ITV

Tag: Kids

  • Disney launches an interactive Frozen app for kids

    Disney launches an interactive Frozen app for kids

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Studios’ animated movie Frozen has found a new way to attract kids. The movie which is set to release on 27 November has released an app on Apple’s iTunes. The app is set to enable young readers to explore the story told in the upcoming movie even before it releases.

     

    As with the other apps, the interactive Frozen storybook is designed for young readers, who have just started reading on their own. The app allows kids to record their voices or listen to narrated text. The app also features original music composed for the project. That apart, it also has drawing tools and other games like creating snow globes and puzzles.

     

    The app is Disney’s third interactive storybook, developed with Disney Publishing, after producing ones for Pixar’s Monsters University and Disney’s Planes. In both instances, the apps gave audiences a detailed look at the films before their release.

     

    Disney Publishing calls the release of the apps a “new normal” for thecompany, especially as it looks to introduce new characters and potential franchises to audiences before the films’ opening. Frozen will introduce Disney’s 12th princess, Anna which will be integrated in its popular ‘Disney Princesses’ brand of consumer products and theme park attractions.

  • Chota Bheem store opens in Chennai

    Chota Bheem store opens in Chennai

    MUMBAI: The kids in Chennai had reasons to rejoice this Children’s day as not only did it mark the official debut of India’s toon phenomenon, Chhota Bheem, Mighty Raju and their friends in Tamil Nadu, but also featured a grand celebration that saw the toon super heroes meeting and greeting their young fans live. It was the opening of Tamil Nadu’s first Green Gold Store, the merchandising arm of the company that created Chhota Bheem. With this, Green Gold has launched its 30th store in India.

     

    The launch of this store adds another feather to Green Gold’s cap. It is the only company to have so many stores across the country retailing merchandise inspired by one of the most popular toon series of India. Chhota Bheem has become a phenomenon with a viewership of over 40 million. A research by ‘Kids Observer’ has ranked Chhota Bheem as the number one choice of kids up to eight years old and amongst the top five for kids in the 9 to 14 years bracket.

     

    “We are excited to launch our store in Chennai on the occasion of Children’s Day. At Green Gold Store, our young patrons need not buy anything. They can simply spend time here and keep themselves entertained with the merchandises for as long as they like. We are looking at creating unrivaled experiences for the young ones at our stores,” says Green Gold Stores head Sudeesh Varma.

     

    “From clothing to comics, bedroom decor to accessories, movies to apparel, board-games to puzzles the store is a one stop destination for every Chhota Bheem fan. Green Gold Store houses all essential Chhota Bheem merchandises and offers a unique experience to his young fans. The store has recently introduced an exciting range of merchandise including a new line of apparel and exclusive range of Chhota Bheem – Avon bicycles”, says Green Gold executive director Samir Jain.

  • Greymatter collaborates with Star Sports, Smaash to produce Heroes

    Greymatter collaborates with Star Sports, Smaash to produce Heroes

    MUMBAI: Come 14 November and India will witness one of its most celebrated icons Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar play his 200th and final test match against the West Indies.

    Even as everyone – from brands to hotels to television channels – is busy planning the best possible farewell for the little master, one channel has hit upon a unique way to mark the occasion.

    The channel in question – Star Sports 3 (Hindi) – will debut a new chat show, Heroes, on the very same day, featuring 13 top cricketers from across the globe, starting with none other than Sachin.

    Heroes, which is more in Hindi and less in English, has been created by Greymatter Entertainment (GME) in collaboration with Star Sports and Smaash  located at Lower Parel, Mumbai.

    Speaking about Heroes, GME owner Rahul Sarangi says: “It is a unique chat show, where the world’s top cricketers will be seen chatting informally with kids in the age group of 7-14 years. As for Sachin, he is the biggest icon that India has ever had. He has given us more smiles than any other icon.”

    Apart from Sachin, the 13-episode series will feature Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shikhar Dhawan and Kumara Sangakara among other cricketers.

