Category: Kids

MUMBAI: After the success of its first Indian animation series Chhota Bheem, Turner’s kids’ entertainment channel Pogo is gearing up for a new adventure series about mismatched twins – Kumbh Karan.

Premiering on 6 June at 10 am, Kumbh Karan is the brainchild of Turner’s original production team, while animation is produced by Mumbai-based Cornershop.

“Turner has been leading the industry in the creation and development of original animation by nurturing Indian intellectual property, partnering with up-and-coming studios to create hits such as Chhota Bheem and working with production houses regionally to create contemporary animation legends akin to Tom & Jerry. As a natural progression, and as part of our ‘Desi Toons‘ roll out, we are delighted to premiere Kumbh Karan on POGO,” said Turner International India director programming, South Asia Krishna Desai.

Kumbh Karan features the escapades of identical twins Kumbh and Karan, who despite being identical are in fact the exact opposite of each other. Kumbh, named after the demonic giant from Ramayan loves to sleep and eat! Karan shares Kumbh’s eyes and big ears and the similarity ends there! He is named after the skilled warrior Karana from Mahabharata. The two live in a fictional town called Ajab Gajabpur and are the darlings of the village.  
 
The channel has also acquired rights of animation movie Krish, Trish & Baltiboy from the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI). Produced by Graphiti Multimedia Krish, Trish & Baltiboy weaves together a array of stories based on authentic Indian folklore.

It will be simulcast on Pogo and Cartoon network on June 6 at 11 am.

Desai added, “Krish, Trish & Baltiboy is a treasure trove of stories steeped in Indian folklore and conveyed in a completely fresh storytelling style. It provides a great opportunity for both kids and parents to enjoy quality content together and augments Turner’s rich, Indian animation library to 40 local titles.”

Added CFSI chairperson Nandita Das, “Providing quality, entertaining and age-appropriate content for kids is our mission and thus, we are delighted that our latest film Krish, Trish & Baltiboy will premiere on Turner‘s kids‘ channels Cartoon Network and POGO.”

Krish, Trish & Baltiboy is tale of a monkey, cat and donkey, three minstrels/Sutradhars who take viewers on a journey to the land of Indian folk tales and music – Rajasthan, Kerala and Punjab. Each episode is in a distinct folk style, with a flavour of the local language.
 

MUMBAI: DQ Entertainment has signed a three-year agreement with The Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Limited (CPLG) for licensing and merchandising of The Jungle Book, DQE‘S high-end 3D animation TV series.
Under the deal, the Europe-based licensing agency will be responsible for The Jungle Book‘s merchandising, publishing, promotions and direct to retail strategy for multiple territories including Italy, including Canton Ticino, San Marino, Vatican Cit, United Kingdom and Eire, Spain, Portugal and Japan.

Said CPLG chief executive Katarina Dietrich, “Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. is excited to work with DQ Entertainment on Jungle Book in Italy, Spain, Portugal, UK and Japan to put together a successful licensing and merchandising programme. The animation, character designs will be found on many different consumer products. We are looking forward to a very successful partnership.”
 
Additionally, DQE has signed a second deal for ‘fabric products‘ with Belgium-based N V Belltex.

Under the terms of the agreement, Belltex has been authorised to manufacture an array of products including tents, quilt cover sets, pillowcases, fitted sheets, curtains, decoration cushions, beach towels, ponchos, bathrobes, hand & bath towels, gloves, carpets, handkerchiefs, polar plaids and sleeping bags with Jungle Book characters and elements.

This agreement was signed through DQE co-production partners TF1 Enterprises, who act as their licensing & merchandising agents for France.

DQE has on date concluded multiple agreements for the licensing and merchandising of The Jungle Book license, while the TV series is still in production. The licensees have estimated a combined total of approximately $15 million of total revenue and minimum guarantees across these deals in the first retail cycle of five years from the time of first broadcast of the TV series.

DQE Group chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, “We have always believed that the 3D Jungle Book would become a hugely popular television programme but for home entertainment, licensing, merchandising and publishing its success will most likely exceed our expectations. We have successfully negotiated nine marquee licensing deals worldwide with a combined revenue estimate of circa $15 million provided by the licensees.”

