After 21 years in the kids’ content game, Anu Sikka is turning the page.
Veteran media executive Anu Sikka has joined Jio Studios as head of animation, taking on a new role after a 21-year stint that saw her play a key role in shaping India’s kids entertainment landscape.
Sikka joined Viacom18 in 2006, which later became part of JioStar following the merger of Star India and Viacom18. After 21 years with the group, she has now moved to Jio Studios.
During her tenure, Sikka was instrumental in pushing locally produced animation and character-led content into the mainstream. She led the creation and development of popular properties including Motu Patlu, Shiva, Gattu Battu, Rudra, Keymon Ache and Pakdam Pakdai.
Under her leadership, the kids entertainment portfolio also developed more than 650 hours of local original content, helping build a stronger pipeline of home-grown programming.
But Sikka’s playbook was not limited to creating characters from scratch. She also oversaw the acquisition and localisation of international children’s properties, including Ninja Hattori, Oggy & the Cockroaches and Doraemon, bringing global favourites to Indian audiences.
She was also involved in adapting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for the Indian market, turning the format into an annual property for the network.
Beyond programming, Sikka’s remit stretched across strategy, scheduling, content commissioning, acquisitions, budgeting, marketing and consumer products for the kids entertainment portfolio, giving her a role across the business rather than just the content slate.
Her career in television began in current affairs programming. She worked with Newstrack (India’s pioneering video news magazine), a predecessor of Aaj Tak, followed by BiTV (BSNL Intertainment) and Tara Punjabi, a regional television channel part of the Tara network. She later headed the Delhi bureau of Sab TV (now officially known as Sony Sab), where she worked on current affairs programmes, before moving into children’s entertainment as creative director at Hungama Kids Channel.
Sikka’s industry credentials also extended beyond her executive roles. She served as a jury member for the International Emmy Awards in 2016 and 2017.
After 21 years with the group, Sikka now begins a new chapter at Jio Studios, bringing her extensive experience in kids entertainment and content to the studio.
