Tag: Pogo

Pogo expands merchandise to apparel, publishing, stationery & home videos

MUMBAI: Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE), the global licensing and merchandising division of Cartoon Network, has announced the strategic roll out of the second phase of Pogo merchandise, with the launch of Pogo branded apparel, activity kits, publishing, stationery, electronics and school bags.

Cartoon Network’s sibling Pogo, has tied up with Karmatex, a garment manufacturing and export enterprise, for the launch of the apparel range at their exclusive ‘Scram’ outlets. The channel is targeting a 10 city roll out of ‘Scram’ stores in May next year. The branded apparel will be available in three ranges Surf, Word Trails and Party wear for boys and girls, aged 3 to 12 years.

Besides, the collection will also be available at typical retail outlets including Lifestyle, Pyramid and Lilliput. Following the standard roll out strategy in key metros, the channel has also expressed their plans to enter smaller markets. With 80 SKUs, the range will be priced between Rs 399 to Rs 995. Currently, Karmatex has two stores at malls in Mumbai (Inorbit and Atria), while another 12 stores across India are expected to be operative by the end of next year.

Based on the M.A.D. (Music Art and Dance) theme, the new additions to Pogo merchandise will lend itself to a consolidated range of the latest home entertainment DVD’s, six new book titles, stationery and ‘Do it yourself’ activity kits. The M.A.D. range of products will be priced between Rs 25 to Rs 525.

In addition, the company is also looking to introduce to the existing Pogo portfolio more branded merchandise across categories such as innerwear, sleepwear, gifts and novelties, bags and activity games in the New Year. This is in line with company’s plans to expand its width of consumer products, which will ultimately find its way to the theme parks slated to launch next year in the form of ‘Planet Pogo.’

Cartoon Network Enterprises India and South Asia director Jiggy George said, “This year has been fabulous for us! Over the last quarter we have announced two strategic initiatives in the consumer goods division and it makes me proud to close the year with the announcement of the extension of Pogo Merchandise across these exciting categories. The division has recorded a fantastic double digit growth, registering an annual jump of 50 per cent in business and I am looking forward to witness similar success in 2007, with the launch of many such exciting announcements.”

“Our channel, Pogo, stands for fun, learning and excitement and keeping these brand characteristics in mind, coupled with a recent qualitative research conducted amongst three age groups of kids and parents, it was found that the extension of Pogo into merchandise would be welI accepted. The categories that would best fit the brand would be apparel, toys, back to school products and gifts and novelties. This gave us the clear direction that the right time to commence our merchandising programme for Pogo had arrived.”

Beefing up its retail presence in the country Cartoon Network Enterprises’ previously launched character themed consumer products like The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Galli Galli Sim Sim and Pogo Wheels. The Pogo toys range, launched in the first phase, will also see extensions, as new and higher end versions will be launched next year.

December 5, 2006

Big brawl in the kids arena

what‘s the next big thing on television? The response comes from a rather discerning bunch of little champions, kid‘s channels as a category have seen an exponential growth over the year, as 2005 saw this genre close at a 10 per cent genre share (Period: Jan – Dec 05 ; All India, TG: CS 4yrs-14yrs).

The story this year seems to suggest that the whole category is heading further North, with the previous quarter (July, August, September 2006) clocking 15 per cent genre share.

Year	July – Sep 06	Jan- June 06	Jan- Dec 05
Kids‘ genre share	15	14	10

Genre Share (%) of Kids‘ Channels
TG: CS 4yrs-14yrs
Market: All India

Within this arena and from an all India perspective, the latest TAM data of third quarter results seem to indicate that all of the players are experiencing an upward trend except for the two from the Turner stable, which have slipped somewhat as their rivals upped their collective acts. However, Turner continues to be in the lead, with Toon Disney, which is rocking in the South, following closely behind.

Channel / Year	Jul-06	Aug-06	Sep-06
Cartoon Network	26	24	24
Pogo	23	22	21
Toon Disney	18	18	20
Hungama TV	17	18	19
Disney Channel	11	11	9
Nickelodeon	5	6	7

Relative Shares (%) of Kids‘ Channels
TG: CS 4yrs-14yrs
Market: All India

When slicing the kid‘s category and looking more specifically at the HSM segment, which is a core market for most players, the same is applicable. Cartoon Network reigns supreme but sibling Pogo appears to be battling it out with potential challenger for the pole position Hungama TV.

