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Cartoon Network to roll out first regional HD kids’ channel in Asia
MUMBAI: Kids‘ entertainment channel Cartoon Network has announced its new dedicated HD channel, the first amongst kids‘ broadcasters in the region.
Rolling out initially in South East Asia from January 2012, Cartoon Network HD will offer TV viewing experience in native HD that includes a line up of the channel‘s best original and acquired content. This includes the series ‘The Amazing World of Gumball‘, ‘Ben 10‘, ‘Chowder‘ and perennial favourites ‘Scooby Doo‘ and ‘Looney Tunes‘.
Cartoon Network‘s move into the HD arena coincides with its recent regional brand refresh and the debut of its new tagline, “It‘s a Fun Thing”, designed to reflect the multidimensional aspects of kids‘ lives today.
Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific senior VP, GM Sunny Saha said, “Kids across Asia are increasingly sophisticated in their media consumption habits and Cartoon Network HD is set to become the benchmark for the TV viewing experience. HD opens up a crisper and more vivid world of animation that‘s truly captivating”.
The HD roll out also presents an opportunity for cable operators across Asia. “Cartoon Network HD will help support a new audience segment focused on families, presenting a significant subscription marketing opportunity. The launch marks the first time that a kids‘ channel will be included as part of an HD subscription package,” added Saha.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
