Kids
Kids’ channels undaunted by IPL
MUMBAI: It seems that the kids’ segment of the television audience is immune to the charms of the Indian Premier League (IPL). When the T20 league is back for its yearly jaunt, it is common consensus that general entertainment channels (GECs) suffer the most in terms of viewership. Moreover, especially since the summer vacations are on during the months of April and May, each year the IPL threatens to grab a large chunk of viewership from kids’ channels as well.
While GECs sounded the alarm in March by attempting to spike viewer interest with show launches, kids’ broadcasters didn’t feel the need to do so.
Well, this doesn’t mean that the kids’ channels must not be on guard. While few broadcasters do not see the IPL as a big cause for worry, some have readied a differentiated strategy in a bid to retain viewership on their channel.
Discovery Kids, which recently launched Little Singham, has plans to attract fans by releasing stories on little Singham playing cricket. Discovery Kids head Uttam Pal Singh said that the IPL isn’t a threat to the channel. “What kids do is they have the snippets of the match and then again after a while, they come back to watch their favourite character. We have some interesting strategy in place; let’s see how they pan out.”
On the contrary, Singh says that the period witnesses growth in viewership because of it being a time of vacations.
Viacom18 kids entertainment cluster head Nina Elavia Jaipuria agreed with his point. “Summer is the most important quarter in the year for the kids’ genre given that it is a holiday season for kids. The summer quarter is brought alive for kids by Nickelodeon through some high-decibel and immersive engagement activities, a robust content pipeline of new episodes and made for television movies etc. of kids’ favourite characters like Motu Patlu, Shiva amongst others,” she said.
This also translates into high advertiser interest in the kids’ category in the April-June quarter, given the increased engagement opportunity with kids as well as parents.
The recent addition, Sony Yay, has spruced its line-up with a host of new shows and movies. It too believes that IPL doesn’t heavily impact the genre because of its late evening timing giving kids the whole day to watch.
Sony Yay head Leena Lele Dutta said, “The original time slots that we have is 9.30 am in the morning and during summer it is 12.30-1.30 pm in the afternoon. We aim to thrust everything during the time when they have the remote in their hand.” Viewership does taper off in the evening but by this time, much of the content has been consumed by the kids.
Kids broadcasters are confident that IPL does not impact viewership but have ensured that kids can make the most of the day time during their summer vacation.
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Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
