Discovery India Betting Big On Kids Segment

The ‘kids’ category is turning into the next big opportunity for broadcasters as they rejig their strategy post the TRAI’s tariff order.

Discovery India is betting big on the segment to cash in on the growth trend being seen in the segment with its upcoming animation show ‘Fukrey Boyzzz’, based on the Bollywood franchise ‘Fukrey’ and ‘Fukrey Returns’.

This is the second such show based on the Bollywood franchise that the channel has created after ‘Little Singham’ performed beyond the channel’s expectations and has run for over 150 episodes.

“Discovery Kids has been growing tremendously for us. Our viewership has grown 400 per cent and there has been a commensurate increase in revenues as well since we launched our most popular show Little Singham,” Megha Tata, Managing Director-South Asia, Discovery, told BusinessLine.

With consumers forced to pay individually for each channel they watch now, demand for kids channels has increased, helping channels like Discovery Kids to grow rapidly.

The new show Fukrey Boyzzz starts from October 12 and will act as the channel’s entry into two new languages—Malyalam and Kannada. It will be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English.

“Little Singham has been the most watched show on our channel and we expect similar response from Fukrey Boyzzz. With the new show, we are expanding our target group to 8-14 where there are hardly any content available right now,” Tata said.

“Fukrey Boyzzz is an apt representation of our ambition in the kids’ genre. We will continue to innovate and invest heavily in the genre with an aim to be a consistent top 3 player,” Tata said.

Uttam Pal Singh, Head – Discovery Kids, said, “With Fukrey Boyzzz and its hilarious ensemble of Choocha, Hunny, Lalli and Bholi, we are launching a new contemporary series which will have a much wider appeal. Infact, we are confident that this innocent fun feast will attract co-viewing – parents watching along with their children.”

However, unlike its peers who are heavily betting on kids content on digital platforms, Discovery is still working on its plans and according to Tata, a digital platform for kids will not be available until the next year.

Players like Sony, Viacom 18 and Zee meanwhile are using their kids content to create premium offerings on their respective OTT platforms SonyLIV, Voot and Zee5.―The Hindu Business Line