Event Coverage
MixRadio Music Connects 2014 gets a spirited start
MUMBAI: The opening night of the 6th MixRadio Music Connects 2014 got off to a spirited start with a party hosted at the Hard Rock Café (Worli) in Mumbai on 3 November 2014.
MixRadio Music Connects 2014, to be on 4-5 November, is organised by Hong Kong based event experts Branded (Music Matters, YouTube FanFest) and Indiantelevision.com Group’s Radioandmusic.com. The conference will feature the very best of the music industry including international and independent Indian music talent, music labels, mobile operators, streaming services, live companies and social media agencies. Along with an excellent spread of food, drinks and music, the well curated evening was attended by well-known personalities from Indian and International music fraternity.
Speaking about the jam-packed line-up of this year’s conference, Branded co-founder and CEO and Music Matters president Jasper Donat said that he expects a lot of people to be there at the two day music conference. Previously having organised “All That Matters”, one of the largest musical conferences in Singapore in May 2014, Donat added that he wished to see people from the industry and attendees from India to participate in the event. He also briefly spoke about the development of Music Matters Academy that aims to prepare young talents with the business knowledge they need to sustain in a highly competitive world of music.
Present at the occasion were Donat along with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari, consultant Jay Visvadeva, Indus Music Publishing director Paul Pacifico from the UK based Specific Music, British music composer and producer Kully Bhamra, Terry Mardi of Asian music publishing and Meetal Shah from Lead India.
Originally known as Nokia Music Connects, the music conference had been renamed to ‘MixRadio Music Connects’ in order to reflect an association with Microsoft and the personalised music streaming service. The theme for this year’s music forum is “shaping the digital future” and it will feature various discussions on challenges faced in the music industry and how to empower those through different ways like monetisation etc.
The highlights for this year include keynotes by MixRadio Head, Jyrki Rosenberg, a conversation with Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and an overview of the music industry by Sony Music president Sridhar Subramanium. All India Bakchod’s standup comic Tanmay Bhatt and YouTube sensation duo Maati Baani will also talk about their journey as artistes.
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.
