Tag: Nickelodeon

Channels, Bollywood and TV actors gear up to celebrate Mother’s Day in unique ways

MUMBAI: From being an accomplice in watching late night shows to keeping the deepest secret, from saving us from a yelling from dad to guiding us when we are in the middle of nowhere, mothers have always been a child’s beloved. A friend, a teacher, a mentor, an idol, a protector, a manager, she is a fusion of many.

In a world where all of us are glued to our smartphones,on Facebook or Whatsapp or Twitter, we often forget to pause for just a moment and acknowledge all that our mothers do to ensure our every happiness. Known for their multitasking abilities and for always giving someone a chance, a person will always have her mother right by their side.

While all of us say we have only two hands and do limited things, mothers have multiple hands and an unending will to keep doing things for their child despite all hardships. And yet, we often forget to spend quality time with our mothers and express our heartfelt gratitude for their unconditional love.

Television channels have turned up their love and care quotient to entertain viewers further. This Mother’s Day which falls on 8 March, Indiantelevision.com has made your day simpler by picking up a few channels which you can enjoy with your mother whole day long.

Even if your mother occasionally scolds you for not cleaning your room, you will certainly be glad that she is nothing like the ‘momzillas’ living in the Upper East Side of New York. Comedy Central continues this movement of appreciation for all mothers by airing the entire season of Odd Mom Out from 12 pm to 5 pm. Laugh and bond with your mother, she loves you despite you’re all the stupid things you have done and surely will do in the future.

The channel has also joined hands with UrbanClap to make the day special for a few lucky viewers through a one day contest in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. Executives will be visiting the house of these winners to give make this day easy going for their mommies by taking up odd jobs and chores of the house and giving the mommies manicures, pedicures and foot massages.

On the other hand, Nickelodeon has announced a special association with Love Sugar Dough by offering free Dora Cup Cakes on from 2 pm to 8 pm to celebrate this special occasion. The first 25 kids who visit the Love Sugar Dough branches at Chowpatty, Breach Candy, Bandra and Bombay Central, along with their mothers, are in for a sweet treat with free Dora cupcakes awaiting them.

Romedy Now will celebrate Mother’s Day with a special line-up to pay tribute to the hard-working and selfless women in our lives. The channel will air various movies like Mamma Mia, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Big Wedding, Maid in Manhattan and Life As We Knowunder their official property titled Mum’s The World. It has also created an integrated contest with the same title through which one lucky winner will get an all-expense paid trip to Phuket with the winner’s mom. The movies will air the entire day from 9 am to 9 pm on 8 May.

It has also tied up with the recently released comedy-drama Mother’s Day starring Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson. The film depicts interlinked stories about three women in different settings and on different emotional missions. Roberts plays the role of a glamorous TV host, while Hudson is a woman who wants a stronger and more cordial relationship with her mother, and Aniston is a divorcee who is looking for love

Animal Planet plans to bring its viewers a day full of amazing stories which will put spotlight on some of the outstanding animal mothers going the extra mile for their young. The mother’s day special will air on 8 May 2016 from 12 pm to 8 pm.On one hand the viewers can see Amarobia Spider mom sacrificing her life to be often eaten by her newborns while on the other hand Koalas will be seen feeding on poisonous eucalyptus leaves and building up tolerance in her babies by feeding them her own faeces. Orangutan moms will nurse their offspring until they reach the age or 6 or 7.

Some of the episodes for the day includes Heart of a Lioness portraying some places on earth where legends come alive. An inversion of nature baffles the scientific world when a young lioness in Samburu Reserve, Kenya, sets aside her predatory instincts to adopt a baby oryx antelope and mother it with infinite tenderness for 16 days. Foregoing her most basic needs she proved both a compassionate and wise protector.

AXN will celebrate this day by screening popular American series Extant, a futuristic thriller centred around a female astronaut Molly Woods, essayed by Academy Award Winning actress Halle Berry,mother to an alien and a humanic, fight against her detractors to protect her children.The series will air from 12 pm to 6 pm.

Moms and daughters can also witness a three hour star studded special show called Shukriya Maa from 5:30 pm where celebrities from Bollywood and Television will pay a loving tribute to their mothers and thank them in their own unique special ways. The show features Soha Ali Khan surprising mother Sharmila Tagore by travelling to Delhi and presenting her with a Kindle since she’s a voracious reader. The gorgeous mother-daughter duo will be seen sharing interesting anecdotes from their lives. Farah Khan, Karishma Kapoor, etc will be seen sharing their innermost feelings and lesser known facts with their moms and how their kids are quite like their granny.

