MAM
Cosmos-Maya’s anchor YouTube channel WowKidz crosses record 10 million subscribers; WowKidz network crosses 26 million
MUMBAI: WowKidz is the world’s largest Hindi animation content network.
Cosmos-Maya, the frontrunner in shaping industry trends has added another feather in its cap. WowKidz, it’s YouTube network for kids now has more than 10 million subscribers on its anchor channel and is now a recipient of the coveted Diamond Button.
A jubilant Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya said, “This is a great development. There are only a handful channels worldwide which have received the coveted Diamond Button and even fewer Indian channels. We are very grateful to our viewers for their love and appreciation. Our mission with WowKidz is to make it a two-pronged content window – showcasing the best Indian animation to the world and bringing the best of world content to Indian kids. This is a leap in that direction.”
It all started with this one channel and the brand diversified into several sub-channels catering to numerous geographies world over. The channel has seen a 6-fold increase in the number of subscribers in just 18 months.
WowKidz had humble beginnings and Cosmos-Maya saw it as a source of additional revenue. It was given a push by CEO Anish Mehta who envisaged a brand which viewers could bank upon for 24X7 quality entertainment. In just 18 months, it is now a full-fledged business entity raking in a substantial share of Cosmos-Maya’s revenue pie. The platform now has 10,000 odd videos of quality entertainment for the 3-14 year demographic produced in-house and acquired from top producers worldwide. Boonie Bears, Smurfs, Simba, Om Nom are only some of the big-ticket international shows that run on WowKidz. WowKidz also has the world’s largest Hindi language animation content catalogue today.
A jubilant Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya said, “This is a great development. There are only a handful channels worldwide which have received the coveted Diamond Button and even fewer Indian channels. We are very grateful to our viewers for their love and appreciation. Our mission with WowKidz is to make it a two-pronged content window – showcasing the best Indian animation to the world and bringing the best of world content to Indian kids. This is a leap in that direction.”
This development comes on the back of Cosmos-Maya’s recent impetus on regional and vernacular content. Cosmos-Maya’s bouquet of 32 YouTube channels under umbrella brand WowKidz, which has more than 26 million subscribers and 12.5 billion views, now has its content available in all major languages, namely Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Nepalese.
Devdatta Potnis, SVP Revenue and Finance, further added, “Programming has played a major role in WowKidz’s success. We have videos which have clocked 100 million hits. Motu Patlu and ViR, two of our biggest IPs have garnered more than 6 billion and 4 billion views respectively. This when Motu Patlu is geo-blocked in India. We have a wonderful mix of homegrown and acquired content which viewers can watch anywhere anytime. Fresh content is added to the mix on a daily basis. Our creative prowess adds further zing to the localization of acquired international content.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