Several other publishing and merchandising negotiations are currently ongoing for The Jungle Book.

MUMBAI: No kidding around! Kid‘s channel Nick India Nick India registered a 70 per cent ad revenue growth in FY10 as the channel added new clients to its rooster even as it devised ways in which existing clients could up their spends during the year.

Says Nick India SVP and GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria, “Recession did make advertisers cautious spenders. But we teamed together with our clients to devise various brand activation strategies to create a direct consumer connect. While we added 30 new advertisers to our client list growing our brands to 309, many existing clients increased their ad spends during the year on the channel,” 
 
Jaipuria notes that while a chunk of this revenue flowed in from kids advertisers such as Nestle and GSK, various non-kids category too participated in this revenue upswing. These include categories such as FMCG, banking & insurance, telecom and DTH.

“While our core TG is the 4-14-year-olds, kids channel also generate a lot of co-viewing through young parents and other family members. This is because Indian homes still run as single TV households,” she explains.

This year, Nick is aggressively pushing for a 40 per cent ad growth over the previous fiscal, with a major thrust on customized brand solutions.

Informs Jaipuria, “We will concentrate on creating campaigns around advertisers that go beyond television and bring in the touch-and-feel factor. We will look at making the brand tangible while leveraging our platform. We are also planning to increase our ad rates. And now that Nick has stepped into the South zone, we will also target the south-based retail clients to add to our client base.”

The channel is also looking at generating additional revenues from licensing and merchandising (L&M). “We have taken only additional steps in L&M but we have strong growth plans for this segment this year,” she informs.

Nick is also planning to expand in the areas of localised animated content, with some shows which are to be produced in India.

“While acquisition has to come as part of the content creation module, adding the localisation thrust will balance the acquisition vs local content mode, which in turn will help to get the right return on investment,” she avers.

MUMBAI: Talk about the Indian animation industry and it still tinkles with the Tom & Jerrys, the Mickey and the Minis and the Hanna Montanas. Certainly mythology and history are the key influencers when it comes to storytelling in the Indian landscape.
However, Palred Media and Entertainment plans to break this clutter. The company, focusing on creating IP (Intellectual Property) in the M&E domain, has created two new Indian characters named Soori (male)-Poori (female) to craft out stories on modern-day relevance.
 
Targeted at children in the age group of 6-12, the characters will be available in live action content through cinema and TV shows. The company has earmarked an investment of Rs 2 billion over five years in the project and expects to garner revenues of Rs 300 billion from the same.

Palred Media will venture into interactive gaming animation for Soori-Poori in three years, while the 2D/3D animation content will be released in 2011-12. Merchandise, inspired by the characters, will also be developed in the long term.

According to Palred Media and Entertainment founder Palem Srikanth Reddy, the Indian children‘s entertainment content is heavily dependent on foreign programme and characters. “Also most of the Indian television series and movies for children are based on mythological characters or historical tales. But characters with relevance to modern India are scarce; it is this gap we are trying to fill with Soori-Poori,” said Reddy.

Two scripts for movies have been developed and 52 story ideas have been generated for the TV shows. In the first phase, 13 episodes and one commercial feature film will be produced. The production activity will commence from mid-June. The company is in talks with TV channels as the release will be timed with next holiday season during Dussera and Diwali.

According to the company, 92 per cent of children watch TV daily wherein the animated television programming is a growing genre.

Says Madison Media Infinity COO and head, Madison Media Research Centre Mallikarjun Das, “Today the kids broadcasting industry attract approximately Rs 2-2.5 billion of advertising revenues and is growing at a rate of 8 per cent per annum.”
 

MUMBAI: Viacom18 kids channel Nick is southward bound following in the footsteps of the other kids channels. What‘s driving it there is the fact that the south accounts for more than one-fourth of the total Indian kids‘ TV viewership.
After gaining a firm hold on the Hindi speaking market, the channel is now ready to have its characters speak Tamil and Telugu in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively. While Kerala will air shows in English, Nick will feature a mix of Hindi English and Tamil feeds in Karnataka.

