ITV

Category: Kids

  • FY-2015: Zee Learn reports profit; adds 500+ franchisee partners

    FY-2015: Zee Learn reports profit; adds 500+ franchisee partners

    BENGALURU: The Essel group’s education company Zee Learn Limited reported profit after tax (PAT) in FY-2015 as well as across all the four quarters of fiscal 2014-15 (AY-2015-16).

     

    Additionally, the company has also added more than 500 pre-school franchisee partners in FY-2015.

     

    For the current year, the company reported PAT of Rs 9.62 crore (7.9 per cent of Total Income from operations or TIO) as compared to a loss of Rs 1.33 crore in FY-2014. For Q4-2015, the company reported a PAT of Rs 3.81 crore 9.2 per cent of TIO) as compared to a loss of Rs 1.73 crore in Q4-2014 and more than three times (3.48 ties) the PAT of Rs 1.09 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 Lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore

     

    The company’s TIO in FY-2015 at Rs 121.58 crore was two per cent more than the Rs 119.18 crore in FY-2014. TIO in Q4-2015 was 6.8 per cent more at Rs 41.69 crore than the Rs 39.04 crore in Q4-2014 and was more than double (2.1 times) the TIO of Rs 19.84 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Zee Learn CEO K V S Seshasai said, “The company has shown significant profit after tax, both for current quarter and for the 12 month period. The improved performance is the result of increase in enrolments in Kidzee centres by 18 per cent and by 38 per cent in MLZS during FY-2015 vis-?-vis FY-2014. For the first time, the company has added more than 500 pre-school franchisee partners. Our top line looks muted on account of transferring the operations of servicing educational content of television channel ZeeQ to its group company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, and due to planned de-growth in non-core businesses.”

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Zee Learn:

     

    Zee Learn’s total expenditure (TE) FY-2015 at Rs 103.45 crore (85.1 per cent of TIO) was 10.4 per cent less than the Rs 115.45 crore (96.9 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014.TE in Q4-2015 at Rs 36.18 crore (86.8 per cent of TIO) was 5.3 per cent lower than the Rs 38.18 crore (97.8 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 and was more than double (2.14 times) the Rs 16.91 crore (85.2 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.

     

    The company’s marketing, advertisement and publicity expense (marketing expense) for FY-2015 at Rs 14.05 crore (11.6 per cent of TIO) was 2.5 per cent lower than the Rs 13.71 crore (11.5 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014.

     

    In Q4-2105, marketing expense of Rs 8.6 crore (20.6 per cent of IO) was 37.2 per cent more than the Rs 6.27 crore (16.1 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 and more than six times (6.14 times) the Rs 1.41 crore (7.1 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.

     

    Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) FY-2015 at Rs 24.95 crore (20.5 per cent of TIO) was 20.2 per cent lower than the Rs 31.27 crore (26.2 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014.In Q4-2015, EBE at Rs 6.05 crore (14.5 per cent of TIO) was 24.8 per cent lower than the Rs 8.05 crore in Q4-2014 and 4.5 per cent lower than the Rs 6.33 crore in the year ago quarter.

     

    In FY-2015, Zee Learn’s operating cost at Rs 3.2 crore (2.6 per cent of TIO) was 13.4 per cent lower than the Rs 3.69 crore (3.1 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014.Operating cost in Q4-2015 at Rs 1.25 crore (three per cent of TIO) was 1.2 per cent lower than the Rs 1.27 crore in Q4-2014 and 66.6 per cent more than the Rs 0.75 crore (3.8 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.

     

    Other expense in FY-2015 at Rs 23.30 crore (19.1 per cent of TIO) was 8.7 per cent lower than the Rs 25.41 crore (21.3 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014. Other expense in Q4-2015 at Rs 7.41 crore (17.8 per cent of TIO) was 8.6 per cent lower than the Rs 8.11 crore (20.8 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 and 71.8 per cent more than the Rs 4.31 crore (21.7 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.

