ITV

Tag: animation

  • Funskool acquires licence to manufacture Chhota Bheem

    Funskool acquires licence to manufacture Chhota Bheem

    Mumbai: Indian domestic toy manufacturer Funskool India has acquired the licence to manufacture and distribute the action figure Chhota Bheem and other seven characters from the famed cartoon animation series.

    Funskool has obtained the licence to launch the series of action figures from Green Gold Licensing & Merchandising India.

    Green Gold Animation, which creates original Indian animation content has over the years transcended and established itself in licensing and merchandising, movie production and distribution, digital business, retail stores and events.

    The parties state that this move proves that India is moving towards being “Atma Nirbhar” in manufacturing of quality toys. Funskool said that it has been leading the way in pro-actively and consciously choosing to promote the “Make-In-India” programme and the acquisition of Chhota Bheem & Friends has been a step in the right direction.

    Funskool India CEO R Jeswant said, “We are excited to add Chhota Bheem to our well established manufacturing and distribution capabilities. Our existing scale and distribution network establishes an ideal platform to achieve the full potential of Chhota Bheem in India and will address the significant unmet needs of the portfolio of products.”

    Green Gold Animation executive director & COO Samir Jain said, “When it comes to manufacturing high quality and toxin free toys for children, there is no substitute for Funskool in India. We are immensely pleased with licensing Funskool India with manufacturing and distributing Chhota Bheem and another seven action figures. With its expansive distribution network prowess, we are confident that Chhota Bheem Action figures will reach to every child in the country.”

  • Cosmos-Maya to invest $50 mn to expand into Europe and North America

    Cosmos-Maya to invest $50 mn to expand into Europe and North America

    Mumbai: Indian animation company, Cosmos-Maya, is planning global expansion and aims to grow five fold in the next three years. The company has drawn up a blueprint to scale up in new geographies with an investment in the range of $50 million, expanding in the Europe Union and establishing a significant scale in North America. 

    The company is reported to be evaluating multiple acquisition opportunities to have a strong on-ground presence in the US and Canada.  

    Over the last few years, the growing viewership of animated content coupled with the habit of binge-watching, which took-off during the pandemic has led to a rapid increase in demand for animation in India and international markets.

    The company is investing to further strengthen tech infrastructure and on-board global talent. Alongside the international expansion, Cosmos-Maya has dedicated teams focussed on building on its dominant leadership position in the Indian animation market. The company is setting up state-of-the-art studios across multiple cities in India to cater to the fast-growing demand for kids’ content in India.

    Cosmos-Maya founders, Ketan Mehta and Deepa Sahi, are leading the initiatives to bring together the best minds in business from and outside India and be involved in expanding the leadership team.

    Commenting on Cosmos Maya shaping up to be an international player, Mehta said, “Cosmos-Maya has been a pioneer in the field of Indian kids animation, and has established market dominance in India through its popular IPs like Motu Patlu, Vir the Robot Boy, Selfie with Bajrangi, etc. The company has now set sight on building a strong international presence by aggressively expanding in the North American market.”

    Backed by Singapore-headquartered NewQuest Capital Partners, part of the TPG group, the company is also building significant capabilities and technological infrastructure to leverage nascent but fast-growing opportunities in NFT and metaverse.

    Sahi said, “It is an exciting time to lead teams to newer avenues and lucrative opportunities. Cosmos-Maya with its deep animation expertise and experience with new-age technology platforms, is best poised to take advantage of the emerging opportunities.” 

    Commenting on the recent exit of CEO, Anish Mehta founder Cosmos Maya said, “We thank Anish for his contribution in Cosmos-Maya’s journey till now, and wish him the best for his new entrepreneurial endeavour.”

    Cosmos-Maya has a slew of announcements in store for 2022 in terms of both new projects and international expansion.

