The recently held India Kids Summit Season 5 turned out to be a success owing to the esteemed professionals that graced the event, and went on to talk about an array of topics. Amongst the lot was the topic of Important of IPs (Intellectual Property) in Kids entertainment where Mr. Tarandeep Singh Sekhon, Chief Business Officer, Bounce Inc India moderated the session with a panel that consisted of Mr. Sanatkumar Mishra, Executive Vice President & National Marketing Head, Radio City India; Ridhimaa Bhasin, Head, International Business, IP & Brand Licensing, Neela Film Productions Pvt Ltd; Dr. Rajeev Rastogi, VFX Head / VFX Producer, Excel Entertainment Pvt Ltd; Satyabrata Das, Chief Alliance Officer, Laqshya Media Group & Start Up Investor; and Tabassum Modi, Founder, Victor Tango Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

Mr. Sekhon – According to all of you, how has the IP structure evolved? Is there a different lens marketers are wearing now?

Mr. Mishra- I will throw in some statistics to make it more viable. According to a survey, 30% of India’s population ranges from ages 8 to 17 years. You can easily see how this is a huge number to look at. Engagement is one factor but when you look at the advertising, you see how kids are directly or indirectly involved in everything – how they are able to influence parents. If you actually look at everything, they are third-party influencers, anything you buy, kids are involved. When we started 5 to 7 years ago, we had Super Singer. We weren’t expecting a huge turnout but after having done it in 39 cities, we witnessed over 4.65 lakh registrations from kids. It just put a stamp on how kids are pivotal in anything and everything.

Ms. Bhasin- Our journey with Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah began 16 years ago. It was amazing of Mr. Asitkumar Modi to retain the IP of the show because usually the broadcaster retains it. But owing to his hardwork, we were able to do it and currently, we are the no. 1 brand across all age groups. It was an obvious pivot for us to shift to the young kids, where we first started by licensing the characters to Sony YAY. We started with Taarak Mehta Ka Chota Chashmah, right around COVID-19 and then went on to have four seasons. It became very successful and was picked by Netflix. We basically saw the demand for content when introduced TMKOC rhymes across 9 languages, reaching more people. Our launch with games like Run Jetha Run, Hungry Goli and others have been in the Top 5 consistently. So, these are good times and to see how much kids are important with them being the target audience, it is a case study for all of us.

Dr. Rastogi- We tried to make it kid-friendly. It did not work for us. Now, we are gearing up for Don 3. We are also planning a Hindu mythology project with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. But we definitely see a huge market for kids that is still untapped. I feel there is a gap in the content, and I honestly don’t see content that is targeted at kids. Bigger players should explore this and make the most of it.

Mr. Das- There is no doubt that this is a challenging space. There is a lesser understanding of the category as well. If you see the global trends, it is massive. The bigger players have invested but yet to get returns. Especially during lockdown, we saw the stickness of kids really growing, because the consumption went from 3 to 4 hours rising to 7 to 8 hours, because there was nothing else to do. I feel that was the perfect time to try and people missed out on that opportunity. Big broadcasters could have created content during that time. You see how everything is expensive when it comes to creating such IPs. The venue is expensive, the externs are expensive and only people with deep pockets can invest in it and create an ecosystem which is profitable. On my front, we will keep investing in this category because have a strong belief in it for the long term.

Ms. Modi- I would say that the brand expectations haven’t changed pre-pandemic or post pandemic. What has changed is the kind of brands reaching out to kids. The likes of FMCG and stationery were the only ones doing that earlier. Now you see brands, who probably have nothing to do with kids now targeting and planning their campaigns around it. There has been a shift, for sure. I would also say that with kids, the main thing is one-on-one interaction. Kids get over the excitement of being on-screen, and hence a physical presence and contact works more than others.

Mr. Sekhon- Let’s talk about the revenue model

Ms. Modi- If you offer value-added service, parents are willing to pay for it. The way the education system has changed, parents want to help. For instance, one of the IPs that we are doing currently is the spelling bee which is interactive and has the involvement of both kids and their parents. Today, if you can add to your portfolio, parents are willing to pay. In the past, we were dependent on sponsorships. Today, we can see more money spent on kids.

Mr. Das- I guess, we have to be very clear with the 10-year plan. Tell the brand what you want to do in the next 10 years. It is about creating an idea and looking for sponsors. The cost per contact gets high, so you have to see how can you build on it. Today, Zomato is paying brands with great packaging but it – telling the brand you trust me, and create something big.

Mr. Mishra- With Bharat Ki Amar Kahiya, it was about wanting local content. The consumption was happening through parents. The ROI comes into play based upon the interaction with the brand manager, because the ball game is totally different. We couldn’t even recover the cost when we tried ticketing. Hence, sponsporship and amplification helps.

Ms. Bhasin- We are very selective when it comes to brand integration. We have managed to have successful integration with Maruti, and most recently, had a really good one with Lloyd. So, we want to make sure it is seamless and isn’t obvious.

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