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Tag: Nickelodeon

  • Catch the movie ‘Motu Patlu in Deep Sea Adventure’ only on Nickelodeon

    Catch the movie ‘Motu Patlu in Deep Sea Adventure’ only on Nickelodeon

    MUMBAI: From comic books to television shows and now TV specials; the two iconic characters ‘Motu’ and ‘Patlu’ have narrated their famous tales to all generations over time through Lot Pot Comics. The franchise has come a long way where the famous duo is now engaging kids on Nickelodeon through hilarious episodes, TV specials, digital and even on-ground activations. Expanding this franchise, Nickelodeon, the store-house of comedy where “Funny Rules”, is all set to telecast their third movie ‘MotuPatlu in Deep Sea Adventure’ thisSaturday, 24th May at 10:30 am.

    Motu Patlu takes kids on an adventurous underwater journey this Saturday, 24th May at 10:30 am in their new movie ‘MotuPatlu in Deep Sea Adventure’. Motu and Patlu are shipwrecked and captured by the vile King Shark. What follows then is a series of comic situations, combined with a thrilling underwater adventure, as the awesome-twosome fight their way to save their lives.

    Commenting on the TV Special, Nina Elavia Jaipuria – EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. says, “Motu and Patlu continue to make kids laugh with their daily dose of entertainment on Nickelodeon. We are taking the engagement to a whole new level with Motu and Patlu travelling from Furfuri Nagar to explore the deep blue seas. We are confident that the kids will enjoy the action-packed adventure and comedy the movie will bring.”

    Maya Digital Studios CMD Ketan Mehta said, “Given the success of the MotuPatlu franchise, we decided to create the third movie with Nickelodeon. It only reinstates the fact that the audience loves the Indian animation content. We will continue this partnership with Nickelodeon and hope to receive the same amount of love from kids for this.”

    Nickelodeon is further engaging kids with ‘Nickelodeon Comedy Elections’, an one-of-its-kind campaign in which kids get a chance to vote for their favorite show – MotuPatlu or PakdamPakdai. If their show gets the maximum votes, they stand to win goodies like mobile phones and PSP’s.

     

    To participate, kids have to watch MotuPatlu andPakdamPakdai between 6 to 7 pm daily and voice their choice through SMS to 56882 or dial 5056882 from Vodafone, Aircel, Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Tata mobile & Airtel Landline/ 1255568 from BSNL Landline, mobile & MTNL mobile and even vote Online at http://www.nickindia.com/.

     
    Join Motu and Patlu in their adventurous journey as they sail on the blue seas, dodging various obstacles, on Saturday, 24th May at 10:30 am only on Nickelodeon

  • Nickelodeon helps kids cool down this summer

    Nickelodeon helps kids cool down this summer

    MUMBAI: Even as the scorching heat makes it difficult for children to enjoy their vacation outdoors, Nickelodeon is making up for the loss by belting out a slew of programmes on Nick, Sonic and Nick Jr that are bound to keep kids from getting bored this summer.

     

    Be it new shows, new seasons of popular shows, brand new movies, or interactive programmes, the franchise truly has something for everyone from tiny tots to teenagers.

     

    Nick

    Nick from Nickelodeon will air the new season of its home-grown comedy, Pakdam Pakdai, which is on the lines of Tom & Jerry, Roadrunner and Sylvester & Tweety. All new episodes of Motlu-Patlu, the two Laurel and Hardy-esque friends from Furfuri Nagariya, are on the cards. The channel is also set to air its third home production, ‘Motu Patlu Deep Sea Adventure’, a made-for-TV movie slated for 18 May at 10am. Additionally, a French/American animated series called Rabbids is in the pipeline, based on the Raving Rabbids game series produced by Ubisoft.

     

    Elections may be the flavour of the season but who says adults alone can have all the fun. Lending a quirky feel to the polls, Nick will have two popular shows competing with each other for the first time. And kids will get a chance to vote for their favourite – Motlu Patlu or Pakdam Pakdai in Nickelodeon Comedy Elections. Those who vote for the show which gets the maximum number of votes stand to win mobile phones and PSPs. To cast their vote in favour of either show, kids can SMS to 56882 or dial 5056882 from their mobile phones.

     

    The month-long initiative will be supported by a 360 degree marketing campaign comprising cross-channel promotions, on-ground mall activities in Delhi and Mumbai, and a digital campaign. The channel has partnered leading retail outlets like Hamleys for the same. On the digital platform, kids can log onto facebook and vote for their favourite. Then, there’s an innovation called Nickelodeon Cricket Academy replete with cricket matches played by Motu Patlu, Toon Trivia and Fun Facts.

