ITV

Category: Kids

  • Walt Disney brings ‘High School Musical’ to India

    Walt Disney brings ‘High School Musical’ to India

    MUMBAI: The Disney channel original movie High School Musical will premiere in India on the channel on 24 September at 11 am. Customized for India’s kids, tweens and families, the dialogue and hugely popular songs are re-recorded in Hindi with Indian instruments added for Bollywood flair.

    Walt Disney Television International (India) executive director programming & production Nachiket said, High School Musical symbolises all that Disney Channel means for kids in terms of following ones dreams and believing in oneself. Millions of kids across the globe have not just cherished the movie, they have adopted it into their lives. They have learnt the dance steps, sung the songs and relate their dreams and aspirations in those of the characters and the plot of the movie.”

    “We have made the music all the more relevant to our Hindi audiences across India by adding the artistry of music industry stars including Sunidhi Chauhan, Naresh Kamath, Shweta Pandit, Neuman Pinto, director John Stewart and programmer DJ G & John Stewart”, Nachiket added.

    Disney Channel will also provide an interactive experience for kids to express themselves through a nationwide music video dance contest, My School Rocks, with announcement of audition venues and dates to be detailed Sunday, September 24 on Disney Channel, states an official release.

    Walt Disney Television International (India) Marketing & Communications director Tushar Shah said, “Research has shown the universal appeal of song and dance among all Indian kids. My School Rocks will be a first of its kind event that will celebrate the talent of kids while providing them a nationwide platform for translating their dreams into reality. We are excited about the response this event has already garnered among advertisers and sponsors.”

    The initiative includes dance along interstitials, a viewer poll and ultimately, the televising of the winning school’s music video. My School Rocks will be offered to 500 schools in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Ahmedabad and Amritsar wherein principals and arts teachers will be presented with the High School Musical kit complete with the VCD, lyric sheets, instructional dance moves and more, the release adds.

    The events in each metro will be spread across two days, videotaped by Disney Channel and judged by celebrity choreographers who will designate individual city winners. Those winners will travel to Mumbai, receive professional dance training and have their school music videos open to a viewer poll. The winning school’s team will then star in a special My School Rocks music video to premiere Monday, December 25th on Disney Channel.

    Packed with laughter, memorable songs and spectacular dancing, High School Musical tells the story of two high school students – Troy, a popular basketball player and Gabriella, a shy, brainy newcomer – who share a secret passion for singing. When these two seemingly polar opposites decide to join forces and go out for the lead roles in the school musical, it wreaks havoc on East High’s rigid social order. In a desperate effort to maintain the status quo, the school’s various cliques conspire to separate the pair and keep them from performing. But by defying expectations and pursuing their dreams, Troy and Gabriella inspire other students to go public with some surprising hidden talents of their own.

    Since its premiere on January 20, the movie televised 14 times on Disney Channel US and was seen by over 40 million unduplicated total viewers, approximately 21 million households, 11.0 million Kids 6-11 and 11.6 million Tweens 9-14. The TV movie has delivered best-ever ratings on Disney Channels in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. It has also been licensed by free to air broadcasters including Australia’s Seven Network (where it was #1 in the timeslot) and in December, will air on the BBC in the UK. By the end of the year, it will reach over 100 countries.

    In the US, the Platinum-selling High School Musical soundtrack is the #1 album of the year, having sold more than 3.5 million units. It is also Platinum-selling in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines and Mexico and Gold selling in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Argentina, Chile and Colombia, the release further informs.

  • Cartoon Network to set up interactive Internet sites

    Cartoon Network to set up interactive Internet sites

    Cartoon Network plans regional websites in different regions across the Asia Pacific. The network will launch a site for Australia by mid year. Other sites planned are for India in English, Taiwan in Mandarin and so on.

    Turner International’s Hema Govindan said that the key difference between the TV channel and the site will be new, interactive elements introduced via the World Premier Tool.

