Kids
Animation International holds 51% in Kids Media India
MUMBAI: Japanese firm Animation International holds 51 per cent stake in Kids Media India (KMI), the company that today launched a Hindi kids channel in India.
Dubai-based Spacetoon Media Group holds the balance with a small stake as sweat equity resting with KMI managing director and CEO Rajiv Sangari.
“There has been a change in the shareholding of KMI. Animation International holds majority stake in the Indian venture,” Sangari tells Indiantelevision.com.
Animation International, however, holds a minority stake in Spacetoon Media.
KMI will invest Rs 600-700 million in Spacetoon Kids TV, the free-to-air Hindi channel, over three years. A library of 4200 episodes has been built with content sourced from producers and studios across Europe, Asia and North America.
Positioned as an edutainment channel, Spacetoon Kids TV will target the age group of 2 to 12 years with a mix of animation and live action content.
The channel plans to pump up one hour of localised content by April-May. “We are looking at gaming and interactive reality shows as part of our localisation strategy. We will first create one hour of local content. Our plan is to have 90 per cent of animated content and 10 per cent of live action localised content built over a period of time,” says Sangri.
KMI hopes to scale down its original investment outlay for distribution in the wake of economic slowdown. Sangri had earlier told Indiantelevision.com that the channel, set for launch on 14 January, would spend Rs 250 million on carriage in delivery platforms such as cable TV networks and DTH.
“Broadcasters are rationalising their distribution budgets and there seems to be some sort of a correction in carriage fees. We expect our distribution costs to be lower than what we had initially estimated for,” says Sangri.
Spacetoon Kids TV will have to jostle with seven existing channels to tap into 360 million kids in India. Sun TV Network also operates a Tamil language channel, Chutti TV. The genre also has not grown in 2008 and advertising revenues are beginning to slow down with the total pie pegged at Rs 1.5 billion.
“India is a very tough market to launch as it is too diversified and each needs to be targeted differently,” says Sangri.
Sangri realises that part of the fight will be in aggressive marketing of the channel. KMI is, thus, tying up with various schools to promote awareness of the brand.
“We are in the process of establishing tie-ups with 3000 schools pan India,” says Sangri.
KMI, which is already into publishing, events and licensing and merchandising, is also working out a consolidated strategy with the TV channel as the tentpole property. “We will leverage across our various properties,” says Sangri.
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.
