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  • The Powerpuff Girls return to Cartoon Network on 9 April

    The Powerpuff Girls return to Cartoon Network on 9 April

    MUMBAI  Reimagined and ready for action, The Powerpuff Girls will return to Cartoon Network right across Asia Pacific in an all-new series on 9 April , just days after the global premiere in the US.

    In addition to the debut on 85 million homes on Cartoon Network, Turner’s other kids channels in the region – Boomerang, Toonami and POGO – will also air the premiere at the same time as Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, Warner TV and truTV. Simultaneously, channels operated by affiliate partners – notably Astro Ceria in Malaysia and TV5 in Philippines – will also be a part of the launch.

    In the digital space, The Powerpuff Girls series will be supported by video and games on the Cartoon Network Watch and Play and Cartoon Network Anything apps, on Cartoon Network’s regional websites and full episodes on iTunes in selected markets.

    Turner Asia Pacific chief content officer – kids Mark Eyers  said, “The Powerpuff Girls will be simply everywhere! Whatever channel you turn to on April 9, and whatever screen you’re using, there will be Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles saving the day before bedtime! We’ve waited a long time to see these super-cute and super-fierce girls return to action, and the all-new series marks the homecoming for one of Cartoon Network’s best loved franchises.”

    The Powerpuff Girls is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, with Nick Jennings (Adventure Time, SpongeBob SquarePants) serving as executive producer and Bob Boyle (Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) as co-executive producer.

    One of Cartoon Network’s most enduring original series, the initial run of The Powerpuff Girls, created by Craig McCracken, premiered in 1996 and earned two Emmy® Awards along with five nominations and countless animation honors throughout its 78-episodes. The series also spawned a feature film with Warner Bros. Pictures in 2002.

    With more than US$2.5 billion in retail sales generated since its debut, The Powerpuff Girls is one of the top-grossing Cartoon Network brands of all time, and the new series will be supported by a comprehensive consumer products campaign. Cartoon Network recently partnered with designer Jeremy Scott and Moschino on a global fashion collaboration – The Powerpuff Girls x Jeremy Scott – which is now available as part of Moschino’s spring/summer 2016 collection. Global master toy partner Spin Master will debut a full range of products based on the-all new series in late 2016 including a well-rounded assortment of products including toys, apparel, publishing and accessories.

  • The Powerpuff Girls return to Cartoon Network on 9 April

    The Powerpuff Girls return to Cartoon Network on 9 April

    MUMBAI  Reimagined and ready for action, The Powerpuff Girls will return to Cartoon Network right across Asia Pacific in an all-new series on 9 April , just days after the global premiere in the US.

    In addition to the debut on 85 million homes on Cartoon Network, Turner’s other kids channels in the region – Boomerang, Toonami and POGO – will also air the premiere at the same time as Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, Warner TV and truTV. Simultaneously, channels operated by affiliate partners – notably Astro Ceria in Malaysia and TV5 in Philippines – will also be a part of the launch.

    In the digital space, The Powerpuff Girls series will be supported by video and games on the Cartoon Network Watch and Play and Cartoon Network Anything apps, on Cartoon Network’s regional websites and full episodes on iTunes in selected markets.

    Turner Asia Pacific chief content officer – kids Mark Eyers  said, “The Powerpuff Girls will be simply everywhere! Whatever channel you turn to on April 9, and whatever screen you’re using, there will be Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles saving the day before bedtime! We’ve waited a long time to see these super-cute and super-fierce girls return to action, and the all-new series marks the homecoming for one of Cartoon Network’s best loved franchises.”

    The Powerpuff Girls is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, with Nick Jennings (Adventure Time, SpongeBob SquarePants) serving as executive producer and Bob Boyle (Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) as co-executive producer.

    One of Cartoon Network’s most enduring original series, the initial run of The Powerpuff Girls, created by Craig McCracken, premiered in 1996 and earned two Emmy® Awards along with five nominations and countless animation honors throughout its 78-episodes. The series also spawned a feature film with Warner Bros. Pictures in 2002.

    With more than US$2.5 billion in retail sales generated since its debut, The Powerpuff Girls is one of the top-grossing Cartoon Network brands of all time, and the new series will be supported by a comprehensive consumer products campaign. Cartoon Network recently partnered with designer Jeremy Scott and Moschino on a global fashion collaboration – The Powerpuff Girls x Jeremy Scott – which is now available as part of Moschino’s spring/summer 2016 collection. Global master toy partner Spin Master will debut a full range of products based on the-all new series in late 2016 including a well-rounded assortment of products including toys, apparel, publishing and accessories.