    Explaining the thought process behind Heroes, Sarangi says: “It is simple; it is an entertainment chat show, and yet inspiring. This is also in sync with Star Sports’ new campaign ‘I believe’. The show is for kids to find the heroes within themselves.”

    Elaborating on the show being in sync with ‘I believe’, Sarangi says: “If you see cricketers today, they come from small towns, having big dreams. The reason they had bigger dreams was because they grew up watching Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid in their younger days. So, through this show, we give these kids an opportunity to come closer to their heroes and understand what they do when off the field.”

    Sarangi informs that around 60 kids are part of the show and pose candid questions to the cricketers. Apparently, six to seven cameras were used during the shoot, with three edit machines to edit the show. Since the makers needed a very informal environment, the series was shot inside Smaash.

    According to Sarangi, Heroes is about inspirational stories of cricketers, minus any gyaan. “Since it is a ‘No gossip’ show, cricketers are without guard: talking everything under the sun,” he says, pointing out that they will be showcased in a completely different avatar. The show has been moderated by Roshni Chopra.

    He substantiates: “Virat Kohli will be seen teaching kids how to dance, Sangakara will teach violin and Raina will be seen cooking. And yet, all of them will talk about their childhood and what made them the heroes that they are today. It is through the inspirational figure that the kids will get to hear inspirational stories.”

    Sarangi goes on to reveal that Sachin will be seen teaching kids how to play spin against Shane Warne. “Smaash, which has a 3D facility, will show Warne balling. During the episode, Sachin will be seen teaching the kids how to bat on such kind of spin ball delivery,” he illustrates.

    It is a unique chat show, where the worlds top cricketers will be seen chatting informally with kids in the age group of 7-14 years says Rahul Sarangi

    Rubbishing any suggestions of the show being scripted, Sarangi adds: “Considering the show is not scripted, it is the kids who come up with the questions. It is just filtered by the channel and also us, to ensure that the questions aren’t repetitive. We keep the house open for questions. We don’t feed any questions.”

    About the collaboration, he says: “It was a concept well thought by Star Sports. The channel wanted to do a chat show. They approached us with the brief, after which together we brain stormed and came up with the concept.”

    Sarangi explains that the cricketers featured on Heroes were decided together by all three parties involved. “The next step was to convince them to be part of the show, considering all of them are popular players, it was difficult to get their time,” he says.

    The cricketers spent approximately five hours on the sets for the shoot. “We shot one hour of content to come up with a 24 minute episode,” he says, adding it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the kids. “They are not a studio audience. Here, they sit so close to the cricketer that they can touch him and also interact with him like they were sitting with him in their living room.”

    A considerable amount of time went into the making of Heroes. “A thorough research was conducted to understand what is palatable to the audience, what would be fun for the kids and yet make sense to our audiences watching the show. Even designing the look and feel of every episode took sufficient amount of time,” says Sarangi.

    How confident are the makers about the show? “These days shows are made on conviction,” replies Sarangi, adding “We had two kids’ managers to look into the needs of the kids. Since we were shooting with kids, we had to take care of the hygiene and many other issues relating to shooting.”

    It’s an in-house creative team that worked on the show. “Almost 40 people sat on production, post production, editing, research etc for the show. We don’t believe in taking freelancers for shows like this,” Sarangi rounds off.

  • Indian animation needs a global outlook

    Indian animation needs a global outlook

    MUMBAI: Among the key issues addressed by the recently concluded FICCI MEBC (Media and Entertainment Business Conclave) (South) in Bengaluru on 29 and 30 October was the state of the animation industry in India and what can be done to improve its lot.

     

    The second day of the conclave saw a dedicated session titled ‘Emerging trends of Indian IP in animation and their exploitation’ with Turner International India senior director and network head for kids in south Asia Krishna Desai, Graphic India co-founder and CEO Sharad Devarajan, Shemaroo Entertainment director Jai Maroo, Krayon Pictures co-founder Nisith Takia and Greengold Animation founder and MD Rajiv Chilaka and Reliance Animation CEO Ashish Kulkarni as moderator.
    Devarajan began by highlighting the need for a cohesive ecosystem favouring the country’s animation industry.

