Warner Bros. Discovery bets on anime to drive growth of kids' cluster in India

Warner Bros. Discovery is betting big on Anime content to drive growth for kids cluster in India.

Warner Bros. Discovery which operates TV channels focused at kids including Cartoon Network, Pogo and Discovery kids is betting big on the growing popularity of anime content in India to drive growth of its kids' cluster in India.

Anime has found a dedicated following within Cartoon Network's programming in India, Uttam Pal Singh, Head of Kids Cluster, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, told Moneycontrol.

"While it (anime content) occupies about 15 to 20 percent of our schedule (programming), it commands strong viewership with the genre making up around 22 to 25 percent of our total viewership," he said.

He said that anime on TV is currently in a growth stage in India. Cartoon Network's foray into anime content began last year with the introduction of Dragon Ball Super. "Since then, we've been steadily expanding our anime offerings by launching new seasons of this popular franchise, Dragon Ball Z Ka and Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters. We recently launched a new IP called My Hero Academia. We have plans to further develop our presence in this space."

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Singh said that anime viewership has seen significant growth in both urban and rural markets in India. "In terms of TV, on a weekly basis 12-15 million kids watch shows that are more anime-focused and this continues to grow. Then there is viewership on OTT as well."

He said that while urban markets remain strong for anime fans, rural viewership has notably increased, showcasing the growing appeal of anime. "Currently, around 60-65 percent of viewership comes from tier-I, II, and megacities. There is strong growth in regions like the northeast, including West Bengal and Assam."

Singh noted that as urban India still dominates anime consumption, they are localising content by making it available in Malayalam, Kannada to expand reach.

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Anime, a genre which started in Japan is said to be content which is more than cartoons with characters that have more levels of personality and are relatable to reality, unlike cartoons.

Animax which was owned by Sony Pictures Networks India was one of the first channels that brought the concept of anime in India. However, the genre did not find much success in the country back then resulting in the shutting down of Animax in 2017.

The genre got a big boost especially in Covid times when viewership of kids channels increased and the reach grew 20 percent even in the post-Covid phase. In addition, streaming platforms like Netflix which has a massive library of anime, helped in making anime popular in the country.

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"The market for anime on TV in India has been expanding steadily, and it holds significant potential. Year-on-year, the growth percentage has been impressive, indicating a promising future for anime across platforms including television. Moreover, India being the second largest market for anime globally after Japan presents exciting growth opportunities us and industry as well," Singh said.

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He said that beyond kids TV, anime and its various genres within anime appeal to a wide audience from kids to pre-teens to teens. "Hence from an overall consumption point of view, the opportunity in Indian OTT, theatrical, digital, social, gaming, on-ground events, to community building and interaction is huge," Singh said.