  • Cartoon Network launches digital TV network in SE Asia

    Cartoon Network launches digital TV network in SE Asia

    MUMBAI: With Gen Z becoming more tech savvy, kids are increasingly shifting their entertainment base to tablets and mobile phones instead of television. Keeping that in mind, kid’s channel Cartoon Network has launched a TV network built exclusively for a phone or tablet. Cartoon Network Anything is an app that contains content created for portable mobile platforms, rapidly delivering entertainment in a unique and fun way – an innovation that’s never been seen before in Southeast Asia.

     

    The app is free and available for download now on the App Store and Google Play for smartphones and tablets. Cartoon Network Anything is an ever-growing and ever-changing stream of content consisting of games, activities, super-fast trivia quizzes and interactive video games, all approximately 15 seconds in length. After a user finishes with one item, they simply swipe the screen to move on to the next. The perpetually-updated stream is delivered randomly, providing entertainment that feels both immediate and everlasting.

     

    “Cartoon Network Anything is unlike anything we’ve ever designed,” said Turner Kids Networks Asia Pacific chief content officer Mark Eyers. “The app is a whole new way to engage our audience, constantly maintaining a high level of suspense of ‘what will come next?’ Basically, it hosts the best of Cartoon Network on your phone!”

     

    Hit franchises Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Uncle Grandpa, Teen Titans Go! and Clarence all feature, but what makes the app so innovative is that everything is created exclusively for the app. Cartoon Network Anything will premiere Mighty Magiswords, an animated micro-series created specifically for this platform, along with a slew of new Asia Pacific-made short-form content such as Beat Monsters from Korea, Lamput from India, The Sketchy Show and Bill & Tony from Australia.

     

    Cartoon Network’s recent research – New Generations 2015 – revealed that in smartphone households in Southeast Asia with children, 86 per cent of kids use apps at least weekly. In fact, those aged 4-14 are accessing on average five apps every month. Cartoon Network Anything presents a huge opportunity for advertisers who are looking to achieve an unparalleled level of brand alignment in a digital arena.

  • Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears comes to India

    Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears comes to India

    MUMBAI: Though not at par with summer and Diwali holidays, the winter vacation in Indian schools is an important time for kids’ channels to buck up their programming and grab some eyeballs.

    Keeping that in mind, the popular kids’ channel from Turner International, Cartoon Network is bringing a brand new show. For their Sunday morning prime time slot is a new original series from the Cartoon Network Studio, We Bare Bears, starting from 29 November.  The show will be targeted at an age group of 4 to 14 years of age.

    We Bare Bears adds to the list of Cartoon Network original shows like Adventure Time, Clarence, Steven Universe, Uncle Grandpaand other that have been recently launched in India.

    A tale of three tech savvy bears, We Bare Bears was well received by kids when it launched on the US network earlier this year.  Will its charm also work with kids in India?  With Daniel Chong of Cars 2 and Toy Story (TV) fame as the creative, chances are that the show should strike a chord with the Indian audience in no time.

    A fan of The Powerpuff Girls, before he joined Cartoon Network, Chong’s stints include working as a creative at Disney Feature Animation, Blue Sky, Nickelodeon and  Pixar.

    Explaining the concept of the show, Chong says that We Bare Bears tells the story of three bears — Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear — who are trying to settle down in a human society.  “They live in the forest and trek over to the city to mingle. People don’t freak out at the sight of them, but don’t really enjoy their presence either. The show takes place in the (San Francisco) Bay Area, and it was appropriate that they would be heavily involved in tech culture. It was also a way to isolate them more from the world, as technology can sometimes do, which would be another obstacle,” shares Chong.

    The idea for the show struck Chong from his experience of living in East Bay area near University of California, Berkeley in the US. “There, you see bears everywhere. So I think it just gets into your system. The whole idea for the three bears came from a time when I was in the library doodling and drawing with my girlfriend’s niece. I was trying to make her laugh by drawing really random stuff and the bears were just one of the things I drew,” Chong adds with a chuckle.

    Chong explains the creative process behind We Bare Bears. “Once we settle on an idea, the writers start fleshing it out, and I check in with them periodically. We often involve all of the story artists, to pitch in ideas about how to flesh it out. We go through quite a few passes of a story before we feel that it’s ready to show to the executive team here,” says Chong.

