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Tag: Nickelodeon

  • Nickelodeon to launch month-long campaign celebrating friendship day

    Nickelodeon to launch month-long campaign celebrating friendship day

    Mumbai: Kids entertainment channel Nickelodeon has come up with an initiative #ToastYourDost to celebrate Friendship Day. Represented by Nick toons, the campaign will give its young viewers a chance to celebrate the entire month of August as an ode to friendship with banter between friends, and a whole lot of pranks and fun.

    Starting 1 August, the month-long campaign will go on till 3 September during which, Nickelodeon will premiere the #ToastYourDost online awards that will be given under categories such as Chindi Friend, Selfie Obsessed Soul, Lazy Daizy, Late Lateef, Biggest Bhukkad, Biggest Ditcher and more.  The 12 award categories will allow young viewers to choose a toasting template and add the name of the friend along with a reason to ‘toast that dost’ after logging on to Nickindia dot com.

    Nickelodeon will also launch another on-air campaign where millions of kids will be able to watch episodes of their favorite toon BFFs like Rudra, Motu Patlu, and Golmaal Jr, while participating in a contest that will give them an opportunity to win cool gaming consoles.

    Speaking on the initiative, Viacom18, head – marketing kids TV network, Sonali Bhattacharya, said, “At Nickelodeon, we celebrate kids and all that is of importance to them. Friendship and all the wonderful emotions that it sparks form a pivotal part of kids’ lives. Keeping this in mind, we have curated our initiative #ToastYourDost that will allow kids to toast their friends all month long and make some fun memories. The unique initiative spans all screens and is full of quirky digital innovations that will keep kids happy and positive.”

    The channel has devised a robust digital plan to boost the initiative with swipe-up games, AR filters, mash-up reels, and gamified stories along with promotions on Voot, Voot Kids, social media platforms, and YouTube channels. Nickelodeon will also reach out to kids through tickers running on the channel as well as through billboards and digital screens across Mumbai. Additionally, specially curated music playlists on friendship will be available across music streaming apps.

  • ViacomCBS restructures its global leadership

    ViacomCBS restructures its global leadership

    New Delhi: Global media and entertainment major ViacomCBS has announced that it will unify the company’s US and international businesses under a simplified global leadership structure. Effective immediately, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins were promoted to the role of president & CEO, with global oversight for their respective brand groups, MTV Entertainment Group and Nickelodeon.

    In addition, CBS president and CEO George Cheeks will expand his role to include responsibility for a global content strategy across ViacomCBS’ FTA networks around the world.

    McCarthy, Robbins, and Cheeks will continue to report to ViacomCBS, president and CEO, Bob Bakish and work closely with ViacomCBS Networks International, president and CEO Raffaele Annecchino. International brand leadership will be realigned under this new structure.

    In addition, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group president, Dan Cohen will add distribution of ViacomCBS International Studios content to his group’s mandate, which will now oversee all ViacomCBS content licensing and distribution globally. Barbara Zaneri assumes the title of chief program acquisitions officer for ViacomCBS, to reflect her expanded role leading all acquisitions globally across linear, streaming and pay. Zaneri will continue to report to McCarthy and partner closely with leaders across ViacomCBS and VCNI.

    “These changes enable a truly global approach to brand management, content acquisitions and licensing across ViacomCBS’ networks around the world,” said Bob Bakish. “With a global reach of 4.1 billion cumulative homes in over 180 countries, our globally aligned leadership structure will ensure that our internationally recognized brands and content are ubiquitous across every platform and every market.”

  • Nickelodeon celebrates International Yoga Day with #YogaSeHiHoga campaign

    KOLKATA: Nickelodeon continues to celebrate International Yoga Day year-on-year to engage its little fans and make Yoga a daily practice. This year, the kids’ entertainment channel is taking Yoga Day activities a notch higher with the latest edition of its fun and spirited #YogaSeHiHoga campaign. 

    As a part of the initiative, the brand has partnered with SARVA Yoga Studios, a wellness start-up, to bring Yoga closer to its little fans and educate them about the enormous benefits derived from Yoga. Nickelodeon and SARVA are bringing yoga to the audience in a fun manner through a unique interactive Yoga workshop with Nicktoons Shiva, Rudra, and Happy. The brand has also curated workshops with yoga experts from SARVA studios to instil a healthy lifestyle that is sure to de-stress kids in these difficult times.

    Viacom18 Kids TV Network, marketing head Sonali Bhattacharya said, “At a time when a large part of a child’s routine has changed with great restrictions on physical movement, we believe that with this unique campaign and with the power of our amazing Nicktoons, kids would get the stress buster they so deserve! By collaborating with like-minded partners, we are creating innovative and safe moments for kids to be healthy and happy in difficult times like this.”

