ITV

Category: Kids

  • Oggy and the Cockroaches to move from Nick to Cartoon Network in Q4

    MUMBAI: Hit animated comedy series Oggy and the Cockroaches will move from Nick to Cartoon Network from the fourth quarter of 2012.


    Viacom18‘s Nick was showing the series in India since 2009.


    Cartoon Network Asia Pacific has entered into an exclusive co-production agreement with leading French animation studio, Xilam, to create season four of Oggy and the Cockroaches.


    The season 4 of Oggy and the Cockroaches will premiere on Cartoon Network across Asia Pacific. Cartoon Network Asia Pacific has also acquired the rights to seasons one to three (65 x 30’) for the region.


    Xilam and Cartoon Network will also collaborate to produce a unique Indian-inspired special that will strike a particular chord with a well-established fan base in this territory.


    Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific director, programming, acquisitions & development Layla Lewis said, “Oggy and the Cockroaches has a winning comedy formula that has made it hugely popular with kids in the Asia Pacific region. We’re thrilled to partner with Xilam Animation and to invest in the latest series, ensuring that Oggy and the Cockroaches becomes part of a formidable comedy line up on Cartoon Network Asia Pacific this year.”


    First produced in 1999, the latest installment of Oggy and the Cockroaches will comprise 26 half-hour episodes of fast, crazy and hilarious adventures, but this time with a new twist with Oggy falling in love with newcomer Olivia, his pretty next door neighbour, while pesky roaches, Joey, Marky and Dee Dee, do their best to wreak havoc on his home.


    In addition to the new episodes, the order will also include some special episodes that will take Oggy and his mischievous roaches out of their regular episode format to feature them in new environments and situations.


    Xilam Animation Chairman and CEO Marc du Pontavice said, “Oggy‘s worldwide success continues and we are delighted to announce that Cartoon Network is committed to being Oggy‘s Asia-Pacific broadcaster, as well as one of the major production partners for the brand new season. We believe that Cartoon Network will lead this unique animation property in its quest to gain the hearts of kids throughout the region.”

  • Disney Junior to air Minnie’s Bow-Toons animated series

    MUMBAI: Disney Junior, the kids channel focussed on 2-7 age group, will air new animated short-form series Minnie’s Bow-Toons starring Minnie Mouse.


    Based on hit Emmy-nominated series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, these shorts will play out multiple times daily beginning this week only on Disney Junior.


    Walt Disney Television International India Business Head Vijay Subramaniam says, “Disney Junior is every young kids and their parent’s favourite entertainment destination. With this launch, we look forward to further build Minnie‘s timeless appeal that has entertained generations of kids and parents around the world.”


    In the stylish new series of shorts, Minnie Mouse, the leading lady of Disney Junior together with good friend Daisy Duck, will show her passion for fashion by running up their very own Bow-Tique, a specialty shop which stocks only colorful bows and bow-ties.


    “Highlighting the themes of friendship and fashion, Minnie’s Bow-toons will engage our little fashionistas and encourage good values such as cooperation with each other, helping and sharing,” added Subramaniam.


    One of the most beloved characters in the world, Minnie Mouse was first introduced to the public alongside her leading man, Mickey Mouse, in the 1928 classic animated short Steamboat Willie.

  • Nick US unveils plans at annual upfront

    MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Nickelodeon, at its annual upfront presentation, unveiled plans for 650 new episodes—its most ever—of both new content and returning hits.


    The network also announced premiere details for the animated series, ‘The Legend of Korra‘; a stop-motion ‘SpongeBob SquarePants‘ Christmas special; primetime TV movies; casting for the new Nick at Nite series ‘Hollywood Heights‘ (formerly ‘Reach for a Star‘); an animated series based on the Raving Rabbids video games; and new projects with UK pop sensation One Direction, iCarly/Victorious show creator Dan Schneider and iCarly star Jennette McCurdy.


    Viacom‘s Nickelodeon Group president Cyma Zarghami said, “Kids have a ferocious appetite for new content and it is our intention to serve them more, innovative work than ever before. We are tapping into new sources and proven hit-makers to maintain our position as the top entertainment brand for kids and families.”


    Animation: Nickelodeon will roll out a new roster of over 300 new animated episodes in 2012 which includes new episodes of returning series including ‘SpongeBob SquarePants‘‘Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness‘ and ‘The Winx Club‘.


    e Legend of Korra‘, in which the mythology of the animated franchise from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender‘ creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, continues. The series centres around a new Avatar named Korra, a 17-year-old headstrong and rebellious girl who continually challenges and bucks tradition on her quest to become a fully realised Avatar in a world where benders are under attack. The half-hour series will debut on 14 April.