     

    Speaking about Nick’s summer campaign, Viacom18 EVP and business head – kids cluster Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Summer is all about fun and excitement. We have left no stone unturned in engaging the kids at a time, place and screen convenient to them. The loved famous duo, Motu and Patlu, will engage kids with new episodes and a television special on-air, play cricket online, meet and greet fans on-ground and even form a party of their own.”

     

    Sonic 

     Not to be left behind, Sonic, the other channel from Nickelodeon, will offer kids a fun ride with new shows like Power Rangers Mega Force, Koni Chan and Naruto Rock Lee SD. The channel will air a TV special titled The Turboosters, which recently won two FICCI BAF Awards, for fans of adventure and science fiction.

     

     Additionally, a fast-paced interactive campaign called Sonic Action Mania will keep kids on the edge of their seats, starting 19 May. They will be invited to watch their favourite shows like Power Rangers Mega Force, Idaten Jump and Supa Strikas between 1pm and 3pm every day and win exciting prizes.

     

    An all-round marketing campaign will give wings to the initiative in terms of cross-channel promotions, van activations across multiple cities, strategic on-ground alliances and a comprehensive online campaign. On the cards is a gaming championship in association with Funcity. Besides, the ‘Kung Fu Panda – Watch-n-Win’ contest will continue to engage online audiences. All that fans need to do is log onto www.sonicgang.com, watch the Kung Fu Panda videos, and answer simple questions to win an array of goodies.

     

    “For the action-loving generation, Sonic packs the summer with the best of action, sports and adventure. Be it a football game, biking adventure or sheer good over evil action, Sonic is the ultimate destination where kids will experience real action this summer,” said Jaipuria of Sonic’s summer plans.

     

     Nick Jr.

    Yet another channel from Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. will continue to help tots learn and develop new skills in a way that is both entertaining and warm and caring. A leader in the pre-school space, Nick Jr. will engage both toddlers and parents with all new episodes of Dora the Explorer and news shows including ‘Peter Rabbit’, ‘Max & Ruby’ and ‘Tickety Toc’. There’s also Max and Ruby, a Canadian-American animated series, created by children’s book author/illustrator Rosemary Wells and based on her Max and Ruby books. For the uninitiated, Max is a rambunctious and determined preschool-aged rabbit while Ruby is his older more patient, goal-oriented, sometimes restrictive sister.

     

    On the occasion of Mother’s Day, www.nickjrindia.com will engage kids and moms in a special manner. The ‘Nick Jr. Summer Selfie contest’ will invite young moms to post their selfies with babies and the ‘Best Summer look for Mommies’ will be adjudged and awarded Nick Jr. goodies.

     

    Kids can also look forward to an exciting range of Dora’s all new ‘Back to School’ products this summer that include tiffin boxes, bags, bottles and more. Also a part of Nick’s consumer retail marketing is the Domino’s Junior Joy Box.

  • JAINHITS commences dual language voice feeds

    JAINHITS commences dual language voice feeds

    NEW DELHI: JAINHITS has started providing voice feeds in dual languages on its platform at no additional cost for its customers.

     

    While initially, it is providing the dual language feed to four of its channels; it will later expand this proposition to other channels.

     

    Consumers will be able to avail dual language voice feeds for the channels namely Discovery, History TV18, Animal Planet and Nickelodeon. Through this offering, JAINHITS customers can choose to have audio voice feeds in Hindi or English. The language options from English to Hindi or vice versa can be switched using the remote.

     

    According to JAINHITS head Rakesh Gupta, “Spreading happiness is JAINHITS’ motto. This is one more effort to spread the happiness amongst our ISO (Independent Service Operator) partners and their customers. This is one more step towards JAINHITS’ endeavour to offer the most advanced and enriched digital cable TV services.”

     

    JAINHITS provides consumers with more than 250 channels and plans to increase it to 500 in the near future. The company provides MPEG-4 quality digital cable TV services including SD/HD channels from national, regional and International broadcasters.

     

     JAINHITS will soon roll out its full HD and multi-screen services for consumers. The key proposition of the HITS platform is its cost-effective investment for cable operators which stands at a minimum of only Rs 25,000 per month. With this, they expect to do business with 400 plus partners and install over 1000 Mini Downlink Headend’s across 640 districts of India by the end of 2014.

