MAM
Nick’s ‘SpongeBob..’ in worldwide licencing programmes
NEW YORK: MTV Networks International has announced the launch of licencing and merchandising programmes for Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants in 11 key international markets.
These are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Mexico, Scandinavia, South Korea, Malaysia and the UK. An official release informs that SpongeBob SquarePants is currently seen in 112 countries, and has remained the number one rated kids’ television show in the US for more than a year.
Regionally executed licensing and merchandising activities will commence in this month and include a global deal with Burger King Corporation; and local retail partnerships with Virgin Megastores in the UK; Walmart in Mexico; Target in Australia; Ripley in Chile; and Zellers in Canada.
MTV Networks International executive VP, International Programme Enterprises, Kathleen Hricik was quoted as saying: “SpongeBobs‘ ratings successes in the US and abroad make it an ideal time to take advantage of the property’s brand awareness and launch international licencing and merchandising programmes. Confidence in SpongeBob SquarePants’ potential as a long-term franchise property has generated millions of dollars in promotional deals and is the next Nickelodeon property to take our international business to a new level.”
A global in-store premium promotion has been signed with fast food giant, Burger King Corporation, spanning over 40 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
Since its debut on Nickelodeon’s US channel in 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has steadily grown from an underground hit with teens and young adults to one of the hottest licenses in the marketplace today, generating more than $750 million in retail sales in the US in 2002 alone.
SpongeBob SquarePants is widely distributed around the world, airing on all Nickelodeon’s international channels and major terrestrial broadcasters such as YTV in Canada, TF1 in France, Super RTL in Germany, ITV in the UK, TV New Zealand, Globo TV in Brasil, Televisa in Mexico and Network Ten in Australia.
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.