Some industry observers are of the opinion that this is a landmark quarter, marking the beginning of the end of the dominance Turner has enjoyed all these years, as the carpet is being laid for other players to enter the fray. Data no doubt indicates that other players are slowly eating into the pie. Whether this is a one-off phenomena or will change the course of events for the category as a whole is yet to be determined though.

What will be under close scrutiny is whether this will create an upheaval that may trickle into the fourth quarter of the year. But with the combination of Disney Channel, Toon Disney, which is the clear leader in the South and Hungama TV (for whom its only a matter of time before it comes under Disney‘s wing), does pose a deadly combination. Also, given the benefits that Toon Disney‘s experiment with local feeds in the South have brought to the network, it won‘t be a surprise to see Disney Channel also tread the same localization path in due course.

However, the first international kids channel to touch Indian shores and long time leader Cartoon Network, asserts it is not threatened at all by all that is happening in its wake. Says Turner International India vice president advertising sales and networks (India & South Asia) Monica Tata, “When there‘s a successful, dominant player in the market, competition is a natural progression of a dynamic business model. Having blazed a successful trail in the kids‘ entertainment segment, it is only natural for others to see the potential. However, having said that, our biggest competitor is not other kids‘ channels, but ourselves. We are continually striving to raise the bar, build on our success, and continue to innovate and improve our array of matchless content that we offer to the discerning Indian viewer.

“We believe it is not about shifting or changing strategies to meet competition, but to continually assess and anticipate what the audience wants and deliver in accordance with their viewing needs. As the market place changes, we will respond rapidly to the changing market dynamics. If you don‘t, then you will be left behind!”

All said and done, the kids category is experiencing dynamic nationwide growth and capitalising on this are advertisers that see it as a worthwhile proposition to hop on board.

Walt Disney Television International (India) director marketing and communication Tushar Shah states that currently the network has roped in 155 advertisers. Says Shah, “With the kids arena exploding, more players coming into the fray, in addition to the market growth, there are now more options available to advertisers to address kids predisposed in their own environment.”

Counters Tata, “Cartoon Network and Pogo enjoy a lion‘s share of the advertising pie in the kids‘ television genre. We have witnessed consistent increase in ad sales revenue over the years with top International and Indian brands advertising their products and services on our channels. Moreover, both Cartoon Network and Pogo, through their leadership in reach and viewership, have also partnered with every major kids‘ marketer and several non-traditional clients like BPCL, ING-Vyasa, All-Out, Citibank, Bombay Dyeing, Red Label, amongst many others.”

“Seeing this phenomenal growth in viewership, we believe there is still tremendous scope for advertisers to further increase their ad spends in the kids‘ genre. Cartoon Network and Pogo‘s ad sales have witnessed a 24 per cent combined growth over Jan-Sep 05 to Jan-Sep 06. The client base of Pogo grew nearly by 50 per cent from 2004 to 2005 with 56 new clients added in 2005. These include, TVS Motors, ICICI Bank, HDFC Standard Life (Insurance), McFills,” she adds.

Apart from the traditional advertisers, several non-traditional players are also eying this option as a favourable one. Along with some of the prominent advertisers on Nick like Coca Cola, and Nestle, another strategic tie-up with the mother network Viacom sees Microsoft advertising on the channel. MTV Networks India director – Communications and Consumer products Sandeep Dahiya alludes, “This deal has given way to Viacom Brand Solutions which offers multiple integrated solutions, promoting the latest gaming console Xbox 360 on all three channels of the network. In line with this, Nick‘s show with sci-fi kid Jimmy Neutron has an Xbox segment where he provides tips on gaming.”

Commenting on the pen brand categories that did not previously favour kids as a target as they would primarily use pencils, Hungama TV Senior VP marketing and communication Siddharth Roy said, “Presently we have close to 120 brands on board, out of which pens include Linc Pens, Add Pens, Cello Pens, and Reynolds. Predominantly pens did not advertise in the kid‘s space.”

