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Tag: Peanuts

  • Flipkart partners Viacom18 for licensing global brands

    Flipkart partners Viacom18 for licensing global brands

    MUMBAI: In a first of its kind partnership, e-commerce company Flipkart has inked a deal with Viacom18 for licensing three major international brands in India. 

    In a bid to offer Indian consumers authentic and branded merchandise, the Flipkart – Viacom18 collaboration will see the licensing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spongebob Squarepants and Peanuts for sellers in India.

    According to Flipkart, this partnership provides a superior analytics system and tight control to help international brand kick-start their operations in India. Global brands are constantly looking to partner with the most competent manufacturers across categories, and Flipkart aims to become the licensing platform that connects these brands to the most deserving sellers in India.

    Additionally, the company has expertise across more than 70 product verticals, which will allow it to offer these brands in a more innovative approach towards merchandising and sales.

    With this, sellers will have the opportunity to create a better experience for buyers, by assuring them quality of authentic products and differentiating themselves from the clutter on the marketplace.

    Flipkart vice president and head – seller ecosystem Manish Maheshwari said, “Through this online licensing concept, we want to simply this process by connecting brands with the top performing sellers on our platform, giving the brands the power to keep a track on the product sales as well as the quality.”

    “It gives us great pride to introduce a concept like this for the first time in India where a global player can connect with Flipkart and have the product licensed across any number of sellers they want,” he added.

    Flipkart is also looking to expand and extend its existing ecosystem by adding licensors on one side and high-quality sellers that are eligible to be licensees on the other side.

  • ‘Peanuts Re-imagined’ at MipJunior 2014

    ‘Peanuts Re-imagined’ at MipJunior 2014

    CANNES: “We are looking closely at India,” said Peanuts Worldwide SVP media Kim Towner during the MipJunior keynote which focused on the glorious 50 years of Peanuts and the 65th anniversary of the comic strip. While Peanuts may make in-roads to India in the future, currently the important markets for it are Japan, China, Brazil and Germany, apart from the US and France. 

     

    The keynote themed: ‘Peanuts Re-imagined’ was moderated by author and consultant Christopher Erbes and was attended by France Télevisions executive director Julien Borde, Normaal Animation producer Alexis Lavillat and Towner. It focused on the new TV series, a huge theatrical premiere and many other innovative initiatives being undertaken by Peanuts.  

     

    The year is big for Peanuts which has restored its entire library to 4K quality for modern viewers. “We have re-signed the deal with ABC for five years,” announced Towner. Not only this, the company has done production deals with Fox and Blue Sky as well. Talking about the other developments, Towner said that Peanuts: The Movie, a 3D CGI animation will see its premier in November 2015. “With development budget of $100 million, the movie will be distributed in over 100 countries. Another $100 million will be put for marketing the property,” she said.

     

    With audience moving towards digital, Peanuts is also looking at partnering with a major gaming company. “We will announce the partnership soon,” added Towner. With this, Peanuts aims at building on the 15 million downloads of its existing apps. Currently, the animation sees one billion social media impressions in a year. “We see 1.8 million engagements at any given week,” she said, while adding that “2015 is the year of Peanuts.”

     

    Talking about its strategy on apps, Towner said that while currently most of the apps are games for kids, they do realise the diverse audience.

     

    The key to Peanut is to make it funny and heartwarming for kids. “We want to find humour for kids,” said Lavillat.

     

    Giving a background to the new show, which will be a seven minute episode, Borde said that Peanuts has been re-imagined, since family oriented programming is important for television today.

  • Witness the history and making of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the ‘Peanuts’ gang

    Witness the history and making of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the ‘Peanuts’ gang

    MUMBAI: Charles Monroe Schulz brightened the world for 50 years with his Peanuts comic strip.  With Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the lovable Peanuts Gang, Schulz explored the emotional territory of friendship, disappointment, faith, and tolerance. Loved by all comic fans – children and adults alike, the much-adored & iconic ‘Peanuts’ is set to make a grand entry in India. Viacom 18 announced its association with the classic, Peanuts Worldwide, to launch an exciting range of consumer products, all set to hit the stores soon. The wait is not too long as the gang kick starts its journey with an exhibition ‘Inside Peanuts: The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz’ at the 4th Indian Comic Con, 2014 – starting with New Delhi on the 7th of February.

