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Tag: animation

  • Cartoon Network to introduce new tech-savvy superhero Ekans on 27 June

    Cartoon Network to introduce new tech-savvy superhero Ekans on 27 June

    KOLKATA: Cartoon Network, a WarnerMedia Kids channel on Thursday announced the release of its first local sci-fi superhero CGI series, ‘Ekans – Ek Se Badhkar Snake’. The all-new animated series will air on the channel starting 27 June, and thereafter from Monday to Friday, at 11:30am and 7:30pm.

    The series features a 13-year-old street-smart wunderkind, Ekans, who is chosen as ‘the one’ and is gifted a ‘naagmani’ by the world’s most powerful snakes, thanks to his heart of gold and fearless attitude. With extraordinary snake-like powers, the otherwise conventional tech-savvy youngster obtains heightened sensory perceptions, the ability to camouflage, flexibility, and strength to keep humanity safe from the evils of the world. His trendy hi-tech superpower suit with mechanical snakes gives him additional abilities to cleverly outsmart villains. This original IP has a storyline that centres around the lives of Ekans, his genius family, and goofy friend Chiku.

    ‘Ekans – Ek Se Badhkar Snake’, local production by Kolkata-based studio Hi-Tech Animation, joins the existing gamut of successful homegrown IPs by WarnerMedia India such as ‘Dabangg – The Animated Series’ on Cartoon Network; ‘Titoo – Har Jawaab Ka Sawaal Hu’ and ‘Smashing Simmba’ on the companion channel POGO.

    Cartoon Network and POGO South Asia Network head Abhishek Dutta said: “We are thrilled to introduce our first-ever original homegrown superhero. It’s also our first-ever CGI series. ‘Ekans – Ek Se Badhkar Snake’ has a character-verse that is locally relevant and resonates universally. The show not only brings entertaining, action-packed adventures with new-age gadgets but also encourages kids to wholly embrace themselves – just as Ekans does. We’re sure kids and their parents will love the show’s teen protagonist, because of his intelligence, unique superpowers, and his ability to overcome challenges and fears for the greater good.”

    The show’s title track is a collaborative effort of award-winning Indian playback singer Kailash Kher, freestyle rap sensation Parry G, legendary poet and author Gulzar, and music composer Simaab Sen.

    To create excitement and build engagement amongst the audiences, Cartoon Network has also launched a high-impact, 360-degree integrated promotional campaign that celebrates the superhero in every kid. As part of this campaign, the brand has launched an Instagram page @EkansOnCartoonNetwork dedicated to the superhero.

    Cartoon Network will also collaborate with various partners, such as leading digital parenting platform Momspresso and YouTube Kids sensation ‘The Aayu-Pihu Show’, for engaging activities on social media. The promotional efforts for #EkansOnCartoonNetwork also include brand integrations, influencer engagement, branded content opportunities, affiliate marketing, in-app mobile game advertising, and exciting activities on Cartoon Network’s official website and social media pages.

  • Cartoon Network fans thank Indian police force in latest campaign

    Mumbai: Kids’ entertainment channel, Cartoon Network’s latest social media campaign- #ThankYouForBeingDabangg has received more than 500 messages of gratitude from across the country, for the Indian police force.

    The unique social media campaign aimed to honour the relentless work of India’s supercops during the ongoing challenge of COVID-19 and was launched alongside the channel’s latest Bollywood-inspired action-comedy ‘Dabangg – The Animated Series’ on 31 May.

    Watch the video montage of the kids’ messages here

    Supported by parenting platform, Momspresso, the initiative saw kids and parents share messages in the form of handwritten notes, drawings, and videos, on social media. Bollywood actor Salman Khan who plays Dabangg’s iconic ‘Chulbul Pandey’ and movie producer and actor Arbaaz Khan also encouraged kids to participate through their social media posts.

    Notable kids’ academy ABCD Dance Factory also shared their messages in their distinctive artistic style via Instagram Reels, set to the ‘Dabangg – The Animated Series’ title track while prompting its students to follow suit. YouTube Kids sensations Aayu and Pihu also participated via their eponymous show and encouraged their followers too, to join in the conversation.

