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Tag: Nick

  • Nick and Sonic join PM Modi in Vizag to promote yoga for children

    Nick and Sonic join PM Modi in Vizag to promote yoga for children

    MUMBAI: What do Chikoo, Bunty, Bittu, and over 3 lakh people have in common? On 21 June in Vizag, they all bent it like Bhujangasana at one of the country’s largest Yoga Day celebrations. India’s favourite kids’ entertainment channels, Nick and Sonic, traded cartoons for calming breaths as they joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of AYUSH, and a sea of yoga enthusiasts at R.K. Beach, Vizag. With toons like Nick’s Chikoo and Bunty and Sonic’s Bittu performing yoga on-ground, the channels brought their flagship wellness campaign Yogasehihoga to life proving that health and humour can share the same mat.

    The event, also graced by union ministers, CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM K. Pawan Kalyan, and civil aviation minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, saw PM Modi call yoga “the pause button humanity needs to breathe, balance, and become whole again.”

    The Nick and Sonic mascots more often found caught in madcap adventures guided children through basic asanas, encouraging them to make wellness a fun habit. Their mission: making yoga as cool as cartoons.

    This isn’t their first yogic rodeo. In 2019, Motlu and Patlu performed yoga with the PM in Ranchi. In Mumbai, the duo co-hosted Yoga by the Bay, and during the pandemic, the network rolled out digital yoga sessions for kids across the country.

    From reaching millions online to receiving thousands of contest entries, Nick and Sonic’s campaigns continue to make yoga accessible, exciting, and age-appropriate ensuring every child learns to stretch, breathe, and maybe even touch their toes without losing their smile.

    After all, wellness isn’t just for grown-ups with calendars, it’s also for kids with cartoons.

  • Nick of time keeps kids glued for 11th year running

    Nick of time keeps kids glued for 11th year running

    MUMBAI: Nick has done it again and how! India’s favourite kids’ entertainment channel has scored a smashing 11th consecutive year at the No. 1 spot in the kids’ genre, proving that when it comes to young eyeballs, it still rules the remote.

    Backed by a vibrant lineup of homegrown IPs and stories that strike a chord with both children and their parents, Nick’s secret sauce lies in its ability to entertain while staying relatable. Leading the charge is ‘Chikoo Aur Bunty’, the show that has remained the No. 1 in the category for three years straight, a feat as rare as a perfectly quiet playdate. Not far behind is the ever-endearing ‘Motu Patlu’, still a favourite across age groups and proving good storytelling never goes out of style.

    JioStar, president -for entertainment Alok Jain said “With 4 out of 5 kids in India tuning into our kids’ franchise, and the rise of co-viewing, particularly among young parents, we see this as a testament to the trust, relatability and deeper engagement our stories create. Shows like Chikoo Aur Bunty, which have held the 1 spot in the kids’ category for 3 consecutive years, demonstrate the powerful connection Nick enjoys with kids and families. Nick being the No.1 kids’ channel for 11 years straight is not just a reflection of viewership, but the deep emotional bond we’ve cultivated across generations. We look forward to bringing in non-stop entertainment for kids and families with our beloved characters and engaging stories.”

    And Nick’s impact goes far beyond just kids. It ranks among the top General Entertainment Channels (GECs) on both Pay TV and Free-To-Air platforms, a nod to the growing trend of families watching together no remote wars necessary.

    From digital campaigns to live events, influencer tie-ups to school-based engagements, Nick has created an ecosystem that extends far beyond the living room. Whether it’s mall activations, games, merchandise, or its strong social media presence, Nick has ensured it’s part of a child’s world 24/7 both online and offline.

    As the channel steps into another year, expect more original shows, fresh characters, and stories that blend fun with heart. Because if there’s one thing Nick has proven, it’s that when it comes to kidertainment, it’s always ahead of the game by a whisker, or maybe a bright orange hair.

  • Nick x Fevicreate Idea Labs secures top honours at ANN Awards 2024

    Nick x Fevicreate Idea Labs secures top honours at ANN Awards 2024

    Mumbai: Fevicreate Idea Labs, Pidilite’s annual art and craft competition in partnership with Nick, won the prestigious ANN Award for Best Live Action Program” in the Kids category. Partnering with Nick places brands at the forefront of kids’ entertainment, ensuring unmatched engagement and visibility. Nick’s expertise in connecting with young audiences makes it the ultimate destination for brands looking to build saliency in the kids’ market. As a fellow kids-first brand, Pidilite integrates play and learning into its core values, offering products that inspire imagination while imparting valuable skills. Collaborative initiatives like Fevicreate Idea Labs showcase that a deep understanding of children’s interests and preferences can elevate a brand’s presence and impact.