He added, “Reliance Infocomm first ad in the kid‘s space, Teleshopping category: a first in the kid‘s space. In the Entertainment category: all Hindi, English movies advertise on Hungama TV. It was also the first to bring in Hindi Movies to the kids space. The real significant victory for the kids space is the diversity of clients willing to experiment on it from FMCG, to banks, to insurance to telecom, to Hindi movie promos to other mass TV channels like Set, Sahara.”

On non-traditional advertisers rationale for entering kids space, Kapur says that kids pester power now shifts to contributing to the purchasing decision in the household, which is why marketers are looking at kids space to advertise.

“Advertisers at large recognises kids as an extremely important category within the family and therefore, be it cars, white goods, household items, etc, are also indirectly targeted at kids. The lines between a traditional and non-traditional advertiser have blurred.

“Cartoons as brand ambassadors are gaining as much popularity as film and cricket stars! Today, an ICICI, BPCL or even an All-Out want to sign on a Tom and Jerry or a Scooby-Doo as their brand ambassador – because they realise the importance of speaking to kids and we have several brand extensions like merchandising, theme parks, etc,” says Monica Tata.

An inevitable outgrowth of greater consumption is a rise in ad rates and industry sources opine that there has been a jump of about 10 – 15 per cent in ad rates across channels over this year. Well that‘s yet another reason for these broadcasters to be happy!

On looking at the factors that have propelled kid‘s channels out of control, Kapur attributes Hungama TV‘s success story to three main factors – programming, marketing and distribution. Along these three parallels the channel had adopted a strategy where they play with time slots every week to give kids what they demand, when they want it, as well as on air contests like Right Here Right Now.

On the marketing front he feels that interactivity through on ground initiatives like the Hungamathon, the Fireman Sam Safety Drive and the contest that has proved advantages as it provides the much needed feeback on their efforts, The Captains Hunt. Besides, the channel also boasts that the two Japanese acquisitions Doremon and Shinchan have done wonders for them.

Disney‘s Shah believes that their volume of commitment to the Indian market is seen in the their efforts to create an overall Disney brand experience through a 360 degree solution to consumers via multiple touch points that includes the contribution of every one of their businesses.

Their consumer products division supplies items from character based stationary to undergarments, to branded Disney apparel while the key drivers for their triumph include, That‘s So Raven, Mickey Mouse Club house and recent local production that the company claims is giving them good numbers Vicky Aur Vetaal. He also feels that entertainment at the ground level in India is something highly under-rated and speaks with reference to the event Disney Magic by saying, “Interactivity gives top gratification to the consumer and therefore, brand and character experience, is a turning point for entertainment in the country.”

Also seeing the value in events, Monica Tata adds that their aim is to provide, new shows, themes, unique and fun-filled on-ground experiences – giving a 360-degree experience that is safe, enjoyable, fun and memorable. “Every year, we organise multi-city events such as Toon Cricket, Toon Yatra, Toon Games, Next Big Toon, Pogo Amazing Kids Awards, Fun Day Out, amongst others.” Recently, Cartoon Network also announced a pan-asian initiative titled Snaptoons (Short New Asia Pacific Cartoons).

Category leader Cartoon Network forsees clear skies ahead for the kids category as a whole, “There is huge potential in the kids‘ segment and the Industry is definitely growing at a rapid pace. The viewership category has expanded. Plus, now it is not just about television/on-air programming or passive viewership – today kids‘ channels have the ability and option to offer viewers and clients multiple touch points and 360 degree solutions.”

“This is definitely the age of the kids‘ segment and we have a bright future ahead. However, I would also like to add that even though adspends of brands targeting kids has grown over past years, this has not happened in line with the scorching viewership growth of the genre which has grown from 3.7 per cent in 2002 to 14.7 per cent in 2006, in terms of fair share of spends allocated to kids‘ channels. I am confident if advertisers targetting kids invest more on kids‘ channels than on general entertainment channels, audience deliveries will be much higher!” she adds.

November 4, 2006

Zee Turner channels switched off in Jaipur city

NEW DELHI: Zee Turner Limited has switched off 19 bouquet channels on a leading multi system operator in Jaipur due to non-signing of agreement with correct numbers of cable homes and non payment of outstanding cable subscription charges.