  • Cartoon Network launches original production series ‘Clarence’ in India

    Cartoon Network launches original production series ‘Clarence’ in India

    Strap: The original animated comedy series from Cartoon Network Studios will premiere on 1 June, 2015 at 5 pm.

     

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network has launched its original production series Clarence in India. The original animated comedy series from Cartoon Network Studios will premiere on 1 June, 2015 and will air on weekdays at 5 pm on Cartoon Network.

     

    Comprising of 24 episodes of 15 minutes each, Clarence was conceived as a part of the shorts development program at Cartoon Network Studios, which has resulted in six original series for the network, including Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe.

     

    Clarence follows a spirited, quirky boy who always sees the best in all things. When everyone else turns right, Clarence turns left… into a wall – but he keeps on going. Daily life is a fun and thrilling adventure for Clarence and his friends. There’s streetwise Sumo, slightly neurotic Jeff and his sassy mum Mary.

     

    Set in small-town Aberdale, the stories are inspired by and celebrate real life triumphs and tragedies from childhood: epic dirt fights, sleepover pranks, secret tree forts and many more. Through the eyes of Clarence, and in his chubby little hands, these tales always veer off the main road, if not off the map entirely.

  • Turner, Sesame Workshop launch preschool educational series ‘Chamki Ki Duniya’

    Turner, Sesame Workshop launch preschool educational series ‘Chamki Ki Duniya’

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting and Sesame Workshop have joined hands to launch a new preschool educational series called Chamki Ki Duniya, which will be aired on Pogo.

     

    Chamki Ki Duniya, which is the second venture between Turner and Sesame Workshop, will air on weekdays at 8:30 am. Kuala Lumpur based animation studio Inspidea has been commissioned for the animation of the series.

     

    Prior to this, Turner and Sesame Workshop had partnered to create five seasons of Galli Galli Sim Sim, the Indian adaptation of the popular American series, Sesame Street.

     

    Turner International Asia Pacific chief content officer – kids networks Mark Eyers said, “Chamki Ki Duniya is a unique show that not only will be the first completely animated series by Sesame Street, but will also encourage social and emotional development of children in a narrative that is fun and entertaining. Turner has always believed in setting benchmarks for creating innovative and engaging content. With the largest portfolio of local content in the kids’ genre, we strive to create content and characters that resonate with children.”

     

    Chamki Ki Duniya takes young viewers on a journey with five-year-old Chamki, an adventurous and inquisitive schoolgirl, anxious to learn more about the world. A warm, sensitive and friendly girl, Chamki is always surrounded by her group of friends from the galli, who love playing games, making music and solving mysteries around them.

     

    The show addresses topics such as early literacy, creative thinking and reasoning, family and community life, healthy habits, appreciating cultural plurality and many more via compelling and humorous stories, music and art. The series is targeted towards children between two and six years of age.

     

    “It’s wonderful to work with Turner and Inspidea to bring the beloved Chamki Muppet to kids and families in this beautiful new animation. Being smart means knowing so much more than letters and numbers. Chamki Ki Duniya’s curriculum is designed to engage the whole child and seeks to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder,” said Sesame Workshop India managing director Sashwati Banerjee.

     

    Inspidea managing director Andrew Ooi added, “We are delighted to have partnered with Turner and Sesame Workshop in producing this path breaking series that aims to subtly and humorously educate children. After detailed research and development with Turner and Sesame Street, we created a visual style for Chamki Ki Duniya, which is charming yet playful that can resonate with Indian audiences and be culturally relevant.”

     

    Chamki Ki Duniya is sponsored by MetLife Foundation as part of its global “Dream, Save, Do: Financial Empowerment for Families” campaign. Part of the content in the series is intended to improve knowledge, language and strategies on financial literacy and increase the dialogue between parents and children to help them make informed choices around spending, saving and sharing to help them realize their financial and non-financial goals.

  • Kids’ genre is highly dependent on library content: Turner’s Ravindranath

    Kids’ genre is highly dependent on library content: Turner’s Ravindranath

    MUMBAI: The kids’ genre is the third largest genre in the country in terms of viewership. Turner commanded 36.3 per cent Relative Share in 2014 with Cartoon Network at No. 1 and POGO No. 2.