    Aired on Nick, Sonic and JioCinema, the Kids’ network ensured that the show was out there through a multi-channel marketing blitz including on-air, digital and social media touchpoints. This partnership not only facilitated the creation of a unique, interactive experience but also led to the highest reach ever achieved for a branded content piece in the kids’ category. The competition provided young talents with a platform to showcase creativity and innovation with groundbreaking projects centred around themes such as Marine Life and Space Exploration. This initiative, produced in collaboration with Prisha Arts and facilitated by Madison, offered children across the nation a unique opportunity to innovate and express themselves using Pidilite’s renowned products. With over 1.5 lakh students participating, the show’s recognition underlines its successful blend of art, science, and education.

    Commenting on the win, Viacom18 business head of kids TV Network Anu Sikka said, “We are thrilled that Fevicreate Idea Labs has won the prestigious ANN Award. This recognition comes on the back of the deep synergy between Nick and Pidilite, showcasing how our partnership goes beyond traditional television to deliver out-of-the-box innovation. We excel in providing solutions across various brand categories through a kids-first lens, addressing unique challenges and elevating brand experiences. By leveraging the immense popularity of Nick Toons like Chikoo Aur Bunty, we’ve successfully brought this IP to life, setting a new benchmark in kids’ programming.”

    Pidilite senior vice president of consumer products business Kashyap Gala “At Fevicreate, we wholeheartedly support the concept of ‘learning by doing.’ School boards and NEP guidelines advocate for ‘Art-Integrated Learning,’ emphasizing that more learning should take place through art and craft. We are elated that the Fevicreate Idea Labs initiative has been recognized with the ANN Award for Best Live Action Program. This achievement validates our commitment to nurturing creativity through the perfect blend of art, craft, and science. Partnering with Nickelodeon allowed us to reach countless young creators, and this recognition further boosts our efforts to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators. We look forward to continuing this exciting journey.”

    Madison COO Vandana Ramkrishna said “Winning the ANN Award for Best Live Action Program is an incredible honor for Fevicreate Idea Labs and the entire team involved. At Madison, we take great pride in working on projects that make a difference, and this recognition is a testament to the synergy between Pidilite, Nickelodeon, and ourselves. The success of this initiative not only highlights the impact of our efforts but also motivates us to push the boundaries of creative programming for kids in the future.”

  • Here are the winners of the second edition of Ann Awards

    Here are the winners of the second edition of Ann Awards

    Mumbai: On 17 July, Animation Xpress concluded the second edition of KAM Kids Animation & More summit that successfully brought together all the stakeholders of the animation space from all across the globe. The summit was followed by a grand award ceremony titled the ANN Awards 2021 where the best talents in the world of animation were honoured and recognised for their artistry and creativity.

    KAM Summit and ANN awards were presented by Nick and co-powered by Cosmos-Maya, Unreal-Engine and Discovery Kids. YOTTA served as the workstation partner and OTT service partner whereas Green Gold Animation was the summit partner. ABAI promoting Centre of Excellence (COE) were the associate partners and the event was supported by in10 Media – GUBBARE and HUION. Tokyo-based TBS’ Digicon6 Asia was the festival partner and ASIFA India was the community partner.

    Animators, studios, and individuals from institutes participated across 66 categories, setting a benchmark in the animation space. Over 300 artists were judged by a well-qualified 10-member jury through an online mechanism. The jurors were Vidit Kundra, Shilpa Ranade, Yoshiya Ayugai, Sekhar Mukherjee, Joan Vogelesang, Indrajit Nattoji, Anil Wanvari, Vivek Ram, Jack Liang, Dhimant Vyas.

    The winners will receive the Ann Awards trophy along with digital certificates.

    This year to honour the creative genius and champion of Indian animation industry, the late Arnab Chaudhuri, AnimationXpress introduced a new recognition, ‘The Arnab Chaudhuri Director’s Award’. To select the winners, an Awards Committee was put in place that consisted of people who have been associated with Arnab and understood his philosophies- Vaibhav Kumaresh, Ashish Kulkarni, Pete Bishop, Orion Ross, P Jayakumar, Prakash Moorthy, Hari Varma, Anil Wanvari and Ashima Avasthi.

    The winning student director under ‘The Arnab Chaudhuri Young Ace Award – Short Form content’ will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 15,001 and the winner of ‘The Arnab Chaudhuri Young Ace Award – Long fort Form content’ will be awarded with Rs 33,001. The cash prize is a joint contribution from Ashima Avasthi, Vaibhav Kumaresh and AnimationXpress. The winners will also receive a digital tablet from our support partner HUION. 