    Speaking on the campaign, South Asia Network Head for Cartoon Network and POGO, Abhishek Dutta said, “#ThankYouForBeingDabangg was launched to collectively pause and appreciate the constant endeavour of the police force during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was heartening to see responses pouring in from every corner of the country, in various ways and multiple languages, like Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and more. It brings us immense joy to have created this movement and saluting our fearless heroes.” 

    Speaking on the initiative DCP, Mumbai S.Chaitanya said, “We are truly grateful for the enormous amount of love we have received from kids across the country through the #ThankYouForBeingDabangg initiative. This was such a thoughtful initiative by Cartoon Network and the creative ways in which the kids thanked us was very touching. We promise to continue being Dabangg for all of you!”

    Co-presented by Chocoliebe Eclairs and Cue Learn along with associate sponsor BritanniaTiger Krunch, the animated version of Bollywood’s sensational supercop franchise airs every day at 12 pm, only on Cartoon Network.

  • Illusion Reality Studioz aims to revolutionise post-production space in India: Nitin Dadoo

    Illusion Reality Studioz aims to revolutionise post-production space in India: Nitin Dadoo

    MUMBAI: Contiloe Pictures has proved itself a pioneer in the industry since its inception two decades ago. And now, the fully integrated, premium broad-based entertainment content production company announced that its VFX division will be rebranded to Illusion Reality Studioz.

    With the aim to become the one stop destination for all VFX needs, the in-house vertical will solely focus on VFX, animation, previz/techviz, on-set camera tracking, lidar scanning amongst others, and will continue the Contiloe ethos of merging storytelling and art with science. The vertical will be helmed by Illusion Reality Studioz( a Contiloe Pictures group company) animation & VFX business head, Contiloe Pictures CFO Nitin Dadoo.

    “For the last three years, we were evaluating the significance and the extension plan.  Apart from in-house content we started taking external projects – from Hollywood, OTT or regional shows. During this time, we realised that the complexities and number of projects are increasing and it is the best time to start a new vertical which will cater into both VFX and animation,” explained Dadoo, adding that the rebrand was deferred from 2020 to 2021 due to the Covid2019 pandemic.

    At present, the studio has a strength of more than 200 employees who are working from its Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar facilities. The team is bifurcated into two divisions – one solely focused on internal projects and the other handles external projects. The creative team is headed by Nicholas Camecho, along with creative directors Deepak SV and Indraneel Roy. Nicholas boasts of over 35 years experience in the VFX and animation space including his stints with studios like Disney and Warner Bros. He has also held the title of creative supervisor, director and producer across several CG development projects in London. Deepak is an old hand in visual effects and animation, and handles foreign and Indian clients. A national film awardee creative director with a demonstrated history of working in the entertainment industry, he has had successful stints working with Pixion, Maya Entertainment and Accel media. Roy’s expertise lies in motion pictures and visual effects. With 25 years of diverse experience, he has worked closely with the directors, producers, production houses, cinematographers and studios as Visual Effects Director / VFX Supervisor to materialize their varied visions. Nishikant is the CGI and VFX supervisor. Head of production Bharat Mistry has been associated with Contiloe Pictures for well over a decade now.

    In the aftermath of the virus outbreak and resumption of filming, it was observed that several production houses are venturing into virtual production to minimise the budget and avoid outdoor shoots. The team at Illusion Reality Studioz is aiming to take virtual production a notch higher, as it is going to be a key pillar in the VFX facility. Under this technology, there will be functions like unreal motion builder which will be used to create photo imagery. Within the camera, the team can showcase what the directors are emphasising. Through this technology, directors, creators  and DOPs can become the part of visualisation process before it goes on the edit table.

    Citing an example, Dadoo mentioned that for their upcoming premium series, they are virtually creating some assets and locations within the script to make it easier for the director to figure out the cast needed for the show and other important details. He shared that this process will save time on post-production.

    Virtual production will allow them to create photo real and hyper real assets within the existing system. Through on-set camera tracking, lidar scanning (used to scan the set) it would be easier to create an environment in real time and it will also allow to create final imagery without going into post production.

    “In India, we spend 15-20 per cent of our time in pre-production, 40 per cent in shooting and another 35-40 per cent goes in post-production. But in the western world, things are more organised. They spend 40 per cent of their time in pre-production followed by shooting and in post-production they only spend 20 per cent. India is still in the learning process, with our studio we are also trying to get into that space where we plan much in advance and save cost and time,” Dadoo detailed.