    As the long running classic ‘Peanuts’ finally hits the comic convention, fans can expect to learn more about the comic series, its creator and the history of the legendary brand through a special showcase at the Comic Con 2014. ‘Peanuts’, that started off as a comic strip with iconic characters Charlie Brown, his sister Sally Brown, his friends Lucy, Linus, Franklin and Patty, his dog Snoopy and Snoopy’s sidekick Woodstock, have grown to become an institution in itself. Charles Schulz, creator of the comic series, developed the comic strips which went onto become a huge contribution to the cartoon and comic industry.

    Corry Kanzenberg, Curator, Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center said, “We are thrilled to share the legacy of Peanuts at the 4th Annual Indian Comic Con, and hope visitors to the exhibition will enjoy learning about Charles M. Schulz, his creative process, and the stories behind Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang. This is the first time that the Charles M. Schulz Museum has participated with Comic Con in India, and we feel honored to be part of the excitement.”

    Speaking of the occasion, SaugatoBhowmik, Business Head, Consumer Products, Viacom 18 stated, “Peanuts is an iconic brand that has been loved globally since 5 decades. Viacom 18 is proud to bring the Peanuts gang to India in the form of consumer products. We are kick-starting the launch programme of the merchandize by introducing it through a visual extravangaza at the Comic Con, scheduled in the capital this weekend. I look forward to seeing the reactions of comic enthusiasts around Peanuts and assure consumers of an exciting range of consumer products around it really soon.”

    The exhibition follows Schulz from his Minnesota roots to his life in California and tracks the development of the characters that make up the unique world of Peanuts.  Thirty Peanuts comic strips, Schulz quotes, and photographs illuminate the story behind the creation of this most popular and influential cartoon strip.  Comic strips by George Herriman (Krazy Kat), Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates), and Elzie C. Segar (Thimble Theatre Starring Popeye) shed light on how these prominent cartoonists influenced Schulz as a young artist and reveal the contrast of Schulz’s drawing style to the elaborately illustrated cartoons popular during the early 20th century.

    Schulz officially retired in December 1999 and always intended that the strip would retire with him.  On February 12, 2000, at age 77, just hours before the final Peanuts strip appeared in Sunday newspapers, Charles Schulz died at his home in Santa Rosa, California.  

    To know more about the brand ‘Peanuts’, head straight to the 4th Annual Comic Con, 2014 in New Delhi. For all comic fans of ‘Peanuts’, the comic character will travel to each comic-con to be held in India this year in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. So don’t miss out on catching up with your favourite comic characters throughout the year!!!

    Inside Peanuts: The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz is organized by the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California, U.S.A.  

     

  • Viacom18 partners with Peanuts Worldwide in India

    Viacom18 partners with Peanuts Worldwide in India

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 has announced its partnership with Peanuts Worldwide to represent the rights to Charles Schulz’s popular Peanuts characters in India as master licensee.The deal marks Viacom18’s foray into representing brands outside the Viacom portfolio. Viacom18 plans to roll out products by early next year.

    Peanuts has been one of the most  popular and influential entertainment brands for over six decades, and the classic property is now set to launch in India in multiple categories that include plush toys, apparel and accessories inspired by Snoopy,Charlie Brown and the gang. Nick Jr., the popular kids’ channel by Viacom18, will also air the Peanuts series on television in the territory in the coming months.

    Speaking about the partnership, Viacom 18 Media Sr VP – consumer products, Saugato Bhowmik said, “We are delighted to have acquired representation rights to some of the most widely popular entertainment brands across the world. The partnership with the iconic ‘Peanuts’ brand adds another milestone to our portfolio of products that we will take beyond television. We’re confident that the brand’s worldwide popularity will be replicated in India.”

    Peanuts Worldwide and Iconix Entertainment MD Leigh Anne Brodsky said, “Peanuts has immense fan following across the globe. We are thrilled to enter the Indian market with new media and content on the horizon and with a promising partner like Viacom18 that boasts of the best entertainment channel across genres and an expansive range of consumer products.”

    Viacom18 Media is a significant player in the ever growing consumer products space with its diverse portfolio. Through various associations, Viacom18 has cut beyond the conventional categories giving consumers a slice of its brands such as MTV, Vh1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and also non Viacom18 brands, spanning across 50 categories with over 60 licensees. Nickelodeon consumer products, has launched more than 5,000 SKU’s touching 10,000 plus retail points since its commencement in 2006. It boasts of a diverse range of products with some iconic properties like Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ninja Hattori amongst others.