     

      

    The HITS platform is the only Direct-to-Network (DTN) service in India. This system has an advantage of having a centralized Conditional Access System (CAS) and Subscriber Management System (SMS). JAINHITS offers Triple Play Service throughout India – Video, Data & Voice. 

  • Nick Jr. and Sonic now on Tata Sky

    Nick Jr. and Sonic now on Tata Sky

    MUMBAI:  Viacom18 Media’s kids cluster, Nickelodeon, is now expanding its reach by adding Nick Jr. and Sonic on Tata Sky. Nick Jr., targeted at toddlers and young mothers can be viewed on channel no. 623 and Sonic, the action-adventure channel, on 619 in various language feeds.

     

    The Nickelodeon kids cluster consists of Nick that caters to kids seeking comedy, Sonic that caters to the action and adventure loving boys, Nick Junior that entertains pre-schoolers and young moms with edutainment focussed shows and Teen Nick that talks to the whimsical tweens with its cutting edge international shows. The entire Nickelodeon cluster is now available on Tata Sky with Nick on channel no. 611, Sonic on 619 and Nick Jr./ Teen Nick on 623.

     

    Viacom18 Media EVP & business head, kids cluster Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Nickelodeon has a diverse bouquet of differentiated channels each catering to a very specific age and genre. With the aim of taking our engaging and entertaining content to more audiences, we are delighted to expand our reach further with the addition of Nick Jr. and Sonic on Tata Sky.”

  • Nickelodeon unveils global content strategy for 2014-15

    Nickelodeon unveils global content strategy for 2014-15

    MUMBAI: Nickelodeon, the kids’ channel under the US-based Viacom Media Networks umbrella, recently unveiled its plans for the 2014-15 season – which includes 10 new series, multiplatform content and the Kids’ Choice Sports 2014 live event – at its annual Upfront presentation.

     

    “This season, we are introducing Nickelodeon’s biggest pipeline of content for every demo and in every genre,” noted Nickelodeon Group president Cyma Zarghami in her presentation. “Our preschool slate reinforces Nickelodeon’s standing as the best place for shows that are both smart and fun, powered by great stories, relatable characters and a meaningful curriculum that has been our hallmark.”

     

    Nickelodeon’s continued effort at bringing about groundbreaking shows over the past 30 years, including Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Doug, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents, just goes onto show the drive the channel possesses in the kids’ genre.

     

    The three new shows scheduled for the 2014-15 season are mentioned below:

     

    Bad Seeds (26 episodes) – Harvey, a sweet and well-meaning bird, makes two new best friends, Fee and Foo, the wildest imps in the forest.  Although their friendship seems unlikely, their connection only grows as they push each other out of their comfort zones and into endless adventures. Created, written and directed by C.H. Greenblatt (SpongeBob SquarePants, Chowder).

     

    Pig Goat Banana Cricket (26 episodes) – This show features a series of absurd interwoven stories about four friends and roommates, Pig (the fool), Goat (the artist), Banana (the wise-guy) and Cricket (the brain).  The series is created by Dave Cooper and J. Ryan, and executive produced by David Sacks (The Simpsons, Regular Show) who co-writes with J. Ryan. Cooper also art directs the series and the pilot was directed by independent animator Nick Cross.

     

    Welcome to the Wayne (6 episodes) – Launching on the Emmy Award-winning Nick App, Welcome to the Wayne, is an animated comedy following the adventures of two 10-year-old boys Olly Timbers and Ansi Molina as they explore their crazy apartment building, the Wayne.  The series was created and written by Billy Lopez (The Wonder Pets!). 

     

    The broadcast network will also roll out new episodes of its hit franchises, including, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sanjay and Craig, Breadwinners, Rabbids and The Fairly Odd Parents for the 2014-15 season.

     

    In addition, Nickelodeon has slated Kids’ Choice Sports 2014, a live big-ticket event that will take place in Los Angeles this July. The sports celebration will be hosted and executively produced by Michael Strahan.

     

    “Our mission has been to create and deliver funny content that will resonate with today’s kids, and we are well-positioned to do that through our schedule of fresh hits, a deep pipeline of new series, tent-pole events, ratings momentum and innovation on all platforms,” said Zarghami during the presentation. “Nickelodeon is a magnet for creative people and projects, and we’re incredibly excited about the new pool of talent we’re bringing to our audience in front of and behind the camera.”

