year.
The dual approach of shortening the release window on DTH and PPV and home video can be some of the steps for tackling piracy, Screwvala said.
But he affirmed that there is huge potential for increasing revenues from movies as seven out of 10 viewers watch them on small screens.
Cable: There is lack of adequate investments into the cable industry and the last mile operator has been a problem since the last 20 years.
DTH technology has certainly changed the rules of the game as far as India has concerned. India will soon become the biggest DTH subscriber market in the world.
Youth: Mentioning the fact that youth constitutes the biggest section of the Indian population, Screwvala said that any offering has to be targeted towards this population.
Games: Gaming is still at a nascent stage and still not understood very well in India. Though it is a $40-45 billion industry worldwide, Asia, particularly Japan and Korea, have shown tremendous growth. He believe that with more serious efforts, gaming will be an important game changer.
Consolidation: A more liberal FDI policy would attract investments into the sector.
Scale: With only 3-4 big players, the size of the industry cannot increase. So scaling up will be a challenge as well as a game changer for the overall industry.
Subservient approach: Players need to change the submissive approach and work aggressively towards achieving their goals.
Consumer DNA: Indian viewers still don’t have the DNA to pay for the channels. This has come from 20 years of heritage. For the betterment of the industry, this has to change.
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.