     

    “Indian consumers today are used to seeing the best of the world and so, we need to transcend the national market and go to the international market,” he said, stressing the need to create content like that made by Stan Lee or Steven Spielberg. “Multi platform and global is how you have to think of stories today,” he said, pointing out how a version of Mahabharat was launched as 18 days, a re-imaging of the original by Graphic India at the San Diego Comic Con and went straight to Youtube.

     

    Chilaka made a special reference to Chhota Bheem as a kids’ icon while speaking of Greengold’s huge success in the field of animation. “We have grown from just four to over 300 in 12 years. No one knows which show will work, so we have to just give it a shot. Chhota Bheem started off as just 10 products and now it is available in more than 3000 across 30 country stores. We didn’t realize that it would be a phenomenon but now we are confident about making a movie every year,” he said, pointing out that while IP monetisation was happening, it was equally important to build good infrastructure around it to help harness IP better.

     

    Maroo said Shemaroo would help in distribution and marketing even though it wasn’t actively involved in the creation of animation. “There are people with great production and artistic capacity for whom we can work on aspects like music, distribution and marketing. The reason why characters like Bal Ganesh and Chhota Bheem work well is because of their sheer stickiness. We should have IP with an Indian soul but an international story. What the west has is sharp screenplay that translates across boundaries. That is what we lack,” he said.

     

    Desai opined there wasn’t enough investment in animation and pointed out the difficulties in creating animated content. “There is less advertising revenue for a kids channel (Turner), so we also have less money to invest in new content,” he said.

     

    Kulkarni said, “In India, animation is positioned as a kids’ genre,” to which, Devarajan gave an example of the Japanese, who have moved Anime from kids to a sophisticated audience. “Their characters have elasticity and a soul that appeals to various demographics. Why aren’t we creating any Clash of the Titans or Lord of the Rings?” asked Devarajan.

     

    Chilaka said they needed to come up with interesting ways of promotion to grab eyeballs, citing the example of Raju. “We timed Raju to release three weeks before the football world cup and on TV, we did a premiere during the semi-final,” he said.

     

    Maroo pointed out that very few screens were available across the country for animated movies, thereby restricting viewership. “This industry is the best when commerce meets creativity,” he said. Takia felt not many people understood the business even if they were superlative on the creative front. “We can call ourselves successful only when we galvanise the creative population,” added Devarajan. Maroo rounded off saying: “The future will be about how many different revenue platforms you build.”

  • Will Mahabharatham walk the talk?

    Will Mahabharatham walk the talk?

    MUMBAI: Not very long ago, Star Plus launched its magnum opus, Mahabharat, a contemporary retelling of the ancient Indian epic, on a scale never-seen-before and amidst huge fanfare.

     

    Soon after, a dubbed-in-Tamil version of the show named Mahabharatham was aired on 7 October on Star Vijay, Star TV’s Tamil GEC.

     

    Not only did Mahabharatham take over the 7:00 pm slot, earlier reserved for a kids’ show titled 7 C, which was anyway about to end, two weeks prior to the show’s launch, a high decibel marketing campaign comprising TV, radio, digital, on-ground, and to a large extent, outdoor, was undertaken to publicise its arrival.

     

    As part of this endeavour, life-size posters of the show characters were put up across Tamil Nadu; TV celebrities were brought in at the end of every show on Star Vijay to promote the series; monologues were staged on streets to grab attention; and hoardings were put up across 500 locations including Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirrapalli, Erode and Tirunelveli. A staggering Rs 1 crore – Rs 1.5 crore was spent on the campaign, with separate plans for merchandising during Diwali.

     

    Promotions apart, Star Vijay ensured Seventh Channel Communications did a neat job of the dubbing. “Seventh Channel Communications has dubbed on a 50 episode contract, with each episode costing up to Rs 1 lakh. We have ensured the dubbing is so tight that the lip movements match with the Tamil words the characters are speaking. People were thoroughly impressed with the grandeur on watching the promos. The feedback on production value was positive,” elaborates Star Vijay general manager K Sriram.