Karanvir Bohra will get caught off guard when his mom reveals what a naughty boy he was right from his younger days while Karan Tacker’s mother shares that he has always been the good boy all his life and has remained humble and the most important thing she loves about Karan is that even today when he comes late from shoots he comes and meets them and then only he goes back to his room. Actor Mouny Roy will be seen dancing on few songs and get emotional as she requested her mother to not leave her like Baba did, leaving everyone on the sets with a lump in their throat. Ragini Khanna, Sayantani Ghosh, Shiny and Anita Hassanandani will be seen dedicating various acts expressing gratitude towards their mothers for their unflinching love and support through thick and thin.

Culture Machine has released a latest video on Blush encouraging viewers to confess their closely held secrets to their moms. When people stand in front of the camera and confess their deepest, darkest and silliest secrets to their mother, it provokes us to think that maybe it is time to look at one of the most important relationships of our life from another perspective. From telling her about being gay to when one had sex for the first time, from sharing a deep pain about sexual abuse to apologies for stealing money, these individuals in the video have said aloud their heart’s most intimate secrets to their mothers. This video is not only very moving but also thought-provoking.

Savour some of the most intimate and extraordinary mother-child moments of the world. So enjoy this Sunday with you mother and don’t forget to tell her how much you love her….

May 6, 2016
Channels, Bollywood and TV actors gear up to celebrate Mother’s Day in unique ways

MUMBAI: From being an accomplice in watching late night shows to keeping the deepest secret, from saving us from a yelling from dad to guiding us when we are in the middle of nowhere, mothers have always been a child’s beloved. A friend, a teacher, a mentor, an idol, a protector, a manager, she is a fusion of many.

In a world where all of us are glued to our smartphones,on Facebook or Whatsapp or Twitter, we often forget to pause for just a moment and acknowledge all that our mothers do to ensure our every happiness. Known for their multitasking abilities and for always giving someone a chance, a person will always have her mother right by their side.

While all of us say we have only two hands and do limited things, mothers have multiple hands and an unending will to keep doing things for their child despite all hardships. And yet, we often forget to spend quality time with our mothers and express our heartfelt gratitude for their unconditional love.

Television channels have turned up their love and care quotient to entertain viewers further. This Mother’s Day which falls on 8 March, Indiantelevision.com has made your day simpler by picking up a few channels which you can enjoy with your mother whole day long.

Even if your mother occasionally scolds you for not cleaning your room, you will certainly be glad that she is nothing like the ‘momzillas’ living in the Upper East Side of New York. Comedy Central continues this movement of appreciation for all mothers by airing the entire season of Odd Mom Out from 12 pm to 5 pm. Laugh and bond with your mother, she loves you despite you’re all the stupid things you have done and surely will do in the future.

The channel has also joined hands with UrbanClap to make the day special for a few lucky viewers through a one day contest in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. Executives will be visiting the house of these winners to give make this day easy going for their mommies by taking up odd jobs and chores of the house and giving the mommies manicures, pedicures and foot massages.

On the other hand, Nickelodeon has announced a special association with Love Sugar Dough by offering free Dora Cup Cakes on from 2 pm to 8 pm to celebrate this special occasion. The first 25 kids who visit the Love Sugar Dough branches at Chowpatty, Breach Candy, Bandra and Bombay Central, along with their mothers, are in for a sweet treat with free Dora cupcakes awaiting them.

Romedy Now will celebrate Mother’s Day with a special line-up to pay tribute to the hard-working and selfless women in our lives. The channel will air various movies like Mamma Mia, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Big Wedding, Maid in Manhattan and Life As We Knowunder their official property titled Mum’s The World. It has also created an integrated contest with the same title through which one lucky winner will get an all-expense paid trip to Phuket with the winner’s mom. The movies will air the entire day from 9 am to 9 pm on 8 May.

It has also tied up with the recently released comedy-drama Mother’s Day starring Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson. The film depicts interlinked stories about three women in different settings and on different emotional missions. Roberts plays the role of a glamorous TV host, while Hudson is a woman who wants a stronger and more cordial relationship with her mother, and Aniston is a divorcee who is looking for love

Animal Planet plans to bring its viewers a day full of amazing stories which will put spotlight on some of the outstanding animal mothers going the extra mile for their young. The mother’s day special will air on 8 May 2016 from 12 pm to 8 pm.On one hand the viewers can see Amarobia Spider mom sacrificing her life to be often eaten by her newborns while on the other hand Koalas will be seen feeding on poisonous eucalyptus leaves and building up tolerance in her babies by feeding them her own faeces. Orangutan moms will nurse their offspring until they reach the age or 6 or 7.

Some of the episodes for the day includes Heart of a Lioness portraying some places on earth where legends come alive. An inversion of nature baffles the scientific world when a young lioness in Samburu Reserve, Kenya, sets aside her predatory instincts to adopt a baby oryx antelope and mother it with infinite tenderness for 16 days. Foregoing her most basic needs she proved both a compassionate and wise protector.

