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.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