     

    Now, with the show well past its launch, Star Vijay faces the big question whether all the investment and effort has been worth the channel’s while.

     

    While there are no clear answers, it is true that the first two weeks of Mahabharatham have garnered 422 and 440 TVTs (average), respectively, and its opening show has got 415 TVTs unlike 7C, which was just about managing 169 TVTs weekly (average). What’s more, close competitor Raj TV’s Sindhu Bhairavi (Uttaran dubbed in Tamil), which airs at the same time (7:00 pm), has garnered only 251 TVTs (average).

     

    As a media planner from Chennai-based Group M puts it: “For Star Vijay, these are good numbers and now – Mahabharatham – for which they did huge promotions, is their best show as well.”

     

    However, the picture is not entirely rosy. Sun TV, another rival, has its own version of Mahabharatham which airs every Sunday morning and garners more TVTs than Star Vijay’s show. To this, the planner only says that it is wrong to compare any other channel with a player like Sun TV which enjoys strong loyalty.

     

    The planner reasons that Tamilians are attached to such shows because they are conservative and dedicated to religious beliefs and that is why epic shows work well down south. At the same time, he is quick to point out it would be best to wait for another week to see if Star Vijay’s Mahabharatham sustains its ratings before taking any call on the show.

     

    In fact, readers may recall that the original Mahabharat (Hindi version on Star Plus) too dropped from 8,445 TVTs to 5,518 TVTs in its second week… So, Star Vijay will have to wait to see the returns of its investment…

  • Disney India goes brave with ‘Vir: The Robot Boy’

    Disney India goes brave with ‘Vir: The Robot Boy’

    MUMBAI: Riding on the immense popularity of Chota Bheem and Motlu Patlu comes one more animation series with the ‘made in India’ tag.

    Launching on Hungama TV on 9 November and created by Maya Digital Studio, Vir: The Robot Boy, is a sci-fi animation that promises to tickle the kids’ funny bone while teaching them a lesson or two about life.

    With Vir, we intend to build further on the weekend slot by bringing engaging and relevant shows on Saturday as well exults Prabhu

    Waxing eloquent about ‘India’s first animated fiction show’, Maya Digital Studio managing director and chairman Ketan Mehta says: “It has been made on a big scale. It has multiple characters and a well-developed storyline revolving around the central character, Vir, a young boy who is a robot with all human emotions instilled in him.”

    Hungama, which has recently had a makeover, wanted to introduce fresh new programming that embodies its mischievous, youthful spirit. And what better than the weekend to bring in the new series!

    “Currently, we have Ninja Warriors on Sunday, which is performing exceedingly well and is a favourite among kids. With Vir, we intend to build further on the weekend slot by bringing engaging and relevant shows on Saturday as well,” exults Disney UTV director, programming, Kids Network, Devika Prabhu.

    Vir: The Robot Boy is set in the heart of Delhi and takes viewers through the wonderful journey of Vir, the robot, created by brilliant scientist Dr Prem Sahay. The extremely intelligent, extra emotional and fearlessly funny Vir manages to stay out of harm’s way, but not without some hilarious moments and a lot of help from his two sidekicks.

    About the collaboration with Maya Digital, Prabhu says: “Creativity and innovation is at the heart of what we do and we are always looking for partners with whom we can collaborate to create compelling content for our audiences. We were really happy to associate with Maya Digital on this series – Vir: The Robot Boy and we are confident that kids will love the local narrative, humour and situations that Vir and his friends – Chulbul, Tiklu and Sajjani, find themselves in.”

    Hungama believes in letting children experience stories first-hand by creating engagement opportunities beyond television. This time too, the channel is confident about its new series and plans to engage with its viewers in interesting new ways, like it did with “Shinchan Parivaar Iss Ravivaar”.