    Here’s the list of Ann Awards nominations and winners:

    PROGRAMMING

    Best Preschool Show

    ·  Mighty Little Bheem episode – A Royal Festival of Colors (Green Gold Animation)

    Best Channel Packaging

    ·  Warner Media India – Pogo Festive Packaging

    Best Promo

    ·  Kaal ka badla (Discovery Kids India)

    ·  Kris Live Action Sport (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    ·  Kris Live Action Stationary (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    ·  Toons ki barish (Warner Media India – Cartoon Network)

    ·  What’s Your Summer Plan (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    Best 2D Animated Series

    ·  Abhimanyu (Toonz Media Group)

    ·  Ting Tong as Inventor (Viacom18 – Nickelodeon)

    ·  Chhota Bheem Episode – Shrunken Kids (Green Gold Animation)

    ·  Fukrey Boyzzz: Vanaar Sena (Discovery Kids India)

    ·  Titoo (Cosmos-Maya)

    Best 3D animated series

    ·  Bhoot Bandhus Family Tree & Bhoot Bandhus Magic Show (Viacom18 – Nickelodeon)

    ·  Rudra – Race to the mountain (Viacom18 – Nickelodeon)

    ·  Bablu Dablu: Monster Plan (One Take Media)

    ·  Motu Patlu (Cosmos-Maya)

    ·  KickO and Super Speedo (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    Best Animated Film

    ·  Fatak Patak – Sheru Ban Gaya Champion (Nihodo Media)

    ·  Rudra – The Land of Nowhere (Viacom18 – Nickelodeon)

    ·  Bheem In The City (Green Gold Animation)

    ·  Little Singham : Kaal ki Shatir Chaal (Discovery Kids India)

    ·  Little Singham: Future mein Satakli (Discovery Kids India)

    Best Animated Short Film

    ·  Ting Tong as Kungfu Dancer (Viacom18 – Nickelodeon)

    ·  Jungle Mangal (Saggitive TechnoCreative Solutions)

    ·  Lamput – Transfer Gun (Warner Media India)

    Best Music Composer

    ·  Har Task with a Mask (Warner Media India)

    ·  Move it Like the Animals (YoBoHo Digital Content)

    ·  Kicko and Super Speedo vs Benaam Who (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    Best Remotely Produced Content

    ·  Bheega Diya na (Warner Media India)

    ·  We for the World (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    ·  Momo and Tulus (YoBoHo Digital Content)

     

    DIGITAL/ OTT AWARDS

    Best Animated Film

    ·  Bombay Rose (Paperboat Design Studios)

    ·  Titoo Ambulance (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    ·  Christmas Ident (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    ·  Simmba Biker Gang (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    Best Animated Digital Series

    ·  Gummy Bear & Friends (Toonz Media Group)

    ·  Mighty Little Bheem Episode – Come Out and Play (Green Gold Animation)

    Best Animated Music Video

    ·  The Fortune & Julia Nem – Lost (Kiran Venugopalan)

    ·  Titoo aisa kyun hain? (Warner Media India)

    ·  Har task with a mask (Warner Media India – Pogo)

    Best Remotely Produced content

    ·  Toons ki barish (Warner Media India – Cartoon Network)

    Best Animated Social Media Brand

    ·  Cosmos-Maya WowKidz

    Best Reels

    ·  Pixoury Media

     

    TECHNICAL AWARDS

    Best Title Design

    ·  Fukrey Boyzzz: Vaanar Sena (Discovery Kids India)

    Best Title Song

    ·  Keymon Ache (Viacom18 – Nickelodeon)

    ·  Hope Song – Phhir Dil Bolega YAY! (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    ·  Honey Bunny ka Jholmaal title song (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    Best Editing in an Animated TV Series

    ·  Motu Patlu (Cosmos-Maya)

    Best Editing in an Animated Film

    ·  Fatak Patak – Sheru Ka World Tour (Nihodo Media)

    ·  Fatak Patak – Sheru Aur Masti Ki Pathshala (Nihodo Media)

    ·  Honey Bunny in Ghost Palace (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    Best Editing in an Animated Digital Series

    ·  Momo and Tulus (YoBoHo Digital Content)

    ·  Ace2Three Rummy (Skill Tool Studio)

    Best Director of an Animated TV series

    ·  Toonz Media Group
    Chacha Chaudhary

    ·  Cosmos-Maya
    Selfie With Bajrangi

    ·  Cosmos-Maya
    Motu Patlu

     

    Technical Awards

    Best Director of an Animated Film

    ·  A THEOREM (AK RAPOLU THEOREM)
    DHIRA

    Best Director of a Digital Series

    ·  Skill Tool Studio
    Ace2Three Rummy

    Best Screenplay

    ·  Fatak Patak – Sheru Ka World Tour (Nihodo Media)

    ·  Fatak Patak – Sheru Ban Gaya Champion (Nihodo Media)

    ·  Honey Bunny and Super Car Race (Sony Pictures Networks India)

    Best Character Design

    ·  Tiger in Jungle Mangal (Saggitive TechnoCreative Solutions)

    ·  Gadget Guru Ganesha (Cosmos-Maya)

    ·  Bapu (Cosmos-Maya)

    Best Character Animation

    ·  One Take Media Bablu
    Dablu: Monster Plan

    Best Voice Over Artist for a TV series – Male

    ·  Sony Pictures Networks India
    Honey Bunny Ka Jholmaal

    Best Voice Over Artist for a Digital series – Female

    ·  YoBoHo Digital Content Build
    A Childrens Playground

    Best Technical Innovation

    ·  A THEOREM (AK RAPOLU THEOREM)