     

    Turner International India vice president ad sales South Asia Juhi Ravindranath spoke to Indiantelevision.com at length about the changes in scope of advertising on kids’ channels and changes that the industry has seen over the last decade.

     

    While a large chunk of advertisers on kids channels are traditionally kids’ brands, the genre has recently witnessed a spurt in non-traditional brands that have come on board to tap the potential that kids offer as audiences. Kids today play a key role as influencers in the family’s decision making.

     

    Ravindranath said, “If you see the total television viewership pie, the kids’ genre commands about seven per cent of the ratings. However, it is highly under monetized as the revenue it rakes in is only three per cent. But with growing influence of children in household decisions and increase in co-viewing, advertisers are beginning to understand the importance of the kids’ genre. Thus, there has been a surge in unconventional categories that come on the channel to engage kids and parents.”

     

    She added, “Since kids’ brands form only five to six per cent of all brands, the growth for this genre is also being driven by non-kids brand categories. Till now largely driven by FMCGs targeting mothers through co viewing in the household, of late we have seen unconventional categories such as automobiles, e- commerce, insurance, etc. Last year, non- traditional advertisers formed about fifty to sixty per cent of all the advertisers on our channels.”

     

    Turner via its kids’ channels – Cartoon Network and POGO, has been driving innovation in terms of ad sales solutions provided to its clients.

     

    Talking about the innovations with brands, Ravindranath said, “Over the years, we have done many innovations on Cartoon Network and POGO. For instance, with Honda we not only did customized spots in which Chhota Bheem promoted road safety but also developed a meet and greet opportunity with Chhota Bheem across the country to gratify winners. Last year, Kellogg’s Chocos partnered with POGO to create a four-part series featuring the Kellogg’s mascot Coco and Chhota Bheem. This not only made for compelling content but also integrated the brand messaging in a subtle and unusual manner. We also partnered with clients like Perfetti and Jungle Magic on Adventures of Sholay.  Going forward, we will continue to focus on offering our clients such unique opportunities to interact with our characters.”

     

    On-ground activities are also a part of Turner’s strategy to entertain and engage its audience and provide a platform to brands to advertise. Turner has been conducting School Contact Programs for Cartoon Network and POGO since the past decade. Every year, through unique concepts, they reach over a million kids across 1000 school throughout India. The annual quarter four events undertaken in November/December also provide brands an opportunity to engage with thousands of kids and parents.

     

    On the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) order on ad cap, Ravindranath said, “The TRAI inventory cap has definitely helped channels grow rates and balance inventory across dayparts and months in a more planned manner.

  • Disney opens first & largest store in the world in China

    Disney opens first & largest store in the world in China

    MUMBAI: Disney Store has opened the doors of its flagship store in the popular Lujiazui area of Pudong, Shanghai, China.

     

    The landmark store is the largest retail space of any Disney Store in the world featuring 5000 square meters of immersive shopping experiences and innovative product, and also features an outdoor plaza.

     

    “We couldn’t be more delighted to open our first Disney Store in China, in Shanghai. Disney Store plays a critical role in how millions around the world experience our brand and allows kids, young adults and families to have a uniquely fun and immersive experience while shopping for their favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars products,” said The Walt Disney Company, Asia-Pacific president Paul Candland.

     

    The Chinese characters representing the specific date and time chosen to open its doors to the public – 20 May at 1:14 p.m., represents highly popular social media code among young people as a time to openly express love and long-term commitment to each other.

     

    In a momentous week for The Walt Disney Company in China, the opening of the Disney Store in Shanghai comes one day after the topping of the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort, which is due to open next year.

     

    “We want to thank the people of Shanghai for welcoming us to the City and could think of no better way than to open the store on 20 May at 1314 hours,” said Candland.

