Kids
CN, Pogo bank on movies for sticky viewing
NEW DELHI: Pogo and Cartoon Network, the kids‘ channels from the Turner stable, have hit upon films as the best formula for creating stickiness. Hence, big films like Krrish will be shown for the first time on Pogo, Turner International VP ad sales (India and South Asia) Monica Tata told indiantelevision.com.
Also aired will be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Gulliver‘s Travels and action-packed Trouble in Tokyo, as well as Ninja Turtles III and Bal Ganesh.
Indian mythological animation content Chhota Bheem, acquired from the Hyderabad-based Green Gold Studios, will also be premiered this summer.
“Basically, children are a difficult audience to control and please, and the issue was how to make them stick around on our channel for a longer time, which is why we were looking at ‘long form content‘ and strategically found movies to be the solution for fragmentation,” Tata said.
“Summer for us is akin to the festive season for GECs, and though we also do very well during the festive seasons, but during the last summer Cartoon Network and Pogo contributed 60 per cent of the total growth of the genre,” added Tata.
“Seeing this trend over the last two years, we had decided to launch itself on a major initiative that would include a lot of Indian content in the kids channels,” explained Tata.
She likened Indian summer to what in the US is called the “fresh content season,” which for that country is during fall time.
“We believe we shall have a very strong population on the channels because of this, who would stay connected to our network,” Tata said.
She also said that humour as a part of content is important, which is why a new show called Thumb Wrestling Federation will be aired. She expects this to become a “phenomenon,” as kids are likely to get into this sport in schools amongst peers.
As for marketing, it will primarily be on air as the maximum eyeballs we get are on our own network, Tata added.
Speaking about some programme promotional tie-ups, Tata said, “Pogo has tied up with Singapore Tourism to shoot MAD over there. This will help creating solutions for the network‘s clients to boost their marketing initiatives.”
“We have done ‘advertiser-funded programming‘, like the Bournvita Quiz Contest in the past but this Singapore Tourism tie-up with Pogo is the new one,” added Tata.
Asked about competition and the fact that on certain occasions rivals like Hungama TV are neck to neck with Cartoon Network, Tata said that it would not be fair to compare on a week to week or even hour to hour rating.
“Comparison should be on an annual basis and there if you see, we have been and are still the number one, with 99 out of 100 top programmes being with Cartoon Network and Pogo,” said Tata.
She backed up her claim by saying that Kids channel viewing (consumption) increased by 25 per cent for Cartoon Network and Pogo and only 15 per cent for rest of all the kids channels put together.
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.