AXN will celebrate this day by screening popular American series Extant, a futuristic thriller centred around a female astronaut Molly Woods, essayed by Academy Award Winning actress Halle Berry,mother to an alien and a humanic, fight against her detractors to protect her children.The series will air from 12 pm to 6 pm.

Moms and daughters can also witness a three hour star studded special show called Shukriya Maa from 5:30 pm where celebrities from Bollywood and Television will pay a loving tribute to their mothers and thank them in their own unique special ways. The show features Soha Ali Khan surprising mother Sharmila Tagore by travelling to Delhi and presenting her with a Kindle since she’s a voracious reader. The gorgeous mother-daughter duo will be seen sharing interesting anecdotes from their lives. Farah Khan, Karishma Kapoor, etc will be seen sharing their innermost feelings and lesser known facts with their moms and how their kids are quite like their granny.

Karanvir Bohra will get caught off guard when his mom reveals what a naughty boy he was right from his younger days while Karan Tacker’s mother shares that he has always been the good boy all his life and has remained humble and the most important thing she loves about Karan is that even today when he comes late from shoots he comes and meets them and then only he goes back to his room. Actor Mouny Roy will be seen dancing on few songs and get emotional as she requested her mother to not leave her like Baba did, leaving everyone on the sets with a lump in their throat. Ragini Khanna, Sayantani Ghosh, Shiny and Anita Hassanandani will be seen dedicating various acts expressing gratitude towards their mothers for their unflinching love and support through thick and thin.

Culture Machine has released a latest video on Blush encouraging viewers to confess their closely held secrets to their moms. When people stand in front of the camera and confess their deepest, darkest and silliest secrets to their mother, it provokes us to think that maybe it is time to look at one of the most important relationships of our life from another perspective. From telling her about being gay to when one had sex for the first time, from sharing a deep pain about sexual abuse to apologies for stealing money, these individuals in the video have said aloud their heart’s most intimate secrets to their mothers. This video is not only very moving but also thought-provoking.

Savour some of the most intimate and extraordinary mother-child moments of the world. So enjoy this Sunday with you mother and don’t forget to tell her how much you love her….

May 6, 2016
Nickelodeon sees a 40 per cent jump in ad sales in a year

MUMBAI: The market size for the kids entertainment genre has been growing by leaps and bounds with a possible target audience of 400 million (40 crore). That’s about a third of the population of the country! The genre commands 6 per cent of the total viewership share on television on an all India basis. In the case of urban areas, the share goes up to 8 per cent. Though the genre’s share of the total television ad sales pie is still 3 percent, the category is definitely on a growth trajectory.

Nickelodeon, as a network and a franchise, has more than just keep pace with this rapid growth by registering revenue growth of 34 per cent with 10 to 15 percent subscription growth and an increase in ad sales revenue by 40 percent in the last one year. Nickelodeon’s ad sales revenue contributes 10 per cent of the network’s yearly earnings. Increases in viewership and market share in the genre has been the driving forces for this growth, as Nick bagged the number one spot in the genre’s viewership for 20 months in a row according to data furnished by the network. This includes the channel’s consistent top position on the ratings chart since the BARC data roll out.

As per BARC data shared by the network, between week 41 of 2015 and week 13 of 2016, Nick and Sonic have a 28 per cent of the viewership pie, while Nick alone leads the genre with 23 per cent share. Sonic, which is mainly on the DTH platforms of major operators, has also added to this growth story, more so in the last couple of months.

It is the network’s strength in content and storytelling that attracts advertisers to its channels, says Viacom18’s Kids Cluster EVP and business head Nina Elavia Jaipuria. Between 2014 and 2015 there has been a considerable growth in number of advertisers. “While kids contribute to 3 per cent of the ad sales pie, I am happy to share that several advertisers even from the non- kids sectors are coming through more and more to be part of the Nick and Sonic growth journey,” informs Jaipuria with a smile.

This growth in advertisers is aided by the wholesome advertising solutions that the network can provide. These solutions range from Free Commercial Time (FCT), merchandising offers, non-FCT, on ground amplification of campaigns and licensing and in film branding. The network says that it can tailor such solutions for brands based on their requirements.

“Most of the significant growth has come from yield and ER growth, signifying that it’s the rates that are doing well for us. Having said that, we have also made great inroads in the non-FCT part of the ad sales pitch, because of the flexibility we have with the number of characters. We offer licensing deals to our advertisers as part of the package which allows them to use our resources more flexibly,” Jaipuria shares, while laying stress on the need to optimally monetise IPs. She also cites example of the several branded integrations and in film placements that channel has carried out for brands like Horlicks, Britannia, Boost, etc.

While Non FCT alone won’t sustain the channels ad revenue wise, it will definitely supplement their revenue growth and offerings for the advertisers while engaging kids at the same time.