Interestingly, a day prior to deactivation the MSO had moved broadcast disputes tribunal TDSAT requesting a stay on deactivation of channels. The request was rejected.

Industry sources said that the Jaipur MSO switched off is Bhaskar TV, the television wing of regional media powerhouse Bhaskar Group, which has a joint venture with Zee promoter Subhash Chandra for DNA newspaper.

Zee Turner is a distribution joint venture between the Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms Limited and Time Warner company Turner International India.

Latest NRS data confirms that Jaipur city has more than 2,25,000 C&S homes and the MSO controls almost 90 per cent households (2,02,500) in the city.

The households declared by the operator to Zee Turner were 38,782, which has been interpreted by the latter as under declaration.

The operator’s subscription agreement with Zee Turner expired in December
2005 and a fresh agreement had not been signed, Zee Turner said.

On expiry of a 21-day notice period on 11 October, the MSO moved TDSAT seeking a stay on deactivation of channels.

According to Zee Turner Ltd CEO Arun Poddar, “The (Jaipur) operator, taking advantage of its monopoly situation, has been avoiding signing subscription agreement and has also been under declaring subscriber households by 81 per cent. This is not acceptable to us by any means.”

Poddar added his company had been trying to resolve the issue in a “cordial manner” but “non cooperation on part of the operator” has forced them to take a harsh step and resort to deactivation.

“We are really concerned about our viewers and regret the inconvenience caused to them. We are in the process of making alternative arrangements and assure our viewers that Zee Turner channels will reach each and every household in Jaipur city very soon,” he said.

The 19 channels switched off include Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Sports, Zee News, Zee Studio, HBO, Pogo, Awaaz, VH1, Zee Business Zee Bengali, Zee Gujarati, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Cartoon Network, Reality TV, CNBC, CNN, Zee Trendz and Zee Café

October 13, 2006
‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’ comes to DD & Pogo; Literacy Yatra culminates in Mumbai

MUMBAI: On the eve of World Literacy Day Turner’s newest edition Galli Galli Sim Sim is all set to expand its outreach by launching the series on Doordarshan on 9 September during the Cartoon Network Duniya block on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. The pre-school television series will also air on Pogo at 8 am, with a repeat telecast at 4 pm, Monday to Friday, starting World Literacy Day- 8 September 2006.

With the aim to make learning fun, Galli Galli Sim Sim promtes the philosophy “Seekhne ka Mastana Andaaz.” In connection with this and prior its launch on DD, the series has paved the way to create a nationwide awareness with the Galli Galli Sim Sim Literacy Yatra that kicked off on 15 August 2006. This initiative was strategically undertaken to spread its viewership before its entry into DD, thus attempting to access the most remote areas of the country.

Galli Galli Sim Sim Literacy Yatra, is an educational initiative by Turner International India Pvt. Ltd (TIIPL) and Sesame Workshop, which was flagged off from New Delhi and culminated its journey in Mumbai today. Encompassing four states across the country including New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra, the Yatra is said to have travelled over 5000 kms attempting to reach out to as many children, empowering them with the educational objectives of the series.

The Literacy Yatra arrived in Mumbai at the Guru Nanak Higher Secondary School, along with the adorable muppets Chamki and Googly from Galli Galli Sim Sim and actor Rahul Bose was given a cheerful welcome by the kids.

TIIPL VP advertising and sales networks, India and South Asia Monica Tata said, “The uniqueness of Galli Galli Sim Sim lies in its 360-degree approach of combining the power of television and on-ground initiatives to spread education to children, aged two to eight in India. Galli Galli Sim Sim Literacy Yatra was our first on ground initiative to deliver the unique content of the television series to children who may not have access to television.

“We are happy to announce that this Literacy Yatra was a success as we received a great response across different sections of society – from children as well as caregivers. We have already reached out to thousands of children through community screenings and with the launch of Galli Galli Sim Sim on Pogo and Doordarshan, we further hope to reach out to more and more children across the country.”

With DD and Pogo being added to the roster, the show will continue to air on Cartoon Network at 1 pm. In addition, kids will also be able to catch Galli Galli Sim Sim on Saturday evenings in a segment called Sim Sim Shanivar from 4 pm to 6 pm starting 16 September on Pogo.

