Anu Sikka exits JioStar after 21 years in kids entertainment

MUMBAI: After 21 years in the kids’ content game, Anu Sikka is turning the page. Sikka has stepped down as executive vice president and business head, kids entertainment and infotainment at JioStar, ending a long stint that saw her play a key role in shaping India’s kids entertainment landscape.

Sikka joined Viacom18 in 2006, which later became part of JioStar following the merger of Star India and Viacom18. Her next move is not known at the time of writing.

During her tenure, Sikka was instrumental in pushing locally produced animation and character-led content into the mainstream. She led the creation and development of popular properties including Motu Patlu, Shiva, Gattu Battu, Rudra, Keymon Ache and Pakdam Pakdai.

Under her leadership, the kids entertainment portfolio also developed more than 650 hours of local original content, helping build a stronger pipeline of home-grown programming.

But Sikka’s playbook was not limited to creating characters from scratch. She also oversaw the acquisition and localisation of international children’s properties, including Ninja Hattori, Oggy & the Cockroaches and Doraemon, bringing global favourites to Indian audiences.

She was also involved in adapting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for the Indian market, turning the format into an annual property for the network.

Beyond programming, Sikka’s remit stretched across strategy, scheduling, content commissioning, acquisitions, budgeting, marketing and consumer products for the kids entertainment portfolio, giving her a role across the business rather than just the content slate.

Her career in television began in current affairs programming. She worked with Newstrack, a predecessor of Aaj Tak, followed by BITV and Tara Punjabi. She later headed the Delhi bureau of SAB TV, where she worked on current affairs programmes, before moving into children’s entertainment as creative director at Hungama Kids Channel.

Sikka’s industry credentials also extended beyond her executive roles. She served as a jury member for the International Emmy Awards in 2016 and 2017.

Her departure marks the end of a 21-year association that spanned the evolution of India’s kids television business from imported favourites to a stronger mix of locally created characters and original programming.