Nickelodeon has also seen a jump of 60 per cent in its merchandising business going from 20 categories to 40 categories, out of which the ‘Back To School’ range of products will soon hit the markets this summer.

A combined growth in ER, ancillary revenue, subscription revenue and ad sales revenue has pushed up the topline for the network, which in turn has helped the network push up its bottom line as well i e, EBITDA tripled three years in a row. “I am happy to say that it has grown by three times in two years in row. We are now a significant profit contributor to Viacom 18,” states a jubilant Jaipuria before signing off.

April 25, 2016
Nickelodeon sees a 40 per cent jump in ad sales in a year

MUMBAI: The market size for the kids entertainment genre has been growing by leaps and bounds with a possible target audience of 400 million (40 crore). That’s about a third of the population of the country! The genre commands 6 per cent of the total viewership share on television on an all India basis. In the case of urban areas, the share goes up to 8 per cent. Though the genre’s share of the total television ad sales pie is still 3 percent, the category is definitely on a growth trajectory.

Nickelodeon, as a network and a franchise, has more than just keep pace with this rapid growth by registering revenue growth of 34 per cent with 10 to 15 percent subscription growth and an increase in ad sales revenue by 40 percent in the last one year. Nickelodeon’s ad sales revenue contributes 10 per cent of the network’s yearly earnings. Increases in viewership and market share in the genre has been the driving forces for this growth, as Nick bagged the number one spot in the genre’s viewership for 20 months in a row according to data furnished by the network. This includes the channel’s consistent top position on the ratings chart since the BARC data roll out.

As per BARC data shared by the network, between week 41 of 2015 and week 13 of 2016, Nick and Sonic have a 28 per cent of the viewership pie, while Nick alone leads the genre with 23 per cent share. Sonic, which is mainly on the DTH platforms of major operators, has also added to this growth story, more so in the last couple of months.

It is the network’s strength in content and storytelling that attracts advertisers to its channels, says Viacom18’s Kids Cluster EVP and business head Nina Elavia Jaipuria. Between 2014 and 2015 there has been a considerable growth in number of advertisers. “While kids contribute to 3 per cent of the ad sales pie, I am happy to share that several advertisers even from the non- kids sectors are coming through more and more to be part of the Nick and Sonic growth journey,” informs Jaipuria with a smile.

This growth in advertisers is aided by the wholesome advertising solutions that the network can provide. These solutions range from Free Commercial Time (FCT), merchandising offers, non-FCT, on ground amplification of campaigns and licensing and in film branding. The network says that it can tailor such solutions for brands based on their requirements.

“Most of the significant growth has come from yield and ER growth, signifying that it’s the rates that are doing well for us. Having said that, we have also made great inroads in the non-FCT part of the ad sales pitch, because of the flexibility we have with the number of characters. We offer licensing deals to our advertisers as part of the package which allows them to use our resources more flexibly,” Jaipuria shares, while laying stress on the need to optimally monetise IPs. She also cites example of the several branded integrations and in film placements that channel has carried out for brands like Horlicks, Britannia, Boost, etc.

While Non FCT alone won’t sustain the channels ad revenue wise, it will definitely supplement their revenue growth and offerings for the advertisers while engaging kids at the same time.

Nickelodeon has also seen a jump of 60 per cent in its merchandising business going from 20 categories to 40 categories, out of which the ‘Back To School’ range of products will soon hit the markets this summer.

A combined growth in ER, ancillary revenue, subscription revenue and ad sales revenue has pushed up the topline for the network, which in turn has helped the network push up its bottom line as well i e, EBITDA tripled three years in a row. “I am happy to say that it has grown by three times in two years in row. We are now a significant profit contributor to Viacom 18,” states a jubilant Jaipuria before signing off.

April 25, 2016
Nickelodeon strengthens Sonic with ‘Shiva’; plans 70-80 hrs of original content

MUMBAI: Viacom 18’s children’s network Nickelodeon has made a bold move by placing Nick’s iconic teen adventure program, Shiva as part of Sonic’s programming henceforth. The change is in line with Nickelodeon’s need for a strong second channel. “The idea is that in a couple of years Sonic grows to a market share that Viacom18 can boast of two strong kids channels within its network,” says Viacom18’s kids cluster EVP and business head Nina Elavia Jaipuria.

Fresh episodes of the popular teen adventure comedy series that soared to fame immediately after its launch in December 2015 will now air on Sonic, Nickelodeon’s sister channel that caters to pre-teens, teens and young adults. When asked if the network has measured the set back this move may cost the show’s viewership,Jaipuria states,“Looking at it from the show’s perspective, we have grown Shiva to an extent that it has loyal viewers, whom we hope to take to Sonic. Because we are not dependent on any one show, we are expecting Ninja Hatori, Shaun The Sheep, Oggy and the Cockroaches and Motu Patlu to take care of Nick. We are hopeful that in spite of Shiva, Nick will retain its position in the ratings chart.” “Shiva lovers who are used to seeing the show on Nick and want to watch new episodes will have to come on Sonic,” Jaipuria added.