     

    With an estimated 40 million tourists visiting the Lujiazui area each year, the Disney Store, with its product range and entertaining, immersive and innovative design elements, is looking to become a meeting point among locals contributing to Shanghai’s reputation as a family, business, cultural, entertainment and tourism destination.

     

    “We welcome the first Disney Store in China to Shanghai’s Pudong District and are excited about the unique role it will play to bring a new energy to Lujiazui. The Disney store is a stunning new landmark of retail, tourism and culture in China,” added Pudong government deputy governor Jian Danian.

     

    The interior of the Shanghai Store was designed using Disney’s award-winning, innovative format, featuring elements unique to the area that will surprise and delight Guests and bring to life the most popular characters from across Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

     

    The store has numerous design features unique to Shanghai which include: a Disney Magic Kingdom Castle; a Marvel area with hand-sculpted statues of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and an 8-foot-tall Hulk; a character balloon area with one-of-a kind sculpted hot-air balloons featuring Disney characters; unique Mickey Mouse-shaped roof sculpted with over 8,000 LED lights visible from key tourism vantage points such as the Pearl Tower; and a landscaped plaza amongst others.

     

    Additionally, to mark the opening of its first Store in the country, The Walt Disney Company in China has announced a $100,000 (RMB620 000) charitable donation to the Shanghai Charity Foundation (Pudong Chapter) to support programs that benefit kids and families in the Pudong District, where the store is located.

     

    “Disney is proud to support our local community and do what we can to help bring happiness and magic to kids and families in need,” said The Walt Disney Company in China chairman Stanley Cheung.

  • Discovery Kids joins Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign

    Discovery Kids joins Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign

    MUMBAI: Kids channel Discovery Kids has received praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its support to the Swachh Bharat campaign. In his tweet, Modi praised Discovery Kids’ initiative and expressed confidence that it will inspire many others to join in making India clean.

    Discovery Networks Asia Pacific executive vice president and general manager, South Asia & Southeast Asia Rahul Johri said, “It is a great honour to be appreciated by Respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Discovery Kids believes in entertaining and enriching the lives of children through its programmes and viewer initiatives. Discovery will spread the message of ‘Swachh Bharat’ through its portfolio of channels reaching over 270 million cumulative households across the length and breadth of India.”

    He further added, “Kisna is one of the favourite characters in Indian homes and I am confident he will attract young and old Indians in equal measure to further strengthen this movement.”

    Discovery Kids joined Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat campaign by launching an on-air Public Service Announcement (PSA) for its young viewers to make India clean and beautiful.  Kisna, kids’ favourite character on television, encourages viewers to change their habits and keep their city clean. Kisna is seen calling upon the young children to inculcate good habits by not littering on the streets and using garbage bins to make India clean. Discovery Kids is reaching out to kids during the summer holidays to spread the message of Swachh Bharat with the loveable Kisna in malls and entertainment parks across the country.

  • Turner Broadcasting launches new data cloud

    Turner Broadcasting launches new data cloud

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting is partnering with data management platforms to develop its own Turner Data Cloud (TDC), the company’s advanced data management platform (DMP) designed to power digital and linear advertising campaigns across the company’s portfolio of entertainment, news, sports and kids brands.

     

    Advertisers and their agencies can choose to transact directly and programmatically depending on their unique campaign goals and business objectives.

     

    “We are building on our best-in-class data offerings through continued investment across all spaces that allow our brands and partners to better engage with consumers. We are committed to driving business results for our advertising partners, and producing mechanisms that continue to allow for a data agnostic approach,” said Turner Broadcasting Ad Sales president Donna Speciale.

     

    Turner chief data strategist Stephano Kim added, “Turner Data Cloud will now become Turner’s central repository of data, spanning digital and linear ecosystems. This system allows our sales division to effectively bring to market powerful campaigns across all screens, and all formats. Advertisers and their agencies can now transact in any format they prefer, with any data source they choose, including their own first party data.”