    DHIRA

    L&M (Licensing & Merchandising) Awards

    Best Animated Character Merchandise

    ·  Chhota Bheem Saregama Carvaan Mini (Green Gold Animation)

    Best Animated Series Merchandise

    ·  Fatak Patak (Nihodo Media)

    Best Licensed Animated Character Programme

    ·  Chhota Bheem (Green Gold Animation)

    Best Licensed Animated Series Programme

    ·  Bablu Dablu: Snow Daze (One Take Media)

    Best use of Leveraging a Character for Brand Marketing

    ·  Chhota Bheem Jelimal Candies (Green Gold Animation)

     

    MAM (Media, Advertising and Marketing) Awards

    Best Animated Brand Film

    ·  Air India Animated Brand Films (ARTHA Animation)

    ·  Ace2Three Rummy (Skill Tool Studio)

    ·  TRAQ by Titan (Paperboat Design Studio)

    Best Digital Campaign for an Animated Series

    ·  Fukreyy Boyzzz Launch (Discovery Kids India)

    ·  Kaal ki Shatir Chaal (Discovery Kids India)

    ·  Ace2Three Rummy (Skill Tool Studio)

    Best use of Animated Character in a Brand TVC

    ·  Air India Animated Brand Advertisements (ARTHA Animation)

    Best Experiential Marketing

    ·  School Contact Programme (Discovery Kids India)

    Best Brand Collaboration

    ·  Fukrey Boyzzz x Britannia Krunch (Discovery Kids India)

    Best Innovative Campaign

    ·  SuperHero Academy (Discovery Kids India)

     

    Student Awards

    Best Student 3D Film

    ·  Deep Trouble (MAAC Andheri – Mumbai)

    ·  Let’s Go (MAAC South Extension – New Delhi)

    ·  BOOND (MAAC Malad – Mumbai)

    Best Student 2D film

    ·  Story of a Beginning
    Balaram J (National Institute of Design)

    ·  Water Pollution
    Vishnu Balal (UNESCO H2Ooooh! – Waterwise Program 2021 by Toonz Media Group)

    ·  Blinding Lights Music Video
    Dhruv Dhindale, Sakshi Singh & Aman Singh (DICE VFS)

     

    SPECIAL AWARDS

    Best Animator – Female

    ·  Meera Latkar (Warner Media India – POGO)
    Bheega diya naa

    Best Animator – Male

    ·  Mukund Bhaleghare (Skill Tool Studio)
    ACE2THREE Rummy

    Best Indie Studio

    ·  Paperboat Design Studios

    Young Animator of the Year

    ·  Balaram J (National Institute of Design)
    Story of a Beginning

    Best Animated Music Video

    ·  Jazyl Homavazir & Amandeep Singh
    Homeless Homeboy Animated Opening

    ·  YoBoHo Digital Content
    Move it Like the Animals

    ·  Discovery Kids India
    Little Singham: Kaal ki shatir Chaal

    ·  Kiran Venugopalan & Aishwarya Manoj Mankar
    The Fortune & Julia Nem – Lost

    Best Bollywood inspired animated IP

    ·  Fukrey Boyzzz (Discovery Kids India)

    Best use of animation in a public service message nominee

    ·  Pollution Control Day 2020 (Digitalclay Studios)

    ·  Mumbai Police Parivaar (ARTHA Animation)

    ·  Fukrey Boyzzz: Swag wali Diwali (Discovery Kids India)

    Best Syndicated Content  

    ·  Bablu Dablu: Sunsational Summer (One Take Media)

     

    EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS

    Best 3D Series Overall- TV and OTT

    ·  Mondo Yan (Toonz Media Group)

    ·  Mighty Little Bheem Episode – A Flower For Mom (Green Gold Animation)

     

    Most Expansive Studio of the Year
    Cosmos-Maya

    The Arnab Chaudhuri Director’s Award

    The Arnab Chaudhuri Young ACE Award – Short Form

    ·  Notun Fasal (New Harvest)
    Sovan Dutta (SRFTI)

    The Arnab Chaudhuri Young ACE Award – Long Form

    ·  Story of a Beginning
    Balaram J (National Institute of Design)

    The Arnab Chaudhuri Animation ACE Award

    ·  Chandra’s Cafe
    Krishna Chandran A. Nair

  • Our aim is to always create screen agnostic content: Viacom18’s Anu Sikka

    Our aim is to always create screen agnostic content: Viacom18’s Anu Sikka

    KOLKATA: The pandemic has been an epoch changing event for most adults, but it has also had a significant impact on children, too. A year of being confined to their homes later, the world is no longer their oyster, but has shrunk to the small screen – their window to the unseen and unknown domain outside. No wonder that kids are consuming more content across all mediums, be it traditional modes or new age platforms. With summer vacation set to start amid partial lockdowns across the country, young viewers will tune in to TV more than ever.