    ‘Raving Rabbids‘, which will join the net‘s animation line-up next year, brings to television the hysterical physical comedy that has become so popular in Ubisoft‘s Raving Rabbids video games. Nickelodeon has secured global broadcast rights for 26 new CG episodes of the show, which will be produced by Ubisoft.


    ‘Monsters vs. Aliens‘, the new animated television series, marks the third partnership between Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation. Green-lit for 26 episodes and based on the characters from the 2009 film, the new series will continue to follow the funny escapades of the beloved, well-meaning monsters.


    ‘Robot And Monster‘ will also be hitting Nickelodeon‘s air for a 26-episode run for the 2012-2013 season. This CG-animated buddy comedy is set in a unique world where gangs of Howling Cyber Monkeys roam the streets at night, everybody loves bacon, and robots and monsters live side by side, but typically don‘t get along.


    ‘It‘s A SpongeBob Christmas!‘ – Nickelodeon‘s first full-length stop-motion animated special – is inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass specials. The SpongeBob song released in 2009, ‘Don‘t Be a Jerk, It‘s Christmas‘, written by Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob) and Andy Paley. In ‘It‘s A SpongeBob Christmas!‘, Plankton vows to get his Christmas wish — the Krabby Patty formula — by turning everyone in Bikini Bottom bad by feeding them his special jerktonium-laced fruitcake.


    The special features John Goodman as Santa Claus, and will air in December 2012.


    Live Action: As part of the overall 650 new episodes the network is rolling out this year, Nickelodeon‘s live-action slate will include:


    – More new episodes of ‘iCarly‘, ‘Victorious‘, ‘Big Time Rush‘ and ‘Supah Ninjas‘.


    – A 26-episode pick-up of ‘Marvin‘ starring Internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank (AKA Fred). The half-hour comedy follows the exploits of Marvin, an alien teen, living with a human family, while trying to fit into life on earth.


    – A development project for UK pop sensation One Direction, who will next collaborate with Nick when they perform live at Nickelodeon‘s 2012 Kids‘ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on 31 March.


    ‘Figure it Out‘ is a contemporary revival of the ‘90s family friendly game show. The show, which begins production in Los Angeles this April, will launch later this year with 40 brand-new episodes. Figure It Out features a panel of celebrities trying to guess kid contestants‘ unique talents and skills by asking ‘yes‘ or ‘no‘ questions while being bombarded by messy visual and tactile clues.


    Zarghami also highlighted several live-action projects currently in development, including pilots for Nick at Nite with Scott Baio (Daddy‘s Home); ‘Wendell And Vinnie‘, a comedy about a goofball uncle (Jerry Trainor from iCarly) who becomes the guardian to his conservative 12-year old genius nephew; and a new Nickelodeon series from hit-maker Dan Schneider that will star Jennette McCurdy from iCarly; and a series starring The X Factor sensation Rachel Crow.

  • Discovery to enter kids genre, Discovery Kids to launch in Q2

    MUMBAI: Discovery is entering the kids genre in India and will be launching Discovery Kids in the second quarter of the calendar year. The channel will also launch in Indonesia and Philippines.


    “Discovery Kids will offer Indian children the ideal combination of learning and entertainment. A unique network in the kids’ genre, Discovery Kids will offer children in a fun and entertaining way to satisfy their natural curiosity with stimulating and imaginative programming. The network will ignite viewers’ imagination through its compelling and differentiated content. In light of the massive digitisation drive in India, we believe viewers will express their demand for such distinct television networks. I cannot think of any other country more poised for the launch of such a remarkable network,” Discovery Networks International president, CEO Mark Hollinger said, while delivering his keynote address at Ficci Frames.
    India is one of Discovery‘s key priority markets and has grown from a single network to eight distinct and successful networks with leadership across viewership, brand perception and HD technology, he added.


    Speaking about India’s growth potential and the impact of the digitisation drive, Hollinger said, “There is no other country where people emanate such a sense of optimism. I find that Indians are raring to go and win in the world. Mix that with Indians’ appetite for information and entertainment and you get a fantastic environment to be in the pay television business. The fact that India is moving towards 100% digitisation presents an overwhelming opportunity for all of us. Digitisation of broadcast will make bandwidth usage more efficient, leading to wider choice for the viewers and newer opportunities for media companies. Digitisation means viewers will be more discerning and I predict that the programming with the best storytelling, compelling characters and stunning visuals will win out.”