To carry this bold move forward Nickelodeon has also planned for an aggressive mass media campaign that will not only span across Viacom 18’s own networks, but other broadcasting network as well. “Not just Viacom18 or Nick as a network but we are looking at Star India, Sab TV and Zee TV to take this news to as many households as possible. Its is important to create an awareness that Shiva has moved from Nick to Sonic,” Jaipuria revealed while speaking on the marketing initiatives.

In fact, in order to not dilute this communication, the Network is withholding from launching any new shows this summer, though more new and original characters are in making in the creative factory for the latter part of the year. However, the marketing initiative will also speak of the new episodes of the major shows that are to hit the screens this summer.

After mass media, print and radio, the network will also look at heavy engagement outside of television, Jaipuria shares. Nickelodeon has partnered with malls like Infiniti, Pantaloons, Funcity, etc., to expand its on ground footprint. Van activations are also in store in about 25 tier II and tier III towns and cities for a month. Marketing initiatives will also be present in cinemas during launches of Jagga Jasoos and Housefull 3 that are soon to release.

The programming timeline vacuum left by Shiva in Nickelodeon will be filled up by brand new episodes of Ninja Hattori, Motu Patlu, Oggy and the Cockroaches and Shaun The Sheep. Apart from this, the network also has plans to release the full length feature Motu Patlu In Double Trouble, the 10th movie in line after a nine movie marathon on digital. Nickelodeon plans to go all guns blazing in promoting the fresh content including innovative watch and win contests, which will also have a digital leg to it. Overall there will 70 to 80 hours of original content on Nickelodeon in its summer programming.

With such a strong summer line up, Nickelodeon expects to sustain Nick’s number one position in the genre, while at the same time grow Sonic with Shiva. “We have always been a very brave franchise. We have taken all the risks possible. We have started off by creating original shows in India without knowing if they will work or not. But we are risk takers and will go on to create new trends like that,” Jaipuria signs off as industry wonders if this disruptive strategy will work for Nickelodeon like past disruptions always have.

April 21, 2016
Nickelodeon strengthens Sonic with ‘Shiva’; plans 70-80 hrs of original content

MUMBAI: Viacom 18’s children’s network Nickelodeon has made a bold move by placing Nick’s iconic teen adventure program, Shiva as part of Sonic’s programming henceforth. The change is in line with Nickelodeon’s need for a strong second channel. “The idea is that in a couple of years Sonic grows to a market share that Viacom18 can boast of two strong kids channels within its network,” says Viacom18’s kids cluster EVP and business head Nina Elavia Jaipuria.

Fresh episodes of the popular teen adventure comedy series that soared to fame immediately after its launch in December 2015 will now air on Sonic, Nickelodeon’s sister channel that caters to pre-teens, teens and young adults. When asked if the network has measured the set back this move may cost the show’s viewership,Jaipuria states,“Looking at it from the show’s perspective, we have grown Shiva to an extent that it has loyal viewers, whom we hope to take to Sonic. Because we are not dependent on any one show, we are expecting Ninja Hatori, Shaun The Sheep, Oggy and the Cockroaches and Motu Patlu to take care of Nick. We are hopeful that in spite of Shiva, Nick will retain its position in the ratings chart.” “Shiva lovers who are used to seeing the show on Nick and want to watch new episodes will have to come on Sonic,” Jaipuria added.

To carry this bold move forward Nickelodeon has also planned for an aggressive mass media campaign that will not only span across Viacom 18’s own networks, but other broadcasting network as well. “Not just Viacom18 or Nick as a network but we are looking at Star India, Sab TV and Zee TV to take this news to as many households as possible. Its is important to create an awareness that Shiva has moved from Nick to Sonic,” Jaipuria revealed while speaking on the marketing initiatives.

In fact, in order to not dilute this communication, the Network is withholding from launching any new shows this summer, though more new and original characters are in making in the creative factory for the latter part of the year. However, the marketing initiative will also speak of the new episodes of the major shows that are to hit the screens this summer.

After mass media, print and radio, the network will also look at heavy engagement outside of television, Jaipuria shares. Nickelodeon has partnered with malls like Infiniti, Pantaloons, Funcity, etc., to expand its on ground footprint. Van activations are also in store in about 25 tier II and tier III towns and cities for a month. Marketing initiatives will also be present in cinemas during launches of Jagga Jasoos and Housefull 3 that are soon to release.