    To tap into the increased demand in April-June quarter, Nickelodeon recently unveiled a robust summer slate for kids. “This is a crucial time for the audience as well as the broadcasters because the viewership usually tends to be highest during this particular period. We have come up with the biggest ammunition that we can think of to roll out in this particular quarter,” said Viacom18 kids cluster content programming and strategy head Anu Sikka.

    The network has come up with new episodes of all the series that have been doing exceptionally well on both Nick and Sonic. Hence, the new line-up includes new episodes of old favourites like Motu Patlu, Rudra, Golmal Jr., Pinaki and Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus, and Ninja Hatori. Though it relaunched Zig & Sharko on Sonic in the last quarter of 2020, it is not ruling out fresh episodes for this show as well. The summer line-up also includes mini movies around popular cartoon characters.

    Last year, viewership for kids channels hit the roof when lockdown kicked in. While the ratings started returning to normal as things opened up, they are rising again now and are on course to reach the usual summer peak. 

    “In this era of uncertainty, we are trying to ensure when a child comes to watch Nick or Sonic, they should get that feeling of continuity that nothing has changed for them. So, there’s at least one aspect of life that remains unchanged for them,” Sikka added.

    There has been marked shift in content consumption trends too in recent times. Earlier, children were not willing to accept new characters or it could take a substantial amount of time for them to do so. But Sikka highlighted that this behaviour has changed over the last two years. Today, audiences are keenly on the look-out for new series and characters. However, the success of new shows lies in effective storytelling and good animation, she remarked.

    For instance, Pinaki and Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus was produced without following tried and tested methods; but on the back of unique content, it has done well and has climbed to the top five shows in the category within the past six months, mentioned Sikka.

    Over the past ten years, another major change that has taken place in the industry is the emergence of indigenous content. “I don’t think there is any broadcaster who can think of success without creating Indian characters, and local Indian shows. Every channel which had success has been on the back of locally produced content,” stated the content programming head, adding, “Indian animation industry, the broadcasters in the kids’ category have adapted to this change extremely fast.”

    Given the success of the genre, major OTT platforms have also started investing in the kids segment. Many industry experts have predicted that this trend would increase pressure on broadcasters. But Sikka is not worried about competition from OTTs. First, kids are not particularly interested in OTT exclusive content, said she; second, the network ensures that its popular characters, shows are present in all the spaces that draw young viewers.

    “Our aim is to always create screen agnostic content. It does not matter where the child is consuming the content. I truly believe as a content maker, if your story is strong, if your content is strong, if the children like the characters you have developed, they will watch it no matter the platform. Nick-Sonic shows do well across all the platforms, whether they’re watched on Nick or Sonic or Voot Kids, or YouTube channel of Nick,” Sikka signed off.

  • Nickelodeon reveals its engaging summer content line-up

    Nickelodeon reveals its engaging summer content line-up

    KOLKATA: Nickelodeon is set to amuse kids in the summer with #NicktoonsKaSummerDose – a content line-up of all new episodes, movies, host of fun activities and innovative engagements that will keep kids happy and engaged while they stay safe at home.

    Summer-time fun has commenced on a high note with Nick welcoming the kids’ favourite prank gang Golmaal Jr. on the channel.  The prank gang now entertains kids with all new episodes of their mischievous escapades every Monday to Friday at 12.30 PM with the message #NickPeSabGolmaalHai. The comic capers of the prank gang will be made the talk of the town through a high decibel multi-screen campaign- with TV spots on the franchise and cross promotions on lead GEC channels, on YouTube, gaming portals and on social media. Adding to the euphoria will be a one-of-a-kind partnership with Mad Over Donuts through a fun and delectable summer special box of donuts presented by the Golmaal Jr Prank Gang.

    While the prank gang entertains and creates a laugh riot on Nick, summer celebrations get an unexpected twist with Pinaki and Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus on Sonic. The fun & entertaining family of ghosts will add to the entertainment quotient on Sonic through all new stories every Monday to Friday at 11:30am.  The campaign promoting the fun buddies will be done taking a multiscreen approach that includes a TV campaign and promotions on digital mediums. The Bhoot Bandhus will be further brought to life on social mediums through engagements wherein kids will be seen taking the fun Bhoot Bandhus Tongue Twister challenge (#BBTT Challenge) along with a host of Innovative digital engagements to make sure kids are engaged in the comfort of their homes.

    The mischievous Golmaal Gang, adorable Motu Patlu and magical Rudra will entertain kids through all new episodes on Nick. The super cool Pinaki & Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus, Shiva, Ninja Hatori and Zig and Sharko will amp up the fun with fresh stories on Sonic, giving kids a reason to celebrate. Additionally, all new episodes of Loud House on Nick HD+ and Peppa Pig on NickJr will drive up the entertainment decibel, making sure that kids have a fabulous time indoors. 