     

    Turner Data Cloud will allow advertisers the ability to harness the power of their first party data in addition to third party data to effectively engage consumers and reach the right audience across Turner – a portfolio spanning television, digital and mobile platforms that reach approximately 75 per cent of all Americans. With ecosystems that interact with all consumer touch points, across all of Turner’s premium content channels, Turner Data Cloud will power the company’s premium marketplace utilizing the high impact, premium reach and targeted performance the company has become known for with advertising partners.

  • Anurag Basu to helm ‘Stories by Rabindranath Tagore’ for Epic

    Anurag Basu to helm ‘Stories by Rabindranath Tagore’ for Epic

    MUMBAI: In order to connect better with the audiences, segmented Hindi entertainment channel Epic is gearing up to launch a series that masterfully recreates the magic of old Bengal through some of Rabindranath Tagore’s short stories and novels.

     

    ‘Stories by Rabindranath Tagore’ showcasing ‘epic’ tales like Choker Bali, Charulata, Atithi and Kabuliwala amongst others will bring intricately etched characters created by Tagore to the small screen. The series will be directed by filmmaker Anurag Basu, who has to his credit movies like Barfi and Life in a Metro. 

     

    Through this series, the characters of Tagore’s stories will spring into life through Basu’s imagination and vision.

     

    Set in a politically volatile period, the stories are constantly shifting in the social world of the early 20th century in undivided Bengal. The hub of new India, Calcutta is the melting pot where the protagonists are pouring in from their rural, social and cultural spaces to encourage this upcoming new world.

     

    Talking about the show, Epic founder and managing director Mahesh Samat says that he has always been a big admirer of Tagore and his work. “Many of Tagore’s stories are perfect for television and after discussing the thought with Basu, I felt that it would be a great fit for Epic. With Basu, we found the perfect synergy in vision and passion for recreating Tagore’s stories for television. In fact, he wanted to do this for the past 10 years. The show looks great. Let’s hope the viewers enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it for them,” said Samat.

     

    Basu retains Tagore’s style of narrative even in the visual medium and enhances words of his pages by bringing in talent that truly captures the essence of each his beloved characters. Unlike ordinary characters, these personalities pack a rebellious punch.

     

    The filmmaker delves deeper into this society in transition, with songs, music, cultural references and its newfound political and social manifestations, a little more than the actual described world within Tagore’s narratives.

     

    Keeping in line with the channel strategy, Stories by Rabindranath Tagore is a finite series with 26 episodes and is slated to hit the television screens in July this year.

     

    The channel has been in active conversation with its viewers since its launch in November last year. “A feedback we received was to recreate stories of iconic authors and this lead us to develop Stories by Rabindranath Tagore. As we go forward, we are going to explore many other authors.”

     

    Epic is leaving no stones unturned to market the big-budget property. The channel released the show’s first look recently on Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday (9 May). The first look has already grabbed eyeballs of close to 78,000 views on YouTube at the time of writing the article.

     

    “Since 9 May was the Bengali birthday of Tagore and Basu, it was the ideal day to release the first look of the show. We’ve got people talking about the show and it’s going strong. We will maintain the momentum till the show launches. There’s a lot more coming up but I wouldn’t want to kill the surprise so early. Needless to say, this show is an important part of our overall plans,” informs Samat.

     

    Stories by Rabindranath Tagore has talented actors like Amrita Puri and Radhika Apte on board, who have played key roles in the self-titled stories, Charulata and Chokher Bali respectively. Epic will be working closely with the actors to keep the buzz going.

     

    Media planners are gung-ho about the show. Maxus managing partner Navin Khemka believes that it is a great concept and Tagore’s stories are popular. “If produced well, the show could drive eyeballs to the channel. It will click with the mature audiences. The buzz on the channel is positive. A lot of sampling is happening. If this program drives stickiness for them it will be good,” Khemka opines.

  • Viacom18 puts marketing might behind summer shows across three kids’ channels

    Viacom18 puts marketing might behind summer shows across three kids’ channels

    MUMBAI: Summer is here and that means it’s that time of the year when channels and brands alike go all out to woo their favourite consumer – the kids!