  • MIB, Netflix join hands to launch short video series on women changemakers

    MIB, Netflix join hands to launch short video series on women changemakers

    Mumbai: Minister of information and broadcasting (MIB) launched “Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya” – a short video series created in collaboration with OTT platform Netflix on Tuesday.

    The ministry and Netflix have collaborated to produce the first set of videos featuring seven women changemakers from across the country who share their experiences in breaking the glass ceiling. Showcasing the unique diversity of India, these two-minute short films were shot in locations across the country and are narrated by acclaimed actor, Neena Gupta.

    The seven changemakers include Poonam Nautiyal, a healthcare worker who walked miles across Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand to vaccinate everyone, Dr Tessy Thomas, the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India, Tanvi Jagadish, India’s first competitive woman stand-up paddleboarder and Aarohi Pandit, the world’s youngest and first woman pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean solo in a light-sport aircraft. Three of the videos and a trailer offering a sneak peek into the series, were released on Tuesday.

    The announcement was made as part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the presence of ministry of state Dr L Murugan, ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra and Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria.

    The I&B minister indicated that this was a long-term partnership where different themes and diverse stories will be highlighted. He said, “Netflix will be producing twenty-five videos on themes including women empowerment, environment and sustainable development and other days of significance. Netflix will produce two-minute short films for the ministry which will be shared on social media platforms and telecast on Doordarshan network.”

    Thakur elaborated that the ministry in partnership with Netflix will continue to organise training workshops and master classes to encourage film makers in India to create inspiring content on various topics under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

    “Netflix and the ministry will partner to develop a creative ecosystem by organizing training programs for post-production, VFX, animation, music production among others and will be organised on ground and virtually,” he announced.

    In his opening remarks, I&B secretary Apurva Chandra highlighted that the I&B ministry and Netflix signed a collaboration agreement and that the three videos released on Tuesday are the first set produced under the partnership. He added that a deeper collaboration featuring a long running series on our freedom struggle and the stories that need to be told to the world is in the pipeline.

    Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria said that India was one of the most vibrant entertainment industries in the world and India was remarkably well placed in times of internet entertainment. “Netflix is excited to be part of a time when stories from India are being exported to the world and the best Indian stories are being discovered and loved on a global stage,” said Bajaria.

    Commenting on the partnership, she added, “Netflix is proud to partner with MIB to celebrate and acknowledge the evolution of India over the past 75 years by celebrating its beautiful art, culture and storytelling”. She further added that it was “in pursuance of this partnership Netflix has created a series of short videos based on real life stories aimed to celebrate achievement of people from all corners of India.”

    “These stories are of incredible women who have fought against the odds to achieve their dreams. Netflix’s commitment to India is strong and growing and Netflix will continue to find the country’s finest stories and share them across the globe,” she remarked.

  • QYou Media India launches animation channel The Q Kahaniyan

    QYou Media India launches animation channel The Q Kahaniyan

    Mumbai: Following the launch of The Q and Q Marathi, global media company QYou Media India on Tuesday announced the setting up of its digital exclusive animation channel – The Q Kahaniyan. With the tagline ‘Hatke Kisse, Datke Masti,’ the animated content channel will target young viewers between age group of 13 to 35 years.

    “The Q Kahaniyan is a category creator that bridges the need gap for entertaining, relatable animated stories and content for young adults in India. Echoing the network’s core proposition, it will showcase differentiated and high-quality alternative animated content that will cut across genres,” said the media company in a statement. 

    The channel will curate and bring forward stories from leading Indian and global animation studios and creators such as PM Toons, Digimonks, Utkal Cartoon World and Core Infotech. Shows such as “Nattu,” “Bakaiti,” “Anokhi Kahaniya,” “Daravni Kahaniya,” “Dilchasp Kahaniya” are sure to strike a chord with viewers and create a niche for themselves as well for animated content in the growing general entertainment category, the statement added. 