    Ministry of AYUSH, joint secretary PN Ranjit Kumar said, the ministry is happy to support Nickelodeon’s initiative Yoga Se Hi Hoga second time after seeing the excellent response received from little yogis last year. “As the pandemic continues to challenge us, it is noteworthy to see kids brands like Nickelodeon coming forward to highlight the ability of Yoga to strengthen immunity. The campaign aligns with the theme of IDY 2021 ‘Yoga for wellness’, and we hope that people utilize this period as an opportunity to strengthen their health through Yoga practice,” he added.

    SARVA founder Sarvesh Shashi said, “SARVA has always aimed to break the myth that Yoga is boring. During the pandemic, the presence of a positive, friendly influence like the Nick toons only encourages children to keep practising and have fun while doing so. We are so glad to have tied up with Nickelodeon especially during this time where we have been urging the world saying #StartTohKaro!”

    The campaign will be promoted by a 360-degree marketing and communications plan which will include on-air promotions across the Nickelodeon franchise, digital promotions, and a robust program of mommy networks and influencers who will amplify the reach to audiences at large.

    In addition to this, a virtual workshop is designed for all Viacom18 employees and their kids. Furthermore, the initiative will be brought alive on social media through a #YogaSeHiHoga program and a Kid Yoga Series through an array of fun short-form videos encouraging kids to imbibe Yoga in their daily lifestyle. Kids can upload their picture/video of them doing their favourite yoga pose on nickindia.com and the best ones would get featured on the channel.

    To emphasize the tremendous advantages that Yoga offers, the brand has collaborated with child prodigies Ishwar Sharma and Harsha Nivetha to come forward and extend their support to the initiative. Through a host of quirky videos and actions on-air, and Yoga workshops by Nicktoons, the entire campaign will be supported by the Ministry of AYUSH.

    In 2019, Nickelodeon celebrated International Yoga Day wherein Nicktoons Motu-Patlu performed Yoga with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 40,000 people at Prabhat Tara Ground, Ranchi, and collaborated with Mumbai’s biggest Yoga event – ‘Yoga by the Bay’. Last year, owing to the pandemic, Nickelodeon celebrated Yoga Day virtually in partnership with AYUSH ministry to inculcate yoga habits and highlight the importance of building a healthier immune system. The digital partnership was extensively promoted through interactive posts, videos, followed by a nationwide contest that reached out to over 630,000 mothers & kids combined through digital mediums and 3000+ entries received under the Yoga contest hosted on the brand platform.

  • Nickelodeon collaborates with Google to launch Nickelodeon Ludo

    Nickelodeon collaborates with Google to launch Nickelodeon Ludo

    Mumbai: Ludo is one of the most popular games enjoyed by people across all age-groups. The lockdown saw a resurgence of Ludo as people remained indoors and looked for virtual means for entertainment. Catching up on the trend, Nickelodeon teamed up with Google and launched Nickelodeon Ludo, an innovative format to play the game hands-free with your favourite Nicktoons’ pegs and their voice. 

    The game will enable the users to play using just their voice on the device. Adding a tinge of spunk to the classic game from Google, for the first time ever, users will be able to play Nickelodeon with a little voice help from Google. The game will have four houses with only two pegs each, with faces of their favourite Nicktoons on the pegs in each house and all one has to do is say ‘Ok Google, talk to Nickelodeon Ludo’. While teams with Green and Red colors will be renamed as Motu- Patlu, and Rudra Rangeela, that of Blue and Yellow will be re-named as Shiva- Reva, and Happy- Pinaki, respectively. Nickelodeon Ludo will be available in English language and be open for all users.

    The channel has also devised expansive influencer promotion and digital engagement through an array of exciting activities to drive their attention to Nickelodeon Ludo.

    “Nickelodeon has always endeavoured to engage with its young viewers by providing them unique and immersive experiences through multiple touchpoints that are unparalleled. This association with Google is yet another step towards collaborating with like-minded partners and creating a platform to experience different aspects of the media & entertainment ecosystem thus transporting them to the world of fun with their favourite Nicktoons,” said Viacom 18, Kids TV Network, marketing head Sonali Bhattacharya. 

  • 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.

  • Nickelodeon urges kids to share & care with ‘Give More, Grow More’

    Nickelodeon urges kids to share & care with ‘Give More, Grow More’

    MUMBAI: While the pandemic showed us the flip side of life and divided nations more than ever, it also enabled us to realise the importance of resilience and humanity. Leveraging this opportune time to educate kids about sharing, Nickelodeon has returned with the latest edition of the India leg of the global pro-socio campaign Together for Good. This year, Nickelodeon along with NGO partner Goonj is inspiring kids to share with those in need and spread happiness, with the message of “Give More & Grow More.”

