Despite a paradigm shift in the working infrastructure and innumerable challenges due to COVID-19, Cosmos-Maya is having a wondrous year. After capturing 60 per cent market share with five new launches in 2020 till date and several new announcements, Cosmos-Maya has now secured significant syndication deals to ensure global growth.
WOW Kidz Distribution, distribution arm of the India and Singapore-based animation studio, has signed a number of global broadcast and streaming deals with international players. With this, the animation studio is expanding its reach in the global kids’ animation space, securing significant business and international projects.
The roster of new deals are :
> In North America and LATAM (Latin America), US-based streamer Olympusat Entertainment has acquired the Pay TV and digital rights for 221 half hours of catalogue titles including Vir: The Robot Boy, Eena Meena Deeka and Chacha Bhatija along with new show Harry.
> Disney+ Hotstar has acquired online rights for 130 half-hours of the same hit library shows. As announced sometime earlier, it picked up 234 episodes of Selfie with Bajrangi and 104 episodes of Dabbangg animated series, co-produced with Arbaaz Khan Productions.
> Indonesian broadcasting and content distribution company, Spectrum Film has licensed 536 half hours of 10 of Cosmos-Maya’s original shows while co-producing the newest IP, Putra.
> On the other hand, Dubai-based Dubuzz Entertainment has picked up non-exclusive AVOD rights for 208 half-hours of Motu Patlu and Chacha Bhatija.
> Upcoming English and Punjabi-language platform Heeroz OTT from Catrack Entertainment has acquired worldwide non-exclusive rights for Vir: The Robot Boy and Chacha Bhatija.
> IN10 Media is launching a new kids channel Gubbare soon with 78 half-hours of Cosmos-Maya’s internationally co-produced shows such as Atchoo, Berry Bees and OPS.
> Vietnam-based FPT Telecom has picked up 78 half-hours of content created by Cosmos for its SVOD OTT platform FPT Play.
> China-based Puxin and Zhong Lu have picked up non-exclusive digital rights for 335 half-hours of Motu Patlu, Vir: The Robot Boy, Eena Meena Deeka and Tik Tak Tail for digital streaming on govt. IPTVs.
Commenting on these agreements, Cosmos-Maya International Content Distribution and Acquisition senior manager Nihal Kotian officially stated, “2020 has been an extremely productive year for Cosmos-Maya from a syndication and licensing standpoint through our deals secured by WOW Kidz. We have witnessed a phenomenal increase in the territories our content reaches and the sheer licensing volume of nearly 1200 half-hours from across our original IP library, with new and returning digital OTT and pay TV partners across the world. The work we’ve undertaken in the content syndication space enhances our business reach and brand presence globally, and we’re excited to have a growing collection of international partners.”
Just a year old, WOW Kidz Distribution has shown amazing growth and progress. Earlier, Cosmos-Maya Revenue and Corporate Strategy SVP Devdatta Potnis revealed to Animation Xpress about its areas of focus, “We’re obviously going to play on the strengths, in our case – the Asian markets to begin with. Once that grows up to a critical mass and we are able to penetrate every possible avenue within every possible country within the continent, then we will look at expanding further to America and Europe because it’s logical to extend our markets there and also because we are doing a lot of European co-productions. In Asia, China is one of the biggest markets from the consumption standpoint, and we have a dedicated person handling our business for the Chinese Market. What also works is that, once we have a greater control over the distribution, then the distribution insight itself sort of works as a fuel or a catalyst if it is not an inspiration to the content we create.”
A week ago, Cosmos-Maya also collaborated with a leading kids and family AVOD network and studio, WildBrain Spark to expand its popular non-dialogue comedy series Eena Meena Deeka on YouTube and other AVOD platforms. Seems like there’s no stopping for this studio and its famous digital arm, WOW Kidz, COVID or no COVID.
Further details to follow soon. Watch this space to know more!