    Hollinger added that the company is looking to grow its business through other avenues like DVD, retail, publishing and merchandising. He noted that one-third of Discovery‘s revenues comes from the International market. He said that Discovery follows an ownership model for content which will be important in the digital world.


    Discovery spends $1 billion in programming a year.

  • Hasbro Studios is presenting partner of International Emmy® Kids Awards

    MUMBAI: The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced that Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based production and distribution division of Hasbro, will serve as a presenting partner of its new International Emmy Kids Awards.
    The previously announced awards ceremony, which breaks new ground for the Academy, will be solely dedicated to recognising excellence in children‘s television programming produced and initially aired outside of the US.


    Iatas president, CEO Bruce L. Paisner said, “We are delighted that Hasbro Studios and its president, Stephen Davis, saw the importance of these new International Emmys and stepped forward as a presenting partner. We thank Stephen, a respected industry veteran, for his support.”


    The inaugural awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in February 2013 in New York City.


    Davis said, “We are honored to join with the premier international awards organisation in recognising the outstanding work of top kids‘ programmers from around the world. The international community has come into its own as a producer of high-quality animated and live-action shows for the young audience. It is ready for the Academy‘s spotlight.”


    Six new categories have been created for this event: Kids: Preschool; Kids: Animation; Kids: Factual; Kids: Non-Scripted Entertainment; Kids: Series; and Kids: TV Movie/Mini-Series.

  • Ben 10 to premiere in Asia Pacific on 11 March on CN

    MUMBAI: Ben 10 – Destroy All Aliens, the computer-animated science fiction film, will have its first ever CG-animated television movie on Cartoon Network channels globally.


    The film based on Ben 10 animated series will debut in Asia Pacific on 11 March and will screen across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America during March and April, including the UK on 7 April. In the US, it will premiere on 23 March.


    A trans-Pacific collaboration between Cartoon Network Asia and Cartoon Network Studios U.S, Ben 10 – Destroy All Aliens was written by Marty Isenberg and directed by Victor Cook.


    The movie features the original voice actors from the Ben 10 animated series.


    “This movie has been a truly global effort for Cartoon Network and will transport viewers from all corners of the world to a whole new galaxy as Ben upgrades his alien adventures with unexpected twists. The finished product is simply awesome, from Marty‘s clever script to the 3D modelling, vivid lighting techniques and life-like animation, this is a movie premiere that kids won‘t want to miss,” said Silas Hickey, regional creative director of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc.


    The movie turns the clock back to 10-year-old Ben Tennyson, struggling with detention, school bullies and the dreadful fate of missing his fishing trip with Grandpa Max, when grounded by his parents. Ben jumps at the chance to escape from it all at the Total Alien Immersion training programme on the far side of the galaxy.


    Little does Ben realise the irreversible consequences of the programme which send him crashing back to earth stuck in his alien forms battling an all-new alien, Mechamorph Warrior.

  • Nick Jr. launches in Thailand

    MUMBAI: Viacom International Media Networks Asia, a division of US media conglomerate Viacom, has announced Nick Jr.’s launch in Thailand through GMM Grammy, the country’s largest entertainment and media conglomerate group.


    Thai viewers can enjoy Nick Jr., a commercial-free, English educational channel for preschoolers, on GMM Grammy‘s new 1-Sky broadcasting platform that offers free satellite TV and pay TV services with more than 200 channels.
     
    Nick Jr. is the first children’s channel to debut on 1-Sky’s broadcasting platform and will be available to 1-Sky’s Entertainment package and Combo package subscribers. The launch in Thailand marks the latest expansion of Nick Jr. across Asia, following launches in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Mongolia last year.


    Nick Jr.’s philosophy is to ‘play-to-learn’ through award-winning and exclusive international properties including Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! which are designed to engage and encourage early childhood development. Aside from Dora The Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, Nick Jr. will bring playful entertainment and connected learning with shows like ‘Little Bill‘, ‘Ni Hao‘, ‘Kai-Lan‘ and ‘Blue’s Clues‘.

  • Pogo plans to woo unconventional advertisers

    MUMBAI: Pogo, the kids channel from Turner International India, is eyeing a lion‘s share of the ad pie after consolidating its leading position among the kids genre.


    Turner International India VP – Entertainment Networks – Ad sales South Asia Juhi Ravindranath said that the target is to capture a disproportionate share of the ad pie as the channel is No. 1 in its target group (C&S, 4-14, All India).


