iWorld
PunToon Kids builds beyond YouTube in India’s evolving kids’ content market
MUMBAI: Kids’ content was once a passive affair, scheduled neatly between cartoons and commercials, watched collectively and largely unquestioned. But in an era where screens are everywhere and attention spans are under constant scrutiny, children’s entertainment is undergoing a quiet but profound reset. Global digital giants may dominate view counts, but parents today are asking tougher questions: What values does this content teach? How fast is too fast? And can screen time actually add meaning?
Enter PunToon Kids, a homegrown platform navigating this shift by building stories rooted in Indian culture, designed not just to engage children but to earn parental trust. Moving beyond a YouTube-first mindset, the brand is stitching together videos, games, and real-world experiences into a safer, more intentional ecosystem for young viewers. As the kids’ content industry recalibrates its priorities around quality, interactivity, and values, Indian Television Dot Com speaks to Sourabh Kumar, CEO of PunToon Kids, on how the platform is redefining what it means to grow up with screens.
On competing with established global players like CoComelon, Blippi and ChuChu TV, how is PunToon Kids maintaining its presence and differentiating itself in a crowded kids’ content landscape?
PunToon Kids differentiates itself through deep cultural relevance, values-led storytelling, and high-quality content that genuinely engages young audiences. Our stories are rooted in Indian family life, festivals, everyday moments, and core values such as empathy, kindness, and respect, elements that today’s parents actively look for in children’s content.
In 2025, we increased our episode release frequency by 20%, expanded into longer-format storytelling, and moved beyond a YouTube-only approach through initiatives like the PunToon Kids Games App and offline IPs such as The Rising Rooks–Kids Chess Championship. This multi-platform ecosystem allows us to connect with children and parents where they truly engage, rather than competing solely on volume or algorithms.
On rising concerns around fast-paced content and its impact on children, what steps is PunToon Kids taking to create a healthier viewing environment?
We are extremely mindful of screen-time quality. At PunToon Kids, we consciously design content that is calm, meaningful, and age-appropriate, rather than overly stimulating. Our stories are paced to encourage emotional understanding, curiosity, and learning, not constant visual overload.
Additionally, the launch of our Games App was a strategic move to offer a controlled, fun-learning environment where parents feel confident about what their children are consuming. We see this as a shift from passive viewing to guided, interactive engagement.
On the shift from linear TV shows like Tom & Jerry and Popeye to today’s digital-first, on-demand formats, how do you see kids’ viewing behaviour evolving, and what does this mean for creators?
Kids today expect on-demand, interactive, and personalised experiences. They no longer distinguish between content and play; videos, games, quizzes, and learning are merging into one ecosystem.
For creators, this means thinking beyond episodes. At PunToon Kids, we’re building IP universes that extend into games, digital comics, events, and real-world experiences. Creators who adapt to this ecosystem mindset, rather than just content delivery, will thrive in the coming years.
On shifts observed in 2025, what key changes did PunToon Kids notice in kids’ viewing patterns compared to previous years?
In 2025, we observed three key shifts:
● Parents actively choosing Indian, culturally rooted content over generic global formats
● A growing demand for safe, parent-approved platforms
● Increased interest in interactive and gamified learning experiences
Kids are still consuming content frequently, but parents are now more involved in curating what and where they watch, which is reshaping the entire kids’ content landscape.
On the evolution of India’s kids’ content industry in 2025, how have viewership trends, platform preferences, and revenue models changed?
The biggest change has been the decline of YouTube-only dependence, especially post-Coppa, which significantly impacted ad revenues. In response, the industry is rapidly diversifying into apps, offline IPs, events, gaming, and brand integrations.
Platform-wise, we’re seeing the emergence of kids-only OTT platforms and curated ecosystems focused on safety and learning. Revenue models are becoming more integrated, combining content, on-ground activations, influencer-led campaigns, and experiential marketing rather than pure ad monetisation.
On PunToon Kids’ roadmap ahead, what are the key plans and priorities for 2026?
2026 will be a year of expansion and ecosystem strengthening. Our priorities include:
● Scaling the PunToon Kids Games App with more games, interactive learning modules, and digital comics
● Expanding The Rising Rooks–Kids Chess Championship to multiple cities and establishing it as a national IP
● Developing new offline experiential formats such as events and learning zones
Our focus is to build a sustainable, multi-platform brand that goes far beyond YouTube.