    The campaign will see Nicktoons bring the message of fostering kindness through two engaging, fun and lighthearted on-air films that show kids the difference that they can bring in the lives of others by sharing and learning to give more. Link https://www.nickindia.com/together-for-good/.

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment & kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “As a responsible broadcaster for kids, their well-being and growth is at the center of all our initiatives at Nickelodeon. Over the years we have introduced several social initiatives themed under ‘Together For Good’ to inspire positive behavioral change amongst kids. We believe that kids are the change agents of society and teaching them the importance of sharing is a key step towards helping instill a sense of empathy and high EQ.”

    As part of the campaign, Nickelodeon will be using several creative outreach methods to drive the message of Give More & Grow More amongst kids. The highly engaging digital campaign will see promotions on high reach platform like Youtube which will be further supported by a social media plan on Facebook and Instagram.

    Apart from this, the campaign will also come to life through engaging with mommy networks and influencers across cities who will help amplify the reach and ensure the message reaches far and wide.

    Together for Good is Nickelodeon's worldwide initiative that believes anyone, anywhere, anytime, can help make the world a better place. The previous editions of the campaign highlighted hard hitting topics including the academic pressure faced by young kids, child safety, sexual abuse among kids and more.  This edition will once again take a step towards fostering a sense of community and care, most relevant in the current global scenario of nations coming out of a global health crisis. 

  • Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2020 goes virtual

    Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2020 goes virtual

    KOLKATA: The one-of-a-kind award show that is for the kids and by the kids – Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2020 is back. While this year has been unprecedented, Nickelodeon follows through on its promise to entertain and empower kids.

    This year with Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards the promise is to present the show in a whole new format, focused on taking it virtual and getting kids to not only vote but also get closer to their stars in a never seen before avatar. That’s not all, KCA 2020 will witness six new and relevant categories for kids to vote for their favourite entertainers during the lockdown and decide who takes home the coveted Nickelodeon Blimp.

    Over the years, Kids’ Choice Awards have featured a glittering host of celebrities gracing the orange carpet and with our iconic Nicktoons. With mind-blowing performances by renowned celebrities like Sara Ali Khan, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and more, as well as raking in more than 5 lakh votes, kids had a gala time at the award show. This year’s edition will witness nominees that have come through a special online research to determine who entertained children the most during the lockdown. Always turning lemons into lemonade, kids will get a chance to vote for a whole lot of nominees across several new categories such as favourite online learning apps, Youtubers, Instagram personalities, sportspersons, food enjoyed during the lockdown, amongst others. The voting starts on 4 January, 2021 exclusively on www.voot.com and the Voot App.

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “In these challenging times our commitment is to ensure that our young viewers remain entertained and positive. Keeping this in mind we at Nickelodeon are going to celebrate all that is new with Kids’ Choice Awards 2020. In the virtual format, with the introduction of new categories, we aim to encourage and empower kids to cast their vote and choose their favourites who kept them going through the lockdown. Nickelodeon will also support Teach for India to help provide smart devices to children to enable online education.”

    The uniquely curated awards will support a cause that has emerged during the pandemic while emphasising the need to celebrate the new normal. Due to the ongoing social distancing and the shift to e-learning, India’s education system is going through a reform. The prolonged closure of schools to maintain social distancing has caused an educational inequality, especially due to limited access to internet and technology.

     To bridge the digital education divide and enable a smooth transition for all strata of society, Nickelodeon has partnered with Teach for India, for the latter’s existing program Sponsor A Device. The partnership will kickstart during the voting process of the Kids Choice Awards 2020 where Nickelodeon will donate Re 1 for every vote garnered. Teach for India is a non-profit organisation that works towards educational equity at all levels of the education system. Under the existing program, the community aims to enable the new form of learning by raising funds for putting a gadget in the hands of every student who needs one.

    KCA’s marketing campaign is being promoted through a robust digital and social media plan, interesting online interactivity, support across the Nickelodeon franchise and social media challenges along with a push from the entire network. There are various innovations lined up on the digital front, including tons of quirky communication on YouTube. There will be a #KCAsquad with influencers giving the audiences all the latest updates on #KCAIndia2020. Further adding to the slime-tastic experience will be slime inspired digital games, contests, AR filters, virtual face offs and series of engaging and interesting online interactivity that will create fun experiences for kids.

  • How GECs plan to light up viewers’ Diwali

    How GECs plan to light up viewers’ Diwali

    MUMBAI: Diwali, the festival of lights, symbolises homecoming as well as new beginnings. Whether or not one subscribes to the mythological or religious significance of this festival, it cannot be denied that it’s a time of togetherness, of spreading happiness and good cheer. In a similar fashion, Hindi and regional GECs have curated special programming to light up Diwali for their viewers.

