Indian children channel Sony Yay! is ready to introduce “CID Squad,” a first-of-its-kind animated investigative thriller that reimagines India’s iconic “CID” franchise for a brand new technology.
The challenge represents a strategic push to broaden animation’s attraction past conventional children’ programming in what the channel describes as a “world-class animated expertise with cutting-edge expertise.”
Ambesh Tiwari, enterprise head of Sony children and animation, explains the perception driving the brand new manufacturing: “We found out that the age group between 15 to 35 is presumably one of many first generations who’ve come out with a tolerance and acceptance of animated content material far greater. That is the primary Cartoon Community technology to now absolutely be mother and father.”
Based on Tiwari, this demographic shift created a chance to inform tales with characters created in India. “What if the identical [“CID”] characters of Pradyuman, Daya, Freddie, Abhijit, with their very own qualities, have been kids primarily based in at present’s world?” he asks, outlining the idea. Whereas the unique “CID” centered on homicide instances and organic crimes, “CID Squad” tackles up to date points together with self-driving automobiles, synthetic intelligence and cyber safety.
The animated sequence options Inspector Pradyuman as a 25 to 30-year-old main a workforce of youthful detectives. Not like its predecessor, which adopted senior officers fixing conventional crimes, this reimagined workforce consists of youngsters with distinct specializations. Abhijit, a 16-year-old with distinctive deduction expertise and a pointy reminiscence, makes use of his observational skills to assist construct instances. Daya, barely older than Abhijit, serves because the workforce’s muscle however is reimagined as “a gutsy coder” within the digital age. “In the true model, he’s a bodily sturdy man, however in our model, he’s a younger bloke who breaks the firewalls,” Tiwari says.
The workforce is rounded out by Fredricks, the youngest member who supplies comedian aid whereas sustaining a constructive workforce spirit, and Constable Sushil, a seasoned officer with an intensive community of informants. Dr. Salunkhe, a mechanical genius who owns a scrap store, creates ingenious devices from discarded supplies to assist the workforce’s investigations.
“The characters have a number of affinity, even at present with youthful of us,” Tiwari notes, pointing to the unique “CID’s” current profitable comeback on Sony TV and streaming platforms like Netflix. He emphasizes that the brand new iteration stands by itself benefit: “Should you don’t actually know ACP Pradyuman, you’ll decide up Inspector Pradyuman and see the best way he leads the squad.”
With 13 episodes of 22-Half-hour every in its preliminary run, “CID Squad” is being positioned as a worldwide property. “The intent is to create a worldwide property which might be syndicated the world over, with India being a large market,” Tiwari says. The sequence might be accessible within the Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Bangla languages to cater to numerous demographics throughout India.
Sony Yay! has partnered with Toonz Media Group, one in all India’s main animation studios, for manufacturing. The present’s post-production is dealt with by Eire’s Telegael, with worldwide music composers Gigi Meroni and Saveiro Rapezzi creating the soundtrack.
Sony Yay!’s strategic roadmap is guided by their “HUB technique,” guaranteeing the model turns into a one-stop vacation spot for animation. The H stands for House to the most important toons, U for Limitless avenues, and B for Breaking boundaries. This strategy has positioned Sony Yay! as one of many leaders in Indian children’ leisure by embracing the philosophy of “animation for all.”
The 2025 strategic focus areas comply with this framework: constantly rising the content material library with iconic characters and international titles; increasing touchpoints past TV by way of collaborations, merchandise and digital ecosystems; and driving India’s animation revolution with a powerful concentrate on homegrown IPs and anime growth.
Past “CID Squad,” Sony Yay! is bringing the Japanese anime sequence “Obocchama-kun” to Indian audiences by way of a Japan-India collaboration. The present’s scriptwriting stays with the Japanese workforce to retain Obocchama-kun’s authentic attraction, whereas Indian creators deal with animation manufacturing to make sure native relevance and seamless adaptation. This strategy preserves the core humor and storytelling whereas fine-tuning cultural nuances for Indian viewers.
Sony Yay! can be creating what Tiwari describes as “presumably India’s first anime sequence” primarily based on Indian mythology, at the moment code-named “Undertaking Okay.” Whereas declining to specify which mythological character might be featured, Tiwari confirmed it’s neither Kalki nor Ashwathama. “This can be a very anime story with a bit man who has some form of powers, then a full bodily transformation occurs,” he says, noting that Japanese companions are serving to construct the sequence with genuine anime storytelling parts.
These initiatives type a part of Yay! Animations’ strategic imperatives: IP manufacturing/co-production with “CID Squad” because the flagship sequence, content material creation for different platforms and international expertise collaboration. Further upcoming titles embrace “Ray,” a sequence primarily based on tales by legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, and “Karna – The Guardian,” reimagining the enduring Indian character in a brand new avatar.
The channel has additionally acquired anime titles like “Naruto,” “Naruto Shippuden,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Dr. Stone” and “Black Clover.” It has been performing strongly and is especially profitable in South India.
Sony Yay! has developed a balanced income mannequin leveraging promoting partnerships, syndication offers and licensing alternatives. The anime growth has added important worth to its choices, permitting the model to monetize throughout numerous channels. The model can be strengthening its digital presence, with 9 YouTube channels (4 show-centric Hindi-language channels and 5 regional channels) producing over 150 million viewers and 1.5 billion impressions monthly.
“What we’ve got understood — we now see the market of advertisers and licensers form of understanding the identical speculation —that it’s actually time for anime for all,” Tiwari concludes.