Galli Galli Sim Sim set in an “Indian Galli” represents the reality of daily life for the widest possible range of Indian children and families. The series is targeted towards children between the age group of two to eight years, transcends socio-economic barriers and will feature animated segments and live-action films, with music, stories, and art drawn from various elements of Indian culture and regions of the country.

Primarily to cater to Indian families and kids, the adorable residents, the Indian Muppets – Googly, Chamki, Aanchoo and Boombah, have been specially created with Indian characteristics and elements, along interesting and a well thought out human cast. In the first season, the series comprising 65 episodes of 30 minutes each will be aired in Hindi, with usage of some English words.

Galli Galli Sim Sim is the Indian adaptation of the popular American series, Sesame Street. The series will help in developing social, emotional and cognitive skills in children, and become the catalyst to encourage children to pursue educational goals. It was born over 37 years ago as a new way to utilize the power of television to not only entertain, but to educate young children as well.

Today, Sesame Street is the longest street in the world, reaching over 120 countries and serving as the largest informal educator. In India, Galli Galli Sim Sim will address topics such as early literacy, creative thinking and reasoning, family and community life, healthy habits and appreciating cultural plurality.

Funding for the development phase of Galli Galli Sim Sim was provided through the generous support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Turner. Moving forward, the producers of the series will look to combine the strengths and resources of the public and private sectors for local development initiatives.

Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit, educational organization making a meaningful difference in children’s lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching.

Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and ground breaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As a nonprofit organisation, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales and Sagwa products right back into its educational projects for children around the world.

September 7, 2006
Tata Sky and Zee Turner haggle on price

NEW DELHI: Tata Sky’s talks with Zee Turner for its bouquet of channels have got stalled on the issue of price.

While India’s second pay digital platform Tata Sky has evinced interest in the first two of the three bouquets of Zee Turner for Rs 42, the latter is insisting all its 29 channels should be taken.

According to sources close to the negotiations, Zee Turner has conveyed that it’s ready to give all its channels to Tata Sky’s DTH platform for Rs 74 per subscriber, which is 50 per cent of the price that cable operators pay for the channels.

Bouquet 1 of Zee Turner comprises Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee Studio, Zee Bengali, Zee Gujarati, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Cartoon Network, Reality TV, CNBC, CNN, Zee Café, Zee Trendz, ETC, ETC Punjabi, Zee Jagran, Zee Smile, Zee Telgu and Zee Music..

The second bouquet includes HBO, Pogo, Awaaz, VH1 and Zee Business. Zee Turner is soft bundling Zee Sports at a price benefit.

The third bouquet, called Breakfree, consists of Zee Action, Zee Premier and Zee Classic, which air movies of different genre and are primarily available on Dish TV DTH platform.

Interestingly, Zee Turner wants to keep Zee Sports out of the negotiations with Tata Sky, saying a deal for the sports channel — holders of cricket rights for matches to be played by India on non-ICC recognised venues — could be done separately.

According to the sources, Zee Turner has reasoned that its demand is based on a recent ruling of a disputes tribunal in Dish TV vs Star case wherein Star was asked to make available its channel to Dish at Rs 27 per subscriber, which is 50 per cent less than the price cable ops pay.

Zee Turner has further said that in the Dish vs Star case, when Dish had wanted select channels of Star, the Hong Kong-based broadcaster was unwilling to accede to the proposal.

Extending the same logic, Zee Turner has conveyed to Tata Sky that it would have to take all its channels.

However, Tata Sky is only interested in the first two bouquets of Zee Turner for a price of Rs 42 per subscriber per month.

On August 8, while announcing the commercial launch of Tata Sky service in 300 cities, company’s MD and CEO Vikram Kaushik had admitted that talks with Zee Turner had not been concluded.

Amongst the 55-odd channels being offered by Tata Sky presently to its subscribers, Zee and Turner channels like Zee TV, Zee Sports, Cartoon Network and Pogo and some third party products like HBO, Reality TV, Awaaz and CNBC TV18 are conspicuous by their absence.

Country’s first pay DTH platform, the Subhash Chandra-owned Dish TV, boasts of 1.25 million subscribers.

