iWorld
Cosmos-Maya acquires all comic characters from Lotpot Comics
Mumbai: Indian animation major Cosmos-Maya has acquired more IPs from the library of Lotpot Group, the owner of Lotpot Comics and Mayapuri magazine, the oldest and one of the largest circulated Hindi film weekly magazines of India. The magazine saw its initial foray into the kids’ TV space with Cosmos-Maya launching its 3D production of Motu Patlu on Nickelodeon, which has been airing on Indian television for nearly a decade.
Cosmos-Maya will bring these IPs to life in 3D/2D formats, just the way the company did with the iconic comic brand Motu Patlu, which has become the greatest pop culture phenomenon in Indian animation, the studio said in a statement.
With more characters from Lotpot comics’ library coming under their banner, Cosmos-Maya will consolidate their name on the path to progressive diversification within the content universe, it added.
“The deal with Lotpot comics will be an organic extension of our mantra ‘novelty with familiarity’ – recognizing cultural nuances and media properties that our audiences have grown to love and associate with and giving them our own unique spin,” said Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta. “As we move forward on our journey of innovation, introspecting into cultural legacy gives us a certain grounding to which we add our contemporary flair. With this acquisition, Cosmos-Maya will add some of Lotpot’s most popular and classic cartoon characters to their shining family of animated IPs. Lotpot comics have crafted brilliant characters with their fingers on the pulse of Indian cultural elements and the trends they have followed across the decades. We plan to create some wonderful stories for both the domestic TV and OTT space, with massive recognition value that will open up opportunities across the licensing and merchandising ecosystem.”
Lotpot comics publisher P. K. Bajaj added, “Cosmos-Maya has changed the way the world looks at comics and animation with the way they have created and nurtured our beloved Motu Patlu and taken it to the next level of being pop culture icons, and we are confident they’ll achieve the same for our other characters as well. We have full confidence that they will spin their magic once again on our IPs from Lotpot Comics that they’ll bring to life and ensure that the rich legacy of our brands will enthrall a few more generations in an entertaining format.”
Cosmos-Maya have a rich portfolio of over 25 shows and feature films in the domestic and global space and are consistently churning out new seasons and content titles on both pay-TV and the digital OTT streaming space.
iWorld
Meta signs multiyear AI deal with News Corp
Agreement worth up to $50 million annually covers WSJ, New York Post and UK titles.
MUMBAI: Meta just bought itself a front-row seat to the newsroom because when AI needs facts, even Zuckerberg is willing to pay the subscription fee. Meta Platforms has signed a multiyear artificial intelligence content licensing agreement with News Corp that could be worth up to $50 million (£39 million) a year, The Wall Street Journal reported on 25 February 2026. The deal, expected to run for at least three years, grants Meta access to News Corp’s US and UK content including The Wall Street Journal and New York Post for training AI models and powering real-time information retrieval in its products.
Australian mastheads such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun are not included. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson revealed the arrangement during a Morgan Stanley technology conference in San Francisco, describing news organisations as a vital “input company” in the AI ecosystem. “We’re essentially an input company,” he said. “The great threat in the age of AI is going to be to what you might call output companies.”
Thomson emphasised the value of reliable journalism as foundational infrastructure for AI systems, noting regular conversations with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Whatsapp and ongoing talks with OpenAI’s Sam Altman. He added that News Corp is in “advanced stage” negotiations for additional deals, promising further announcements soon.
The agreement follows News Corp’s 2024 five-year partnership with OpenAI (reportedly worth more than $250 million) and reflects Meta’s broader push to secure content licences. The company has already confirmed deals with People Inc, USA Today, CNN and Fox News, though financial terms remain undisclosed.
Publishers remain divided, some pursue partnerships for revenue, while others litigate. News Corp subsidiaries have sued Perplexity over copyright infringement, The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft, yet the same NYT struck a separate AI licensing deal with Amazon reportedly worth $20–25 million annually.
Thomson summed up the dual strategy as “woo or sue” seeking commercial agreements where possible, legal action when content is used without permission.
In an AI race where data is oxygen, Meta isn’t just training models, it’s buying the raw material for tomorrow’s answers, one headline at a time.
