ITV

Tag: Kids

  • Zuckerberg Media open to broadcast and production partners in India

    Zuckerberg Media open to broadcast and production partners in India

    MUMBAI: Indian original content providers and production houses better perk up their ears, for Zuckerberg Media, headed by ex Facebook marketing honcho and ace television content producer Randi Zuckerberg is looking east and her next destination for exploring partnership is none other than India. In an interview with Economic Times Randi has shared her interest in entering the indian content market with an aim to create television shows for kids.

    Already set to come out with a kids show this year, Zuckerberg opens invitation for Indian broadcasters for partnering with them to launch new shows for the indian audience.

    “We have a children’s TV show coming up this fall. If there are broadcast partner opportunities in India or Indian media companies that are creating original content then we would love to partner with them. Though we have no plans to set up an office in India at present,” she adds.

    This not only opens up  options for Indian broadcasters to air shows from  international productions  but also for content creators to partner with Zuckerberg Media and produce shows together.

    With how kids entertainment shaped up last year and the ongoing trends, the key emphasis being original home grown kids shows, partnering with local production houses and content creators becomes more vital for the Zuckerberg Media, to stay relevant to the market.

    Founder and CEO of boutique marketing firm  and production Zuckerberg Media,  Randi Zuckerberg  working with high profile organizations and Fortune 500 companies such as The Clinton Global Initiative, Cirque du Soleil, Conde Nast, and PayPal.

    Pointing out that their reach isn’t limited to television, Zuckerberg further adds  how important it is for kids content creators to be medium fluid when developing a show for the tech savvy gen z.

    “We create digital content and we are across media, that’s TV, digital networks, mobile. When you’re talking about programming for children, they access shows on mobiles and tablets anytime, anywhere.”

    Being  conditioned to the world standards of content creation and familiar with the digital space as well, Zuckerberg Media might be just what web and mobile  creators were waiting for.

    With these big hints dropped,  one has to wonder which of the key broadcasting players catering to Indian kids entertainment  will ink a deal with the international production house first.

  • Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    MUMBAI: The year 2015 was an exciting one for kids’ television, what with several new shows being added to popular time bands and channels going the original way for content. From the perspective of advertising expenditure too, 2015 spelled as a fruitful year for the kids category on television as it managed to attract several non-conventional advertisers.

     

    Giving an insight on the facts and figures for the year’s performance in the genre, Turner International India vice president ad sales –  South Asia Juhi Ravindranath says, “The ad spends in 2015 were largely driven by categories like autos and e-commerce, which are not the conventional advertisers in the kids’ genre. FMCGs have performed really well. The overall estimate for TV has grown by over 14 per cent while the kids’ genre has also seen a decent double-digit growth.”

     

    Turner International rode this wave successfully and kept up with the pace of Indian entertainment market as well. “Pogo and Cartoon Network have received newer advertisers and categories coming on board, and their dependence on non-kids advertisers is also growing. Currently, nearly 60 to 65 per cent of the inventory on the kids’ genre is from non-kids’ brands. The channels have advertised with non-conventional advertisers through the conventional vignettes, brand integrations of the content messaging, creating co-branded promos, etc,” Ravindranath informs.

     

    On the brand integration front, channels have offered several new initiatives. “One of the key highlights for the year was the brand integration with Kellogg’s & Chhota Bheem. Another creative brand integration included: Perfetti in the animated movie series Sholay on Pogo. In addition to this, Perfetti Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly will join hands for the upcoming telefilm, Kris Ka Scooba Dooba Ajooba on Cartoon Network,” she says. 

     

    With advertisers from the non-kids category and FMCG brands coming onboard, the network’s content strategy for 2016 is also expected to ramp up.

     

    Turner International, executive director and network head – kids Krishna Desai adds, “Original content is key to us in fulfilling a long term and sustainable content pipe. A very large majority of all the content on CN comprises Cartoon Network Originals. On Pogo, large chunks of our pipe are either co-productions or from our sister company Warner Bros. Making content locally relevant is crucial – be it in the form of dubbing or home grown content.”

