MAM
Nick, Bombay Dyeing snuggle up for bed linen launch
MUMBAI: Kiddies’ channel Nick is all set to brighten kids’ bedrooms with its foray into a range of products in the bed linen category.
The channel has tied up with Bombay Dyeing to bring two of its most popular shows, SpongeBob SquarePants and Blue’s Clues on bed linen.
This special range will be available across Bombay Dyeing’s network of 450 exclusive outlets and 16,000 multi-brand outlets. The colourful designs capture SpongeBob and the puppy Blue in various expressions amidst colourful images of bubbles, butterflies, trees, etc. Each of the two characters is available in two designs and three colours. Every set contains one bed sheet and two pillowcases in 100 per cent cotton priced at Rs 699 onwards.
“Bombay Dyeing with its rich heritage and strong network is a giant in the field of premium range of home collection products. The quality products coupled with the lively images of Nick’s endearing characters is sure to create a lot of buzz among kids,” said MTV Networks senior vice president network development, South Asia (licensing and merchandising) Sanjeev Hiremath.
“Bombay Dyeing is delighted to launch its new range of bed sheets with Nick. The initial response of all the products placed in the market has been overwhelming and we are looking forward to some exciting times with this association,” said Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Co. Ltd head domestic business Aloke Banerjee.
Nick India director-business and operations Pradeep Hejmadi, on the other hand said, “Over the years, many of our characters have developed a strong bond with kids and our intent is to bring them even closer to Indian kids. We are extremely pleased to partner with Bombay Dyeing on our debut into the consumer products category. Kids today have much more say about their environment and naturally want it to be more colourful and energetic.
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.