Pubcaster’s DD Direct+ claims a subscriber base of 3.5 to 4 million for its subscription-free service of free to air channels.

August 10, 2006
Pogo Amazing Kids Awards get interactive this year

MUMBAI: It’s time for the third edition of the Pogo Amazing Kids Awards (PAKA) and this time the fun and frolic around the awards is set to double. Unlike its previous two editions, this time round apart from airing the awards on Pogo in December, the channel will also weave programming around it.

“We will be presenting PAKA in a serialised format this year comprising 19 episodes over a period of seven weeks, which will showcase the kids who are shortlisted in the award categories,” says Turner International India vice president advertising sales and networks (India and South Asia) Monica Tata.

What’s more, for the first time, the show will also weave interactivity around it wherein viewers can SMS and vote in for their favourite kids in various categories. The call of voting for Paka will start from 15 September and will end of 31 October. The awards will be held in December.

The series will begin airing on 4 November. The first eight episodes will be non-category specific, profiling episodes, with the viewer getting to see five amazing kids every episode. The ninth episode will be a re-cap and episodes 10 – 17 will have the top three kids’ pitched against each other vying for the top rung by impressing the jury, viewers and thereby getting their votes. Episode 18 will again be a re-cap and also the curtain raiser to the finals. Winners will be announced in the 19th episode.

The winners will get a child benefit policy worth Rs 500,000 and will also get a change to be on Pogo through 2007. Derek O’Brien’s company will manage the entire selection and search process for PAKA 2006.

The search for the 40 kids from eight categories (five kids per category) of arts, sports, music, singing, dance, genius, leadership and entertainment will begin on 1 August and end on 20 August. These 40 kids will further be shortlisted to 24 (three per category).

Tata added, “Having the distinction of being the country’s only televised kids’ awards, as also a unique platform that acknowledges India’s wealth of budding talent and kids’ choices, Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 aims to raise the benchmark for children’s awards in the country through audience polls and a panel of illustrious judges whose combined feedback would determine which amazing Indian kid bags each of the eight coveted titles. Right from the solicitation phase up to the grand finale, every phase of Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 will truly reflect Pogo’s promise of being a channel that Indian kids can call their own.”

PAKA is divided into two sections – Pogo Voice Awards and Pogo Kids Awards. The Pogo Kids Awards segment will recognize exceptional talent and brilliance and reward them for their extraordinary talents in multiple areas.

The channel has tied up with Bata as their on-ground partners, wherein kids can avail of the entry forms from any of the 850 Bata outlets across the country. Forms can also be downloaded from www.Pogo.tv and information can also be found by sending an SMS to 8558.

Apart from that there are two presenting sponsors (Horlicks and Parle G) and six associates sponsors (Kellogg’s, Big Babol, Kissan, Reynolds, Munch and Ganuchi Shoes).

To promote PAKA 2006, Pogo will kick off an integrated media campaign comprising outdoor, print, internet and school contact programmes. Mailers will be sent out to 200,000 kids across India and school contact programmes will be held in approximately 3000 schools.

July 26, 2006

‘Culturally, linguistically diverse India is a test case for us’ : Sesame Workshop India ED Sashwati Banerjee

For both Sesame Workshop and its newly-appointed executive director for Indian operations, Sashwati Banerjee, India is a big challenge. The US-based Sesame Workshop might have revolutionized pre-school education through various initiatives, including the path-breaking TV show Sesame Street, but replicating a global model here will be a tough task.

Rather, if communications expert Banerjee is to be believed, Sesame Workshop is adopting an entirely new game plan for India, apart from innovating on some aspects that incorporate what it has done in other parts of the globe. She agrees that India may become the incubator for a model that could be replicated elsewhere too.

Founded in 1968, Sesame Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programmes and products are engaging and enriching.

For Banerjee, who’s dabbled in various assignments from India to Hong Kong to the US, the changeover to children’s education from healthcare communications is a step that was not taken easily. But after initial doubts were cleared by Sesame Workshop CEO Gary Knell, it has been hectic work for the lady who grew up and studied in Delhi, but spent quite a few years in Hong Kong doing “this and that”, as she would modestly say.