     

    New live-action programming will include the comedies Henry Danger, about a crime-fighting sidekick-in-training; Bella and the Bullfrogs, in which a cheerleader becomes the quarterback for her school’s team; and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, which follows the sibling rivalry among quadruplets. The network will also broadcast new episodes of Sam & Cat, The Haunted Hathaways and The Thundermans.

     

    Also, the original sitcoms Instant Mom, See Dad Run, Yes, Dear, My Wife and Kids, The Nanny and George Lopez under Nickelodeon will continue airing on the network.

     

    For preschoolers, the network has added to the schedule Dora and Friends: Into the City!, which is due to debut sometime in end June; Blaze and the Monster Machines, a end September premiere that will introduce young viewers to science, technology, engineering and math; Shimmer & Shine, about fraternal twin genies; and Fresh Beat Band of Spies, an animated series based on the hit live-action show The Fresh Beat Band. The latter two titles will begin airing in 2015.

     

    The network has had a clear goal to let the kids’ tastes and preferences influence its creative choices, and accordingly it tailors its new content to make the most relevant and funny content for its viewers, and continues to do so even now.

  • Nickelodeon to inspire kids to save the planet through ‘The Big Help’

    Nickelodeon to inspire kids to save the planet through ‘The Big Help’

    MUMBAI: Nickelodeon’s ‘The Big Help’ is back to encourage kids to come forward and take steps towards a greener environment. An international initiative in its fifth year in India, The Big Help, has helped millions of kids across 27 countries make a difference to the planet with their efforts. The pro-socio movement aims at inspiring children to take real action to save the Mother Earth.

    As one of the leading kids’ franchise, Nickelodeon’s endeavor is to motivate kids to play an active role in saving the planet. Kids can log on to https://www.facebook.com/nickindia and take the BIG HELP PLEDGE for a greener environment. The pledge will reflect on the users’ profile page thereby encouraging their friends to come forward and participate in the movement. The month long initiative will culminate on Earth Hour on March 29th, with the city that has the maximum number of kids taking the pledge being honoured as ‘India’s Greenest City’.

    With the aim to address serious environmental issues in a manner that’s relatable to kids, Nickelodeon’s popular toonslike Ninja, MotuPatlu, Dora will come together to share some of their favourite ‘green tips’.What’s more? A ‘Green Facts’ tab on the Big Help page will give users fascinating facts about trees and the environment that one may have never heard before.

    Commenting on the channel’s latest undertaking, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. said “The Big Help aims to make children the change agents of today in order to build a better tomorrow. . We at Nickelodeon truly believe that the future lies in the hands of today’s kids and hence as a responsible broadcaster, it’s extremely important to instill the values of environment conservation and protection from a young age. With The Big Help, we aim to provide kids with a platform where they not only can voice their opinion but also take charge and lead the way.”

    Rajneel Kumar, VP & Business Head- Digital Media, Viacom18 talks about the digital angle to the campaign- “Today’s kidsare online and what better way to involve them than on that platform.  We have reached out to them there by getting them to pledge online &help raise awareness about the global environmental issues affecting our world. The entire campaign is designed in amanner that ensures our young viewers are aware, take proactive steps towards a greener tomorrow& spread the word in their digital community.”

    This year, the entire Nickelodeon franchise – Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr. and Teen Nick is coming together to strengthen the movement and take it to the next level. Join Nickelodeon’sThe Big Help and let’s create a greener and a brighter future, together!

     

  • FremantleMedia international expands with creation of FremantleMedia canada

    FremantleMedia international expands with creation of FremantleMedia canada

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia International (FMI) has officially announced the creation of FremantleMedia Canada, a Toronto based sales office for its distribution operation. The office will be headed by Susan Hummel, who has recently been hired as Senior Vice President of Distribution and Sales and starts her new position early March.

    While FMI has always had a strong presence throughout Canada, the creation of this new sales office in Toronto exemplifies the company’s long term commitment to the market/region.  Having a dedicated team on the ground will enable the company to organically grow its business in the highly competitive market across Canada, in both the English and French languages, maintaining the company’s position as a leading global distributor.

    Reporting directly to New York-based Lisa Honig, Senior Executive Vice President, FMI, Hummel will lead FMI’s first local distribution office in Canada.  She will be responsible for developing and managing strategies to license FremantleMedia content to the various distribution platforms, including traditional broadcasters, pay TV, new media, digital, etc. She will also create local marketing initiatives that will support the sale of key content within the territory.  