     

    With original content being the key focus, the channels will soon work on their line up for the year. “Turner International India will slowly bring in local content on the channel Toonami, along with the super hero shows. The second movie of the series Chakra that was worked along with Stan Lee, will be premiere in a few weeks,” informs Desai.

     

    However he asserts that good stories with universal themes told in a language understood and preferred by the audience, makes the differentiation between local versus international and irrelevant one. “Ben10 on Cartoon Network is as Indian as a Chhota Bheem as they have always seen him talk in Hindi,” he adds.

     

    Years ago Cartoon Network was the sole ruler in the genre. However, things changed as more and more new kids channels made their entry in the country. Although the channel continues to hold its place in the top three positions through the year, it is no longer the most watched channel in the category.

     

    When asked if Turner International India will strive to reclaim its number one spot in the category, Desai says, “The portfolio share makes us the number one kids portfolio in India. Our endeavor is to grow this share and also have leadership in the individual channel ranks. Our strategy is based on putting the consumer at the center of everything that we do.”

     

    With more and more kids content being available digitally, channels must also buckle up to retain their audiences. Desai says that offering app based services and experiences are one way to tap in the changing dynamics in kids content. 

     

    “Our kids brand digital offerings are transitioning towards being more ‘app’ based. The applications CN Watch and Play and CN Anything will be launched soon in India while Pogo channel’s website will shortly migrate on a new and much responsive platform. Kids love playing games than watching videos. CN Watch and Play app lets you do that at the same time,” Desai points out. 

     

    The network is also building shows that have a specific digital strategy, which may mean that they get premiered first on the digital platform.

  • Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    Non-traditional advertisers flock to Turner’s kids channels

    MUMBAI: The year 2015 was an exciting one for kids’ television, what with several new shows being added to popular time bands and channels going the original way for content. From the perspective of advertising expenditure too, 2015 spelled as a fruitful year for the kids category on television as it managed to attract several non-conventional advertisers.

     

    Giving an insight on the facts and figures for the year’s performance in the genre, Turner International India vice president ad sales –  South Asia Juhi Ravindranath says, “The ad spends in 2015 were largely driven by categories like autos and e-commerce, which are not the conventional advertisers in the kids’ genre. FMCGs have performed really well. The overall estimate for TV has grown by over 14 per cent while the kids’ genre has also seen a decent double-digit growth.”

     

    Turner International rode this wave successfully and kept up with the pace of Indian entertainment market as well. “Pogo and Cartoon Network have received newer advertisers and categories coming on board, and their dependence on non-kids advertisers is also growing. Currently, nearly 60 to 65 per cent of the inventory on the kids’ genre is from non-kids’ brands. The channels have advertised with non-conventional advertisers through the conventional vignettes, brand integrations of the content messaging, creating co-branded promos, etc,” Ravindranath informs.

     

    On the brand integration front, channels have offered several new initiatives. “One of the key highlights for the year was the brand integration with Kellogg’s & Chhota Bheem. Another creative brand integration included: Perfetti in the animated movie series Sholay on Pogo. In addition to this, Perfetti Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly will join hands for the upcoming telefilm, Kris Ka Scooba Dooba Ajooba on Cartoon Network,” she says. 

     

    With advertisers from the non-kids category and FMCG brands coming onboard, the network’s content strategy for 2016 is also expected to ramp up.

     

    Turner International, executive director and network head – kids Krishna Desai adds, “Original content is key to us in fulfilling a long term and sustainable content pipe. A very large majority of all the content on CN comprises Cartoon Network Originals. On Pogo, large chunks of our pipe are either co-productions or from our sister company Warner Bros. Making content locally relevant is crucial – be it in the form of dubbing or home grown content.”

     

    With original content being the key focus, the channels will soon work on their line up for the year. “Turner International India will slowly bring in local content on the channel Toonami, along with the super hero shows. The second movie of the series Chakra that was worked along with Stan Lee, will be premiere in a few weeks,” informs Desai.