    There will also be movies galore as Rudra infuses magic into summer with his superhit movie The Land of No Where while Motu Patlu’s comic capers will entertain kids through the mini movie- The Secret Mission of Motu Patlu set to premiere on Nick in May. This apart, all the new episodes and movies of  favourite toons will also be available to stream on our fun-learn kids entertainment app, Voot Kids.

     “At Nickelodeon our focus is on keeping kids entertained in these challenging times. Summer is a special time for children, and we have created a very robust content pipeline of some fun and exciting stories to make sure that they have a great time and stay motivated amidst the current scenario. We are here to make kids happy and are sure that the vast and immersive stories of our Nicktoons will transport them into a world of imagination and fun, giving them a reason to celebrate while lifting up their spirits,” Viacom18 kids cluster content programming and strategy head Anu Sikka commented.

     Summer started with World Creativity and Innovation Week that saw Nick Jr. along with Play Date encouraging kids to unleash their creativity indoors through a curated program of various activities such as music and movement, coding adventure, clay dough, mystery parties, chocolate making amongst others. There will be interesting virtual activations on special occasions like Mother’s Day and Yoga Day that will create many memorable and happy moments for kids and families. Each interactivity would be brought to life digitally by the adorable Nicktoons that will surely add a dash of cheer to each day.

  • What’s exciting Nickelodeon India’s Nina Jaipuria this festive season

    What’s exciting Nickelodeon India’s Nina Jaipuria this festive season

    MUMBAI: Nickelodeon has been the undisputed leader in kid's TV space in India for several years now. It has created several iconic characters such as Motu-Patlu, Gattu Battu, Rudra, and Dadduji that have been immensely loved by children as well as the brands. With over 700 hours of content, the franchise today has the largest, immersive, and most versatile local content library in the category. The channel is aiming to increase 100 hours of content by the next fiscal year. 

    In its quest to continue its leadership position, the kids’ entertainment franchise announced the launch of its tenth indigenous IP Pinaki & Happy- The Bhoot Bandhus on Sonic. Produced by Delhi based Tavrohi Animations, the new 3D animated show is fast paced, entertaining, spooky – perfect to take the young viewers on an adventurous joy ride starting 9 November, Monday at 11:30 am on Sonic. The show will have three slots on the channel for the whole day. It is a ghost story mixed with comedy.

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and the kids TV Network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria highlighted that this project started 20 months ago and ever since that time, it was in the pipeline. Said she: “Any kids content requires a lot of time because it needs much planning in advance, animation and then you start producing episodes. In the middle of all this is the characterization, scripting and then eight language dubbing.”   

    In the meantime, Jaipuria along with the team actively looked at the market research, emerging trends in the kid's section and deep dived into their own portfolio. The channel is looking at white spaces that are untapped and have not been catered to the Indian animation industry. 

    New Storyline

    For Pinaki & Happy- The Bhoot Bandhus, the channel wrote down an entire hypothesis, worked on the characters, and in fact tested the show. The new property will portray an unusual family of ghosts, who adopt a boy, the titular character – Pinaki, and raise him as one of their own. Fun and chaos ensues when both the worlds collide. The show will illustrate daily adventures, familial love, the friendship of Pinaki and Happy as the fun unfolds when the ‘bhoot world meets the real world’. Directed by Ankur Chauhan, the lyrics of the title track have been penned by the legendary Gulzar, and the music composed by Simaab Sen.

    Elaborating more on the number of episodes and the overall plan for the show, Jaipuria shared that the number completely depends upon the viewership, ratings and ROI. Nickelodeon aims to expand the library for every single IP. –this is not what we are supposed to do…

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and the kids TV Network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria highlighted that work on the show  started 20 months ago, which is what animation projects normally take in India.

    Jaipuria along with the team undertook market research, emerging trends in the kid's section and deep dived into their own portfolio. The channel is looking at white spaces that are untapped and have not been catered to by the Indian animation industry.

    Nickelodeon enjoys strong viewership from rural areas as there are no FTA (Free to air) channels in the kid's category.

    Read more news on Nickelodeon

    Marketing Strategy

    The show launch will be supported by a robust promotion plan across all platforms, which will include an aggressive TV plan within the Viacom18 network and outside the network. In addition to the high blitz television promotions, the launch will be promoted on cable channels, DTH, OTT platforms, music streaming apps amongst others. There are various innovations lined up on the digital front, including tons of quirky communication on YouTube. There would be a high decibel influencer campaign reaching out to the digital audiences. The promotions will also extend to schools through an expansive virtual school contact program. Further adding to the experience will be fun Bhoot Bandhus inspired digital games, contests, AR filters, virtual dance face-offs, and a series of engaging and interesting on-line interactivity.

    Leadership Position

    Jaipuria shared that the channels’ prime focus has been to create a local IP that it could own and sweat it across platforms and revenue streams. She mentioned, “It was about creating a local IP in a manner where we created a portfolio and content library which expands in width and depth. It means we don’t only have the number of IPs we kept launching over the last 10 years but also the number of episodes we created for every IP. I think that has helped us to keep the pole position for Nickelodeon. The thing that keeps us on the rating front is also the fact that how we focus on our characters. So, story writing and scriptwriting is extremely important.”