    As we cope with the new normal, TV channels are keeping the festive spirits high with their best programs, presenting viewers with a perfect opportunity to spend this golden time with their families and binge watch their all-time favourite shows. We list down their Diwali line-up this year:

    Zee TV:

    During Diwali there is a special festive event on the cards for fans of the channel’s top-rated shows Kundali Bhagya and Kumkum Bhagya. During the day, audiences can look forward to the telecast of special awards shows and events like Zee Cine Awards 2020, Zee Rishtey Awards 2019 and the film, Good Newwz. The network will also premiere its highly anticipated collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, Brahmarakshas 2, on the weekend after Diwali.

     

     

    Colors Marathi:

    Colors Marathi has curated a special Diwali programming line-up for its viewers. From November 13 to 16, the channel has in store special episodes of its most popular fiction shows like Jeev Zala YedaPisa, Sukhi Mansacha Sadara, Sundara Manamadhye Bharli, to name a few. To drive the audience’s festive sentiment a notch higher, the channel will also host a special singing Diwali show named Ghei Chanda on 15 November at 12 noon, featuring renowned Indian classical vocalists Mahesh Kale and Rahul Deshpande.

     

     

    Romedy Now:

    Lighting up this Diwali with the best visual treat for viewers, Romedy Now has brought ‘Diwali Delights’ through 1 to 14 November, every night at 9 pm. The property will air some of the most wholesome Hollywood rom-coms such as Marley & Me, First Daughter, Love & Other Drugs, Down With Love, Burnt and Bride Wars.

     

     

    Colors Kannada:

    On the non-fiction front, the channel will air special event Jodi Deepavali on 15 November at 1 pm. Couples from Kannada television and cinema will come together and celebrate with fun tasks, rib-tickling gimmicks, songs, and dance to make it a special Deepawali. The show will be hosted by Kannada television’s most energetic and enthusiastic anchor, Akul Balaji. The fun doesn’t end there, as the channel will also air Baahubali at 4:30 pm on 15 November.

    As a special Diwali gift for viewers, Colors Kannada aims to spread love with the launch of Hoo Male on 16 November at 9 pm.

     

     

    Dangal TV:

    To celebrate Diwali, Dangal TV has shored up its primetime viewing with the debut of mythological series Devi Adi Parashakti on 9 November. The show has been produced by Swastik Productions and will be telecast Monday to Saturday at 9 pm.

     

     

    Big Ganga:

    Ganga Deewali Carnival is Big Ganga’s hot ticket property for this time of the year. The four-day multi-entertainment, multi-celebrity festivity will begin 10 November and culminate on 14 November.

    Colors Tamil:

    With its special Diwali line-up, Colors Tamil aims to provide viewers with an added reason to look forward to the festivities. In the non-fiction category, the channel has curated special Diwali episodes for Sindhanaigal Simplified and for their recently launched show Colors Kitchen.

    Sinthanaigal Simplified with Gurudev Shri Shri Ravi Shankar will have popular actor Yugi Sethu engaging in a refreshing conversation about life and spirituality on Saturday, 14  November 2020 at 11:00 am. This special Diwali episode is also the show’s finale. Following this, Colors Kitchen will spice up the celebrations at noon, with Chef Damu, Chef Shreya and Colors Tamil artists cooking up a delectable festive feast.

    To pump up the fun spirit of Diwali further, Colors Tamil is also set to present the world television premiere of Chitiram Pesuthadi – 2 on 14 November at 4 pm. A multi-starrer film, Chitiram Pesuthadi – 2 is a hyperlink drama that encompasses four gripping stories which take place in a time frame of 48 hours.

    Further, adding sparkle to its original programming in the fiction category, Colors Tamil has curated a special Diwali line up for its shows Amman, Idhayathai Thirudathey and Uyire.

     

     

    Colors Bangla Cinema:

    Colors Bangla Cinema will rejoice in the festivities of Kali Pujo and Bhai Fonta by showcasing special movies from 14 to 16 November. The channel will air blockbuster films such as Chore Chore Mastuto Bhai, Adorer Bon-Dadar Adesh and Inquilab-Greftaar to entertain its viewers during Diwali.

    Zee Biskope:

    On the eve of Diwali, Zee Biskope has lined up the world television premiere of Aandhi Toofan, co-presented by Nestle Munch.  It will air on 13 November 2020 at 6 pm.

    Nickelodeon:

    Nickelodeon is all set to make sure that kids and their families enjoy the festive weekend through a host of exclusively crafted fun entertainment and engagement experiences.

    To start off, the channel will premiere a made for television movie headlined by kid’s favourite toon Shiva called Rise of the Technosapiens. Set to premiere on 14 November 2020 at 11.30am, the action-adventure film will take kids on a roller coaster ride with super kid Shiva.

     

     

  • 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."