    “For instance, hypothetically speaking, in a chat room, Johnny Bravo will have a dialogue with people visiting our website. It will also be specific to the country the website is being built for. The cultural cues will be very , very different. The characters we champion, the interactive elements will be different.” Govindan said that the net could consider regional sites in Indian languages at a later stage, similar to it’s channel strategy.

    She added that the channel penetration’s was 10 million at present, and plans were to extend penetration beyond urban India. “The tune in will only come with more localisation and customisation. We are also looking at initiatives like Get Tooned, when we actually animated five Indian kids and put them on air as interstentials.”

    The channel has featured five kids in Australia and New Zealand, five in South East Asia, 5 in Taiwan and five in India. Research has shown that Indian kids would like to see winners. Because of that, the channel plans to showcase more Indian kids as winners in cartoon form in the new future.

  • Nick scores hat trick with new shows on board













    MUMBAI: Kids TV channel Nick has launched three new shows in different time bands. Two of the shows rolled out this month specifically cater to pre-schoolers.


    The new shows which include Fetch the Vet, Kiri the Clown and Ninja Hattori promises to give kids a wide variety of humour, music and learning from the best in the world.


    Fetch the Vet is a pre-school show about Tom Fetch, a veterinarian who runs a clinic in a small country town. Tom is the first person the townsfolk go to for any pet-related problem and he‘s happy to give them his attention and affection. This show will be telecast at 1pm from Monday to Saturday.


    Kiri the Clown is a colourful animation show based on the book series. Kiri travels from town to town with Pip‘lett the Parrot, Rabitus the Cat and Laura the Ballerina who perform in a little circus and are best pals. The gags, magic, songs, dances and slap stick humour in the show have been designed for pre-schoolers. It will be telecast at 10.30am from Monday to Saturday.



    The third show Ninja Hattori is a story about Ken, an ordinary boy who befriends a little ninja called Hattori who‘s anything but normal! He has the powers of a supreme ninja so that he can speed like a rocket, sleep on the ceiling and know martial arts at the back of his fast hand! This show will be telecast at 6.30pm from Monday to Friday.


    The bevy of new shows the channel has been launching since the beginning of the year – ten in all – seems to have borne fruit with the channel showing an over 500 per cent rise in TVR and doubling its reach over the same period last year. The new shows are expected to take the channel even higher, states an official release.


    Nick launched in India in 1999 as a multi-genre kids‘ TV channel and today claims to be viewed in over 23 million households in the country. Its content for 2-14 year olds includes animated series, live-action shows, comedy, popular game shows (including the locally produced Dum Duma Dum and Gili Gili Gappa), hosted shows and live-action-cum-animation series, J Bole Toh Jadoo

  • Nick scores hat trick with new shows on board

    Nick scores hat trick with new shows on board

    MUMBAI: Kids TV channel Nick has launched three new shows in different time bands. Two of the shows rolled out this month specifically cater to pre-schoolers.

    The new shows which include Fetch the Vet, Kiri the Clown and Ninja Hattori promises to give kids a wide variety of humour, music and learning from the best in the world.

    Fetch the Vet is a pre-school show about Tom Fetch, a veterinarian who runs a clinic in a small country town. Tom is the first person the townsfolk go to for any pet-related problem and he’s happy to give them his attention and affection. This show will be telecast at 1pm from Monday to Saturday.

    Kiri the Clown is a colourful animation show based on the book series. Kiri travels from town to town with Pip’lett the Parrot, Rabitus the Cat and Laura the Ballerina who perform in a little circus and are best pals. The gags, magic, songs, dances and slap stick humour in the show have been designed for pre-schoolers. It will be telecast at 10.30am from Monday to Saturday.

    The third show Ninja Hattori is a story about Ken, an ordinary boy who befriends a little ninja called Hattori who’s anything but normal! He has the powers of a supreme ninja so that he can speed like a rocket, sleep on the ceiling and know martial arts at the back of his fast hand! This show will be telecast at 6.30pm from Monday to Friday.