    According to Jaipuria, it is extremely important for Nickelodeon to have a franchise and own IPs. Firstly from the ROI perspective, it helps to manifest it on various other platforms. The Nickelodeon IP exists in many avatars that include television, Voot kids, mobile games, product licensing, promotion licensing and consumer products. She pointed out that all the IPs have a long shelf life and start giving profits over a period of time. It keeps the channel ahead of the curve. Jaipuria mentioned, “Kids are early screen adapters and our strategy was to be present on every screen the kids want us to be. Owning the IP and having it for ourselves was very important. It is only then you can put your IP on any screen that the kid demands.”

    Brands Play

    Jaipuria didn’t hesitate to admit that the pandemic was brutal for the overall broadcast industry and the channel. Nickelodeon witnessed a dip in the adex by 20 per cent. The months from April to June were slow, but as the normalcy returns and products are back on the shelves, advertising has started to grow. Now, adex has gone back to the 2019 level. Starting October the ad volumes have been slightly more. She shared, “Market sentiment has improved, and advertisers are back. Several new categories have also come onboard like e-commerce, automobiles, Edutech, and e-wallet. These include brands like – Vedantu, Byjus, PhonePe, Amazon Pay and others. Some of the advertisers are also new like Lego and Mars. Currently, November and December look overfull. In fact, even during the lockdown, we did not give discounts on ad rates. We are operating on zero discount and I am hoping that the rates will go up.”

    The channel has both kid and non-kid advertisers. Kid advertisers are normally FMCG brands like Nestle, Britannia and likewise. But there are non-kid clients also that are targeting the gatekeepers or the co-viewers of the channel. These include e-commerce, automobile, insurance etc. Jaipuria thinks that kids are very good negotiators and have a lot of decision-making power and they are taken into consideration for a lot of household decisions. Brands that are advertising are also aware of the fact that there will be a lot of pester power. Kids now are so tech-savvy that they dominate the discussion on buying decisions – be it household items, groceries, electronics, which paint to apply or which car to buy. Jaipuria opined that this is one of the main reasons why so many advertisers choose Nickelodeon to reach out to these influencers and induce them to buy popular brands.

    She concluded, “We have grown on the top line by 12 to 15 per cent last year. We have grown our ad-rates by that much because 12 minutes is all we have to sell. So, all the increase that we get every year comes from value and rates. We are looking at growing and having a fair share in the ad-rate and considering that we are so under indexed at three per cent and considering the genre share at 7 per cent, we do want to take our ad-rates up every year."

  • Nickelodeon franchise witnesses 20 per cent growth in weekly viewing minutes

    Nickelodeon franchise witnesses 20 per cent growth in weekly viewing minutes

    MUMBAI: In this period of lockdown, the kids’ category has seen a surge in viewership including the growth of the Nickelodeon franchise ratings, which have in fact fuelled the growth of the entire kid’s category. The kids’ genre has seen a 33 per cent growth by moving up to nine per cent share in total TV at 2+. While the Nickelodeon franchise dominates the category with eight out of Top 20 shows belonging to its programming line-up. Currently the Nickelodeon franchise leads the category with 34  per cent market share and has witnessed 28% growth in ratings with a 6% increase of weekly reach and a 20% increase in weekly viewing minutes across the franchise. As families stay indoors, co-viewing of the Nickelodeon franchise has grown substantially (15+ age group has seen a 23% growth) this week. 

    Nickelodeon’s first instinct was to offer them a high dose of entertainment in the current time of Covid-19. To get through this period, Nickelodeon, the popular entertainment destination in the kid space, continues to enhance engagement with the announcement of a new content line-up. 

    At a time when parents and kids across the country are at home, Nickelodeon has come to the rescue of these kids and their families by adding fresh new content to its already popular programming catalogue.

    The new content-line up comes at a time when kids are looking forward to all new episodes of their favourite toons. Nick and Sonic will ensure there is no dull moment in the lives of their fans by offering new stories across kid’s favourite shows such as Motu Patlu and Rudra on Nick and Ninja Hattori and Pakdam Pakdai on Sonic. Taking the kids into a new world of fun will be the made-for-TV movies of Motu Patlu and Rudra on Nick. Nick Jr., the channel for toddlers will also air new episodes of Paw Patrol. 

    All the content across Nick and Sonic will be available in eight languages – Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi & Malayalam along with existing languages Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, thus ensuring that fans across the nation will be able to watch their favourite toons in the language of their choice.

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment & kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Kids are at the centre of our universe and their wellbeing is of utmost importance to us. In the wake of COVID-19, we request all to stay safe indoors and have an enjoyable time at home. During this time when families must stay inside, we are offering our young viewers fresh episodes of their favourite shows so they can bond with their families while enjoying the company of their beloved Nicktoons. We at Nickelodeon believe this is a time to be positive, remain safe and we commit to doing all that we can to make our viewers smile and feel upbeat.”