     

    However he asserts that good stories with universal themes told in a language understood and preferred by the audience, makes the differentiation between local versus international and irrelevant one. “Ben10 on Cartoon Network is as Indian as a Chhota Bheem as they have always seen him talk in Hindi,” he adds.

     

    Years ago Cartoon Network was the sole ruler in the genre. However, things changed as more and more new kids channels made their entry in the country. Although the channel continues to hold its place in the top three positions through the year, it is no longer the most watched channel in the category.

     

    When asked if Turner International India will strive to reclaim its number one spot in the category, Desai says, “The portfolio share makes us the number one kids portfolio in India. Our endeavor is to grow this share and also have leadership in the individual channel ranks. Our strategy is based on putting the consumer at the center of everything that we do.”

     

    With more and more kids content being available digitally, channels must also buckle up to retain their audiences. Desai says that offering app based services and experiences are one way to tap in the changing dynamics in kids content. 

     

    “Our kids brand digital offerings are transitioning towards being more ‘app’ based. The applications CN Watch and Play and CN Anything will be launched soon in India while Pogo channel’s website will shortly migrate on a new and much responsive platform. Kids love playing games than watching videos. CN Watch and Play app lets you do that at the same time,” Desai points out. 

     

    The network is also building shows that have a specific digital strategy, which may mean that they get premiered first on the digital platform.

  • Pogo lines up two new international shows in January

    Pogo lines up two new international shows in January

    MUMBAI: Kids channel Pogo kids has launched two unique international series in January namely Yokai Watch and Tashi.

    The Japanese animated series Yokai Watch went on air on 11 January and will be aired from Monday to Friday at 7 pm. On the other hand,Tashi will launch on 23 January and will air every Saturday at 9 am.

    Yokai Watch is based on a video game that features the adventures of Keita and Whisper. The adventure showcases how Keita uses this watch to identify the different YoKai (to save his hometown) that are haunting people in his town and make more Yokai friends.

    A three week long watch and win contest has been planned around the show where kids will get a chance to win Yokai merchandise.

    Tashi is an Australian series based on the worldwide best-selling children’s books by Barbara and Anna Fienberg. Jack’s parents send him to stay with his distant cousin Tashi. The series evolves with the two boys mingling together and exploring wild adventures across a fantastical land far away, along with protecting Tashi’s village from foes and villains.

  • 5 homegrown animated characters we love on TV

    5 homegrown animated characters we love on TV

    MUMBAI: Out of all the things a 90s kid would envy a late millennial for, the joy of rooting for a desi cartoon character will probably be somewhere on top. While international animated series still enjoy a major audience patronage, kids today are increasingly preferring home grown shows where their favourite animated characters not only speak their language, but also belong from relatable cultures.

    Keeping that in mind, Indiantelevision.com compiled a list of five animated characters, which were conceptualised and launched in India.

    Read on…

    Bheem from Chhota Bheem

    When Green Gold Animation gave India Chhota Bheem in 2008, they weren’t prepared for its overwhelming reception by their tiny tot audience. This comedy adventure series that airs on Pogo gave kids their own little super hero, albeit inspired by Bheem from Indian mythology but delivered in a completely new avatar. With over 360 episodes spread across seven seasons and still running, Chhota Bheem became a household name and kids are happy to embrace him in their lives not only through television, but through various merchandising products as well. Add to that the appeal of a fascinating city like Dholakpur, and you have your perfect fiction series for kids!

    Chhota Bheem is easily one of the most popular animated characters for kids on television right now.

    Motu and Patlu from Motu Patlu

    Adapted from the classic Indian comic strip Lot Pot, this CGI animated series not only raised the bar for animated television series for kids in India but also for slapstick comedy in cartoons. It brought us even closer to the Lot Pot stars Motu and Patlu, whose witty and engaging exchanges would have us in splits in no time.

    Comparatively new to hit the television (2012) on Nickelodeon, the characters have already garnered a massive fan following and market for their merchandise. Today, Motu and Patlu not only command a massive fan base in India but enjoy an audience in Pakistan too, where it is also aired.