    “It’s a very exciting time at FMI with the company’s larger commitment to the Canadian TV market. While this last year has been one of transition, the result has been an increased focus on investing in both in-house and third party content and development, as well as a re-energized commitment to building our scripted portfolio,” said Lisa Honig, Senior Executive Vice President, FMI.  “Canada has always been one of our largest territories for international distribution and having a local team led by Susan is going to help us to build upon on our already solid foundation and growing portfolio of content.”

    “I’m proud to be at the forefront of the creation of a larger FMI presence throughout Canada,” said Hummel. “It’s great to be part of the newest FMI office, right from the ground-breaking.  I look forward to expanding FMI’s existing relationships across all platforms throughout Canada.”

    Hummel comes to FMI from MGM where she most recently served as Senior Vice President of U.S. Basic Cable and Canada Television Distribution based in Toronto.  During her time at MGM, Hummel also held positions as the Senior Vice President of North American Television Distribution, as well as the Vice President of Television Distribution for Canada.  In addition to her time at MGM, Hummel brings with her experience from the U.S. programming and acquisitions side of the business, having worked at Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and FX.

  • Nickelodeon pulls out all stops to celebrate Christmas

    Nickelodeon pulls out all stops to celebrate Christmas

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the season, where one is merry and enjoys the warm and fluffy holiday feeling. True to the festive spirit, Nickelodeon kicked off its holiday programming with a month full of Christmas specials, including Motu Patlu Movie, Dora Live Theatrical, ‘Nick Lift your Gift’ contest, Christmas specific episodes and much more. To celebrate the festival in ‘Nick’ style, the stylish Mandira Bedi joined Nickelodeon to make Christmas even more ‘Nickdaar’!

    On the programming front, Nick is all set to air a ‘Christmas Special Episode’ of the awesome twosome Motu and Patlu on 25thDecember at 6 pm. Motu and Patlu take on another comic expedition, this time rescuing the ‘Real Santa Claus’ from the hands of the devil and bringing him to their home, Furfuri Nagariya. Adding to the celebration, Nick will premiere a Christmas special movie titled ‘Motu Patlu – Mission Moon’ on 25th December at 11am, where the duo travel to the moon to fight with the evil scientist who is proving to be dangerous to Mother Earth.

    To announce the Christmas specials, the hilarious duo staged a live theatrical performance in Mumbai. Enacting the Christmas episode with some rib-tickling antics, Motu Patlu also had the gorgeous mummy, Mandira Bedi, as the special guest at Furfuri Nagariya, who danced to the tunes of Motu Patlu theme song and joined the audience in the celebrations.

    Commenting on the Christmas special initiatives, Nina Elavia Jaipuria – EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. says, “Nickelodeon dons the Santa hat this holiday season to entertain and engage kids of all age groups across platforms. From comic books, to a television show, 70 minutes movies and digital games, the Motu Patlu franchise has come a long way and promises to entertain kids this Christmas as well. It’s a pleasure to have Mandira Bedi join us in the celebrations, as she is a true representation of a smart and caring Nickelodeon Mother.”

    Commenting on the occasion, the Multi Talented Mother of One, Mandira Bedi said, “Christmas is around the corner and nothing could be better than to celebrate it with children and watch a live adaptation of a famous television show. I have grown up reading Motu Patlu comics and I thoroughly enjoyed their live stage performance today. In fact, I am definitely going to spend my Christmas watching the Motu Patlu movie and the special episode on the 25th, you should watch it too.”

    Nick is further engaging it’s viewers with the ‘Nick Lift Your Gift’ contest, running throughout the Christmas holidays. The channel is calling out to kids to participate in the contest by simply watching the two popular shows, Motu Patlu and Pakdam Pakdai, between 6 pm and 7 pm every day and spot the gift on the screen. Participants have to send the name of the gift to win PSPs, iPods, mobile phones and much more daily. To participate, one can log on to www.nickindia.com or SMS or use IVRS. [For participating via SMS, contestants have to send SMS ‘Nick’ <space> Option A or B <space> Your Name to 56882. One can also dial 5056882 from Vodafone, Aircel, Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Tata mobile & Airtel Landline or dial 1255568 From BSNL Landline, mobile & MTNL mobile.

    Joining Nick in celebrating the holiday season is the action-adventure channel Sonic, which will air content that brings the best of action, thrill and comedy. In the month long celebrations, Sonic will air some very popular shows like Supa Strikers, Power Rangers Super Samurai and Zatchbell, along with other on-going power-packed shows. There’s more! The famous Nicktoon Keymon Ache, along with his friend Rohan, takes a ride to an obscure plant to rescue Nani in the ‘Keymon & Nani in Space Adventure’ movie, airing on the channel on 25th December at 9 am.