    He envisages to become the first VFX studio in the country to use these tools and change the landscape of post-production process.

    Apart from working on current projects like Vighnaharta Ganesha, State of Siege 26: 11, the studio is busy developing an original series – Akshardham, the shooting will commence in may. On the external projects, the team recently finished working on MX Player’s eight-part web series Ram Yug. The series is directed and produced by Kunal Kohli. The studio will also start working on 26-part animation series for The Jim Henson Company.

    Dadoo said he is flexible with working on both co-production and commission based projects. Acquisition and syndication of content is also on the cards, stating that he’s working on syndicating content from Thailand and the Sri Lankan market. However, the major focus will be on creating content where the studio can retain the rights.

  • India gets its own webtoon comics app – Toonsutra

    India gets its own webtoon comics app – Toonsutra

    MUMBAI:  In a first for the homegrown comics market, Toonsutra has arrived on the scene as a webtoon comics platform for mobile devices for free download on both iOS and Android devices.

    Toonsutra, a subsidiary of Graphic India, will launch in April to bring Indian audiences hundreds of high quality webtoon formatted comics optimised for mobile devices. The new platform will release new free stories every day from groundbreaking creators and storytellers in India as well as top global comics made available in India and in Hindi and other regional languages for the very first time.

    The Toonsutra app will feature a wide range of content for audiences across superhero, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, Bollywood, mythology, action, and more.

    “Toonsutra will become India’s new storytelling home for disruptive creators across the country to experiment, innovate and create engaging webtoon comic stories for the world,” Graphic India co-founder Sharad Devarajan said. “Webtoon platforms have become an explosive phenomenon across Asia with top webtoon apps cumulatively reaching over 70 million monthly users and over a 100 billion views a year. For the first time, we want to make a webtoon app dedicated for Indians and spark a mobile webcomic revolution.”   

    In addition to comics from around the world, the platform will showcase and promote emerging rising star creators across India and give them a home to tell there stories. Using the medium of comics and webtoons these new voices can express every type of genre and story all with the support, guidance and expertise of Toonsutra's team to make it easy to collaborate with other creators, develop ideas and make those stories a reality.

    On top of showcasing breakthrough Indian talents, Toonsutra will also offer users exclusive original webcomics based on some of the country’s biggest hit properties in film and TV such as the mega-blockbuster film Baahubali, and the recent animated hit streaming series The Legend of Hanuman; as well as new original webtoon comics based on Chakra The Invincible, the Indian superhero created by Stan Lee and Graphic India’s Devarajan.

    Graphic India’s large library of comics will also be adapted into the vertical scroll webtoon reading format bringing their hit properties including, 18 Days: The Mahabharata; the female super-heroine series Devi created by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur as well as other Indian webcomics including, The Sadhu, Mistry P.I., Shadow Tiger, Unholi, Reincarnation Man, Shikari Force, The Mighty Yeti, Dragonfly, Avatarex Destroyer of Darkness, and many more.    

    The Toonsutra app will feature international superhero comics from leading US publisher, Valiant Entertainment bringing their hit characters Bloodshot, Shadowman, X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong, Ninjak, Rai and more to Indian audiences in Hindi for the first time.    

  • Corey Smith appointed north American creative supervisor at ReDefine Montreal

    Corey Smith appointed north American creative supervisor at ReDefine Montreal

    MUMBAI: ReDefine, the innovative animation and visual effects services company, has appointed Corey Smith as north American creative supervisor in a further boost to its service offering.

    Corey will play a leading role in the studio’s creative direction, providing guidance, oversight and support for the projects going through ReDefine’s Montreal hub. He will also work closely with ReDefine’s global creative leadership team and support the development of new projects, co-productions and internal intellectual property in north America.

    Corey joins ReDefine from DNEG, where he was head of CG in Montreal. Prior to this, Corey worked as part of DNEG’s feature animation team, having previously spent many years at Walt Disney Animation Studios. At Disney, Corey worked on projects such as Dinosaur, Chicken Little, Tinker Bell and Meet the Robinsons, and was VFX supervisor on Gnomeo and Juliet. He is a graduate from the University of Buffalo with a BS in aerospace/mechanical engineering.

    Launched in 2019, ReDefine provides creative visual effects and animation services to expanding international markets and independent filmmakers everywhere. Leveraging DNEG’s groundbreaking technology infrastructure alongside a highly client-centric approach,ReDefine tailors its work to the individual needs of each project and client.