    The bevy of new shows the channel has been launching since the beginning of the year – ten in all – seems to have borne fruit with the channel showing an over 500 per cent rise in TVR and doubling its reach over the same period last year. The new shows are expected to take the channel even higher, states an official release.

    Nick launched in India in 1999 as a multi-genre kids’ TV channel and today claims to be viewed in over 23 million households in the country. Its content for 2-14 year olds includes animated series, live-action shows, comedy, popular game shows (including the locally produced Dum Duma Dum and Gili Gili Gappa), hosted shows and live-action-cum-animation series, J Bole Toh Jadoo.

  • FCC schedules Kids TV hearing for 26 September

    MUMBAI: The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to reconsider its children‘s TV rules in light of changes suggested by a group of broadcasters and activists. According to an Associated Press report, the commission has scheduled the issue for its 26 September open meeting.



    The organisation had issued new children‘s TV rules for the digital age in 2005. But, after facing resistence from various sides, the body had stayed the effective date of the rules.


    As per the report, the commission is expected to approve some version of the deal, which heads off lawsuits filed by both kids-TV activists and media companies.

  • FCC schedules Kids TV hearing for 26 September

    FCC schedules Kids TV hearing for 26 September

    MUMBAI: The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to reconsider its children’s TV rules in light of changes suggested by a group of broadcasters and activists. According to an Associated Press report, the commission has scheduled the issue for its 26 September open meeting.

    The organisation had issued new children’s TV rules for the digital age in 2005. But, after facing resistence from various sides, the body had stayed the effective date of the rules.

    As per the report, the commission is expected to approve some version of the deal, which heads off lawsuits filed by both kids-TV activists and media companies.

  • Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group launch online community ParentsConnect.com

    Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group launch online community ParentsConnect.com

    MUMBAI: Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group have launched ParentsConnect.com exclusively for parents and caregivers of kids of all ages. ParentsConnect is a new online community that will connect parents to each other and to the advice they seek in an easy-to-use format. The announcement was made by Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon and Head of MTVN Kids and Family Group.

    “The first generation of ‘Nick kids’ are now having families of their own. They know and trust us, and we want to serve them as parents just as we served them as kids,” said Zarghami. “ParentsConnect puts parents in touch with the real parenting experts-each other.”

    With many personalized features, ParentsConnect enables users to search for parent-to-parent advice and activities by their kids’ ages and stages, city/location and personal interests. Each parent can develop a customized home page that updates dynamically each visit with local activities, relevant news, discussion postings and more. Parents can also use discussion boards to connect with each other and share parenting advice, experiences or laughs, informs an official release.

    “This is another step in our company’s online strategy to super-serve passionate, targeted audiences … in this case, parents … with engaging and immersive new experiences,” said MTV Networks chairman and CEO Judy McGrath. “You connect to people and information that really speak to parenthood and family, with Nickelodeon’s personality and humour.”

    The ParentsConnect communities are led by Host Parents, a team of 20 trained moderators who are actual parents, chosen for their backgrounds, life experiences and writing abilities. Each Host Parent will provide member parents with assistance in using the site, maintain a personal blog, and recommend articles or links to useful information. In addition, ParentsConnect members may set up their own blogs and profile pages, as well as search member profiles and recommend articles or links to information they consider useful to other parents. The GoCityKids website, recently acquired by Nickelodeon, will be also be featured on ParentsConnect as the online guide to local family destinations, activities and events.

    “We designed ParentsConnect to be the most useful parenting site,” said NickJr.com and ParentsConnect general manager Kyra Reppen. “With distinct features such as localized content through GoCityKids, the ability for members to build their own customized home pages and choose only what’s relevant to them, and advice that comes from real parents with first-hand experience, rather than professionals, ParentsConnect is truly unique.”

    ParentsConnect’s public beta launches with an online advertising campaign and charter sponsorships from marketers such as Nissan North America. The ParentsConnect site will feature display advertising as well as contextual, integrated and direct marketing opportunities, developed and sponsored by various marketers. OMD handled the media buying and planning for the Nissan/ParentsConnect deal, states the release.