    According to Mehta, times are changing for the Indian animation industry. “We already have Indian animated shows like Chota Bheem and Motlu Patlu that have become immensely popular. With Vir, we are expanding more. The channels, till now, were basically thriving on recycling of American or Japanese shows. But slowly, they are opening up to the idea of home-grown shows. To penetrate the Indian market, it is important to come up with Indian content that is relatable to the audience,” he says.

    Mehta feels the indigenous animation industry has finally come of age and is finally ready to produce content, which is at par with countries leading the genre.

    “We are now doing a wide variety of shows in the animation sector. Our animation industry is just a decade old. Now, I feel there’s enough manpower for the industry to grow rapidly,” he says and hopes Indian audiences will soon be open to adult animation series such as The Simpsons.

  • Krrish 3 now ties up with Worldoo

    Krrish 3 now ties up with Worldoo

    MUMBAI: India’s home grown superhero Krrish has been creating a sense of excitement and enthusiasm in India and the world over with his engaging promotions for the forthcoming film Krrish 3. Keeping up this momentum Krrish has now made his way into worldoo, an ever evolving online ecosystem for kids where they can live, express and play.

     

    This partnership will enable its users to get a glimpse into the world of their favourite superhero and have exclusive access to the avatars of Krrish and Kaya from this superhero movie franchise. Registered Worldoo users can unleash their creativity and get set into Krrish modes by sprucing up their homes on worldoo with interesting and exclusive themes from the movie.

     

    Worldoo members will also be eligible to participate in a special Krrish 3 contest and stand a chance to win some exiting prizes. All they need to do is visit the Community centre in the Mainland and answer a few simple questions about the movie. Lucky winners will also stand a chance to win posters signed by Hrithik Roshan and few other exciting goodies.

     

    Worldoo head – experience and brand Harsh Wardhan Dave said, “We want our worldoo kids never to miss out on the most popular and entertaining stuff that’s happening out there. We realise the kind of following that Krrish has with kids and we have decided to associate with them. Through worldoo, kids have a special chance to win cool merchandise. We are confident that this will add value to the experience of our worldoo kids.”

     

    The association with worldoo is a part of the digital marketing campaign for Krrish 3 spearheaded by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment. Hungama Digital Media Entertainment MD & CEO Neeraj Roy said, “Kids today are spending a large share of their day online via various connected devices- be it computers, tablets or event connected TVs. The worldoo platform will enable kids to learn in the playway method. Moreover the worldoo platform is fun and safe for kids to engage with on a regular basis. The popularity of our very own super hero will encourage kids to explore a different world online.”

     

    The worldoo team is constantly working towards creating content that adds value to the overall time a child spends online. Partnering with the Krrish series was a step in that direction, going forward the team is looking forward to working with brands which are effectively willing to collaborate and add to the ethos to create responsible global citizens of tomorrow.

  • Go Bananas at the Halloween Party for Kids at Funky Monkeys Play Center

    Go Bananas at the Halloween Party for Kids at Funky Monkeys Play Center

    Funky Monkeys Halloween Party is the place to be for kids on Thursday 31st October, 2013. With a host of games & prizes up for grabs, Funky Monkeys Play Center sets the mood with its festive Halloween decor, ‘Trick or Treat Goodies’, face painting and a host of Halloween party games.

     

    Put on your party shoes and head to Funky Monkeys – an indoor play center exclusively designed for children aged 6 months to 10 years. Kids are bound to enjoy the specials, which include meeting the Funky Monkeys Mascot , a Feed the Pumpkin Game and an exciting Treasure Hunt in the Play Zones.

     

    Children can also play “Dress Up” for the Fancy Dress contest and stand a chance to win prizes, candies and many more treats.

     

    Funky Monkeys is a wonderful destination for the whole family. Parents can sit back and relax at the cafe while the kids Go Bananas in the two play zones. This Mumbai’s first indoor play center, offering hands-on discovery and learning through spontaneous play, while incorporating elements of fun and entertainment.

     

    Open 7 days a week, Funky Monkeys also has a fully equipped cafe area overlooking the play zones, free WiFi, valet parking, kid friendly bathrooms, a first aid kit on site and adheres to all fire safety regulations.