The programming timeline vacuum left by Shiva in Nickelodeon will be filled up by brand new episodes of Ninja Hattori, Motu Patlu, Oggy and the Cockroaches and Shaun The Sheep. Apart from this, the network also has plans to release the full length feature Motu Patlu In Double Trouble, the 10th movie in line after a nine movie marathon on digital. Nickelodeon plans to go all guns blazing in promoting the fresh content including innovative watch and win contests, which will also have a digital leg to it. Overall there will 70 to 80 hours of original content on Nickelodeon in its summer programming.

With such a strong summer line up, Nickelodeon expects to sustain Nick’s number one position in the genre, while at the same time grow Sonic with Shiva. “We have always been a very brave franchise. We have taken all the risks possible. We have started off by creating original shows in India without knowing if they will work or not. But we are risk takers and will go on to create new trends like that,” Jaipuria signs off as industry wonders if this disruptive strategy will work for Nickelodeon like past disruptions always have.

April 21, 2016
MTV Format ‘Warsaw Shore’ scores record view on TVN’s OTT platform

MUMBAI: Polish broadcaster TVN S.A. launched the fifth season of MTV format “Warsaw Shore” on its player.pl OTT platform to record numbers.

The polish broadcaster is reporting more than 1.6 million views of the series since 28 February, when the season’s first new episodes were made available immediately following its premiere on MTV Poland.

Based on the worldwide phenomenon “Jersey Shore,” one of the highest rated shows on MTV, “Warsaw Shore” follows a group of young fun-lovers who have come to Warsaw to pursue their dreams of fame and glory. Unafraid of anything, they allow the cameras into their lives to capture their adventures and all-night parties. Season 5 promises an emotional journey, packed with fights, affairs and real friendship.

TVN’s player.pl platform allows viewers to watch “Warsaw Shore” episodes just after their premiere on the MTV Poland linear channel. Users may choose between a free-of-charge variant and a paid option without ads. Additionally, player.pl users can watch all previous seasons of the show, including “Warsaw Shore – Watching with Girls,” a spin-off of the fourth season.

“Warsaw Shore’ is a key show for us, enjoying record popularity for years, while TVN and its player.pl platform are very important to us as partners,” said Viacom International Media Networks Polska VP marketing & product Daniel Reszka. “We are happy that, with player.pl, we will continue to be able to deliver this show to an even wider audience. We believe that close cooperation between a strong TV player and a robust online service will lead to excellent results and synergies that cannot be achieved by working alone.”

TVN Management Board, Digital & e-Commerce member Christian Anting said, “The cooperation between player.pl and Viacom International Media Networks Polska is another step towards the expansion of the library addressed to the millennials, who tend to consume media via the Internet. From now on, aside from the broad range of TVN programs and player.pl own productions, our users can access all seasons of the extremely popular ‘Warsaw Shore’ show.”

“Warsaw Shore” is still present on the various MTV platforms. As always, premiere episodes are shown on Sundays at11.00 p.m. on MTV Poland. Fans will find shorts and unpublished making-of clips on social media and the mtv.plwebsite, while complete episodes of the show without commercials will be available in the paid section of the MTV Play application.

All previous seasons of “Warsaw Shore” have been extremely popular. “Warsaw Shore” was the first show in the history of the Polish unit of MTV to be broadcast in other European countries, such as Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and more. Social media is the basic channel for communicating with the fans of the show. The Facebook fan page of “Warsaw Shore” has garnered more than half a million fans already.

The Polish portfolio of Viacom International Media Networks includes the following TV channels: Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon HD, Nick Jr., MTV, VH1, VIVA, Comedy Central, Comedy Central Family and Paramount Channel HD. The linear offering is complemented by applications (MTV Play, Nickelodeon Play and other) and websites offering a total of more than 700 hours of video content, 100 games and 50,000 video clips. Globally, the company is a member of the Viacom group.

April 6, 2016
MTV Format ‘Warsaw Shore’ scores record view on TVN’s OTT platform

MUMBAI: Polish broadcaster TVN S.A. launched the fifth season of MTV format “Warsaw Shore” on its player.pl OTT platform to record numbers.

The polish broadcaster is reporting more than 1.6 million views of the series since 28 February, when the season’s first new episodes were made available immediately following its premiere on MTV Poland.

Based on the worldwide phenomenon “Jersey Shore,” one of the highest rated shows on MTV, “Warsaw Shore” follows a group of young fun-lovers who have come to Warsaw to pursue their dreams of fame and glory. Unafraid of anything, they allow the cameras into their lives to capture their adventures and all-night parties. Season 5 promises an emotional journey, packed with fights, affairs and real friendship.

TVN’s player.pl platform allows viewers to watch “Warsaw Shore” episodes just after their premiere on the MTV Poland linear channel. Users may choose between a free-of-charge variant and a paid option without ads. Additionally, player.pl users can watch all previous seasons of the show, including “Warsaw Shore – Watching with Girls,” a spin-off of the fourth season.