     Kris from Roll No 21

    Another innovative take on mythology from a modern day standpoint, Kris is modelled after Lord Krishna, but his ‘just another kid at school’ vibe is what brings him closer to the target audience. Needless to say, Kris appeals to not just the toddlers but also the preteens in the demography. In fact, the show owns its similarity to the mythology by having Kris as an incarnation of Lord Krishna himself. The story also reflects a modern take in Krishna and Kansa’s rivalry, which is shown through Kris’s continuous struggle to thwart Kanishk’s plan.

    Shiva from Shiva

    The new kid on the block, Nick’s latest original character Shiva has garnered a considerable fan base in just a month since launch. His character design and story backdrop makes him akin to international teenage superhero shows like Ben 10, which were a huge success worldwide. With his cool gadgets and charming appearance he easily stands out as a teen idol in the kids genre on television.

    Chote and Bade from 9XM

    One can argue that Chote Bade don't have a show to themselves but that doesn't change the fact that they are an iconic pair of animated characters that connected with millions of Indian youth through 9XM. In fact, the animated duo, to some extent, form the channel’s identity as its mascots. They are not only popular onscreen but their offline avatars along with their witty screenplay has often entertained us in various on ground marketing events for the channel as well.

    Their concept was an innovative way to keep the audience engaged even during intervals and breaks during segments of show, but eventually Chote and Bade evolved as characters and are considered an important part of the Indian television’s animated character family.

  • HDFC Home Loans stirs childhood memories with #BackToBachpan

    HDFC Home Loans stirs childhood memories with #BackToBachpan

    MUMBAI: French philosopher Gaston Bachelard had rightly said, “Like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.” We often find ourselves looking out for little instances that take us back to our childhood. Understanding this sentiment, HDFC Home Loans has hooked in their online patrons with a digital Children’s Day campaign that calls on everyone to go #backtobachpan.

    Through an online contest carried out on their Twitter page, the brand gave opportunity to everyone to relive their childhood by posting pictures, instances and messages that give a glimpse of what childhood means to them. No sooner did the post go live, then people poured in with tweets with #backtobachpan.

    From pictures of their younger self doing goofy things, rubber eraser names old black and whites, twitterati were seen enthusiastically sharing their #backtobachpan moments, making the hashtag trend throughout the day in India.

    Some of the responses are both funny as well as moving.

    “Take me #BackToBachpan where i used to write my name on bench to mark it as my bench,” tweets batman_baklol, while Kanchan Negi (coool_kashish) recalls how her childhood was checkered by memories of visit to her grandmother’s place during vacations.

    Not only were the replies engaging, the brand went a step ahead in engaging with those who posted for the contest by creating animated caricature pictures of the twitteratti, taking cue from their posts.

    This isn’t the first time a brand has played on our heart strings with an innovative campaign on Children’s Day. In fact, Shopperstop ran a similar contest titled #BringBackTheKid last year, while Paper Boat’s inspiring TVC ‘When I grow up..”by EmotionalFulls, still remains fresh in our memory.

    On that note, here’s hoping that we keep our inner child alive. Happy Children’s Day!

  • Comcast & Cartoon Network team up on new voice remote searches

    Comcast & Cartoon Network team up on new voice remote searches

    MUMBAI: Speech recognition technology is more popular than ever and in the past few months alone with related announcements from Amazon, Apple, and Google.

     

    Comcast launched the cable industry’s first voice controlled TV remote earlier this year and the response has been terrific with nearly 1.5 million homes now having one. What’s more Comcast is distributing about 70,000 new remotes each week.

     

    “Users are speaking aloud to find titles, channels, actors and actresses as well as to record, tune, fast forward and rewind. Last month alone, there were 20 million voice commands made using our new remote.

     

    We’ve added some fun features too: quoting certain movies gets you to the film just as fast as a title search, Taylor Swift talks back when you search for her songs, and our remote happens to speak perfect Minionese,” said Comcast Cable executive director, product management Jeanine Heck.