     

    Nickelodeon for one is all set to entertain kids across the country with exciting offerings across its four channels namely Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr. and Teen Nick.

     

    Building on its unparalleled leadership story, Nickelodeon has unveiled its detailed plans for the summer, which includes a robust programming line-up along with interactive campaigns on-air, on-ground and online. From power-packed promotions to new shows, new seasons and more, Nickelodeon is geared up to engage kids across age groups this summer.

     

    Nick: The undisputed leader of the kids’ genre

     

    To consolidate the leadership position, which the channel has been enjoying for the last couple of months, Nick has set the stage for its flagship show Motu Patlu by launching a campaign called ‘Motu Patlu Hero Hunt.’

     

    As per the data released by BARC for week 16, Nick maintained the lead with 61,287 GTVTs (Gross Television Viewership in Thousands) followed by Pogo, which had 58,473 GTVTs and Cartoon Network with 39,495 GTVTs.

     

    Viacom18 – kids cluster EVP and business head Nina Elavia Jaipuria avers that the channel’s viewership grows by almost 15 per cent during the summer months. “We are making sure that we are out on the front foot entertaining and engaging kids with our best content and best promotions,” she asserts.

     

    Keeping in line with the changing and ever evolving preference of children, Jaipuria believes that it is imperative to understand the current fads and trends in the kids’ space.

     

    For the Motu Patlu Hero Hunt, Nick will give kids an opportunity to get animated alongside the two characters. “Kids love to be on television and if they are in the animated avatar, there’s nothing like it. So based on that learning, we will run a contest on the channel wherein kids can answer a simple question and win a chance to feature on the Motu Patlu show in an animated avatar,” informs Jaipuria.

     

    “This kind of promotion merits a great marketing plan because we need to give it surround sound and create enough awareness about the promotion,” she adds.

     

    To give wings to the campaign, Nick will roll out a 360 degree campaign across the country, which will include cross channel television plan, print, ambient, digital and a whole host of experiential touch points to engage with kids wherever they are.

     

    As part of the on-ground promotional activity, Nick has also planned tons of games and fun activities for kids in malls across Mumbai and Delhi.

     

    Through augmented reality, kids will be able to see their animated avatar talking to Motu Patlu on the screen in the mall. “With this initiative, we will see how augmented reality actually converts kids into an animated avatar,” adds Jaipuria.

     

    The network has also partnered with 26 Pantaloons outlets in the country where the retail chain will hold a ‘Junior Fashion Week’ and conduct auditions in their outlets with finales being held at Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore. In these cities, Motu Patlu will also be the part of the fashion show and walk the ramp with children.

     

    In order to generate awareness about the promotions, Nick has also tied up with almost 25-30 McDonald’s outlets in the north and west.

     

    No promotion activity or marketing campaign these days is replete without a digital presence. Nick is creating a micro site – nickindia.comfor the iconic characters, which will have a whole lot of videos and promotional material. Additionally, the channel has also loaded the website with as many as 15 games, which kids can enjoy playing. “The whole play factor comes into place here and kids can play with our characters because they love them so much,” Jaipuria says.

     

    Nick will also be milking the consumer products segment in order create the required euphoria for Motu Patlu. “While we had the apparels earlier, this season we are focusing on ‘Back to School’ as soon the kids and their mothers will start buying new stuff for school. Some of the branded products we will be launching are bags, water bottles, lunchboxes and zippers amongst others,” informs Jaipuria.

     

    Adding to the summer excitement will be the launch of Motu Patlu’s sixth exclusive ‘made-for-television’ movie, Motu Patlu Kung Fu King Returns, which will be released in June. The channel will also launch all new episodes of the show this season. This will be preceded by the launch of the latest SpongeBob adventure: The SpongeBob Movie – Sponge Out of Water, which will release across India on 8 May, 2015.

     

    Sonic: Selfies & new shows

     

    Nick’s sister channel Sonic is taking a different route in terms of promotions. According to Jaipuria, being a smaller channel, the summer months helps Sonic grow by getting in new viewers, which leads to drive a better reach of the channel.