     

    An entry fee of Rs. 1,500 allows 1 child & 2 adults along with a snack box per child, ‘Trick or Treat’ bag & goodies and so much more fun for your child. Tickets must be purchased prior to the event.

     

    Date: Thursday, 31st October 2013

     

    Time: 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM

     

    Ticket Price: Rs. 1500 (1 child + 2 adults, includes a snack box per child. ‘Trick or Treat’ bag & goodies, games & Prizes

  • Star GOLD Blockbuster Diwali Bonus gives you a chance to become a Lakhpati this Diwali!

    Star GOLD Blockbuster Diwali Bonus gives you a chance to become a Lakhpati this Diwali!

    Celebrate the grandness of Diwali with Star Gold this year with ‘Blockbuster Diwali Bonus’ contest. Starting 14th October to 8th November 2013 at 9pm, Star Gold will give you the opportunity to win Rs One Lakh every day with just one single SMS.

     

    With the ‘festival of lights’ round the corner, Star Gold has lined up a series of blockbuster movies for four weeks that guarantees to be a daily dose of wholesome entertainment for your family. From comedy to romance to thriller to action, Star Gold promises to be the one stop destination for a fun family entertainment week during Diwali.

     

    Viewers can send in their answers to a simple question asked during the movie to qualify to win a prize money of Rs One Lakh every day.

     

    Announcing the launch of the contest, Hemal Jhaveri, Executive Vice President, Star Gold said, “Following the success of our annual property Twenty20 contest, it gives us immense pleasure to introduce another property to engage with our audiences this year. This festive season we are committed to entertaining and rewarding our audiences with the Blockbuster Diwali Bonus, where viewers can win Rs One Lakh just with one sms. We hope to make the festive celebrations grander, happier and brighter for our audiences.”

     

    The contest is being promoted across the Star network besides other channel genres including Bollywood entertainment, news, kids and music. In addition, radio in key markets and viewer engagement activities on Social Media will drive reach for this initiative.

     

    With a line-up of movies like Housefull 2, Dabangg 2, Bol Bachchan, Ready and much more Star Gold will be the choice of many families this Diwali. So sit back, relax and earn your Diwali Blockbuster Bonus with Star GOLD this festive season.

     

    Tune in to Star Gold from 14th October to 8th November, every Monday to Friday at 9pm, to be a winner.

  • YouTubes just the beginning for AwesomenessTV

    YouTubes just the beginning for AwesomenessTV

    CANNES: “Kids and teens are on YouTube and while adults like to eat meals, kids prefer snacks. And they can snack the whole day,” said AwesomenessTV CEO and founder Brian Robbins in his media keynote, adding, “Deliver what they want, when they want, and also constantly refresh it.”

    It was Robbins’ experience of the way his own kids consumed content that led to the launch of AwesomenessTV – a YouTube exclusive channel for kids and teens – last year. It was purchased in May this year by Jeffrey Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation.

    Robbins said it was important to create videos that were funny, creative and yet relevant to kids and that uploading these videos on YouTube was the best form of engaging kids.

    About the online blast, Robbins said: “What’s happening online today is similar to what happened on TV 25 years ago. We want to engage in two-way communication. Every producer should be aware of their target audience. We know who our viewers are and what they’re telling us.”

    While AwesomenessTV boasts one million subscribers and 200 million video views, YouTube is just the beginning for Robbins. “We are going to have a presence everywhere. We are currently working on a mobile app and also PlayStation access. We have a big network in UK and also see opportunity in Brazil. We are looking at creating new audiences every time,” he said.

    At the same time, Robbins sees great opportunity in starting something on YouTube and building an audience and then taking it to TV. “We are giving Dreamworks another platform to build its audience and also market its movies,” he said.

    Comparing AwesomenessTV with say a Nickelodeon, Robbins said while Nick could produce only two pilots to ensure success, they could produce multiple pilots a day. Nickelodeon apart, Robbins argued that most channels today do not create enough fresh content. “One can see only four to five hours of fresh content on the channels. Mobile gives kids options to choose from,” he said.