On marketing and advertising, what strategies did PunToon Kids focus on in 2025?
In 2025, we focused on community-driven and experience-led marketing. Large-scale mall activations during festivals and school holidays allowed children to interact with our brand offline, while parents saw real value beyond screens.
We also partnered with brands like Duolingo, FirstCry, Bumtums, and Gritzo, offering integrated solutions that combined content, engagement, and on-ground visibility, making collaborations more impactful for advertisers.
On balancing entertainment, education, and values-based storytelling, how does PunToon Kids approach content creation?
We don’t treat entertainment and education as separate pillars; they coexist naturally in our storytelling. Our characters learn, make mistakes, show empathy, and grow, just like real children.
Whether through videos, games, or offline events, our goal is to entertain first, but always leave children with a positive takeaway, be it emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, or problem-solving skills.
Any important message the CEO would like to give parents?
As a father, my message to parents comes from personal experience: be conscious but not fearful about screen time. When chosen thoughtfully, content can be a powerful tool for learning, creativity, and emotional growth.
At PunToon Kids, we see ourselves as partners in your child’s journey. We are committed to creating content and experiences you can trust, stories rooted in our culture, guided by strong values, and designed to help children grow into kind, confident, and emotionally aware individuals.
iWorld
Netflix celebrates a decade in India with Shah Rukh Khan-narrated tribute film
MUMBAI: Netflix is celebrating ten years in India with a slick anniversary film voiced by Shah Rukh Khan, a nostalgic sprint through a decade that rewired how the country watches stories. The campaign doubles as both tribute and reminder: streaming did not just enter Indian homes, it quietly rearranged them.
Roll back to 2016 and television still dictated schedules. Viewers waited weeks, sometimes months, for favourite films to appear on prime time. Family-friendly filters narrowed options further, and piracy often filled the gaps. Then Netflix arrived, softly but decisively, carrying a catalogue of international titles rarely seen in Indian theatres and placing them a click away. Old blockbusters and new releases suddenly coexisted on the same digital shelf.
The platform’s real inflection point came in 2018 with Sacred Games, a breakout series that refused to dilute India’s grit for global comfort. Audiences embraced its unvarnished tone, signalling readiness for stories that did not need box-office validation or censorship compromises. What followed was a steady procession of relatable narratives. Competitive-exam anxiety fuelled Kota Factory. College relationships unfolded in Mismatched. Everyday pressures, not grand spectacle, proved bankable.
Language barriers thinned as foreign series arrived with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubbing, expanding viewership beyond urban English-speaking pockets. Marketing mirrored the shift. For global releases such as Squid Game, Netflix leaned on regional creators and influencers to localise buzz and make international content feel native.
The library widened beyond fiction. Documentaries stepped out of festival circuits into living rooms. Stand-up comedians found scale. Established filmmakers, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali with Heeramandi, embraced the platform’s long-form canvas. Subscriber numbers swelled to 12.37 million in India, according to Demandsage, and behaviour followed suit. Late-night binges became routine. Friday release rituals loosened. Watch parties turned solitary screens into social events.
Economics demanded adjustment. Early subscription pricing carried a premium aura that deterred many households. Over time, Netflix recalibrated plans to align with Indian spending sensibilities, conceding that accessibility is as critical as content. To extend momentum around marquee titles, the platform also experimented with split-season releases, stretching anticipation and watch time.
The anniversary film, narrated by Shah Rukh Khan, captures the linguistic shift that mirrors the cultural one: from “Netflix pe kya dekha?” to “Netflix pe kya dekhein?” The question moved from recounting the past to planning the next binge. In ten years, Netflix morphed from foreign entrant to familiar fixture, exporting Indian stories abroad while importing global ones home. The remote no longer waits; it chooses, clicks and moves on. In the streaming age, patience is out, playlists are in, and the next episode is always one tap away.
e-commerce
Tulasi Mohan Padavala elevated to Associate Director at Blinkit
Gurugram: Blinkit has elevated Tulasi Mohan Padavala to associate director, capping a three-year climb inside the quick-commerce firm and signalling confidence in an executive steeped in ecommerce, category management and on-ground sales execution.
Padavala shared the update publicly, saying he was “happy to share” the promotion, a succinct announcement that nevertheless marks a notable step up within one of India’s fastest-moving delivery platforms. The new role follows nearly three years at Blinkit, where he most recently served as senior category manager from February 2023 to January 2026, focusing on strategic sourcing and assortment planning.