    Corey Smith said, “I am looking forward to hitting the ground running with the ReDefine team, helping to steer and support our creative process and continuing to ensure that we deliver the very best work for our clients. It’s exciting to bring my experience and knowledge to ReDefine’s exciting pipeline of projects. On a personal level, I’m also thrilled to have the opportunity to spend more time on my first love, animation.”

    ReDefine global head Rohan Desai said, “ReDefine has grown substantially over the course of the last year – both in terms of the scope of the projects that we are delivering for our clients and the size and experience of our global team. This is a great time to welcome Corey to ReDefine; he is an experienced and innovative creative leader, and he will be a fantastic mentor and guiding light for our teams as we continue to grow.”

    Corey’s appointment will bolster the creative team at ReDefine as it continues to deliver a growing pipeline of work. Current ReDefine visual effects projects include Sweet Girl and The White Tiger for Netflix; The Undoing for HBO; Brahmastra, written and directed by Ayan Mukherjee and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt; 83 for director Kabir Khan; and Kung Fury 2 for director David Sandberg and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender. ReDefine is also in production on animation projects Rock Dog 2, Rock Dog 3 and The Silk Road Rally, having recently delivered 100% Wolf, a co-production with Flying Bark Productions which has been enjoying great box office success around the world. 

  • In Memoriam: Arnab Chaudhuri

    In Memoriam: Arnab Chaudhuri

    While there was an immediate sense of shock and sadness throughout the industry, soon people from across the world started sharing their condolences while reminiscing the good times that they have spent working or collaborating with the Arjun director and how he inspired so many of them.

    In a mail to the director’s family, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra mentioned, “I remember Arnab so clearly. I remember everything about that film, because it meant so much to me get it right. And getting it right he did.”The aforementioned film was a live action documentary piece for MRV – the Mahindra Research Valley, on which Chaudhuri had worked.

    The chairman further adds, “I mourn Arnab’s passing all the more because he was a part of India’s creative fraternity. One is left with a feeling of real sadness at what the world has missed with his premature passing and what he could yet have accomplished, had he been granted a few years more.” Read more at http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/memoriam-arnab-chaudhuri

  • Ad revenue, quality storyboard artists and co-productions are focus areas for animation industry

    Ad revenue, quality storyboard artists and co-productions are focus areas for animation industry

    MUMBAI: The animation industry is growing at 30 to 35 per cent but there are many challenges that this sector is facing from upgradation of hardware or software to revenue generation. According to experts, the industry has many opportunities on kids channels, OTT platforms and YouTube and to explore but it needs more successful studios, young talent and advertisers’ attention in the kids genre.

    In a panel discussion 'Animation 2020' at KAM Summit organised by Animation Xpress on 30 August 2019, experts discussed on what this industry holds in 2020. The panel discussion was moderated by FICCI chairman animation and gaming Ashish Kulkarni and panellists were Green Gold Animation founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka, Sony Yay! programming head Ronojay Chakraborty, DQ Entertainment COO Manoj Mishra, Viacom 18 programming head Anu Sikka, Big Animation COO Tejonidhi Bhandare, and Cosmos Maya SVP revenue and corporate strategy Devdatta Potnis.

    Chakraborty said, "Animation as an industry is growing at a healthy pace. 35 per cent of the growth has come from the industry's producers and domestic broadcasters. As a channel, we started with 100 hours of content. In 2020 more hours will be added.  The producer depends on the broadcasters for financing and broadcasters look at the advertisers for finance, so the monetisation aspect needs to be looked into. Advertisers have to take notice of this category. We are one fourth the size of entire GEC category but in terms of revenue, we are one-tenth. Once the monetary aspect improves more and different varieties of programmes will be commissioned it will help the industry.”

    Mishra shared his view on monetisation of content in the international market. He said, "In terms of animation, the US market is evolving and creating great shows. The animation industry in Europe is not growing at the rate at which it should have. From a studio perspective in 2020, we see that demand is there and it is a stable market at this moment. IP monetisation and creating IP for a global market play an important role from our studio perspective."