    Taking the Christmas cheer beyond television, Nickelodeon, in partnership with Live Viacom18, is all set to host the widely known International theatrical “Dora’s Pirate Adventure” from the 27th – 30th December. Fans can watch Dora LIVE on stage in Siri Fort, New Delhi, as she embarks on her pirate adventure with her best buddy Boots and her cousin Diego. One can buy tickets by logging on to http://in.bookmyshow.com/concerts/dora-the-explorer-tickets/ or 
    http://www.mycity4kids.com/Delhi-NCR/Events/Nickelodeons-Dora-the-Explorer-Live-Doras-Pirate-Adventure_Siri-Fort-Road/23623_ed.

    There is also a whole host of interactivity for the tech savvy audience. They can watch videos of their favourite show – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) by logging on to www.sonicgang.com and win cool TMNT merchandise. On the other hand, www.nickjr.com is hosting many ‘Do It Yourself’ activities to engage the parents and toddlers together while offering cool Nick Jr. goodies.

  • Sohu to stream Nickelodeon programs in China

    Sohu to stream Nickelodeon programs in China

    MUMBAI: For a few years now, animated shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, have entertained the young viewers almost across the world. Now, many such popular Nickelodeon children’s programs will be dubbed into Mandarin and available to watch free online in China over the next 12 months in the latest deal to give a foreign entertainment company more access to China’s vast market.

    Sohu Video, a unit of popular Chinese Web portal Sohu.com, recently announced an online video-on-demand and video syndication collaboration in China with Viacom International Media Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc.

    The government in China restricts foreign access to the country’s television audience and bars most of its cable operators from carrying foreign channels. However, it’s the online video platforms that give the audience an access to foreign productions.

     

    In a joint statement, the companies said the deal will enable an estimated 389 million Chinese online video users to watch Mandarin-dubbed and subtitled Nickelodeon programming on Sohu’s site, however the details of the deal hasn’t been revealed.

    Sohu Video started offering more than 200 hours of Nickelodeon programming, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar Sunday onwards.

    Sohu’s video site is populated with American TV shows, Japanese animation series, Chinese variety shows and in-house programs. It obtained the exclusive online broadcast rights for the second season of hit reality talent show The Voice of China, shown earlier this year, generating nearly 2 billion video views, according to Sohu.

  • Now watch Nickelodeon on the go

    Now watch Nickelodeon on the go

    MUMBAI: Being a children’s television channel is no cakewalk; as most players in this space would tell you.

    Between makeovers, launching newer shows and newer applications, kids’ channels have enough going around between them to keep their viewers occupied.

    A case in point is Nickelodeon India, which, after revamping its website recently, has, launched a first-of-its-kind application named Nickworld, developed by Robosoft, mobile app developer Robosoft, which allows audiences across Nick Jr, TeenNick and Sonic watch their favourite shows on the go.

    About the app, Viacom18 VP and business head – digital media Rajneel Kumar says: “We want to be very aggressive on the digital front as today, one can see how children are always on their parents’ devices, be they smart phones or tablets.”

    “It’s all about ‘what I want’ and ‘I want it now’ hence, if it isn’t available to the audience when they want it, it is only going to hamper itself in today’s day and age. Gaming, for instance, has become a part of everyone’s life.”

    It’s all about ‘what I want’ and ‘I want it now’, says Rajneel Kumar about audience attitude

    Nickworld is designed from a child’s perspective, which is why it is visually simple, graphically attractive and easy for kids to discover content on their own. Keeping in mind children’s online safety, the app does not connect to any social site. Also, parents needn’t worry about their mobiles/tablets as the screen gets locked once the video starts rolling. Nickelodeon plans to market the app on all franchises including TV and online destinations, along with the entire advertisement eco system.

    So how does the channel plan to monetise Nickworld, available on Android for free and for Rs 55 only on iOS for an ad-free experience? “For any app, it is the advertisement atmosphere that helps us get the money,” says Kumar about the app which will be available not only on phones with 3G but also low connectivity ones.

    With plans to make more and more on-air content available online and ramp up its gaming segment, doesn’t Kumar subscribe to the popular view that kids are already spending too much time watching TV or playing with gadgets rather than playing outside? “Our channel fully agrees with the view and that is why we have campaigns like ‘Let’s just play’ wherein we switch off content on TV with an aim to encourage ‘active play’ in children’s lifestyle,” quips Kumar.