MAM
Cosmos-Maya notches up its distribution focus with WowKidz Distribution; starts with massive acquisition slate for distribution in Asia Pacific
MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya, the Asian animation powerhouse synonymous with constant evolution and innovation within the animation business today announced its next big focus on becoming the global content gateway with its distribution arm WowKidz Distribution.
WowKidz, as an AVOD platform has more than 30 million subscribers and 14 billion views. WowKidz Distribution aims at being the one stop shop for all distribution requirements of global animation content players starting with the widely growing big market of Asia and then moving to the rest of the world. Content Acquisition is one of the key focus areas for the studio in the first stage of this distribution initiative. While successful collaborations are on with the likes of Fantawild Animation and Nelvana Enterprises, this MIPCOM there will be a dedicated ‘acquisitions’ team from Cosmos-Maya to ensure that the best of content is acquired for distribution.
Cosmos-Maya has been the forerunner and flagbearer for many firsts within the animation industry in this geography. From commanding a staggering 65% share of the Indian domestic animation production market, producing 50 half hours a month to add to its existing content bank of 2000 half hours, to a multitude of European Co-Productions, the studio has been focusing on bringing about change in the dynamically evolving market.
“Our production might is one our biggest strengths as a studio and we have been distributing our own content successfully across APAC. Thereby venturing further into the distribution arena with successful international brands, through WowKidz Distribution was the next logical & synergistic business decision.”, said Anish Mehta, CEO – Cosmos-Maya, while elaborating on the plans.
Distribution continues to be the biggest lacuna in the business today as the content creation is burgeoning and there is an increase in focus on localization in each of the markets thereby creating a hindrance in the larger distribution. With its established network across the value-chain, Cosmos-Maya aims to bridge this gap and WowKidz Distribution is the first step in that direction. The company has an added advantage whereby it can leverage the extensive network of Emerald Media, the Pan-Asian media investment platform backed by US private equity giant KKR, which has a controlling stake in the company.
Anish Mehta further added, “The onus will be on acquiring best in class American, European and Chinese content, the seeds of which have already been sown. WowKidz Distribution will be a massive gateway to Asia for the high quality animation content produced by North America and Europe. WowKidz Distribution, while making the best brands from these regions accessible to Asian audiences, aims to infuse the creative and cultural sensibilities of Asia to the content. We will follow a three-pronged ‘Glocalization’ approach – marketing, dubbing and syndication of the content. Our knowledge and distribution experience of local Asian markets coupled with our creative prowess enables us to add that extra zing by dubbing and localizing the content and making it ready for consumption. Asian audiences will now have the best of all worlds.”
“With WowKidz Distribution, we will be the gateway for global content, into Asia to begin with and then scale up the geographies. The groundwork for the same has been on for a while and come MIPCOM and we will announce our first slate of acquisitions.”, said Devdatta Potnis, SVP – Revenue & Corporate Strategy, Cosmos-Maya overseeing this initiative for the studio with a dedicated WowKidz Distribution cadre from his 10 member team. “WowKidz Distribution is an effort that will negate the geographical and language barrier for content and through our network across the world, will address the need gap in the market effectively”, added Joris Eckelkamp, Head – Business Development, Europe for Cosmos-Maya.
The studio has larger plans to become a 360 degree player in the global animation circles. More, much more is in the offing that will be announced at MIPCOM.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