    “Globally, the interest in animated content is astonishing; in India however, the category and format are indexed and typically viewed from a kid’s lens,” remarked QYou Media India’s chief operating officer Krishna Menon. “Having experienced success with animation on The Q, we believe that there exists a strong demand for such content and it is only apt for us as a disruptive and differentiated brand to take a step forward and give such content a place and platform of its own.”

    “With The Q Kahaniyan, we are curating stories that are relevant, relatable and different from what is already available. We are certain of the channel’s success and hope to give animated content the limelight it truly deserves,” he further added.

    The Q Kahaniyan is currently available on connected TV and video-on-demand platforms including Samsung TV Plus, Mi, TCL, Cloudwalker, Jio TV, Jio TV Plus, MX Player, and Snapchat, among others.

  • DNEG set to become the only Pure-play publicly-traded visual effects, animation company

    DNEG set to become the only Pure-play publicly-traded visual effects, animation company

    Mumbai: DNEG, a technology-enabled visual effects, and animation company, and Sports Ventures Acquisition Corp, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company have entered into a definitive business combination agreement that will result in DNEG becoming a public company.

    Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be renamed DNEG and it is expected that its ordinary shares will be listed on the Nasdaq. The combined company will be led by DNEG chairman and chief executive officer Namit Malhotra.

    A subsidiary of Prime Focus, DNEG creates visual effects and animation for feature films, television, as well as multiplatform content, with operations based in North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver), Europe (London) and Asia (Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai and Mumbai)

    Commenting on this merger, DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra said, “This transaction creates long-term stability for our teams while also allowing us to exploit the tailwinds in the media and entertainment industry and the explosion in demand for content, which are huge growth drivers for our company. Leveraging our leading technology stack, DNEG is already making great strides into new growth areas such as gaming and content creation partnerships, and we are perfectly positioned to exploit massive new opportunities in the metaverse and the convergence of all forms of content creation.”

    DNEG’s work has earned the company six Academy Awards®️ for Best Visual Effects and numerous BAFTA and Primetime EMMY®️ Awards. Current and upcoming DNEG projects on behalf of its Hollywood and global studio and production company partners include Uncharted (February 2022), Death on the Nile (February 2022), Moonfall (February 2022), Borderlands (2022), Stranger Things S4 (2022), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2022), Knives Out 2 (2022), The Last of Us (2022), The Flash (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).

  • Indian M&E industry can reach $100 billion by 2030: K Madhavan

    Indian M&E industry can reach $100 billion by 2030: K Madhavan

    Mumbai: The Indian media and entertainment industry touched $19 billion in 2020 down from an expected $22 billion, but it’s poised to grow up to $100 billion by 2030, said The Walt Disney Company India and Star India, president, K Madhavan. This goal is ambitious and challenging but not impossible, he added.

    Madhavan was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) SummitFX – Global AVGC and Immersive Media Summit, which began virtually on Tuesday. “The pandemic forced the M&E industry to adapt, but it is still growing and that is an encouraging sign. There have been changes in the habits of audiences, in the way content is produced and new and evolved methods of distribution”, said Madhavan, who is also the chairman of the CII National Committee on media and entertainment.

    Over 55-60 million Indians subscribed to video-on-demand services, more than doubling from the 23 million in 2019.The paid subscribers are likely to grow to 89 million by the end of 2021, and reach 150 to 160 million by the end of the decade, contended Madhavan.

    “The rise of digital subscription did not lead to a fall in TV viewing audience” he noted, adding that there are 300 million households out of which only 200 million are connected to TV. There are 120 million pay TV households.

    In a developed country, the media and entertainment industry generally contributes three per cent to the country’s GDP. In India, however, the contribution is one per cent. Also, customers in developed countries spend $7-10 for entertainment whereas in India it is less than $1. The pricing in India is very customer friendly, he noted.

    Speaking about the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) industry, he said, “The global market for AVGC industry is close to $260 billion and India’s share of that is less than one per cent i.e., $2.1 billion. The AVGC industry in India has the highest potential to grow and we should aim for a five per cent share of the global market with annualised growth at 25-30 per cent.”