     

    Riding on the selfie wave that has swept adults and kids alike, Sonic has launched a summer campaign with the tagline ‘Selfie Kheecho Prizes Jeeto’ to drive engagement with the digital savvy generation.

     

    The idea is for the kids to watch Sonic’s show Pakdam Pakdai, take selfies with Doggy Don and send it to the channel. Winners stand a chance to win smartphones and tablets. The selfies will also be uploaded on sonicgang.com as videos and gags.

     

    For Sonic, Viacom 18 is focusing on smaller cities and has launched van activations in 15 cities across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

     

    Sonic will also connect with kids across multiple retail touch-points such as Funcity across 12 cities and numerous McDonald’s outlets pan India.

     

    Further building on the Pakdam Pakdai franchise, the channel will be launching all new episodes of the action packed chase-comedy show this summer. Sonic has also launched two new shows called Hubert Takako and Mini Ninjas.

     

    “With all the marketing this summer, we want to make sure that the advertisers are also happy with the kind of viewership and promotions we have,” adds Jaipuria.

     

    Teen Nick: New shows

     

    Realising that kids are watching international shows online on YouTube, Viacom 18 brought those shows on its channel Teen Nick. The new shows that will be aired on Teen Nick this summer are Marvin Marvin and a sitcom called Nicky Dicky Dawn.

     

    Nick Jr: Dora takes the lead

     

    Dora leads the pack on Nick Jr this summer. On 14 May, the channel will celebrate Mother’s Day with Dora and Gelato in four cities namely Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore. Kids and mothers can walk in and enjoy free scoops of ice-cream. On the consumer products front,Dora continues to have its back-to-school goodies.

     

    With the new shows on-board, Jaipuria reveals that the channel will stick to its five-seven hours of original programming. “We don’t play the 24-hour repeat but play other repeats so kids don’t feel that they are watching the same episodes again and again,” informs Jaipuria.

     

    Happy Advertisers

     

    New advertisers have flocked to the channel ever since the network achieved its leadership position last year with Nick. Viacom 18 has advertisers across categories like food, FMCG, automobile brands like Honda and Hyundai, as well as brands like OLX, Micromax and Whirpool to name a few.

     

    Advertisers who get active in the summers months are Rasna, Tang, Horlicks and Mother Dairy amongst others.

     

    Jaipuria reveals that it has been a good year in terms of ad sales growth and hopes that the quarter continues to grow even further. In terms of ad sales, the Nickelodeon franchise has witnessed a growth of 33 per cent. “Most of that has come through increase in our rates. We are happy to note that we are in the right trajectory, the shortage in inventory and our heroes – Motu and Patlu, Ninja and Pakdam Pakdai have made it happen for us.”

     

    The leadership position has helped the network monetize better thus making ad sales rates growth by 33 per cent, informs Jaipuria.

     

    Talking about the 10-sec ad rate, she says, “We saw the growth coming in Nick last year because of the leadership position and with our delivery being good, we were able to command our increase right. Summer observes a shortage in the inventory as well and therefore we would obviously like to give it to advertisers, who will pay us more because of the inventory shortage.”

     

    In ad rates, last year the Nickelodeon franchise witnessed a growth of 25-30 per cent and Jaipuria is hoping to keep it at the same rate this quarter as well. The network will continue the rate hike through summer as it has consolidated its leadership position and also advertisers are interested in their 12-minutes inventory.

     

  • Disney’s Q2-2015 revenue up 7%, income up 10%

    Disney’s Q2-2015 revenue up 7%, income up 10%

    BENGALURU: The Walt Disney Company Inc reported an increase of seven per cent in its revenue in Q2-2015 (quarter ended 28 March, 2015, current quarter) to $12461 million from $11649 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Net income during the current quarter improved 10 per cent to $2108 million from $1917 million reported for the quarter ended 27 March, 2014 (Q2-2014).

