The last decade of reinvention and recalibration of the Indian entertainment landscape, has seen one audience segment becoming marginalised: Kids! It’s a surprising omission, given how central they are to the Indian family dynamic. While adult content across streaming platforms has exploded with variety, risk-taking and cultural nuance, children’s entertainment in India remains stuck in a time capsule, dominated by characters like Chhota Bheem, Motu Patlu and Shiva, most of whom were created more than a decade ago. Given the digital-first nature of today’s kids audience, kids’ TV channels have, for a while, been in a state of quiet upkeep rather than active innovation. Which, by the way, is largely true for the entire television industry anyway. From a streaming perspective, one of the reasons for the stagnation of innovation in kids content in India lies in a simple economic truth: kids are not the ones with the wallet. In the fiercely competitive world of subscriber acquisition and retention, streaming platforms have naturally focused on content that appeals to paying adults, especially in a market like India, where household-level subscriptions are the norm. Children may be heavy consumers of content, but they’re not drivers of revenue. As a result, kids’ programming has remained an afterthought, often filled through library deals or safe, established foreign IPs. As per The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2024, more than 90 Million Indian kids (upto the age of 14 years) stream digital videos. That’s 16% of India’s digital video users, not a small segment by any means. Streaming, in theory, offers the perfect environment for kids’ content to thrive. It allows for niche targeting, non-linear consumption, and repeat viewing – all vital for engaging young audiences. But so far, platforms have used OTT more as a distribution pipe than a space for meaningful innovation. Much of the kids’ slate comprises either older Indian shows or international imports like Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol, and Cocomelon, which continue to dominate attention spans among preschoolers. The early success of Chhota Bheem after its 2008 launch signalled to major kids’ networks the untapped potential of homegrown IPs. From 2008 to 2015, Ormax’s work in the kids’ space was heavily focused on audience research for the development and testing of such characters. But in the years since, particularly after the pandemic, this focus has noticeably waned. This is why The Legend of Hanuman stands out as a rare and important exception. With its high production values, layered storytelling and mythological grounding, the JioHotstar series demonstrated that it’s possible to create original Indian animation that resonates with both children and adults. It’s one of the few recent attempts to build something ambitious and enduring in this space, and its success, across six seasons now, is proof that there is a real appetite for more. But exceptions apart, the challenge is growing. Kids today are digital natives, raised on short-form, algorithm-driven content. Platforms like YouTube have changed consumption patterns fundamentally. To hold their attention, content needs to be modular, snackable, and dynamic, but still emotionally resonant. This requires not just rethinking storytelling, but reimagining format and structure. Parents, too, are more involved in content curation on OTT, than they ever were on TV. This creates a growing appetite for high-quality ‘edutainment’ stories that not only entertain but teach, comfort, and expand emotional intelligence. India has managed to unlock new codes for adult entertainment on streaming. It’s time the same energy and imagination is applied to kids content. The opportunity isn’t just creative. A new-age Indian IP, designed for Gen Alpha and born for multi-platform storytelling, could be the next great cultural export. The wallet may not lie with the kids, but the future certainly does.