    “We are focussing on increasing the client list well beyond the conventional advertisers as the growth with the conventional advertisers is marginal. We are also looking at revising the rates aggressively as we give 360 degree solutions to our clients,” Ravindranath added.
     
    The ad pie of the kids genre has not grown much over the last five years and market estimates peg it at around Rs 2 billion.


    Ravindranath said, “Competition is there, but we command almost 27 per cent of the ad pie. In the last quarter, we had 180 clients on the channel, while the closest competitor had 150.”


    Generally, chocolates, health drinks and kids food items brands spend on the category. However, Pogo claims of cracking some sectors including insurance and automobiles also.


    “We have done a school contact programme with Aviva Life insurance. Also, there are some automobile brands that have come on board. Recently, we got a rice brand, Best Rice, to place ads on our channel,” she added.


    Pogo is also looking at licencing & merchandising (L&M), digital, on-ground and on-air joint creations (AFPs) as significant revenue streams. “We have recently done a 360 degree deal with Knorr Soupy noodles – Bheem ka Team. We had L&M deal (on pack promotion), Chhota Bheem branded slot, online gaming campaign and school contact programme. We are looking at multiple tie-ups like this,” Ravindranath said.


    Pogo claims that its online site, pogo.tv, which has features/content such as online games, exclusive applications, video-on-demand, message boards and mini-sites of popular shows on Pogo, attracts over 400,000 unique visitors per month. Almost 70 per cent of this traffic is driven by games with other sources of entertainment such as videos and applications.

  • Russell T Davies to create new children’s drama for CBBC

    MUMBAI: CBBC has announced Russell T Davies‘ return to children’s television with the action adventure drama, ‘Aliens Vs Wizards‘.


    ‘Aliens Vs Wizards‘ has been created by Russell T Davies and Phil Ford and will be produced by BBC Cymru Wales in association with FremantleMedia Enterprises.


    From the dark side of the moon, aliens are scanning the Earth searching for magic and are prepared to destroy everything in their path to get it. All that stands in the way of Earth’s imminent destruction are two 16-year-old schoolboys, Tom and Benny. It’s Ray Guns vs Wands; Science vs Magic and Aliens vs Wizards.


    Davies said, “Writing for children is the biggest challenge of all and I think CBBC stands right at the heart of broadcasting. So I‘m delighted to launch this show, a true nationwide collaboration – a Salford commission from a BBC Wales team. We‘re joining genres too – the show‘s a wild, funny, thrilling and sometimes scary collision of magic and science fiction.“


    Tom Clarke lives a seemingly ordinary life with his dad and grandmother. However he hides a deep secret – Tom’s family are wizards and when the Nekross arrive, hungry for magic, they find themselves on the menu.


    The Nekross may be equipped with ray guns, teleports and high-tech robots but they haven’t reckoned on Tom and his friend, science super-brain Benny. They form an extraordinary duo, using Tom’s magic and Benny’s science to battle the Nekross and save the Earth.


    CBBC controller Damian Kavanagh, who commissioned the new series said, “This is going to be an incredible rollercoaster ride of an adventure. We believe children deserve the best and we’re delighted to be working again with Russell and the talented teams at BBC Wales and FME to bring the story to life.”

  • ‘Challenge in the digital world is to make content that lasts longer’

     

    ‘Challenge in the digital world is to make content that lasts longer’
    Posted on 23 January 2011
     

    As new media usage grows, broadcasters are trying to find ways to leverage it. Turner is no exception and has been creating tools like games for kids. The idea is to use new media as a brand extension for Cartoon Network and Pogo.

    New media is not just a marketing tool but a place where kids spend a serious amount of time engaging with their favourite characters and shows mainly through gaming. The challenge in the digital world is to make content that becomes stronger and lasts longer.

    As Turner has worked aggressively on new media to ensure that it co-exists strongly with the traditional media, it has kept a firm eye on maintaining scale for such products across markets.

    Turner has also created facilities that develop local content for new media in places like Japan, Korea, China and Southeast Asia. The R&D team in Mumbai, for instance, creates products for the Indian platforms. The aim is to develop the local market and also make product innovations that can be exported.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Turner Entertainment Interactive Media executive director Benjamin Grubbs talks about how the media conglomerate has used new media to hook kids and build their content brands.

