Animation sector to post $1.5 bn by 2005

Wednesday, 19 November 2003, 20:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
BANGALORE: The fledgling Indian animation sector is set to witness exponential growth in the next two to three years, as the global entertainment industry makes increasing use of IT. Inaugurating the two-day seminar on "IT & Animation - Let's Talk" here on Tuesday, Nasscom president Kiran Karnik said the Indian animation industry would grow aggressively to register $1.5 billion by 2005 against $600 million posted in 2001. "The growth will reflect the trends in the world animation industry, which is expected to double for registering $50 billion turnover by 2005 from $25 billion in 2001," Karnik stated. To bridge the gap between entertainment and IT, Karnik said the animation sector should capitalise on the huge amount of work coming to India. "Unlike Hollywood, which took 25 years to utilise the benefits of the Silicon Valley, it is important that our entertainment industry goes hand-in-hand with the IT advantage that we already have in store," Karnik pointed out. Advocating intensive training for the growth of the industry, Karnik said absence of proper training in animation was a cause for concern. "The success of the Indian IT sector was mainly due to high standards of education and training in the country," he added. According to a Nasscom study, about 10,000 people are currently engaged in the Indian animation industry. Going forward, the requirement would be for 50,000 animators. Karnik was also of the view that India must focus on the ownership of IPR (intellectual property rights) and not fall into the trap of getting smaller returns on investments. "Co-production agreements will open up the market. Besides improving on skill sets, it is important to have expertise on scripts and story boards," Karnik asserted. As a run-up to Frames 2004, a global convention will be held soon to focus on the business of entertainment.
Source: IANS
siliconindia