The promotion places Padavala in Blinkit’s mid-to-senior leadership tier at a time when the company continues to expand its rapid-delivery footprint and sharpen category economics. His brief tenure as associate director began in January 2026, with responsibilities expected to span category growth, supplier strategy and cross-functional execution.
Before Blinkit, Padavala spent a short but intensive stint as global ecommerce manager at Wholsum Foods, the parent of Slurrp Farm and Millé, between November 2022 and February 2023. There he worked on digital marketplace expansion and online retail operations, adding a direct-to-consumer and international ecommerce layer to his résumé.
A longer stretch at Amazon shaped much of his cross-border commerce experience. As business development manager for Amazon’s India Global Selling programme from February 2021 to October 2022, Padavala helped Indian D2C brands enter the North American market. His remit ranged from seller recruitment and category revenue management to coordination with industry bodies, regulators and logistics partners. Key outcomes included launching more than 50 D2C consumable brands in the United States, driving a cumulative gross merchandise sales figure of $1m in FY21-22, tripling sales for participating brands during Prime Day through marketing and visibility levers, growing the monthly recurring revenue of more than 10 newly launched sellers from zero to an average $20,000 each, and negotiating ecommerce partnerships that reduced initial launch costs by 20 per cent.
Padavala’s earlier career was forged in the field rather than the dashboard. At Coffee Day Group, he spent close to five years across multiple sales leadership roles. As sales manager in the Greater Delhi Area from July 2019 to January 2021, he led vending-machine and consumables sales for small and medium enterprises with a team of more than 15 assistant and territory sales managers, managed over 2,000 clients, drove upselling and cross-selling, maintained channel partnerships and ensured timely collections. Prior to that, he served as area sales manager in Delhi between May 2018 and June 2019, handling south and east Delhi markets, and earlier in Hyderabad from April 2016 to May 2018, where he led Andhra Pradesh sales for the vending division, supervised service and logistics functions and managed a base of more than 600 machines with a four-member team.
His professional arc began with internships that combined analytics and process improvement. At Boehringer Ingelheim in 2015, Padavala analysed the impact of brand extension on the drug Pradaxa, identified key performance indicators through market research and assessed sales forecasts, recommendations that drew positive responses in pilot studies. Earlier, at Genpact in 2014, he automated manual sales-order backlog reporting using VBA and Excel, increasing efficiency by 800 per cent, and worked on benchmarking metrics within supply-chain planning processes.
From automating spreadsheets to scaling cross-border ecommerce and now steering quick-commerce categories, Padavala’s trajectory tracks the evolution of India’s retail economy itself. Blinkit’s bet is clear: blend data, discipline and delivery speed. The promotion formalises what his career already suggests. In the race for instant commerce, experience that moves from warehouse floors to global dashboards is no longer optional. It is the engine.
e-commerce
Bharatpe plays a super over as Rohit Sharma fronts T20 push
MUMBAI: When the stakes rise and seconds matter, even payments need a match-winning finish. That’s the cue for Bharatpe, which has rolled out Super Over, a nationwide campaign led by Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, timed neatly ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The campaign draws a straight line between the pulse of cricket and the pace of everyday digital payments. A new brand film taps into India’s emotional bond with the game, while positioning UPI as the quiet hero that keeps daily transactions ticking along at match speed.
As part of Super Over, users making payments via Bharatpe UPI can bag daily rewards ranging from match tickets and signed merchandise to a chance to watch a T20 World Cup fixture alongside Rohit Sharma himself. Both consumers and merchants are also assured Zillion Coins on every eligible transaction, adding a little extra sparkle to routine payments.
Behind the scenes, Bharatpe is also batting for safety. The platform is backed by Bharatpe Shield, a fraud-protection layer designed to offer enhanced security, comprehensive coverage and dedicated support aimed at helping users transact with greater confidence as digital payments scale up.
Announcing the campaign, Bharatpe head of marketing Shilpi Kapoor said Super Over mirrors the aspirations of everyday Indians, combining speed, security and instant rewards to make UPI transactions feel both reliable and rewarding.
The campaign will play out across digital platforms, social media and on-ground activations nationwide, staying live through the T20 World Cup season proof that in cricket, as in payments, timing is everything.
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