The children's genre has emerged as the largest viewership segment after the general entertainment channels segment, contributing to 18.3 per cent of the viewership pie. This segment's share was 16.9 per cent in 2010.

To tap into this fast-growing segment, Turner International India is looking to expand its presence in India by increasing content in Cartoon Network and Pogo channels.

In the pipeline are a host of movies based on popular characters including the CG-animated Ben 10, Mighty Raju 2, Chhota Bheem, as well as a larger portfolio of Bollywood movies. “We hope to see the networks gain the largest share in the kids' genre and we will increase our consumer interactions across the country to attract new viewers and expand our reach,” said Ms Monica Tata, General Manager, Entertainment Networks, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd.

“The growing demand for quality content in this space now spans everything from local, myth-inspired series such as Roll No. 21 and Chhota Bheem to classic toons like Tom and Jerry and contemporary phenomena like Ben 10,” Ms Tata said.

Cartoon Network's first CG-animated movie for Ben 10 was recently premiered in India on the channel in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

“We'd love to do more movies for Ben 10 and have a live action movie in the pipeline being directed by Hollywood director, Joel Silver,” Ms Tata told Business Line .

In 2011, the segment not only recorded growth but also saw the entrance of new channels such as Sonic. The genre grew in regional languages as well. In Tamil, for example, the share of this segment is higher than that of news, a KPMG study said.

Recently, Discovery Networks International, a unit of Discovery Communications, also announced the launch of a new network in India – Discovery Kids. The channel will be launched in April and will be available in three Indian languages – English, Hindi and Tamil.

“The kids' genre will only continue to grow in the years to come and from this perspective, the launch of more channels, the digitisation of television, the advent of 3G and improved penetration of internet in rural cities will be of tremendous benefit to broadcasters,” Ms Tata added.

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