Sony YAY! to Shine with Merch, Anime, and Shin Chan in 2025

The kid's entertainment channel Sony YAY! has proclaimed 2024 as the year of innovation and growth. The channel plans to secure its position as a leader in the category with a strategic mix of important programs, expansion into new content trends, and a growing focus on merchandising.

Ronojoy Chakraborty, head of programming at Sony YAY!, informs that the channel is presently the third in the kids' content space and hopes to better that position in the coming years.

However, he has proclaimed, the channel is open to expansion beyond such platforms, regions and formats. Children are expected to be clearly at the heart of this strategy.

The highlights of 2024

According to Chakraborty, two major properties Oggy and the Cockroaches and Shin Chan emerged as the channel's key programming wins in 2024. “Both have proven to be immensely popular among kids, with Shin Chan joining the channel’s roster this year. The channel has secured not only the classic episodes but also new productions directly from Japan, ensuring a continuous stream of fresh content.”

He states that Oggy and the Cockroaches, a time-tested favourite, still forms the essence of the channel's strategy.

The channel ventured out forayed into anime with Naruto Shippuden, an access that has come up to an awesome audience-33 million across all demographics and platforms.

“Sony YAY!'s foray into anime has set a benchmark in the category. This strategic pivot aligns with the growing demand for diverse and engaging content, particularly anime, which resonates with older kids and young teens. Naruto Shippuden has been a breakthrough for us, and we’re investing in more anime shows,” he added.

According to Chakraborty, the channel capitalized on festive seasons like Diwali whereby they also launched new episodes of Shin Chan, which brought in significant viewership. The momentum continues into the winter vacations with the roll-out of fresh Shin Chan movies every Saturday, thus keeping the audience perpetually engaged.

Merchandising: A key growth lever

One of Sony YAY!’s most remarkable strategies is its focus on merchandising, as per Chakraborty.

“We’re also seeing success in licensing and merchandise for our properties. We’ve partnered with brands across categories for products like mobile accessories and apparel. Partnerships like the one with The Souled Store have been successful. We’re also exploring merchandise for Shin Chan soon,” he says.

Chakraborty adds that by leveraging beloved characters and shows, Sony YAY! vision to create a wholesome ecosystem that caters to kids both on-screen and off-screen.

The vision for 2025

Looking ahead, the channel has a clear and ambitious roadmap for 2025 and the coming years. “We aim to maintain our top-three position and grow our licensing, merchandise, and digital gaming businesses. In the long term, we aim to be the top channel in the kids' category, develop more Indian IPs, and acquire globally successful properties.”

Chakraborty adds recognising the growing demand for digital entertainment, Sony YAY! is also investing in gaming platforms.

“We have nine YouTube channels that complement our TV presence. While we focus on our core IPs, we’ve also introduced value-added services like anime channels on Tata Play and Airtel. We also have on-ground events, like the Giant Wheel Festival, that further enhance engagement.”

Chakraborty says Sony Yay!'s in-house animation studio, YAY Animation, is at the forefront of co-producing Indian animation shows designed for global audiences. It plans to introduce two new IPs in 2025. “Our content strategy is a hybrid between acquiring international IPs and producing Indian originals.”

Further, Chakraborty addresses challenges, “Upskilling talent in animation in India is a significant challenge. Creating global-standard Indian products requires skilled professionals, and we are working towards that."