    Similarly, the global gaming market is pegged at $160 billion worth more than music and movies combined. Online gaming in India has grown by leaps and bounds and last year there were 360 million gaming audiences and 17 million viewership of esports in India. “The gaming and esports industry are still in infancy and need freedom to grow without conflicting regulation. The Indian AVGC industry can be a global success story for India, the same as the IT revolution,” said Madhavan. “The emerging esports landscape is projected to grow at 36 per cent CAGR over the next few years.”

    The Star India president also charted a roadmap for India to capture five per cent of the global AVGC market. Currently, 65 per cent of India’s AVGC revenues come from exports. Madhavan emphasised that we need to create B2B opportunities in the country. Policymakers, regulators and industry must work together for ease of doing business. There should be convergence initiatives between technology and the creative sector.

    “There’s a huge demand for VFX and animation, globally and in India but we are not in a position to deliver” he said. To make this happen, job creation in this sector must increase by three to four times in the next four to five years. “We have 400,000 engineers graduating every year, but they need to be trained properly and brought into the content pipeline. There must be regional content creation and distribution hubs in Tier II and III cities.”

    “I’m sure this industry will thrive with innovation,” he summed up.

  • Disney Kids Network bolsters animation slate with two new shows

    Disney Kids Network bolsters animation slate with two new shows

    Mumbai: Disney Kids Network has strengthened its local content slate with the acquisition of two new home-grown animation shows – Bhaiyyaji Balwan and Twinkle Sharma #0007.

    For Bhaiyyaji Balwan, the network has tied with Reliance Animation, which has been delivering IP driven content across multiple Indian languages with the help of latest and licensed technology in animation and VFX. While, Twinkle Sharma #0007 is created by Ssoftoons, a studio known for creating its storylines keeping their viewers’ mindset in mind, and integrating the cultural flavours with a blend of creativity, experience & consistency.

    “Both the shows are set to bring wholesome entertainment for kids and families with relatable characters and a special focus on everyday stories, ” said the network on Thursday. Over the last year, the network has entertained kids and families with a range of local narratives from Gadget Guru Ganesha, Bapu, Guddu along with bringing in new episodes of their existing favourite –Selfie with Bajrangi.

    “At the heart of what we do is tell great stories and introduce memorable characters that appeal to kids and families everywhere. The stories and characters represent our audiences in the best manner – indulging their creativity, imagination and their world. The two new additions in our local animation slate are an extension of this philosophy as we keep adding stories and characters that are varied, distinctive and have the ability to resonate with kids and adults alike. We are happy to be partnering with Reliance Animation and Ssoftoons and will continue to associate with local studios to present many such fresh, unique and best-in- class narratives for our beloved fans,” said a Disney Kids Network spokesperson.

    Set against the backdrop of Gomtipur which is home to a charming young street smart Bhaiyyaji loved by the villagers for his shrewd simple problem-solving abilities. He rolls through the fun and frolic of rural life but works towards the betterment of their village.

    While the second series Twinkle Sharma #0007 is a story of a girl protagonist – the smart and savvy 10-year-old girl Twinkle who seems like an ordinary girl- next-door but always protects her group of seven friends – only through her wit, intelligence and presence of mind.

    “We have been striving to enhance the culture of story-telling by characterising animation in the world of fantasy and with the unique narrative like Bhaiyyaji Balwan, we hope to win the hearts of young audiences across the country,” said Reliance Animation CEO Tejonidhi Bhandare.

    “We have been consistently working towards creating constructive animation content, bringing quality animation that people could easily relate to and that was the vision behind creating a girl protagonist and a hero in Twinkle Sharma #0007. We are really looking forward to associating with Disney Kids Network and presenting our creation through their powerful platform and reach,” said Ssoftoons CEO Sourav Mondal.

  • KAM SUMMIT ’21 – Co-Production: Not a distant dream anymore?