    Nissan vice president marketing Jan Thompson said, “Through our partnership with ParentsConnect, we’re excited to associate ourselves with content that has a high level of engagement for our consumers. We also hope to reach parents who are early adopters and will identify with Nissan’s forward-thinking technology and design of its products.”

    In fourth quarter 2006, ParentsConnect will launch ParentsConnect TV which will have broadband video with user submitted content. It will also roll out local discussion boards, user- created polls and clubs, newsletters based on specific community interests, from recipes to travel, as well as enhanced social networking features.

  • Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group launch online community ParentsConnect.com













    MUMBAI: Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group have launched ParentsConnect.com exclusively for parents and caregivers of kids of all ages. ParentsConnect is a new online community that will connect parents to each other and to the advice they seek in an easy-to-use format. The announcement was made by Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon and Head of MTVN Kids and Family Group.


    “The first generation of ‘Nick kids‘ are now having families of their own. They know and trust us, and we want to serve them as parents just as we served them as kids,” said Zarghami. “ParentsConnect puts parents in touch with the real parenting experts-each other.”


    With many personalized features, ParentsConnect enables users to search for parent-to-parent advice and activities by their kids‘ ages and stages, city/location and personal interests. Each parent can develop a customized home page that updates dynamically each visit with local activities, relevant news, discussion postings and more. Parents can also use discussion boards to connect with each other and share parenting advice, experiences or laughs, informs an official release.



    “This is another step in our company‘s online strategy to super-serve passionate, targeted audiences … in this case, parents … with engaging and immersive new experiences,” said MTV Networks chairman and CEO Judy McGrath. “You connect to people and information that really speak to parenthood and family, with Nickelodeon‘s personality and humour.”


    The ParentsConnect communities are led by Host Parents, a team of 20 trained moderators who are actual parents, chosen for their backgrounds, life experiences and writing abilities. Each Host Parent will provide member parents with assistance in using the site, maintain a personal blog, and recommend articles or links to useful information. In addition, ParentsConnect members may set up their own blogs and profile pages, as well as search member profiles and recommend articles or links to information they consider useful to other parents. The GoCityKids website, recently acquired by Nickelodeon, will be also be featured on ParentsConnect as the online guide to local family destinations, activities and events.


    “We designed ParentsConnect to be the most useful parenting site,” said NickJr.com and ParentsConnect general manager Kyra Reppen. “With distinct features such as localized content through GoCityKids, the ability for members to build their own customized home pages and choose only what‘s relevant to them, and advice that comes from real parents with first-hand experience, rather than professionals, ParentsConnect is truly unique.”


    ParentsConnect‘s public beta launches with an online advertising campaign and charter sponsorships from marketers such as Nissan North America. The ParentsConnect site will feature display advertising as well as contextual, integrated and direct marketing opportunities, developed and sponsored by various marketers. OMD handled the media buying and planning for the Nissan/ParentsConnect deal, states the release.


    Nissan vice president marketing Jan Thompson said, “Through our partnership with ParentsConnect, we‘re excited to associate ourselves with content that has a high level of engagement for our consumers. We also hope to reach parents who are early adopters and will identify with Nissan‘s forward-thinking technology and design of its products.”


    In fourth quarter 2006, ParentsConnect will launch ParentsConnect TV which will have broadband video with user submitted content. It will also roll out local discussion boards, user- created polls and clubs, newsletters based on specific community interests, from recipes to travel, as well as enhanced social networking features.

  • Nick enters into publishing deal with Activision for CD Roms

    MUMBAI: US kids channel Nickelodeon has entered into a distribution agreement with Activision.


    Activision will be the exclusive distributor of three new Nick Jr. PC CD-ROM titles, published by Nickelodeon and based on the preschool series Dora The Explorer, The Backyardigans, and Go, Diego, Go!. The titles will be available
    later this month.



    Dave Oxford, General Manager for Activision Value Publishing


    Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family VP, digital media products Paul Jelinek says, “This is an exciting digital initiative for Nickelodeon since it is the first time our company is publishing computer games on a cross platform.


