Here’s why Cartoon Network continues to focus on localization

• For the last few years, Cartoon Network and POGO have focused on coming up with local animation shows that have steadily been witnessing an increase in viewership.
• As the channel gets ready to launch another made-in-India show called‘Ekans - Ek Se Badhkar Snake’, we catch up with Abhishek Dutta, South Asia Network Head for Cartoon Network and POGO, to understand the impact the pandemic has had on the channel, its content strategy and the launch of its new superhero indigenous show.

Ever since the government announced the lockdown in March last year, people have been stuck at home. It has changed the way we live, work, study, consume content and shop. The lockdown has also meant people are now spending more time at home, consuming content on different platforms. Television viewership has gained massively.

Viewership in the kids’ genre too has seen an obvious uptick, with children being stuck at home. Data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India earlier this year had revealed that the viewership of kids’ genre had increased by 20% during the pandemic. Non primetime kids viewing grew by 31% during the peak lockdown in 2020 compared to 2019.

This spike in viewership has also led to channels in the genre to up their content game. We recently caught up with Abhishek Dutta, South Asia Network Head for Cartoon Network and POGO, to understand the impact the pandemic has had on the channel, its content strategy and the launch of its new superhero indigenous show.

The pandemic effect

While a lot of other traditional medium struggled, people being stuck at home worked in favor of TV, and the kids’ genre gained from this too. While advertising spends did suffer in the initial months, things started turning in the later half of the year, specially during the festive season.

On how it has been for Cartoon Network and POGO, Dutta said, “Both 2020 and 2021 have been favorable for us. We have launched two local IPs for the kids this summer. Now we are going to launch ‘Ekans - Ek Se Badhkar Snake’ which is India’s newest, homegrown tech-savvy superhero. Cartoon Network and Pogo are the only network channels in the kids category that have executed six new local shows during the pandemic in India. Covid has had an obvious impact on our business. The second wave has also come with its own challenges but we are seeing growth coming back and hopefully we'll have a better second half. In 2021, the kids genre has registered growth and the months of January to April also witnessed an upside in ad spends, when compared to 2020.

The importance of local IPs

Localization has been a critical part of both the channel’s growth in India. The new show, ‘Ekans - Ek Se Badhkar Snake’, created in-house and produced by Kolkata-based studio Hi-Tech Animation, joins the existing portfolio of popular homegrown IPs by WarnerMedia India including ‘Dabangg - The Animated Series’ on Cartoon Network; ‘Titoo – Har Jawaab Ka Sawaal Hu’ and ‘Smashing Simmba’ on the companion channel POGO.

Meanwhile, the effort has also been to create content that is relevant globally too. “Today, kids demand content that is fresh, unique, local and something that resonates with them. They don’t just seek entertaining and engaging content, relatability is one of the most important factors in kids viewership today. Which is why we are confident about our new show which has all the elements that kids today are looking for, its about a superhero and the show combines mystical elements and India's heritage while adding elements of science fiction. All these aspects make it an interesting storyline. We believe the underlying impact of the show will also be to let kids know that it is acceptable to have fears and conquer them as well. Our message through the show is, every child is a superhero in their own way.”

Dutta also shared that there has been a steady increase in the viewership of made-in-India content because there is a lot of choice today. “Out of the top 10 shows in the category today, seven are locally produced shows. When you see the top 20 shows in the category, 15 are locally-produced. So there is a visible appetite for local content amongst kids today.”

On the growth path

Throwing light on a few things that he believes will help the channels grow further, Dutta added, “Cartoon Network has a historic, rich legacy in the kids and family space owing to vibrant shows that are loved across the globe. With the launch of a Ekans, Cartoon Network will further consolidate its leadership position as the country's pioneer and most-loved animation channel. While viewership has grown, increasingly we are witnessing demand for content that can be enjoyed as family, but that is also fresh, relevant, localized and compelling. We have already taken the lead in delivering homegrown content that resonates with this trend and we’ll continue to both acquire and create our own unique and relatable homegrown content that offers a local flavor through authentic voices, India-centric characters, and regional language features. Last year, in addition to shows like ‘Titoo – Har Jawaab Ka Sawaal Hu’ on POGO, we received an enthusiastic response to the localized thought over commentaries to our iconic global favorite the Tom and Jerry show in regional languages. Apart from this, Lamput, Cartoon Network's critically acclaimed short- form animation has continued to win hearts of the global audiences. It’s a non-dialogue chase slapstick comedy which won the Best Children's program at Asian Creative Academy Awards 2020 for the third time in a row, it was also nominated for an international kids Emmy Award, which is a first for any Indian animation.”

Cartoon Network will launch its new show, 'Ekans – Ek Se Badhkar Snake' on Sunday June 27, and thereafter air from Monday to Friday, at 11:30am and 7:30pm on Cartoon Network.