Says Nick India SVP & GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria: “We have consolidated our position in the HSM space by constantly reinventing ourselves and engaging young audiences, our intent is to expand viewership on the national level Also, our advertisers, which currently cater to the HSM market, are keen to address the south market.” 
 
In 2010 (first two weeks only, Tam‘s expanded universe estimation), southern Indian kids accounted for 27 per cent of the all India kids market (42.7 million kids all India).

To begin with, Nick has dubbed Dora the Explorer, Ninja Hattori and Perman in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi while the rest of the shows will be telecast in English.

“Right now we want kids to sample our shows and build awareness. Our soft launch has already generated double digit numbers and we are very optimistic about our prospects,” says Jaipuria.

Talking about the challenges it faces from rivals, Jaipuria observes that barring Tamil Nadu – where Sun‘s Chutti TV will provide additional competition – “it‘s the same six players that will battle it out in the other three regions.”

“The entry of new players in the South will actually help the genre grow with each grabbing a piece of the ad pie. However, the share of revenues will not grow much but, instead, only get dispersed,” says a media observer.

To create direct consumer interaction that will help craft kids preferences in the new region, Nick has plans to take the brand beyond television through various on-ground activities.

The channel is scheduled to host the ‘Horlicks Growth Carnival‘ in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata that will have magic shows, clowns, jugglers, games and meet and greets with Nicktoons Ninja Hattori, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob Square Pants and Perman.

“We have adopted a 360 degree approach to reach out to the target group. We will create touch points in schools and malls and also have a TV plan in place that will work outside Nick to create brand preference,” Jaipuria avers.

If it gets its act right, Nick might well end up licking the competition.

MUMBAI: Toy maker Mattel has partnered with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to launch the WWE Action Figure range in India with a special event at Hamleys, the new toy destination at High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel.

Mattel India commercial director Karun Gera says, “Mattel is excited to bring the iconic WWE entertainment brand to young Indian fans. Capturing all the drama and excitement that makes the WWE a worldwide phenomenon, these action figures and role-play items reinforce our commitment to bringing the most exciting and innovative toys to Indian children.”
 
Created with both kids and collectors in mind, the action figure line aims to bring the drama and action of WWE home and looks to offer something for every fan. Kids can recreate their favourite matches with the approximately seven-inch basic WWE figures, from the Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and ECW rosters.

Innovative FlexForce Figures: These figures are also available with a feature called FlexForceTM that enables them to deliver hook throwin’, flip-kickin’ moves. The figures are called the new FlexForce Action Figures.

WWE superstars such as John Cena, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio all form part of the superstar line-up from Mattel. The range which spans over 20 different characters in India also includes The Great Khali figure.

Besides action figures in single packs, the range, available at stores throughout India, includes product lines like WWE Action Figure Two Packs, WWE Championship Belts and WWE Breakdown Brawl Ring.

“The WWE range of action figures particularly those inspired by The Great Khali should be an instant hit with children and adults alike and a welcome addition to the vast selection and collection of branded national and international offering of toys that is on display at Hamleys.” adds Pai.

MUMBAI: Nick India has partnered with Zapak Games to launch 23 variants of racing cars based on Roary The Racing Car, one of the most popular shows on the channel internationally.
The range includes 8 different types of racing cars including push along vehicles, friction cars with sound, Roary toolbox playset – build your own race track and Roary RC.

Says Viacom18 VP – consumer products Sandeep Dahiya, “We are very excited to partner with Zapak Games to launch this exciting range in India. Given that this range not only looks exciting but has a great play value, we are confident that this will race off the shelves here, as it has done in the other parts of the world.”
 
Says Zapak Games business head Vaibhav Odhekar, “It gives us immense pleasure to partner with Nick to launch Roary in India. With a strong retail distribution across 135 cities, we are committed to offer world class products to the Indian consumer.”

Nick Consumer Products encapsulate diverse products and categories of its properties such as Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Ninja Hattori amongst others. It is present in over 25 categories and has launched more than 300 SKU‘s since it was started in the year 2006. Nick Consumer Products include toys, books, stationery, party products, back to school range and home furnishings.
 

