Coronavirus lockdown: Animation studios are offering new and exclusive content, even in times of COVID-19

Number 9: Motu Patlu (Image: Twitter/@justvoot)

At a time when production of new shows and films is on halt due to the coronavirus lockdown in India, there is one segment that is coming up with new and exclusive content for both TV and OTT (over the top) platforms.

Managing work from home, animation studios are fuelling the content portfolio for TV channels and video OTTs that otherwise are struggling to get access to new content due to halt on shooting.

Take the example of Cosmos Maya, the India and Singapore-based animation studio that has produced three shows including Guddu, Bapu and Gadget Guru Ganesha, that is premiering on Disney India and Zee5.

“Unlike their counterparts in live action, animation professionals are able to continue working from home. For us, all aspects of production are running remotely from home. These include pre-production and post-production. This in essence means that new episodes of our shows are being produced on a daily basis,” said Anish Mehta, CEO, Cosmos Maya.

Along with new shows, the studio is also adding new episodes to existing content like Motu Patlu and Selfie With Bajrangi.

“Around 20 of our IPs are on air and most of them are ongoing projects with new seasons being commissioned every now and then. These take the largest share in the production pie. Production is also on for two of our IPs, Lambuji Tinguji and Titoo, which were recently greenlit by Cartoon Network and Pogo. Also, part of the ongoing production roster is the co-produced Dogtanian and Three Muskehounds, which marks Cosmos-Maya’s entry into the International Feature Film Business,” added Mehta.

He also said four of their co-produced international IPs have been localized and will soon air in Hindi on a major broadcaster. "Berry Bees, one of our Italian-Irish-Australian co-productions, an all-girl IP, will air as The Dabangg Girls in India," he said.

And not just Cosmos Maya, other animation studios are also continuing to work in these trying times. However, the companies say the pace has been slow.

For Green Gold animation studio, the creators of one of the most popular animated IPs Chhota Bheem, around 70 percent of the production team is working from home.

Another animation studio, Wackytoon Studio, which is also the partner company of Green Gold Animation, is working with 90 percent production output. The company has created shows like Honey Boney Ka Jholmaal, a show which airs on Sony YaY. Recently, the channel had also announced fresh content for the show.

Along with TV, OTT players are also banking on animated content. In April, Disney+Hotstar commissioned 234 episodes of Selfie With Bajrangi. The show’s older season is already airing on the platform.

“There has been a substantial surge in consumption of kids’ content. This has led to a lot of inquiries from OTT buyers,” said Mehta.

Minor bumps in the way

While animation studios are holding their ground, there are certain challenges they are facing. One is that 3D content production is more challenging in the COVID-19 times. This is because 3D content is more dependent on hardware and supply of hardware is difficult due to the lockdown imposed. Hence, the focus is more on 2D content currently.

TV viewers enjoying animated content

Nonetheless, the animation studios are keeping the viewers entertained especially on TV.

If we look at kids' channels, they have been showing consistent growth in viewership. According to recent data by BARC, kids genre grew by 43 percent in week 16 that is week starting April 18.

Plus, the advertiser interest on these channels have been consistent. After all, the animated content is fresh and new unlike other categories which are relying on repeats.

New content production in the current times as well post-COVID will also help the genre grab more advertiser attention.

In 2019, the animation sector grew 18.5 percent to reach Rs 2,230 crore. And industry players are of the opinion that this sector will show strong growth momentum in the post COVID-19 period as well.