    KAM SUMMIT ’21 – Co-Production: Not a distant dream anymore?

    Mumbai: Day one of the KAM Summit 2021 witnessed an enriching session on ‘Co-Production: Not a distant dream anymore’ where discussion over how co-production has been a lucrative opening for the animation sector and what are the different models and challenges being faced in co-production took centre-stage.

    The panel members included Toonz Media Group CEO P Jayakumar, Assemblage Entertainment founder and CEO AK Madhavan (MadMax), Punnaryug Artvision founder & FICCI chairman of AVGC Forum Ashish Kulkarni, Telegael CEO Paul Cummins, and Cosmos-Maya business development consultant Joris Eckelkamp. The session was moderated by Zebu Animation CEO Adi Shayan.

    Assemblage Entertainment founder and CEO AK Madhavan (MadMax) said his company has done about six full length feature films and most of them were co-productions. “Co-production is largely used to milk or take advantage of arbitrage, which could be skill oriented, tax exemptions or arbitrage of cultural and faith of expertise. Co-production gives you the experience of being a producer to learn the other areas of production and you also get into the nuances of understanding syndication, distribution, financing and taxes. It is a learning and evolving process,” said Madhavan.

    According to Punnaryug Artvision founder & FICCI chairman of AVGC Forum Ashish Kulkarni, the main reason for co-production is matching of skills, cost arbitrage and also considering fitting in timelines where you can contribute to the project and put everything together to make sense of co-production.

    “Lot of co-production mechanisms are effectively working within the country. We have produced two seasons of Shaktimaan. For the first season, we co-produced with Chennai based Excel Animations and the second season was co-produced with a studio based in Hyderabad. And also two of my upcoming projects are also being co-produced within Indian studios,” said Kulkarni.

    Sharing his 30 years of experience in the animation industry, Telegael CEO Paul Cummins said, “Animation can be considered as a big part of our production but co-production is very much our model. Since we started about 30 years ago, we have been involved in 100 co-productions, mainly animations. We co-produce with countries like Australia, Germany and we successfully launched many co-produced pre-school and TV animated series.”

    Quoting the risk behind co-production Toonz Media Group CEO P Jayakumar said, the essential part is to share the risk and rewards and it is the basic fundamental of co-production. It is difficult to analyse whether the risks and rewards are equitable. In initial stages we did some stupid co-productions, but over a period of time we learned and evolved, he added.

    Eckelkamp highlighted the importance of communication while co-production. “You have to choose your partner wisely and you have to ensure that you both find a solution for any problem that arises in the early stage or future, you have to deal with it effectively. I think it is an important task to keep up the communication working throughout the production, and not only in the beginning, to establish a certain communication,” he said.

    Elaborating on how co-production gets started and what thought process goes into it, Cummins said, “Co-production is all about building networks in the industry of context. Each co-production is different. A lot of time you build-up a network of partners where often you reach out to them for future co-pros. Building trust and confidence and delivering what you promised is essential for effective co-production.”

    Jayakumar enlisted key points about how co-production can make use of tax and government funding. “Co-production all starts from the producer and project; it is all about how you finance the project. Secondly the subsidies and tax collected is basically free money. There are many countries like Spain and Ireland which offer 50 per cent and it is upto you how you find the place to get your project done and get about 30-40 per cent of overall budget free of money,” he said.

    He added further, “Co-production is about how you finance the project. As a commissioning broadcaster, you have to look for how to optimally fund the production without losing too much of shares, and how to find your partner. To find the right partner in co-production without losing your shares is a game and for me it was a puzzle game.”

    Describing the model and future of what he has planned for himself and Cosmos-Maya, Eckelkamp said, “Our plan is to concentrate on more original IPs because co-production is effectively done based on who owns the IP, who is the producer and who has the project. The later you are coming into the project and it is already financed, the less share you own and you are in a weaker position as a co-producer.”