    Continuing, Chong says, “Once we are done with our notes, it goes over to the storyboard artists, normally a team of two, and they have about four weeks to prepare the whole storyboard.”

    Part of the creative process that sets Cartoon Network apart is that the storyboard department is run like a features departments. “I give people a small chunk and then check in with them. Most TV shows have very few check ins. But we feel that our stories are slightly complicated and a little hard to navigate sometimes, so it’s better for us to be able to check in more often, and have a stronger hand on where everybody is going, to make sure everyone is on the same page,” Chong explains.

    Once the revision and clean-up of the drawings are done, the Bears are given colour post with which the script goes to the actor for recording.

    An important step that follows is animating the frames. “I’ll work really closely with the animation director and the editor to shape the piece into an eleven minute show. From there, it goes to Tony Pulham, the art director, who will basically divide it up into the different departments, such as layout, background, paint, colour, character design and props,” Chong concludes while adding that the final touch ups are done in South Korea, with the entire process taking little less than a year.

  • Cartoon Network readies new ‘Powerpuff Girls’ & ‘Ben 10’ series for 2016

    Cartoon Network readies new ‘Powerpuff Girls’ & ‘Ben 10’ series for 2016

    MUMBAI: New series of Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls featuring Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup as well as Ben 10 are slated for a global launch in 2016.

     

    Cartoon Network has unveiled the first look of character artwork featuring the original arbiters of girl power. It also includes a new television series, produced by Cartoon Network Studios, and a full licensing program that will roll out across all domestic and international regions.

     

    The new series will be executive produced by Nick Jennings, who won an Emmy Award for his work on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. Bob Boyle, creator of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, will co-executive produce. Rounding out the creative team is a diverse group of talented artists and writers, many of whom grew up watching the original series and come with a special affinity for the characters and overall project.

     

    On the other hand, Ben 10, the new animated series, based on the successful franchise about an alien-powered kid hero, is being produced by Cartoon Network Studios and will premiere on Cartoon Network in the autumn of 2016. Man of Action will executive produce for Cartoon Network Studios and John Fang is on board as supervising producer. 

     

    Cartoon Network’s fresh take on Ben 10 will center upon a new animated series re-introducing the energetic, fun-loving, 10-year-old Ben Tennyson. At the core of the new Ben is a healthy serving of action, excitement, and all-around fun. Featuring many new and fan-favorite aliens, the series kicks off with the adventures of Ben, his cousin Gwen, and Grandpa Max as they travel the country during summer vacation. When Ben finds the mysterious Omnitrix, a world of alien superpowers opens up to him.

     

    Talking about The Powerpuff Girls, Cartoon Network chief content officer Rob Sorcher said, “It has been wonderful to see this new show team bring such passion and positive creative spirit to this iconic property. We know that fans of every age will appreciate this new take on saving the world before bedtime.”

     

    On Ben 10, Sorcher said, “We decided it was time to introduce Ben to a new generation of kids. Ben 10 has been an overwhelming success story across all media platforms, and we know kids around the world will be eager to see the reinvention of this beloved character.”

     

    To support the worldwide launch in 2016, Cartoon Network is assembling an all-star roster of licensing partners to create a full consumer products program for the franchise. Spin Master will anchor the program, creating a line of toys including plush, figures and playsets, dolls and more available worldwide in autumn 2016.

  • Sky expands kids VoD offering by 600%

    Sky expands kids VoD offering by 600%

    NEW DELHI: UK and Ireland’s connected TV platform Sky, is expanding its kids shows on its on demand library by almost 600 per cent.

     

    From Adventure Time to Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and iCarly, Sky will offer plenty more kids TV on demand – with the number of episodes of family favourites increasing from 700 to around 4,000 over the coming months.

     

    The ambitious changes mean that Sky’s on demand service will be home to more episodes of the most-watched kids’ shows than any other provider – all ready to watch from one dedicated section on the Sky+ homepage for the first time.

     

    Connected customers will be able to watch previous series of The Octonauts exclusively on demand plus there will be even more episodes of popular series like SpongeBob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer, Horrible Histories and Ben 10.

     

    The 600 per cent increase in programming follows a number of new deals signed with rights holders including Viacom and Turner that form part of a multi-million pound commitment to making Sky a leading destination for kids TV on demand.

     

    What’s more kids TV on demand will be available at no extra cost to customers with the Variety and Family bundles.