    Chilaka wants to see more successful studios and young talent coming in this industry in 2020. He said, "As a studio, we have been here for the last 18 years and we realise the challenges faced by animation studios like upgradation of hardware and software from time to time bases. But for the growth of the industry, it's very important to have more successful studios. We also have the advantage of reaching out to the Indian diaspora across the world."

    Potnis said that India is growing on all fronts, especially digital “We finalised nine new shows in the domestic market and few months back we signed three European co-productions. We also have a YouTube platform called Wow Kids which has 27 million subscribers. May be by 2022 we may also create an original for that platform in addition to working with broadcasters and OTT players," he mentioned.

    Bhandare noted that ‘Animation 2020’ is not a vision but a start for the animation industry as there are lots of things that are opening up. “We need to focus more on talent and ways to build up talent. We need to create awareness about animation being age-agnostic and not only for kids. But we are not creating that kind of content yet. Our focus should be on creating great content,” he added.

    Kulkarni also asked whether 2020 will see good storyboard artists. To which Mishra replied, "This is the area where we are looking at very strongly as far as our curriculum is concerned. We are trying to get storyboard artists from international markets to provide training. At the same time, some kind of exposure in creating the curriculum is important and while giving them the opportunity, we have to trust our artists too. We as an organisation also have got our interest and trust more on the talent outside India and then we move to talent in India, that's something which we need to change."

    "There is a need for language training to fill the gap between the scriptwriter and storyboard artist for better transforming from the script to animation," commented Bhandare.

    Kulkarni also touched upon the topic of co-production in the animation industry. He commented, "We are in a process of redefining and changing the definition of audiovisual co-production treaty but India was never a very active partner in co-production. We would really like to see India on the map of co-production."

    Potnis shared his view on the same, "There is a feature project that we are working on. A couple of days ago I had conversations with studios in Ireland, Canada and Australia to compile the sort of support they get in term of subsidiaries. It is to the tune of 30 to 40 per cent of their budget and we stand nowhere in that sense. But now the government is also interested in this sector a little bit more. One thing that co-production helps do is to scale up on the quality front."

    All said and done, the advertising revenue flow into animation just isn’t there. Sikka said, "Animation will continue to progress and we will continue to cater to the audience of 7 to 14 years. We will do something in pre-school segment when the advertisers start recognising the potential of pre-school content in the audience. Today a generation has grown on animation for whom animation is no longer a taboo. The scope for family animation should also be explored."

  • Advertisers should focus on kids genre for better monization of animation industry, says experts

    Advertisers should focus on kids genre for better monization of animation industry, says experts

    MUMBAI: The animation industry is growing at 30 to 35 per cent but there are many challenges that this sector is facing from upgradation of hardware or software on time to time bases to revenue generation. According to experts the industry has many opportunities on kids channels, OTT platform and YouTube and to explore that it needs more successful studios, young talent and more attention of advertisers in kids genre.

    In a panel discussion 'Animation 2020' at KAM Summit organised by Animation Xpress on August 30, 2019 discussed on what does this industry holds in 2020. The panel discussion was moderated by FICCI chairman animation and gaming Ashish Kulkarni and panelists were Green Gold Animation founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka; Sony Yay! programming head Ronojay Chakraborty; DQ Entertainment COO Manoj Mishra; Viacom 18 programming head Anu Sikka; Big Animation COO Tejonidhi Bhandare and Cosmos Maya AVP revenue and corporate strategy Devdatta Potnis.

    Chakraborty said, "Animation as an industry is growing at a healthy pace. 35 per cent of the growth has come from the industry's producers and domestic broadcasters. As a channel we started with 100 hours of content. In 2020 more hours of content will be added.  The producer depends on the broadcasters for financing, broadcasters look at the advertisers for finance, so the monitization aspect needs to be looked into. Advertisers have to take notice of this category very much. We are one fourth the size of entire GEC category but in terms of revenue we are one tenth. So, there is a need that the advertisers pay attention to this category as well because the category is appealing to the citizens. Once the monitory aspect improves more and different varieties of programmes will be commission and that will help the industry. 

    Mishra shared his view on monitization of content in the international market. He said, "In terms of animation USA market is evolving and creating great shows.The animation industry in Europe is not growing at the rate on which it should have grown. From studio perspective in 2020 we see that demand is there and it is a stable market at this moment. IP monitization and creating IP for global market play an important role from our studio perspective." 

