MUMBAI: Much of the Indian TV market is ruled in one way – the broadcasters keep IP rights for the shows and not the production houses. The scenario is the same whether it’s Hindi GEC or kids or lifestyle. Indiantelevision.com’s The Content Hub hosted a panel discussion ‘Animation Producers: Getting Animated’ with panellists Discovery Kids head Uttam Pal Singh, Golden Robot Animation head of business development RK Chand, Paper Boat Animation chairman, creative director Soumitra Ranade and Biscopewala managing partner Nishith Takia. The session was moderated by Kinsane Entertainment CMO Pranab Punj.
Emphasising the retention of IP rights, Ranade said, “IP creation is a big thing and for this socio-political aspects are to be kept in mind as to what kids are watching now and five years later. But for this, we need to create relevant stories. It’s not going to work if we make B grade version of Disney or Pixar.”
Singh said that Discovery Kids is making relatable shows for the Indian market and targeting global reach with OTTs. The idea behind making Little Singham was to create an IP and make it a brand.
While speaking of the emergence of OTT platforms, Singh was of the opinion that he has not seen significant investment from the OTT players to create IPs which come to the OTT platform first and then on linear television. He added, “While OTT is growing and most of the English TV genres have been affected immensely in terms of audiences, the kids' genre, on the other hand, has grown on Indian television. It has grown to 8 per cent as per BARC report and we still see that a broadcaster has maximum reach as opposed to OTT platforms.”
Moreover, Chand said that OTT platforms have given them the scope to explore new ideas and stories. He said, “The entire catalogue of Chhota Bheem was the first kids content on Amazon. OTT gives us a range of audience that isn’t restricted to TV. Netflix and Amazon have enabled us to innovate stories and characters.”
Takia revealed that his company is talking to OTT platforms in a bid to make content for them. He added that budgets restrict the quality of animation. “We feel that very few people understand the aesthetic behind the project. Budgets also restrict the quality of animation. If you want to create high-quality content, you need high budgets,” he said.
