Kids
Content play of India’s kids channels
MUMBAI: Kids from 90s that grew up watching Aladdin, Duck Tales, The Flintstones, Tom and Jerry and Dexter’s Laboratory among others will cherish the memories of being couch potatoes during their childhood. Until 2008, when Chhota Bheem, a dhoti-clad boy chomping laddoos made an entry in the industry, all eyes were glued to foreign content dubbed in local languages.
With the evolution of the animation industry in India and the change in financial strategies, broadcasters are now focusing on India-made characters and shows, moving beyond international syndications.
Back in 2007, Sun TV’s kids’ channel, Chutti TV, dedicated for Tamil-speaking audience was launched in India. Later in 2009, Khushi TV was launched for Telugu viewers and since then, Chintu TV, a Kannada channel and Kochu TV for Malayalam audience have been added.
Though the regional space is the most happening one now, kids’ channels are primarily Hindi with just regional audio feeds.
Indian animation studios and companies are moving up the value chain and have started to create their own intellectual property rights. Global conglomerates such as Sony, Walt Disney and Warner Brothers have also seen the benefit in outsourcing animation characters and special effects to Indian companies.
Moreover, in 2014, the average ratio for acquired versus local content was 60:40 for most broadcasters against 90:10 in 2008. Hindi broadcasters today are keen on creating their own IPs while the regional broadcasters bank on dubbed content. Gloomy Bear, Talking Tom, Garfield, and Dora are some of the shows that work well with the south Indian audience. The network only has one property involved named Happy Kids, which is an animated series launched for the Kerala market.
Considering the fact that anything that is made for the own territory is far more expensive than syndicated content, the amount of money required to produce a show for the regional audiences is comparatively lower than the Hindi market. Animation production is far more expensive than general entertainment channels as well. The type of content and the investment in it also attracts the right kind of sponsors. Low budget content will only get a handful of sponsors, while big budget and sponsors will require the storyline to be universal.
According to the FICCI report 2018, the Indian share in the global animation industry is less than one per cent. However, it is expected to increase in the coming years. Yet, international projects account for 70-80 per cent of the Indian industry revenues. The animation industry is 70 per cent art and only 30 per cent technology, leading to small enterprises driven by the passion of art bagging prominent deals.
On one side, there is the Hindi speaking market making an effort to shift the kids’ preferences towards Indian original shows, while on the other side there is the regional space feeding them with syndicated content. Will the regional players also take a lesson from the Hindi market and go for local content or will their bombardment of international shows hold back the kids from wanting more?
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
