Kids
WBD bets big on Indian kids’ content with two new original IPs
Summer 2026 slate brings 200 plus episodes across Pogo and CN.
MUMBAI: This summer, cartoons are not just drawing laughs, they are drawing battle lines in India’s booming kids’ entertainment market. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is doubling down on India with what it calls its biggest local kids’ content push yet, rolling out a Summer 2026 slate packed with more than 200 fresh episodes, two new original Indian IPs, anime-inspired universe building, and mall takeovers across 14 cities.
At the heart of the strategy are two new homegrown shows designed not merely as television properties, but as full-fledged franchises with global ambitions.
Leading the charge on Pogo is Sampat Champat, an animated revival of the iconic bumbling thieves from Lotpot Comics. The series brings the beloved duo into a colourful new animated universe filled with slapstick comedy, chaos and small-town charm tapping into nostalgia while introducing the characters to a new generation of viewers.
Meanwhile, Cartoon Network is placing a sizeable bet on Kian & Kiki, its flagship original launch for 2026. Developed with Cosmos Maya and Fable Spinners Studio, the show follows a family of magicians through a blend of fantasy, comedy and slice-of-life storytelling centred around sibling chemistry.
Warner Bros. Discovery head of factual entertainment, lifestyle & lids for South Asia Sai Abishek said the company was focused on “building worlds” rather than simply producing shows.
“With Sampat Champat on Pogo and Kian & Kiki on Cartoon Network, we are investing in original Indian IP with franchise-led thinking at its core,” he said, adding that the company wanted Indian stories to travel “beyond television and beyond borders”.
The scale of the summer push underlines a larger shift underway in India’s kids’ entertainment market, where broadcasters are increasingly moving away from imported animation libraries towards locally rooted franchises with merchandising, digital and experiential potential.
WBD is also expanding the universes around its existing heavyweights. For the first time, Pogo’s two biggest stars Chhota Bheem and Little Singham are being brought together in a shared anime-inspired universe designed to connect their backstories and unlock crossover adventures.
The summer programming includes celebrations around Chhota Bheem’s 18th birthday, featuring telefeatures and the new Origin of Bheem Big Picture specials beginning May 3.
Cartoon Network, meanwhile, is leaning hard into comedy with its Boom Bam Comedy Jam block, featuring Teen Titans Go!, Batwheels and international franchises such as Baby Lemmings, The Weasy Family, and Maca and Roni, refreshed every quarter for Indian audiences.
Discovery Kids is continuing its “Nonstop Badmaashi, Nonstop Bawaal” positioning with new episodes of Titto alongside the evergreen antics of Mr. Bean.
But WBD’s summer ambitions stretch far beyond the television screen.
The company is taking its campaigns into the real world with immersive activations across more than 20 malls and trampoline parks in cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, Pune and Vizag. Mascots of Chhota Bheem, Little Singham and Tom & Jerry will interact with fans, while social media campaigns featuring memes, influencer content and user-generated challenges aim to turn viewers into active participants.
The new originals will also stream on Discovery+, signalling WBD’s intent to keep its kids’ ecosystem tightly integrated across broadcast, digital and experiential touchpoints.
As competition intensifies in India’s fragmented children’s entertainment market, WBD’s strategy appears clear: build local heroes, create worlds around them, and make sure the summer holidays belong to them long after the television is switched off.