    Chilaka wants to see more successful studios and young talent coming in in this industry in 2020. He said,"As a studio we have been here for last 18 years and we realise the challenges faced by animation studios like upgradation of hardware and software from time to time bases. But for the growth of the industry, it's very important to have more successful studios. We have so many advantages as well, there are so many kids channels and OTT platform in India. We also have the opportunity to reach Indian diaspora who are not just in India but across the world." 

    Potnis said, "India is growing on all front especially on digital and there is a opportunity or area for us to be there. We finalised nine new shows in the domestic market and few months before we signed three European co-production. We also have a YouTube platform called Wow Kids which has 27 million subscribers. May be by 2022 we may also create a original for that platform in addition to working with broadcasters and OTT players."

    Bhandare  said, "Animation 2020 is not a vision but a start for animation industry as there are lots of things that are opening up for the industry.  We need to focus more on talent and ways to how do we build up talents. We  need to create awareness regards to what animation is, it not only caters to kids like in west it caters to all age group. we are not creating that kind of content yet. Our focus should be on creating a great content. Platform is set for us to grow and there is lot of opportunities coming up."

    Kulkarni  also asked the panelist- will that situation come in 2020 where we have very good story board artist? To which Mishra replied, "This is the area where we are looking in very strongly as far as our curriculum is concern. We are trying to get story board artist who are helping us from international market to provide training to the artist in India. At the same time some kind of exposure in creating the curriculum is important and giving them the opportunity, we have to trust our artist. We as an organisation also have got our interest and trust more on the talent outside India and then we move to talent in India, that's something which we need to change."

    "There is a need for language training to fill the gap between the script writer and story board artist for better transforming from the script to animation," commented  Bhandare. 

    Kulkarni also touched upon the topic of co-production in animation industry. He commented, "We are in a process of re- defining and including changing the definition of audio visual co-production treaty but India was never a very active partner in co-production. We would really like to see India on the map of co-production."

    Potnis shared his view on the same, "There is a feature project that we are working on. Couple of days ago I had conversation with studios in Ireland, Canada and Australia to compile the sort of support they get in term of subsidiaries amount or tune of the volume they get is 30 to 40 per cent of their budget and we stand no where in that sense. That is the big area and now government is also interested in this sector little bit more. One thing that co-production has helps do is to scale up on the quality front." 

    On revenue perspective Sikka said, "Unfortunately the advertising revenue is not growing at the pace of which industry is growing. The kind of ratings that we get for both of our channels in kids genre unfortunately the ad revenue is not growing at that pace. Animation will continue to progress and we will continue to cater to the audience of 7 to 14 years. We will do something in pre-school segment when the advertisers start recognising the potential of pre-school content in the audience. Today a generation has grown on animation for whom animation is no longer a taboo. The scope for family animation should also be explored."

  • USP Studios’ Kids TV receives Diamond Play Button from YouTube

    USP Studios’ Kids TV receives Diamond Play Button from YouTube

    MUMBAI: USP Studios' flagship channel, Kids TV, has surpassed the 10 million subscribers mark, creating a strong community of loyal viewers. To celebrate this achievement, the video-sharing giant YouTube has honoured USP Studios with the prestigious Diamond Play Button.

    The Diamond Play Button is a top honour conferred by YouTube, next only to the Ruby Play Button for the 50 million mark.

    USP Studios founder Uday Singh said, “It is a proud moment for us to receive the Diamond Play Button from YouTube and we couldn’t be happier. The button is a quality certification, a mark of the immense work that every member at USP Studios has put in to reach this subscriber base and an encouragement to keep striving for more. It is also a huge responsibility because our animations and our characters are reaching millions of people around the world. By working closely with our platform partners, we will continue to grow our global community and entertain new audiences from all around the world.”

    USP Studios received a letter from the YouTube CEO, Susan Wojcicki which stated – “The fact is, you’re no longer just a great channel. You’re a movement. You’ve clearly touched a nerve in the world, and you’ve found a legion of fans that expect – and receive – great things from you. You amaze us and inspire us every day. Keep it coming.”

    USP Studios has been constantly expanding its subscriber base through new content, partnerships, and collaborations making a strong foothold in the kids’ content industry

  • Sun TV bullish on dubbed international content for kids

    Sun TV bullish on dubbed international content for kids

    MUMBAI: The kids’ genre in India was always sidelined by broadcasters, but not anymore. There was a time when international content dominated the Hindi kids’ channels’ space, but now broadcasters have pulled up their socks to provide home-grown content to young animation fans. But the scene in the regional kids’ content space hasn’t evolved much. 