     

    Now Comcast has added another interactive component in partnership with the Cartoon Network, which will be especially entertaining for kids.

     

    “It turns out that one of our most ‘voice-searched’ titles is Teen Titans Go!, a Cartoon Network fan favorite. Now, just by saying ‘Hello Beast Boy’ or ‘Boy Wonder,’ viewers are taken to the show’s homepage on X1 and will hear a special audio greeting from one of the characters. They also can say the names of other Titans like Cyborg, Robin and Raven and hear responses unique to each character,” Heck added.

     

    Comcast is planning add more new functions to its voice remote over time.

  • Chrome week 40: Sports genre leads with 1.1% hike

    Chrome week 40: Sports genre leads with 1.1% hike

    MUMBAI: The sports genre across India led the pack with a growth of 1.1 per cent with DD sports at the top of the chart with 74.4 per cent opportunity to see (OTS) in week 40 reported by Chrome Data Analytics and Media.

     

    Second on the list is the Hindi News genre in Hindi Speaking Market (HSM), which witnessed 0.9 per cent growth. India TV bagged the pole position in the section with 95.5 per cent OTS.

     

    English Entertainment grabbed the third slot in the six metros with growth of 0.7 per cent with Zee Café led the section with 49.3 per cent OTS.

     

    The Kids’ genre witnessed a rise of 0.3 per cent with Nickelodeon on the top with 78.6 per cent OTS.

     

    Amongst the losers this week were English Movies, Business News, Infotainments and Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs).

     

    The English Movie section in six metros witnessed a drop of 3.2 per cent with Movies Now securing the first position with 57.4 per cent OTS.

     

    Business News in six metros dropped by three per cent with CNBC Awaaz securing the top slot with 72.9 per cent OTS.

     

    The Infotainment channels genre across India dropped by one per cent. DD Kisan with 81.2 emerged as the most affected channel in the genre.

     

    This was followed by the Hindi GEC genre, which saw a fall of  0.7 per cent and bagged the fourth berth with DD National leading the tally with 96.4 OTS.

  • KidZania rings in summer with ‘Scrapbook’ campaign

    KidZania rings in summer with ‘Scrapbook’ campaign

    MUMBAI: Getting started is simple: pick an occupation, learn about the job, don a uniform, and start earning, spend kidzos… and have fun! There is one such destination, which provides all of this. With this core thought, to ignite the hearts and minds of kids everywhere by empowering them to make the world a better place, KidZania was born in India in 2013.

     

    KidZania offers a variety of activities to suit multiple interests of children. The facility has various establishments with specific role-playing activities that kids can take up as jobs. Supervisors would help children identify their aptitude and make their first resume, based on their interests.

     

    To double up the fun quotient as the summer sets in, the company is set to roll out its new campaign called ‘My Summer Scrapbook’ will go live from 18 April at R-City Mall in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar suburb.

     

    KidZania chief marketing officer Viraj jit Singh feels that summer is the best time to engage with kids and parents. “With summer holidays, parents and families look at means of entertainment for kids and this is where we actually speak over the next two months,” said Singh.

     

    Scrapbook is something we all have grown up with. “The idea of a scrapbook allows us to tell the child that it’s a great place for them to be able to create memories and that they would have many activities throughout summer to fill up the whole scrapbook,” he added.

     

    To connect better with the target audience between 4-14 for activities and parents between the ages of 24-48, this year KidZania is aiming at different mediums in the Mumbai and Pune markets. Unlike last year, where the summer campaign focused more on OOH, this year it spreads across platforms. Starting from print and digital, it will be followed by television, radio and below-the-line activities (BTL). With close to 6,00,000 visitors till date, KidZania aims to take the number even higher this year with its aggressive campaign.

     

    An insightful journey

     

    Right from conceptualizing to execution of the campaign, the marketing team took about three months. Throwing light on the company’s journey with the consumer, Singh believes that it was most important to get an insight for the campaign. “We have on an average 800-1000 families walking in every day and we definitely get some insights and feedback from them,” he said.