“Warsaw Shore’ is a key show for us, enjoying record popularity for years, while TVN and its player.pl platform are very important to us as partners,” said Viacom International Media Networks Polska VP marketing & product Daniel Reszka. “We are happy that, with player.pl, we will continue to be able to deliver this show to an even wider audience. We believe that close cooperation between a strong TV player and a robust online service will lead to excellent results and synergies that cannot be achieved by working alone.”

TVN Management Board, Digital & e-Commerce member Christian Anting said, “The cooperation between player.pl and Viacom International Media Networks Polska is another step towards the expansion of the library addressed to the millennials, who tend to consume media via the Internet. From now on, aside from the broad range of TVN programs and player.pl own productions, our users can access all seasons of the extremely popular ‘Warsaw Shore’ show.”

“Warsaw Shore” is still present on the various MTV platforms. As always, premiere episodes are shown on Sundays at11.00 p.m. on MTV Poland. Fans will find shorts and unpublished making-of clips on social media and the mtv.plwebsite, while complete episodes of the show without commercials will be available in the paid section of the MTV Play application.

All previous seasons of “Warsaw Shore” have been extremely popular. “Warsaw Shore” was the first show in the history of the Polish unit of MTV to be broadcast in other European countries, such as Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and more. Social media is the basic channel for communicating with the fans of the show. The Facebook fan page of “Warsaw Shore” has garnered more than half a million fans already.

The Polish portfolio of Viacom International Media Networks includes the following TV channels: Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon HD, Nick Jr., MTV, VH1, VIVA, Comedy Central, Comedy Central Family and Paramount Channel HD. The linear offering is complemented by applications (MTV Play, Nickelodeon Play and other) and websites offering a total of more than 700 hours of video content, 100 games and 50,000 video clips. Globally, the company is a member of the Viacom group.

April 6, 2016
‘Make an Indian’ through the right type of kids content

MUMBAI: In a country where one third of the population is composed of children, very little has been done to encourage and promote kids content. While most will argue and point to the vibrant plethora of content for kids that kids’ networks in India boast of, it is just a fraction of what is required and can be achieved. To discuss the issues that held the industry back from catering quality kids content, industry stalwarts like filmmaker Subhash Ghai, CFSI chairman Mukesh Khanna, GEAR Education founder Shrinivasan, Green Gold founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka, Bioscopewala Pictures president Nishith Takia and Viacom 18 Kids cluster head Nina Jaipuria were a part of a panel. Moderated by FICCI animation chairman and Screenyug Creations founder Ashish SK, the panel addressed the need to have a Kids Content Act.

The panellists unanimously agreed that India lacks any guidelines on what kind of content kids should consume, which exposed them to content that isn’t meant of them. Today’s kids are tomorrow’s future, and hence what content today’s kids consumed would have a character building influence on the adult of tomorrow, was the argument that Ghai had in support of the Act.

“The formative years till the age of 8 years are crucial for a child. That is why pre-school content for kids has great power to familiarise them with our culture and add morals and values to their lives,” Shrinivasan stressed. “India lacks any form of parenting education. Parents often mistake the TV to be their babysitter, and expect their children to learn life values from it. Therefore we must pay attention to what kids are consuming on television.”

A large part of the panel discussion was dominated by the need to have more Indian content for kids that reflected Indian culture and connected today’s kids with the roots of their parents. Both Ghai and Khanna felt that this generation of kids were so taken by the second screen – be it the mobile phone or the tablet — they were slowly drifting away from their own culture and embracing the west. They pointed at westernised kids’ content available right now and the lack of proper home grown content that adhered to the values of the land. Chalika also pointed out that he grew up amidst Archie comics and American and British superheroes and characters.

Jaipuria however begged to differ with her fellow panellists. Pointing out to the progress of her own network, Jaipuria shared that 65 per cent of what Nickelodeon showrd was originally home grown, and the rest was either dubbed or tweaked to make it relatable for the local kids. Bringing in a fresh perspective to the digital era, she shared that soon all players would be in an even field thanks to digitisation. This would lead to such a huge demand for kids content that she doubted the country could meet at the moment with any measure of sustainability. Her reason for supporting an act was to ensure that the industry and all its sections — the creators and the distributors– were prepared with a ready supply of quality kids content for the near future.

To make that a reality, there were certain legal, financial, and logistical hold ups, the moderator pointed out. Takia, who has been closely involved with the making of the recent National Award winning children’s film Delhi Safari, painted a sad picture of the current motion pictures sector for kids’ films. “Our film did extremely well in China and South Korea, but failed miserably in India. The movie was pulled out of screens way too quickly. Most of the money we made was from foreign market. This shows how we need to create an environment where children’s films reach their due audiences. The act may consider screen reservation or other ways to ensure viewership of such films,” he said. Government sanctions, subsidies, and entertainment tax reliefs were also brought up while discussing the act.