    Asserting that co-production is always an independent studio thing, Madhavan said, the need is to understand the origin of co-productions. “Big boys like Disney, Warner, DreamWorks don’t do co-production. It is mostly done by independent creators or studios that have gaps in skills, story delivery, design, and predominantly the gap in finance. Co-production doesn’t originate unless and until there is a gap; it may be due to creative reasons, distribution reasons and market reasons,” he said.

    Concluding the session, Kulkarni spoke about what the future holds for animation co-production mechanisms. “Blockchain is evolving and the whole co-production mechanism is going to change. It will take people a little time to understand blockchains but with this we can solve the large amount of issues we face during co-production. With NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) and blockchain mechanism, we, the creators, will be able to see the light of the day for some of the shows!” he said.

  • Animation Xpress’ KAM Summit 2021 begins

    Animation Xpress’ KAM Summit 2021 begins

    Mumbai: Kids, Animation & More (KAM) Summit and Ann Awards are back again with yet another insightful and exciting edition. The second edition of KAM Summit and Ann Awards 2021 began virtually on Thursday. 

    AnimationXpress launched the first edition of the KAM Summit and Ann Awards in 2019 at The Lalit, Mumbai which saw a participation of about 700 delegates and 45 speakers. The industry has gone through a lot of changes since then.

    One of the very few sectors that flourished tremendously during the lockdown period was Animation! A form of entertainment that is not reliant on production that presupposes physical gathering unlike live-action content and yet entertains children and adults alike. 

    The key theme of KAM Summit 2021 is ‘The Next Big Rise’. The three-day event will witness insightful sessions with industry leaders across studios, broadcasters, OTT platforms, creators as they discuss the options Indian animation has before itself and the direction it can take to propel it further. It will also focus on the medium’s expansion into myriad genres and platforms.

    The mission of the KAM Summit is to celebrate the stupendously growing animation industry and to bring together the animation industries – both in India and internationally – to pause and reflect on trends and developments in every aspect of the business and technology associated with it.

    With the animation industry’s creme de la creme on the advisory board, the summit is set to be a definitive virtual gathering and a vantage point for the entire animation industry.

    The advisory members include Toonz Media Group CEO P Jayakumar, Vaibhav Studios founder and director Vaibhav Kumaresh, Zebu Animation CEO Adi Shayan, Green Gold Animations CEO Rajiv Chilaka, FICCI AVGC chairman and Punnaryug Artvision founder Ashish Kulkarni, Technicolor country head Biren Ghose, Assemblage Entertainment founder and CEO AK Madhavan, Walt Disney Animation Studios character technical director-simulation supervisor Avneet Kaur, Autodesk India technical solutions manager Samit Shetty, Joan Vogelesang Consultants president and CEO Joan Vogelesang and Srinivas Sribhakta who is the CEO of VedAtma Animation Studios, director & CEO at ‎Arena Animation Malleswaram & Rajajinagar and secretary ABAI.

    KAM Summit is presented by Nick and is co-powered by Cosmos-Maya, Unreal-Engine, and Discovery Kids. ABAI and COE are the associate partners and the event is supported by GUBBARE and HUION. Digicon6 Asia is the festival partner and ASIFA India serves as the community partner.

    Viacom18 Hindi and Kids TV Network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “The kids’ entertainment space is at a very exciting stage. With carefully curated IPs that are entertaining, engaging, and transport kids into a world of escape, it is no wonder that the category is on a growth trajectory. Since kids influence almost all major household purchase decisions and co-viewing of the genre, it is no wonder that kids’ channels remain attractive to advertisers. An event like KAM brings all the relevant stakeholders together- be it content creators, platform owners, or advertisers. It is collaborative forums such as this that will lead to greater storytelling and innovation in the sphere of kids’ entertainment.”

    Unreal Engine Epic Games evangelist Arvind Neelakantan also expressed his excitement for the virtual summit. “Unreal Engine is reimagining storytelling and revolutionizing production pipelines for episodic, feature-length, and short-form animations. We are excited to be at the summit to see how we can enable creators to transform their first idea into a final frame, all using Unreal,” he said.