     

    For KidZania, the insights start from perception of the brand and where the brand stands. “The insight is about what and why people would like to step out in the summer and what they would want to do,” he added.

     

    The company is also looking to convey the message that Kidzania stands not just for fun but also for learning.

     

    The campaign, which has been conceived in-house, connects well with both, children as well as adults. “For the first time, we have got to use multiple mediums. Though it is a small destination in Bombay, I think that we have reached a stage where we are confident that we will be able to communicate to a lot of people about what we show,” Singh asserted.

     

    Engagement with the brands

     

    Since its inception in India, KidZania has attracted 33 brands on-board till date, of these are Yes Bank, Coca Cola, Cadbury’s, Hyundai Bajaj and Amity University etc to Mumbai’s exceptional Dabbawalla’s and Bollywood Academy to name a few.

     

    According to KidZania, brand partners must be aligned to the philosophy of reaching out to kids as ‘responsible brands’. “The brands through their engagement with kids create an environment that empowers them for self-development. This creates an inequitable impact that has a positive long-lasting impression on future consumers and their parents. For instance, a brand like Yes Bank instills the nuances of financial literacy and the importance of saving money through the banking activity, which is integral to KidZania. Amity creates a replica of their university where it teaches kids the value of education – higher education can get them better jobs and a higher pay,” Singh said.

     

    Singh informs that all the brands that KidZania partners with are all responsible brands in the eyes of the adults. “They too want to start conversation between kids and parents. Brands in Mumbai are extremely happy and excited to partner with us and each one of them has a very different objective for being here.”

     

    Built on a budget of Rs 100 crore, the company looks to recover 30-35 per cent of the cost from partners and 60-70 per cent from ticket sales.

     

    Of the total budget earmarked for the marketing campaign this summer, the company will be spending 40 per cent on TV, 35 per cent on print, 15 per cent on radio and 10 per cent on digital.

     

    Future roadmap

     

    KidZania, successfully established in Mumbai, is now all set to explore other metros in the country. Expanding its footprint in India, the brand has targeted Delhi NCR as its next destination.

     

    The center in Delhi is under development and is projected to go live in March 2016. Moreover, compared to the Mumbai center, which is 75,000 sq ft, the Delhi center will be much bigger in size with 97,000 sq ft independent structure.

     

  • Nick Jr celebrates world creativity & innovation week with ‘Go Creative’ campaign

    Nick Jr celebrates world creativity & innovation week with ‘Go Creative’ campaign

    MUMBAI: Sketch it, paint it, colour it or create it! Nick Jr India celebrates for the first time – World Creativity and Innovation Week with Dora the Explorer. The campaign that aims to inspire the little geniuses to unleash their creativity will provide them with a unique opportunity to showcase their talent.

     

    The creativity drive will be driven by Dora – The Explorer, who will flag off the ‘Go Creative’ campaign by inviting young minds to participate in this fun filled, innovative week from 15 to 21 April, 2015. The week long initiative will kick start online wherein children will have to sketch, colour, paint or create Dora.

     

    They will then have to click a picture of their art and upload it on the website. The campaign will also come alive on ground through interesting multi-city engagement initiatives. 

     

    The World Creativity and Innovation Week has been celebrated across the world in 46 countries since 2001. Through this unique concept, Nick Jr urges children to unleash their creative side and bring out the best of their talent through the expressive medium of Art.

     

    Viacom18 EVP and business head, kids cluster Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Art is the most apt form of expression and children with their curious and creative minds have always enjoyed being a part of such interesting activities.  The initiative is intended at spurring creativity and inspiring innovation amongst children. Our objective is to provide them a platform to bring out the innovative sketches and artistic strokes.”

     

    Dora the Explorer is as a seven-year-old girl who actively engages preschoolers in a play-along, adventure. Adored by children, every episode has Dora the educator invite young viewers to join her on an exploration with a clearly defined goal.  Dora also introduces kids to Hindi and English words and gives viewers the skills and the confidence needed to overcome challenges.