iWorld
Indian YouTube kids channels gain momentum
MUMBAI: Technology has redefined entertainment for kids across the world. As more kids get hooked to mobiles and tablets, the business of kids content on YouTube thrives more. With hundreds of channels entering the sector every year, this category is expanding as well as giving more scope of monetisation for creators. Indian kids channels on the platform are gaining, keeping pace with the global market and sprawling to unprecedented growth. ChuChu TV is the market leader with 27 million subscribers across all its channels in the sector leaving content powerhouses like AIB and TVF far behind. The success of the Chennai-based creators could be a lesson for others across the genre how to monetise on the platform.
But ChuChu isn’t the only one. There are others also making their mark. CVS 3D Rhymes, Videogyan and HooplaKidz are also propelling the growth.
Though traditional television industry has a good amount of content offerings for kids, the viewership for this category is growing rapidly in India and globally too. However, YouTube does not have a different category for kids, but comes under ‘Education’.
Interestingly, among educational content, 70-80 per cent viewership comes from kids as shared by video analytics firm Vidooly co-founder and CEO Subrat Kar.
“We have seen in last three years, the consumption of these content compared to all the categories is very huge,” Kar said. He also gives credits to creators for tapping into exactly what the kids want. Following the success of new age creators, even traditional players like Sony, T-Series have entered the space.
The category of Indian kids channels on YouTube is highly monetised. Kar thinks one of the main reason behind that is the love of brands for these channels. Kids friendly brands like chocolate, toys and kids apparel find the category interesting. Even the brands that want to target the age group of 25-35 population in top metros, run a digital campaign on YouTube targeting kids content as parents share a large amount of viewership too.
ChuChu TV, whose success story is well admired in the industry, started at a time when there were just a handful of channels in the market. Along with a good timing, the rejection of lullaby songs, rewriting old nursery rhymes helped the channel to grow. However, today the Indian market has changed owing to Jio and projects like Railfie from Google.
“When we started our Indian viewership was four per cent of total viewership. Other countries like UK, Phillipines, Canada, and Vietnam were at the top. But for the past two years India has beaten everything and now it is right at the top. The viewership from India is equal to the US now that is 20 per cent,” ChuChu TV co-founder and CEO Vinoth Chandar said.
Chandar also explained the revenue pattern of the venture. Most of the revenue comes from developed countries like the UK, US and Canada. Though Vietnam gives high viewership, it cannot provide any revenue. Kar says as kids content does not have localised nature, the global taste adds to revenue and the viewership of Indian creators, especially, from developed countries. Higher CPM, more brands investing in digital space contribute majorly to the business. Along with 30 to 40 per cent viewership from outside India, 40-50 per cent revenue also comes from abroad.
Despite the boom, things have become tougher as the market is getting crowded with entry of more players. In the last year itself, more than 1000 channels have entered the space. The existing big players are coming out of YouTube dependency for monetising effectively. ChuChu TV has content deals with broadcasters and other OTT players. Cosmos Maya’s digital venture WowKidz recently joined a collaboration with leading OTT platform YuppTV.
Chandar says that with differentiating and good content ideas, anyone can get a foothold in YouTube despite the competition. Among thousands of Johny Johny Yes Pappa, the one searched by a huge number of viewers on the back of “awesome content” will be able to engage more little stars.
iWorld
JioStar revenue hits Rs 9,784 crore as cricket fuels 22 per cent growth
A surge in digital viewership and sports dominance fuels a blockbuster quarter for the media giant
MUMBAI: JioStar is batting on a flat pitch. The media titan’s fourth-quarter results for the financial year 2026 reveal a business scaling new heights, propelled by an unprecedented appetite for premium sports and digital-first storytelling.
Gross revenue for the quarter soared by 22.15 per cent to Rs 9,784 crore, up from Rs 8,010 crore in the third quarter. Operationally, the momentum was equally strong; revenue from operations climbed 21 per cent to Rs 8,372 crore. These figures underscore the firm’s successful integration following the Reliance and Disney merger, creating a dominant force in the Indian market.
The annual performance has been nothing short of a spectacle. Full-year gross revenue reached a massive Rs 36,248 crore, while annual profit after tax hit Rs 3,210 crore. This rapid expansion reflects JioStar’s ability to capture and monetise the massive growth in India’s media consumption.
Cricket proved to be the ultimate growth engine. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and TATA IPL 2026 delivered “record-breaking viewership” across both television and digital screens. The World Cup final alone drew a global peak concurrency of 72.5 million on JioHotstar, cementing its status as the nation’s premier streaming destination. On television, JioStar maintained a commanding 34.2 per cent viewership share, reaching a staggering 810 million viewers nationwide.
The digital numbers were just as impressive. JioHotstar averaged 500 million monthly active users, driven by consistent subscriber growth and innovative AI-led content discovery tools. These advancements are ensuring that JioStar remains at the cutting edge of the global “Race for Attention.”
With a firm grip on the country’s most valuable sporting rights and a rapidly growing digital footprint, JioStar is perfectly positioned for the future. It has built the ultimate content powerhouse—one that is ready to dominate the Indian living room for years to come.