     

    Sky brand director – TV products Luke Bradley-Jones said, “I know from my own kids that they just want to watch their favourite TV characters including Ben and Dora whenever they can. And parents want the convenience of a quick and simple way to access lots of episodes all in one place. That’s why we’re massively expanding the variety and number of shows available on demand – and putting them front and centre of the Sky+ TV Guide. For our customers it means a huge library of kids shows, all there at the touch of a button.”

     

    Sky customers will be able to quickly access this huge library of on demand kids TV straight from the Sky+ homepage as part of the latest update to customers’ Sky+HD boxes rolling out from this week. A new tile will open up a one-stop-shop of all the kids shows and movies available on demand, all kids TV recordings, plus a quick view of what’s on now on linear channels like CBeebies and Nick Jr.

     

    Sky, which has almost seven million customers in Britain and Ireland on its on demand services, saw downloads of on demand shows and movies touching over 300 million in the last three months, up by more than 60 per cent year on year.

  • Cartoon Network activates live streaming app in Australia

    Cartoon Network activates live streaming app in Australia

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific has announced a major enhancement to its Cartoon Network Watch and Play app in Australia, allowing Foxtel subscribers to live stream Cartoon Network within the app via a new authenticated service.

     

    Moreover, Cartoon Network Watch and Play will also be available throughout Asia Pacific on the Android platform within the next two months.

     

    Effective 13 April, subscribers will be able to log-in to the free app using their Foxtel username and password to unlock an array of value-added services, which includes live streaming the channel on the device and access to full episodes on demand.

     

    “We are very excited to launch this Cartoon Network authenticated service with Foxtel. We’re always looking for new ways to connect Cartoon Network fans with our content and create truly unique and enjoyable second-screen brand experiences for kids to enjoy and for parents to trust. This partnership will clearly bolster our offering to fans,” said Turner International Asia Pacific VP and chief content officer – kids network Mark Eyers.

     

    Providing additional content exclusively for Foxtel through authentication provides a richer viewing experience for subscribers, while elsewhere in the region, TrueVisions, Thailand’s leading cable satellite television operator, recently authenticated the app.

      

    Aside from live streaming, new features also include access to recent episodes of popular shows including Adventure Time, Clarence, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball and Ben 10: Omniverse, as well as additional native arcade-style games.

     

    Cartoon Network Watch and Play first launched in Asia Pacific late 2013 and has already had more than 585,000 downloads, with more than a third of those from Australia. The App Store also featured Cartoon Network Watch and Play in its ‘Best of 2013’ selection of innovative kids apps.

     

    The app allows users to simultaneously watch their favourite episodes and play games with a simple rotation of the device. Cartoon Network’s app presence is growing in Australia, with new and inventive games set for release later in 2015.

  • Little Orbit and Cartoon Network to create new interactive games

    Little Orbit and Cartoon Network to create new interactive games

    MUMBAI: One of the leading game publishers – Little Orbit – and one of the most loved kids’ channel – Cartoon Network – have announced a strategic partnership that will bring multiple properties to gaming consoles and handheld devices later this year.

     

    Serving as a licensing agent for its Turner Broadcasting sister network TNT, Cartoon Network Enterprises initially partnered with Little Orbit to release the popular Falling Skies Planetary Warfare mobile game, based on TNT’s critically-acclaimed drama Falling Skies, earlier this year. Little Orbit will also launch a console version of the game later this year.

     

    “Both TNT and Cartoon Network have tremendous experience developing both live-action and animated hits for a variety of audiences which makes them a perfect fit for what we want to achieve in terms of high-quality content,” said Little Orbit president Matt Scott. “The expansion deepens our partnership with Turner networks enabling us to work closely together on development to bring a truly transmedia experience to the games.”

     

    Building on that successful relationship, the two companies will partner again to create two all-new interactive games a multi-property game that will combine characters from Cartoon Network’s popular original series, and a game based on the global smash hit series, Adventure Time. Both will be released globally, with North American launches slated for this fourth quarter.

     

    “Working with Little Orbit to create the Falling Skies game has been a great experience and from that, we’re excited to extend our partnership this year and develop new games based on some of the most popular characters and brands in the Cartoon Network portfolio,” said CNE VP of consumer products Pete Yoder.

     

    Additional titles and details for the new Cartoon Network and Adventure Time games will be announced soon with several launches planned for later this year.