In this conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Anjan Mitra, Banerjee spells out her priorities and gives a glimpse into Workshop’s plans for India. She also cribs a bit on procedural delays and lack of readily available comprehensive data/research on government-aided education initiatives and child behaviour.

Excerpts:

What’s the aim of setting up Sesame Workshop India?
Sesame Workshop India would primarily be the outreach arm to promote early childhood initiative and the educational curriculum of Galli Galli Sim Sim (the Indian version of Sesame Street) through a multi media platform, especially to children who are most in need or underserved. The educational curriculum of Galli Galli… has been designed by Indian educators, researchers and writers keeping in mind India’s cultural and social diversity and needs.

How will that be done?
What Sesame Workshop really brings to the table is technical knowledge and expertise in early childhood education and development. These are the two broad areas we are working with. How will it go about doing it? One arm of the education initiative is the television show Galli Galli… which is going to be broadcast on Cartoon Network, Pogo and (terrestrial broadcaster) Doordarshan. The other aspect of the initiative is to see how we can extend and reinforce that learning through a variety of other activities with the help of technology to bridge the digital divide.

The target audience is children aged between two to six years and their caregivers, which include parents and teachers using educational materials that are fun and make learning engaging “because all children deserve a chance to dream and discover, to understand the world and their place in it, to reach their highest potential…”

We would be working with other organizations that are already active in this field and our mandate is to help them develop programmes that will take such initiatives forward.

‘Seed Funding has been provided by Turner India‘

How would Sesame Workshop leverage Galli Galli…?
Television is just one of the ways in which the educational curriculum will be delivered is television. Sesame Workshop India will help to deliver Galli Galli… across other mediums – from print, training, interpersonal communication to high technology initiatives like the internet. While the television series is expected to reach audiences across India, there is still a large population who have limited or no access to television. It is through Sesame Workshop India’s outreach efforts that this population will be reached.

Moreover, research has shown that children who watch Sesame Street or its various local versions in countries round the globe are better prepared for school in terms of cognitive learning and the show has helped prevent children from dropping out of school.

When is Galli Galli Sim Sim likely to make its debut on Cartoon Network and Pogo?
Galli Galli Sim Sim will premiere on Cartoon Network in mid-August after which it will be aired on Pogo. But for those broadcasting details, Turner is best placed to provide more information.

How is Sesame Workshop funding its initiatives in India?
Seed Funding has been provided by Turner India (a Time Warner company). Sesame Workshop India, like any other not-for-profit organization, will raise funds to support its activities in India.

When Indiantelevision.com spoke to Sesame CEO Gary Knell, he had said corporate houses too would be roped in for funding activities. Has any development taken place in this regard?
Those things would take place after we set up shop formally and get our basic act in place. Presently, we are in the process of getting our clearances from various government agencies.

However, we’d like to tap big corporate houses for funds as part of a corporate’s social responsibilities. There are quite a few business houses that are involved in educational initiatives and we’ll look at partnering with them in various ways.

What role would the Indian government play in Sesame’s scheme of things? What are those few things that Sesame must consider as it goes forward?
In order to understand the critical priorities of the Indian government – where Sesame Workshop can collaborate, and highlight areas of concern – Sesame Workshop had organized a workshop that brought together a cross-section of relevant stakeholders in New Delhi in early December 2005.

Briefly, the discussions were participative and each government department and agency, professional educational bodies, and the voluntary sector brought their own set of issues to the fore providing for comprehensive inputs towards future planning and strategy. In fact, there was a consensus around the fact that the media can help overcome constraints posed by the existing administrative structures across the country, which are highly segmented.

We are hoping to work with diverse partners, develop and create innovative materials and build capacity at all levels. Our vision is to reach as many children as possible in India by partnering with government’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan or Universal Education programme with material that will make learning joyful and help the government in reaching its educational objectives.

Considering Turner International India had provided the money for a corpus, what would be its role?
Turner is the TV series’ co-producer and distributor of Galli Galli Sim Sim. Together, Sesame Workshop and Turner are committed to making Galli Galli Sim Sim a break-through educational programme and brand. Sesame and Turner are working closely to ensure that India’s children will have access to this new show and its educational messages, and are actively pursuing promoting the show on multiple platforms across India.

