MUMBAI: With parents striving to decrease the screen time of their children across India, kids content across audio OTT platforms in the form of nursery rhymes, curated songs and podcasts have emerged as a popular non-music segment in the rapidly growing streaming industry in India.

With a rich storytelling history in the country & new digital-first content creators emerging in the media economy, there has been a 50% rise in kids content on Gaana, demonstrating much promise in content meant for kids. Besides helping reduce the screen time for kids, infotainment podcasts, nursery rhymes and a diverse song library also ensure non-fatigue content consumption for young minds. This is particularly impactful as kids enjoy limited mobility due the ongoing pandemic, and many schools being shut.

“The diverse content library keeps my kids entertained, engaged and also drives knowledge amongst my kids through their diversity. I mean, I can’t tell you how many conversations my kids have around Panchtantra ki kahani and Akbar Birbal just by listening to them on Gaana.” Sangeeta Chaudhary, the parent of a 7 year old and 5 year old said.

With so much potential, Gaana is set to add to its vast kids music & rhymes content by building the country’s largest kids’s content library while boasting of a wide range of interesting kids-related shows including Panchtantra Ki Kahaniyan, Akbar Birbal Stories- Hindi Moral Tales, Ria Rabbit's World Of Stories, My Friend Vishnu, Fairy Tales with Granny MacDuff Podcast & Aur Kuch Kahaniyan among others.

Speaking on the explosion in kids-related content, Sandeep Lodha, CEO - Gaana said, “Gaana has seen a significant rise in young listenership over the past year and a half. Looking back to the days when family entertainment meant sitting around the radio, podcasts for kids are a great way to engage the other senses (no screens!) and experience entertainment and education in a new way. Not only has Gaana seen more that 50% rise in the number of listeners, the retention rate of kids podcasts is also high as kids love coming back to the same stories again and again. A lot of education-based podcasts are also helping kids since the schools are shut and kids are looking for alternative ways of education. With the rising demands of Kids podcast, the supply has also increased significantly!”

“Ria Rabbit's World Of Stories podcast brings original, beautifully-narrated child-friendly audio stories that are not only entertaining but also promote learning, social skills, and good values. They keep children engaged while reducing screen time and also help build great listening skills. We've been closely associated with Gaana.com since our launch, and they've been greatly instrumental in popularising our podcast amongst children from all over India. Happy Children's Day! Keep listening!” Prashant Pinge, Author and CEO of Ontamo Entertainment added.

Podcasts are a great way to introduce kids to the world of spoken word. Podcasts not only help in controlling screen-times, but also in developing kids’ imagination, curiosity and listening skills. Today, we are seeing a shift in consumer behavior where younger kids are actively opting for audio content and families are spending quality time together listening to podcasts. On this children’s day, I will recommend all parents to explore podcasts for the richness and diversity of content being offered. With 45+ podcasts, Chimes Radio is today the largest Indian kids & family podcast network and Gaana is our strategic partner to distribute this content to the audience.” Gaurav Gupta, CEO - Chimes Radio agreed,

Gaana currently hosts over 30,000 diverse shows & podcasts spanning 21 categories like Comedy, Bollywood, Devotional, News, Kids, Motivational, Astrology, Business, Lifestyle & Culture and Self Help among others.