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CN, Pogo to tap new digital revenue streams
MUMBAI: Turner‘s kids channels Cartoon Network and Pogo kicked off the year with a combined 40 per cent ad revenue growth in the first quarter and now will be building digital products across all platforms -PC web, mobile, social web – to perk up the inflow.
Turner is planning to open up new consumer revenue streams through online games from its two channels. It is also looking at The Cartoon Network online store to attack the currencies.
Says Turner International India VP and deputy GM – entertainment networks, South Asia Monica Tata, “The year will also see us consolidate our efforts in expanding our revenue base by generating revenues from non linear content like syndication, VOD, games, as well as from platforms like mobile and broadband.”
According to Tata, Turner’s kids channels’ online destinations have experienced an aggressive growth and will soon become a key platform wherein content is consumed, widening the audience profile and giving access to newer audiences across the globe.
“In 2009, our sites alone attracted over 15 clients and 21 campaigns across categories – be it FMCG, confectionery, toys, footwear and sports gear,” she says.
Cartoon Network and Pogo are already available on Tata Photon cards (mobile Internet TV) and Aplaya – MTS (mobile data card service provider). Cartoon Network is almost present on all major GSM and CDMA operators for TV streaming, notes Tata. “And soon our channels will also be launched on new mobile operators like Virgin Mobile.”
In 2009, Cartoon Network launched comics of its toon stars – Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo and Dexter on mobile handsets. These comics are available through Airtel, Idea, Reliance Mobile and TATA DoCoMo amongst others.
“We had our successful innings with Cartoon Network Toon Cricket and BEN 10 mobile game in 2009. Ben 10: Battle for the Omnitrix mobile game phone has achieved 1 million mobile paid downloads in India as of March 2010.
“Chhota Bheem is doing approximately 2000 – 2500 downloads a day. We are incorporating a contest and this will drive download to 5000 per day per our estimate.
We have also extended our original shows such as M.A.D as part of active learning for all Tata Sky viewers,” she informs.
Ad sales will still remain the primary medium to drive in revenues. With a base of 153 unique advertisers, 475 brands across Cartoon Network and Pogo, the top 10 advertisers grew by 20 per cent in 2009.
“60 new advertisers came aboard Cartoon Network and Pogo in 2009. Additionally, the non kids advertiser spends grew at over 25 per cent CAGR. This is because advertisers such as P&G, Reckitt, LG, Whirlpool, Godrej, LIC and SC Johnson continued advertising on Cartoon Network and Pogo despite the cautionary sentiment in 2009,” Tata avers.
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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.