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC‘s children‘s channel CBeebies is urging children to get off the sofa and get active this summer with two new series which encourage youngsters to get out, get moving and enjoy the great outdoors.
Mighty-Mites is a new series, presented by Sarah-Jane Honeywell, which inspires children to get up and have a go at a range of exciting activities – from circus skills to indoor skiing.

Big City Park meanwhile, is a new puppet and live-action series set in a city park in Northern Ireland, which urges children to get out and about and explore what the great outdoors has to offer. 
 
CBeebies‘ new Controller Kay Benbow says, “The weather forecasters are already predicting a scorching summer but we want to encourage our viewers to get out and about whatever the weather. These inspiring new series are all about enthusing children to discover the joy of the outdoors or the excitement of learning a new activity, whatever their tastes, ability or budgets”.

From go-karting to kite-flying and pond-dipping to pottery-painting, energetic new series Mighty-Mites inspires children to get up and try out different sports and activities.

In each episode, bubbly presenter Sarah-Jane (Tikkabilla, Higgledy House) and excitable and inquisitive puppet “Go-Joe” take two children on a journey to try an activity for the very first time.

Sarah-Jane and Go-Joe share the activity alongside their friends to help empower and encourage them in the new experience – but it‘s not just the presenters doing the hard work.

The series also encourages children watching at home to get involved in a range of activities by learning the actions and taking part in interactive quizzes.

Set in a Belfast Park, Big City Park is about the adventure of finding nature‘s hidden treasures.

A celebration of the outdoors, the series captures the park through the changing seasons, be it rain, hail, sleet or shine – proving that there is “no bad weather, simply inappropriate clothing”.

Each episode, May the friendly park-keeper, Ruairi the mischievous caretaker, Dara the streetwise city fox and Billy the excitable badger welcome a group of enthusiastic, welly-clad explorers to the park for a day of treasure-hunting, game-playing and story-telling.

Together, they let their imaginations run wild as they explore their surroundings, gathering the park‘s natural bounty for Ruairi‘s special treasure chest.
 

MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based animation and gaming art company DQ Entertainment has signed an exclusive publishing and licensing deal for The Jungle Book with Hachette Livre for French language worldwide.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hachette has the right to publish The Jungle Book in six key segments that include story books, activity books, novelty books, workbooks and home learning, chapter books-novelisation and ebooks. The distribution channels for this deal includes book retailers, comic book stores, department stores, mail order catalogues, mass market, trade and wholesale outlets and book clubs, toy stores, direct sales and catalogue and specialty retailers. 
 
Hachette Livre (“Hachette”) is a publisher in French language and is part of Lagard?re Media, the media division of Groupe Lagard?re, which is active in communications and media (books, press, audiovisual and distribution/retailing of cultural products) worldwide.

Says DQE chairman & CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, “Our collaboration with Hachette for the publishing of this classical property in French stands testimony to the fact that the brand Jungle Book has fabulous recognition worldwide. We believe that we have chosen the right partner to bring this property to the French denizen‘s world over.”

Adds Hachette Livre director of projects Christine Foulqui?s, “We are delighted to have finalised this deal with DQE and we are very proud to be their publishing partner in France for this property. Hachette teams will promote Jungle Book in full earnest and I am certain that this is the beginning of a long-standing relationship between our two companies.”
 

MUMBAI: Disney Channel is gearing up to launch a new property on 15 May to spice up the 10 am slot.
Christened Ishaan, the new show is a musical and inspirational journey of a young boy and will include a soundtrack of 11 original tracks.

Says Walt Disney Television International India VP and GM Natasha Malhotra, “Ishaan brings Disney‘s brand promise to life – optimism, self-expression, imagination, entertainment, quality – and joins our music-driven properties including Hannah Montana and High School Musical, in delivering relatable characters and stories to India‘s youth.”
 
Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment has been commissioned to produce this tween musical drama.

Ishaan, directed by Iqbal Rizvi, is the inspiring musical journey of a boy who finds friends and a sense of belonging through music. Extremely intelligent and talented, Ishaan finds his true calling and his friends through music when he joins a school band ‘Yaari‘.