    “With a leading partner like Activision on-board to distribute these original Nick published games, based on some of our leading preschool properties, we are now able to fulfill consumer demand for this kind of entertainment both online and at retail.”

  • Disney Records celebrates 50 years; unveils classics on iTunes, ‘The Music Behind the Magic’ CD & exhibition

    MUMBAI: In celebration of the 50th anniversary, Walt Disney Records has lined up a preservation and restoration process for the label‘s earliest classic recordings and an archival CD collection and exhibition titled The Music Behind the Magic.


    As part of this celebration, the label will begin releasing these restored titles and will be available through digital outlets, including iTunes, marking the release of Disneyland and Buena Vista records. The vast quantity of archive song material consists of classic Disney songs, original material performed by popular artists of the day and movie soundtracks. These songs will be digitally restored beyond the sonic brilliance of the original masters, allowing them to sound better than they did when they were first issued nearly 50 years ago, informs an official release.


    Walt Disney Records‘ The Archive Collection is a special iTunes digital-only release featuring 50 WDR recordings from a wide range of artists including, Cliff Edwards (voice of Jiminy Cricket), Mary Martin, Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, Louis Prima, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Armstrong, Little Richard, Peter Frampton, They Might Be Giants, The Cheetah Girls and many more. The Archive Collection will be available on iTunes beginning November 7.



    In addition to the digital releases, the label will also unveil a special two disc commemorative edition, Disney‘s The Music Behind the Magic. The collection highlights 50 of the most loved musical classics from movies, television shows, theme parks, Broadway musicals and unique WDR recordings.


    These will include, Some Day My Prince Will Come from Snow White (first soundtrack), When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio (theme song for TWDC), The Ballad of Davy Crockett (first single from a television show), Tall Paul by Annette Funicello (the label‘s first teen sensation), tracks from Mary Poppins (album held the #1 position on Billboard‘s Top 200 Chart for 14 weeks) and Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King (soundtrack earned WDR its first Diamond Award from the RIAA, certifying sales of 10 million units), adds the release.


    The 50th anniversary celebration will continue as Walt Disney Records‘ and The Walt Disney Company‘s legacy is brought to life with an exhibit, also titled Disney: The Music Behind the Magic. Opening 5 November, the exhibit will be housed at Seattle‘s Experience Music Project (EMP) for one year before traveling to cities across the U.S. and around the world.


    Disney: The Music Behind the Magic claims to be the first comprehensive exhibit devoted to exploring and examining the role music has played in The Walt Disney Company‘s successes and its cultural impact over the past 80 years.


    “There is no other record label in the history of the industry with as diverse and eclectic a catalog as Walt Disney Records,” said Walt Disney Records Sr vice president/general manager Robert Marick. “Our catalog is comprised of 15,000 recordings including releases from a variety of superstars from every era — from Louis Armstrong to Peggy Lee to Annette Funicello and Christina Aguilera.”


    Marick adds, “Music has always played an integral role in the success of all facets of The Walt Disney Company. The Experience Music Project exhibit captures, for the very first time, the lasting legacy and impact Disney has made in the music industry and pop culture around the world. The exhibit, along with our catalog preservation efforts, Commemorative Edition two-disc release and Billboard Tribute Issue are terrific ways to celebrate the label‘s 50th Anniversary.”


    Since its launch as Disneyland Records by Walt and Roy Disney in 1956, the label has earned more than 275 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards from the R.I.A.A., 22 Grammys and 18 Academy Awards. The label started as an extension of The Walt Disney Company‘s film, television and theme park projects. Well-known offerings such as High School Musical (3x platinum), the Disneymania franchise (3 million units), The Lion King franchise (15+ million units) and Mary Poppins (3x platinum) showcase the enduring popularity of WDR‘s catalog, with several releases ranking among the top-selling singles and soundtracks of all time.


    Details of the label‘s contribution to the music industry and The Walt Disney Company for its 50th celebration will be featured in the forthcoming Billboard Magazine Tribute issue, on sale 4 November.