Months after Narrative Entertainment closed its POP and Tiny Pop linear channels, Indian streamer ZEE5 has teamed up with the operator to carry its kids channels and build a bigger audience among UK families.

Narrative shuttered the channels in November, arguing at the time that the economics of running free-to-air channels didn’t make sense. Though the company kept its FAST versions of the channels going, the move reduced the reach of Narrative’s content. Now, ZEE5 UK has started carrying POP (six to 10s), Tiny POP (preschool) and the FAST channel POP UP on its streaming platform, which could help get the brands back in front of a larger UK audience again, a spokesperson for Narrative tells Kidscreen. 

Before they were shut down, the channels had a wide viewership among children. In 2024, Narrative boasted that it was the largest UK commercial broadcaster, with 47% of kids reporting they watched its POP channels. Some of the shows the POP brands carry include Shasha & Milo, Total Drama Island, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic and Super Wings. 

ZEE5, meanwhile, is still a young streaming service. Launched in 2018, it is now available in more than 170 countries and carries more than 3,600 films and 1,600 series. And it hopes that this deal will set it up for growth in the UK, leveraging a “trusted” brand like POP to craft a more “inclusive viewing experience for today’s multicultural households,” said Parul Goel, ZEE Entertainment UK’s territory head for Europe, in a LinkedIn post. The UK has a large population of British Indians (roughly two million, the UK’s largest visible ethnic minority), making the country a prime market for ZEE5 growth. 

The streamer is prioritizing local partnerships and high-quality content to break into the market, which is dominated by players like the BBC and YouTube, Parul notes. “This moment reinforces what we have always believed: that scale combined with strong partnerships, local insight and great storytelling is how meaningful growth is built in mature markets like the UK.” 

As of press time, ZEE5 has not responded to Kidscreen’s request for comment.