    In its statement, Cosmos-Maya said, “The KAM Summit is an effort to take the Indian animation industry global and also celebrate our landmark achievements as an industry. As a leading industry player Cosmos-Maya is happy to be part of an industry-wide initiative like this and we expect it to be a great event. An opportunity to make any new professional collaborations would be the cherry on the cake.”

    YOTTA serves as the workstation and OTT service partner whereas Green Gold Animation is the summit partner. 

    In a statement, YOTTA Infrastructure said, “Technology has been powering content creators and digital platforms. At Yotta, we are democratizing technology by offering innovative solutions on a subscription model. This is the first time we are participating in the KAM Summit 2021, and looking forward to presenting our solutions for Creative content creators and OTT Players/Broadcasters.”

    Green Gold Animation stated, “Animation as a medium has been evolving to accommodate the changes or rather the growth in reach and access along with the technology of the industry. The digital platforms have opened up the world of content across the world. With storytelling itself no longer bound by regions and language, the animation is gaining acceptance across age groups with the myriad tales that appeal to human emotions and shared experiences that we all share during our lives. We look forward to sharing our bit of experience gained along our journey and be privy to the same from the various participants and speakers at KAM 2021.”

    ABAI president Biren Ghose who has been supporting the initiative also as an advisory board member shared, “ABAI is delighted to present the “go-to-market” strategy and the traction it has achieved for the Center Of Excellence that has provided high-end technology solutions; incubation and a subsidised set of infrastructure to the start-up community at Bengaluru. The finishing school is in the process of taking its talent development mission to high-tech areas in virtual production and game engine technologies and also to act as a hub for the virtualisation of the digital arts education programme. No industry association has been able to show multi-million-dollar support to the community like ABAI has done thanks to the Government of Karnataka and the KAVGC Policy.”

    Keeping the ongoing lockdowns and work from home stress in mind, this year’s KAM Summit will be held in two parts of the day; morning sessions will be from 10 am and evening sessions will be held from 5/6:00 pm.

    We are excited to bring to you this massive extravaganza and information-loaded KAM summit to make the animation industry propel to new heights.

    Click here for the complete KAM SUMMIT 2021 Agenda

    For additional information and for Summit Registration kindly visit the KAM SUMMIT 2021 

    Click here to know more about Ann Awards

  • Telegram rolls out new features, adds group video calling

    New Delhi: As its rival WhatsApp continues to be embroiled in a legal controversy with the government, Telegram has seized the moment to launch some new features for its users. 

    The messaging app has announced its latest update, which allows group video calls and screen sharing across all devices, tablets, and desktops. The update allows users to turn their camera on or share their screen during voice chats in groups – on all devices, including tablets and desktops, which can be used for online classes, business meetings, and family gatherings.

    The Group Video Call feature is the third major voice chat update from Telegram in the last six months. The audio-only participants are unlimited, and video is currently available for the first 30 people who join the voice chat. However, this limit will increase soon as voice chats take on streaming games, live events, and more, it said in its blog post. “When you are using a desktop app, anyone who starts sharing their screen will be pinned automatically. This is especially useful when small teams meet to coordinate their work,” it added.

    The app has also improved noise suppression on voice chats, for clear audio and a dedicated bot menu. There is also a new update that allows animated backgrounds, animated emojis and enables the import of customized third-party stickers as well. “These multi-colour gradient wallpapers are designed algorithmically and move with beautiful looking aesthetics every time users send a message. Telegram is offering this feature along with many default themes pre-installed,” it said in its blog post.

    The app has also enhanced user security measures in its latest update. Users will now get login info reminders, which according to the company, is an essential feature that will keep a user’s phone number up to date on Telegram. “Android users will get these reminders in the next update, for now, they can simply update their phone number by tapping on it in Settings,” it said.