Super Audio Madras, which has developed three new animated that are targeted at preschoolers, is at MIPCOM to sell/license these shows. “We are also looking forward to understanding the pulse of the market and expanding our network of production houses,” says Kunal Daswani, Director, Super Audio Madras

What is your objective and focus at MIPCOM 2019? What will you be looking at MIPCOM?
This year we have developed three new animated IPs which are targeted at preschoolers. Our main objective this MIPCOM is to sell/license these shows. Apart from this, we are also looking forward to understanding the pulse of the market and expanding our network of production houses.

What are some of the new projects you are working on? Tell us some of the growth priorities of the company. This year our main focus was on developing our own IPs as the market for generic kids content like nursery rhymes and fairy tales is saturated. In a short span of time, we have developed three new IPs designed to appeal to different audiences. Rana and Riv is a series about twin brothers with extraordinary abilities and their adventures in a magical forest, Chota Shark is a slapstick comedy without voices that’s designed to universally appeal to all ages and Princess Mia is a female-led fantasy show with the setting and styling based in India. As for growth priorities, we want to popularize our characters so we can explore licensing and merchandising.

Tell us about the library catalogue of Super Audio.
Apart from the three new IP offerings, we create original content for children. The kind of content that will entertain, engage and educate audiences across the ages. We believe in using only the best talent for all our content. In our state-of-the-art studios, we create high-quality content that brings alive forgotten stories, revives traditional folklore, teaches stories from the Bible and Greek mythology and introduces a whole new generation to the magic of fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

What are your views on the current VOD and OTT platforms? How are audiences (especially kids) engaging with content?
While video VOD & OTT market globally has entered into the growth phase, the Indian video OTT market is at a fairly nascent stage. Smartphones and Jio have initiated a new era of content consumption in India. For the past few years, YouTube has been dominating the kids content space but as parents are now aware of certain risks that come with AVOD platforms I see the future of kids content moving to more SVOD services.

What are the biggest challenges in the business today?
Getting your content discovered is one of the biggest challenges in the business today. With technology growing at such a rapid pace, now anyone can be a creator with even a little bit of effort. Since there is so much great content available online today it is difficult to get discovered and keep the audience engaged.

Do you see still life for linear television programming — especially in the kids segment?
Linear TV is dying a slow death, especially in the kids segment. Kids have their favorite shows and characters and want to watch them on demand.

How would you like to see your company grow in the next three to five years?
Ideally, have a couple of popular IPs, invest in developing new shows & expand into more territories.