    Excerpts:
     

    How does Turner approach new media?
    New media and traditional media complement one another; they co-exist in the market. The consumption of TV content increases as digital media usage increases. Consumers have an affinity for those brands that we create and they consume them across platforms. They watch an episode of a TV show; online they play a game involving a character from that show. Then at retail they buy a toy or a T-shirt.

    There is a three-pronged approach of the Turner interactive business – Create, Play and Edu-tain

    -Create: Games like Toon Creator let kids create their own cartoons. Toon Creator has over 469,000 animations developed by kids and 5.6 million views. Another example is Game Creator where kids can create their own games. It has 402,000 kids making games, there are 1.6 million games developed by kids and 429 million games have been
    played.

    – Play: Cricket Club is an excellent example. There are estimated 10 million game plays in 2011

    – Edu-tain: Cartoon Network partnered with Prudential Asia to launch Cha-Ching, an initiative that encouraged kids to learn money management skills by a simple four-part process – ‘Earn, Save, Spend and Donate’. An interactive website hosting games, music videos, applications, etc. was created.
     

    How does the business model work?
    For broadcasters, there could be different business models. At Turner we package content on channels and sell them to cable companies who pay us a fee. We sell advertising on our channel and websites. We have consumer products and also do live events.

    In the pay-TV market, there is more demand for compelling content that continues to do well. In the digital economy, new revenue streams are emerging. It has only been in the last couple of years where we have seen smart phone usage. The method of monetisation is not just advertising but also buying products like a game. You can buy a game on the phone or buy items within a game. It is not transferring one business model to another. You open up business models that are complementary to your core business.
     

    How much revenue do you get from new media?
    We don’t break down the percentage of revenue that comes from different business segments. But the digital business growth rates are high.
     

    Which are your top properties that have been monetised through new media?
    The Ben 10 franchise is a good example. This is content that started with television. Then it became a successful global consumer product IP. We license it out. Then in the digital space we have developed online games and mobile products. There is also video content available online. We have monetised it in different ways.
     
    ‘We have a R&D team in Mumbai that develops products for the Indian platforms. The aim is to develop the local market and also make product innovations that can be exported‘
     

    You have done online gaming for properties like Ben 10. How effective has it been as a brand extension tool?
    What we are seeing in some markets is that people who do not have cable television at home just consume our content through digital media. In some markets across the Asia Pacific, the cable market penetration may not be as high as what it is in India. We see a percentage of people who only consume content on digital. Digital has been a positive development for Turner over the last five to 10 years.
     

    Have you done research to show how kids in India and Asia perceive and use new media?
    There is similarity in terms of how Indian kids and other kids use new media. They look for games first when they go online. We launched Cricket Club here on Pogo. We then took it to Australia. We will take it to every cricket nation.

    For the last 10 years, we have been running a New Generation study. Many kids become more active consumers of technology than their parents; they get initiated at a very young age. The time spent on our site is 25-30 minutes per visit. It is a very engaged audience and they come back quite often. This results in high affinity for the brand. It is not a matter of them spending a couple of minutes online.

    They spend as much time in an online visit as they do on a TV episode.
     

    How is new media impacting the way kids consume traditional television?
    Like I said, it is complementary. It is not a zero sum game where because you grow digitally, the traditional media consumption goes down. The data we are seeing is that both grow in parallel.

    Interestingly, girls are heavier gamers than boys.

    An estimated 25-30 million kids are online. There were approximately 12.1 million users in 2011 across www.cartoonnetworkindia.com and pogo.tv. 79 per cent of kids (ages 4-14 years) are mobile phone users.

    The number of Indian kids who own their own mobile phone is growing.
     

    Are costs rising in creating content for digital media?
    Yes! On television you make content by spending a year to two years developing a series. In the digital world you could spend the same amount of time developing a game. The investments going into doing some of the larger online games are rising and is almost the same as making a TV show.

    The challenge lies in extracting the right returns. In the digital space when we put content out we immediately get feedback. So the team makes conscious decisions about adapting and evolving content. For us it has been a big learning as you have larger investments around digital content. A game has people registering profiles and creating profiles. They have an online identity. Friends come into this environment and they communicate and share content.
     

    What is the challenge in making digital content?
    The challenge is to make an offering that will stick with the consumer. The challenge in the digital world has become more apparent over the past couple of years – as you put out games and get active users, there is an immense amount of data that you start collecting. You need to look at what data is relevant and use it to optimise and enhance the platform.

    The big effort is not making the content but what happens after you launch it. This is how it becomes better, stronger and lasts for a longer period of time. The online and mobile games that we make now we expect to be in the market for several years. Our aim is not for the product to be in the market for two weeks. These are not campaigns which go away after a couple of months. We want the products to last for two years and we want to see continual growth in that product over a period of time. This is the guideline.
     