    Home-grown content on Indian television is growing by leaps and bounds, especially when it comes to the Hindi kids’ channels. Players like Sony Yay, Nickelodeon and Discovery Kids have realised that the taste buds of kids are going bonkers watching characters Chhota Bheem, Guru and Bhole, Little Singham and Motu Patlu. But, regional kids’ channels leader, Sun TV, that has four channels in the market namely Chutti TV (Tamil), Kochu TV (Malayalam), Khushi TV (Telugu) and Chintu TV (Kannada) has 80 per cent of syndicated content from overseas.

    Sun TV head-content and acquisition Kavitha Jaubin, who also runs the kids channels, says that it buys international content and dubs it in the four languages. “Apart from this, we have in-house shows like breakfast show in the morning, for young parents and kids, and all this is regional specific. Predominantly 80 per cent of the content is animation and that is international content which is dubbed,” she says.

    In 2016, the supply of India-produced shows was limited compared to the unlimited reign of Japanese content and other foreign language cartoons. Since Japan has 15-20 years of headstart over India, its library was massive. It was the initial days when Cartoon Network had 91.61 per cent foreign shows, Pogo had 82.67 per cent while Disney had 60.61 per cent shows from abroad. 

    International content dubbed in regional languages such as, Gloomy Bear, Talking Tom, Garfield, and Dora, works well for Sun Network. Sun TV’s target audience includes 4-14 years of kids, and the channel garners traction during 7 to 9 am when they get ready for school and during 3 to 7 pm after they are back.

    Jaubin believes that live action content and animation form of cartoons is the staple for kids. According to her, original programming connects with the audience, but kids prefer animation series because they are more inclined towards fantasy and imagination.  

    Jaubin says that as of now, the network only has one property involved named Happy Kids, which is an animated series launched for the Kerala market. She reveals that there are plans to launch an English channel for which it has also started buying rights.

    When it comes to general entertainment channels (GECs) on TV in India, the production cost for the same is lesser than that of animation. A media expert explained to Indiantelevision.com that producing episodes for Hindi’s 2D and 3D, 11-22 minutes would cost Rs 10-20 lakh or even above, depending on the number of characters, background and many other factors.

    Another media professional, however, gave a higher estimate. “Any top show’s production value is between Rs 30-50 lakh. Good content has to be produced at such cost. If we talk about producing for outside, the production cost will be up to Rs 1 crore per episode.”

    Moreover diclosing about the regionals kid’ segment production cost, a media expert said, “11-12 minutes per 2D episode, costs Rs 5-6 lakh and not more than that.” This clearly indicates that regional kids’ genre is way beyond Hindi kids’ channels and GECs.

    Jaubin agrees that the amount of money required to produce a show for the regional audiences is comparatively lower than the Hindi market. She added that they don’t stick to local producers and in fact, there are many national content makers and animators who do it at a very low cost. “We try and contact them to build a robust property. For us, quality plays a major role,” she says. Anything that is made for the own territory is far more expensive than syndicated content.

    The tussle between TV and digital is already flaming in the industry. Sun TV has its focus completely on TV. To this Jaubin says, “At the end of the day, it is all about TV. We are using digital to bring more viewers for TV. We do a lot of contests and other things, so it’s mainly to authenticate kids on various other platforms but to bring them back on television.”

    She adds that digital is ruling as kids now-a-days, have iPads and mobile phones in their hands. “Our strategy includes, wherever the kids are, we are also there, so we make sure that we are present at any of the kids event, we are also doing a lot of associations because recently we had an event with The Hindu, Hamleys etc. So wherever we go we find new kids who aren’t actually aware of such shows, or are not television savvy, so they also see the invariability of the shows and come back to our channels.” All digital contents is shown on TV too.

    Speaking about merchandising, Jaubin says that the investment is more in smaller items. “We don’t create bigger property, we have t-shirts, mugs based on our logo. We are doing it on a very small level. As of now, we don’t have any bigger plans for merchandising.”

    Being the market leader, Sun Network has the ability to decide and set the kind of content children view. It hasn’t yet had to experiment much but if the demand comes, it will have to adapt.

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