Indian Media & Entertainment Conclave (IMEC) is back for its second edition and MEAI is ready to host 50+ buyers at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Hyderabad on 4 and 5 February 2019.
IMEC is a focused B2B matchmaking which pitches IP owners / sellers with buyers. MEAI team gives us the details on what to expect.
Ahead of its 2019 edition, MEAI Jt. secretary Sidharth Iyer looks back at its previous edition. He comments, “Last year we had 20 buyers which resulted in 10 MOUs and four closed deals. Some of the discussions are still underway and we hope they materialise into deals as well. We are hoping that with 50+ buyers, we will have better business transacted.”
Last year, IMEC was held in Bangalore and this year it is being organised at Hyderabad. MEAI president and Bhasin Group CMD Sushil Bhasin reveals the reason behind this location shift, “IMEC is co located with ESC’s IndiaSoft which is a moving exhibition. This also allows us to focus on different cities in different editions. Hyderabad is one of the major AVGC hubs in the country and we hope that we get a lot more participation and support from the organisations in Hyderabad.”
IMEC 2019 aims to be different from IMEC 2018 in terms of participations and other aspects. Says MEAI vice president and AltBalaji head of partnerships and alliances, Sudarshan Kadam, “While our format remains the same, the buyers are obviously more than doubled. Amongst the participants, we have broadcast channels, OTT/VOD platforms, airline content aggregators, distributors and licensing agents. This is the first time we have someone from airline syndication and licensing so that will definitely be plus for original IP producers. There are also companies looking to co-produce with Indian studios.”
MEAI secretary Ankur Bhasin mentions, “On the domestic front, we have a team from eTV joining us this year who are looking at procuring content for their new channel which launches in 2019 in thirteen languages. We are also looking at logistics to add more domestic buyers.”
With an enviable lineup, MEAI’s IMEC 2019 looks promising and definitely a great opportunity for Indian IP producers/sellers.