     

    Of the five segments that add to Disney’s numbers, three – Media Networks, Parks & Resorts and Consumer Products showed improvement in revenue, while the other two – Studio Entertainment and Interactive segments showed decline in revenues. Segment Operating Income from three – Parks and Resorts, Consumer Products, and Interactive increased, while segment operating income from Media Networks and Studio Entertainment declined in Q2-2015 as compared to Q2-2014.

     

    “Our second quarter performance, marked by increased revenue, net income and EPS of US 1.23, demonstrates the incredible ability of our strong brands and quality content to drive results. The power of this winning combination is once again reflected in the phenomenal worldwide success of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which has opened at number one in every market so far,” said Disney chairman and chief executive officer Robert A Iger.

     

     

    Segment Results

     

    Media Networks

     

     

    Media Networks revenues for the current quarter improved 13 per cent to $5810 million from $5134 million reported for Q2-2014. Operating Income from this segment declined two per cent to $2101 million in Q2-2015 from $2133 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Two sub-segments – Cable Networks, and Broadcasting contribute to this segment.

     

    Cable Networks reported a growth of 11 per cent in revenue to $4030 million in Q2-2015 from $3633 million in Q2-2014, but reported a drop of nine per cent in Operating Income to $1799 million in Q2-2015 as compared to the $1974 million in Q2-2014. The drop in income was due to a decrease at ESPN, which was driven by higher programming and production costs, partially offset by growth in affiliate and advertising revenues. Programming and production cost increases were due to higher rights costs for college football programming and the addition of an NFL wild card playoff game and the SEC Network, which was launched in August 2014.

     

    Disney says further that the increase in affiliate revenues was due to contractual rate increases, an increase in subscribers, taking into account the new SEC Network, and a reduction in revenue deferrals as a result of changes in contractual provisions related to annual programming commitments. ESPN advertising revenue growth was due to higher rates and units sold.

     

    Broadcasting reported 19 per cent hike in revenue in the current quarter to $1780 million from $1501 million and reported a massive 90 per cent increase in operating income to $302 million from $159 million in the corresponding quarter of last year due to growth in affiliate fees, higher program sales and an increase in advertising revenues. These increases were partially offset by higher marketing costs for the launch of new series.

     

    Parks and Resorts

     

    Parks and Resorts reported a growth of six per cent in revenue to $3760 million from $3562 million in the corresponding year ago quarter and a 24 per cent increase in Q2-2015 operating income to $566 million from $457 million in Q2-2014. Operating income growth for the quarter was due to an increase at Disney’s domestic operations, partially offset by a decrease at its international operations.

     

    Studio Entertainment

     

    Studio Entertainment reported decline in revenue to $1685 million in Q2-2015 as compared to the $1800 million in Q2-2014, and segment operating income decreased 10 per cent to $427 million from $475 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Lower operating income was driven by decreases in domestic home entertainment and international theatrical distribution, partially offset by a higher revenue share with the Consumer Products segment, reflecting performance of Frozen merchandise in the current quarter, and lower film cost impairments. The decreases in domestic home entertainment and international theatrical distribution both reflected the performance of ‘Big Hero 6’ in the current quarter compared to Frozen in the prior-year quarter

     

    Consumer Products

     

    Consumer Products Q2-2015 revenue increased 10 per cent to $971 million from $885 million in Q2-2014 and operating income improved 32 per cent to $362 million from $274 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Higher operating income was primarily due to an increase at Disney’s Merchandise Licensing business due to the performance of merchandise based on Frozen and, to a lesser extent, The Avengers.

     

    Interactive

     

    Revenue from this segment fell 12 per cent to $235 million in Q2-2015 from $268 million in Q2-2014, but segment operating income increased 86 per cent to $26 million from $14 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Improved operating results were due to lower marketing and product development costs and the success of its mobile game Tsum Tsum, partially offset by lower ‘Disney Infinity’ performance and decreased sales of mobile game catalogue titles due to fewer titles in release. Lower marketing and product development costs were driven by fewer mobile game titles in development and the benefit of previous restructuring activities.