    With a perpetual spirit to innovate, Nickelodeon is giving kids a reason to feel good with their lighthearted campaign #HomeOkPlease. The adorable Nicktoons are delivering the message of staying indoors, social distancing, washing their hands, etc. in a tone and manner that is lighthearted and humorous. This campaign comes to life on social media though posts, videos, memes, gifs. Nickindia.com has put up host of games of Rudra, Motu Patlu, Shiva to name a few in addition to some wonderful DIY videos and formats that kids can engage with and feel occupied.

    Until social distancing continues, the Nicktoons Motu Patlu, Shiva, Rudra, Ninja Hattori and many more will keep the young viewers happy and engaged. So Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Entertained. #HomeOkPlease

  • Nick, Sonic & Nick Jr gear up for an enthralling festive season

    Nick, Sonic & Nick Jr gear up for an enthralling festive season

    MUMBAI: With the festive season around the corner, Nickelodeon – India’s leading kid’s entertainment franchise is geared up for a fun filled quarter. Starting with Motu Patlu, Rudra and Shiva on Nick to Golmaal Jr, Pakdam Pakdai and Ninja Hattori on SONIC, the months ahead will see a gamut of movies and new seasons to keep our young viewers entertained. The franchise has kickstarted the festive bonanza with Rudra spreading his “Magic” on Nick along with an unmatched dose of pranks and adventure with the Golmaal Jr. gang on SONIC. 

    The Nickelodeon campaign will be brought to life through an interactive contest where kids need to tune in to all new episodes of Rudra Mon-Fri 7:25 pm, give missed calls on the unique number flashing on their television screens and stand a chance to win a specially curated magic box. The campaign will be further amplified on digital and social with interactive games and gifs and a whole lot of ambient visibility and ground swell in key metros like Mumbai with mall chains like Inorbit, Infinity, Oberoi to name a few.

    SONIC will be adding the sparkle and a whole lot of masti to your Diwali plans with the ultimate adventures and comic capers of the Golmaal Jr gang with all new episodes every day at 1:30pm, to keep kids entertained and the festive spirit alive. This campaign will be further amplified with a high decibel cross channel TV plan with spots on popular GECs, music and movie channels, engaging content across social media and video platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook along with specially designed ads on You tube keeping in mind the spirit of mischief. We will also see spots in 150 cinema screens for the mega festive blockbuster release Houseful 4 across key HSM U markets. The ground swell will further be amplified through ambient media in malls across crucial markets. The visibility will be further strengthened with strategic alliances, van activations in multiple states and a lot more.

    The festive mania will continue across the franchise with Nick Jr., where we’ll give young kids a dream opportunity to win a play date jamboree with their favorite Peppa Pig. All they need to do is click a selfie while watching new episodes on their television screens and upload their picture on www.NickJrIndia.com and they could be one of the many winners for Nick Jr’s Play Date with Peppa.

  • IndiaCast issues disconnection notice to Independent TV

    IndiaCast issues disconnection notice to Independent TV

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 and TV18’s distribution arm IndiaCast has issued a disconnection notice to direct-to-home operator (DTH) Independent TV (Reliance Big TV) over non-payment of subscription fees.

    IndiaCast, which also distributes Eenadu Television channels in India barring the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, intends to yank off all its channels from the operator within three weeks of the notice, which has been published in a Hindi daily.

    “This is to inform all the subscribers of Reliance Big TV/Independent TV that some or all channels of Viacom18 and ETV Network will be shut down after 3 weeks starting from the issue date of public notice because of unpaid dues,” the notice says.

    In case the two parties fail to resolve the dispute, Independent TV consumers could miss out on channels like ETV, ETV Plus, ETV, Life, ETV Cinema, ETV Abhiruchi, ETV Telangana and ETV Andhra Pradesh, CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN News18, News18 India, News18 Tamil Nadu, News18 Lokmat, History channel, FYI TV18, News18 Kerala, MTV, Colors, Rishtey, Nick, Vh1, Sonic, Comedy Central, Colors Infinity, MTV Beats, Rishtey Cineplex, Colors Super, Colors HD, MTV Beats HD, Colors Gujarati, Colors Marathi, Colors Bangla, Colors Kannada, Colors Odia, News18 Uttar Pradesh Uttaranchal, News18 MP Chhattisgarh, News18 Rajasthan, News18 Urdu, News18 Bihar Jharkhand, News18 Kannada and Colors Tamil.

    In accordance with the TRAI’s tariff order, IndiaCast recently bundled the networks’ 57 channels (42 SD and 15 HD) in three packs – budget, value and family. The networks have also introduced 10 channel bundles, in SD and HD versions, mapped to its markets (Hindi, North East, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bengal, Maharashtra, Orissa, Telugu and Tamil) to allow the consumer to choose from.