“The ease of producing a children’s film is the key to take this industry in the right direction. Outside India, most animated children’s films are co-produced but Indian film makers can’t do that. We are restricted by law,” said Khanna. “The act should deal with this and allow filmmakers to co-produce the films and share the financial burden of creating something which requires a huge budget.”

To address the visibility issue, Ashish proposed a free to air DD Kids channel so that kids living in the most remote parts of the country could enjoy quality content.

The one take away from the discussion was perhaps the phrase ‘make an Indian.’ Giving a clever twist to the extremely popular ‘Make In India’ phrase that prime minister Modi had devised , the panellists urged that content creators should ‘make an Indian’ out of the tiny tots, riding on powerful home grown kids content that reflected the country’s culture.

With so much stress on raising the country’s kids to the right type of ‘Indian’, is there a risk of homogenising kids content and regulating creativity? — A question the panel raised but did not answer.

April 1, 2016
‘Make an Indian’ through the right type of kids content

MUMBAI: In a country where one third of the population is composed of children, very little has been done to encourage and promote kids content. While most will argue and point to the vibrant plethora of content for kids that kids’ networks in India boast of, it is just a fraction of what is required and can be achieved. To discuss the issues that held the industry back from catering quality kids content, industry stalwarts like filmmaker Subhash Ghai, CFSI chairman Mukesh Khanna, GEAR Education founder Shrinivasan, Green Gold founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka, Bioscopewala Pictures president Nishith Takia and Viacom 18 Kids cluster head Nina Jaipuria were a part of a panel. Moderated by FICCI animation chairman and Screenyug Creations founder Ashish SK, the panel addressed the need to have a Kids Content Act.

The panellists unanimously agreed that India lacks any guidelines on what kind of content kids should consume, which exposed them to content that isn’t meant of them. Today’s kids are tomorrow’s future, and hence what content today’s kids consumed would have a character building influence on the adult of tomorrow, was the argument that Ghai had in support of the Act.

“The formative years till the age of 8 years are crucial for a child. That is why pre-school content for kids has great power to familiarise them with our culture and add morals and values to their lives,” Shrinivasan stressed. “India lacks any form of parenting education. Parents often mistake the TV to be their babysitter, and expect their children to learn life values from it. Therefore we must pay attention to what kids are consuming on television.”

A large part of the panel discussion was dominated by the need to have more Indian content for kids that reflected Indian culture and connected today’s kids with the roots of their parents. Both Ghai and Khanna felt that this generation of kids were so taken by the second screen – be it the mobile phone or the tablet — they were slowly drifting away from their own culture and embracing the west. They pointed at westernised kids’ content available right now and the lack of proper home grown content that adhered to the values of the land. Chalika also pointed out that he grew up amidst Archie comics and American and British superheroes and characters.

Jaipuria however begged to differ with her fellow panellists. Pointing out to the progress of her own network, Jaipuria shared that 65 per cent of what Nickelodeon showrd was originally home grown, and the rest was either dubbed or tweaked to make it relatable for the local kids. Bringing in a fresh perspective to the digital era, she shared that soon all players would be in an even field thanks to digitisation. This would lead to such a huge demand for kids content that she doubted the country could meet at the moment with any measure of sustainability. Her reason for supporting an act was to ensure that the industry and all its sections — the creators and the distributors– were prepared with a ready supply of quality kids content for the near future.

To make that a reality, there were certain legal, financial, and logistical hold ups, the moderator pointed out. Takia, who has been closely involved with the making of the recent National Award winning children’s film Delhi Safari, painted a sad picture of the current motion pictures sector for kids’ films. “Our film did extremely well in China and South Korea, but failed miserably in India. The movie was pulled out of screens way too quickly. Most of the money we made was from foreign market. This shows how we need to create an environment where children’s films reach their due audiences. The act may consider screen reservation or other ways to ensure viewership of such films,” he said. Government sanctions, subsidies, and entertainment tax reliefs were also brought up while discussing the act.

“The ease of producing a children’s film is the key to take this industry in the right direction. Outside India, most animated children’s films are co-produced but Indian film makers can’t do that. We are restricted by law,” said Khanna. “The act should deal with this and allow filmmakers to co-produce the films and share the financial burden of creating something which requires a huge budget.”

To address the visibility issue, Ashish proposed a free to air DD Kids channel so that kids living in the most remote parts of the country could enjoy quality content.

The one take away from the discussion was perhaps the phrase ‘make an Indian.’ Giving a clever twist to the extremely popular ‘Make In India’ phrase that prime minister Modi had devised , the panellists urged that content creators should ‘make an Indian’ out of the tiny tots, riding on powerful home grown kids content that reflected the country’s culture.

With so much stress on raising the country’s kids to the right type of ‘Indian’, is there a risk of homogenising kids content and regulating creativity? — A question the panel raised but did not answer.

April 1, 2016