    How does the process of creating new media applications work?
    This starts with consumer insights. It is about conversations we have with consumers and through our focus groups or through a survey. We blend that data with what we see on our own platform. Then we see trends and try to predict where things are going. If it takes a year to develop a game, we have to think about what is going to resonate with consumers a year down the line.

    You have tablets and smart phones. We don’t just make content for the PC or Internet. The consumer has to be able to access the content across multiple devices and platforms. This informs the decisions that we make and the technologies that we invest in. When things become multiplatform, you have an extension of the brand experience. Then you look at genres, the market in terms of if there is wide open space that we can go and play into. We also look at how a product can get scale across markets.

     

    Could you give me an example of an innovative project recently done?
    We worked on something last year. It started with deep consumer insights. We looked at the market and found that there was nothing that addressed an insight that we stumbled upon. So we decided to develop a product.

    A guy in my team wrote a 16-page background story and dreamed up characters and plotline. This was for an online game. It was similar to someone writing a treatment and background explaining what a film is all about. He had visualised the game platform and how it would grow over time. We looked at it in order to visualise the creative
    concept. We had to then step back and make a calculated bet as there is no guarantee of success.

    We also recently came out with an online racing game. What we are seeing is that there is great adoption of multiplayer racing games among youth. While there were compelling games already present, they were larger console titles or larger massive multiplayer online games that target an older segment. There was an open space for a younger age segment. We developed it for Asia at a studio in China. We talked it out with our counterparts in Europe, Latin America and the US.

    They were excited and wanted to co invest. We got scale from our investment and the product will launch this quarter in the US first. Then it will go all over. It started in Asia and found it resonating everywhere. We want to do more of this. If you boil it down to some of the building blocks and basics, products are not so different from one market to another. We also allow for some scope to localise but the main core of it should be similar across regions. It allows for better ROI.

    Ben 10 is huge among boys. Storylines for digital products are evolving. We made a storyline for Ben 10 that was not told on TV. We hired the writers from L.A. to give us a story arc. The crux of this story is coming out in a movie that premieres in March. Things have come full circle.
     

    How much R&D goes into creating new media services?
    We have a team in Mumbai that develops products for the Indian platforms. Cricket Club was developed here. The aim is to develop the local market and also make product innovations that can be exported.

    We do research all the time. A lot of data is collected that informs our decisions. We have facilities that develop local content for new media in Japan, Korea, China and Southeast Asia.
     

    Is allowing kids to create their own content becoming more important?
    Yes! The platforms we develop have been successful. This has surpassed all expectations. Game Creator has been the biggest one. Kids can create their own games. We have different versions of Game Creator. It is about brand engagement.
     

    What are the ways in which content owners can work with advertisers online to produce results?
    In some cases we sit down and have a conversation. The advertiser can show a business challenge and we find an addressable opportunity. On the other end of the spectrum, we talk about complete custom creation of a new product or service that is done with an advertiser. We have found that 63 per cent of car purchases in India are influenced by kids. Half of the shampoo purchases are also influenced by kids.
     

    Is the lack of an effective measurement system a challenge?
    There are third party research tools from parties like Nielsen and comscore that advertisers, agencies and publishers like ourselves subscribe to. Turner also has its own research systems and tools. We develop content that we market to the market. We also want transparency in data. We can see what the response rate is from consumers. ROI comes from things like registration, an online purchase and filling out an online form. We can track this user funnel so that we can better optimise it.

    There is a continuous dialogue that happens. The digital space moves fast. A couple of years ago we weren’t talking about smart phones. We want to have dialogue with other marketers so that we can evolve.
     

    What role do social networks play in reaching kids?
    The reality is that people are on social networks. Facebook is a way for us to distribute content. When people are on Facebook, that is where their experience lives. But for us leveraging Facebook means staying on the platform; it is not about providing marketing messages that take users off Facebook. It is about providing content within that platform. This is where our investments have been going. Among social networks that kids use Facebook dominates.
     

    Is the economic slowdown having an impact on broadcasters pursuing aggressively their new media plans?
    No! It is accelerating growth. What I mean by this is that during a fiscal crunch you might want to look at ways to do things that are more effective and efficient. In the digital world things change at a very fast pace. There is a need for constant dialogue to stay on top of changes. In new media with barriers falling, it might make more financial sense to do something now compared to earlier.