Is the telecast deal with Turner exclusive or can it be done with other broadcasters in other Indian languages too?
As far as the agreement with Turner is concerned, all I can say is that it’s for at least five years or five seasons of Galli, Galli… I cannot hand out any financial details or presently comment on the fact whether we can work with other broadcasters or not.

Generally, Sesame Workshop works with the public service broadcaster of the country concerned, but there had been some initial problems with Doordarshan, which, I am told, have been sorted out now by Turner India.

India is a vast country and getting educational initiatives in all the local languages would not be possible. But we would certainly be exploring at least one South Indian language, if not two, apart from Hindi. The details haven’t yet been worked out and would be done in consultation with Turner.

Will the Indian ops undertake merchandising activities too?
We are focusing on the launch of the show and have nothing to announce at the moment.

How are such merchandising activities done elsewhere in the world?
Sesame Workshop operates in 120 different countries. The modus operandi varies from country to country and partner to partner.

How is the revenue generated from such activities used and what will be the game plan for India?
Like I said, Sesame Workshop is a not-for-profit organization. Any revenue generated through merchandising or licensing go towards providing quality early childhood education and development around the world – to those who are most in need.

How important is India as a market for Sesame?
Of the 103 million children aged 2-6 years, over 35 per cent in rural areas and 48 per cent in urban areas can’t access Early Childhood Care and Education. Roughly 100 million live in urban slums alone, which have no access to Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) that is the primary vehicle for Early Childhood Care and Education in India.

While Early Childhood Care and Education is definitely a felt need and lot of efforts have been put in by the government and private institutions, other issues like malnutrition and child heath take precedence for ICDS. Demand has never been an issue in education. Supply is what we need to focus on.

Does Sesame Workshop feel that the Indian regulatory environment requires too many procedural clearances impeding quick start of operations?
Actually, the Indian regulatory environment has been extremely supportive for us. We have had representation from the government and other public education bodies right from conceptualization to production of Galli Galli Sim Sim, which is being produced for Turner by Miditech. We work closely with Indian educators to arrive at the educational curriculum that looks at ‘whole child’ approach and is very much in line with the education policy of this country.

However, India is a test case for Sesame Workshop as it is uniquely ahead of most developing countries in terms of market and economy and the size of population. More importantly, India is not a donor funded country as sizeable infrastructure is being built by Indians. Then in India, we are not working primarily with the terrestrial broadcaster, unlike in other countries. We do hope that the time block on DD will continue airing Galli Galli… for a long time to come.

I don’t see Galli Galli… broadcasting in 22 Indian languages. What we can do is to take the essence of educational initiatives and roll it out in outreach that can happen in multiple languages.

In those terms, India is a learning experience for Sesame to see what kind of partnerships work best and how sustainable models can be built up for impact in a country that is culturally and linguistically diverse.

July 24, 2006

Cartoon Network, Pogo score well with kids this summer

MUMBAI: Cartoon Network and Pogo, continue to top the popularity charts among kids in the summer months. The channels claim, that according to the latest ratings of Tam (4-14 C&S, All India, 1-31 May, all days, 24 hours), Cartoon Network and Pogo, are the number one and two channels in the kids channel space with the channel share of 5.1 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively.

Cartoon Network and Pogo form a formidable pair of kids’ channel with combined channel share of 9.7 per cent, which is 20 per cent higher than the combined channel share of all other kids’ channels.

As part of the summer programming line up, Pogo premiered the first three installments of the Harry Potter movies, – titles included Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone on 7 May, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets on 14 May and Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban on 21 May.

The movies received an average of 1.3 TVR (for all airings) for all India, in C&S 4-14, all SEC audience beating all competitive programming on other TV channels including all kids’ channels, national news channels and also channels in GEC and music genres at all India level.

On the other hand, Cartoon Network continued to entertain kids’ through the summer with shows such as Tom & Jerry tales, Tom & Jerry kids, Pokemon, Franklin, Dragon Tales, Koala Brothers, Beyblade, Richie Rich, The Popeye show and Baby Looney Tunes amongst others.

This summer the combined channel share of all kids’ channels was augmented by 27 per cent, from pre summer shares of 12.7 per cent (February to March) to summer shares of 16.1 per cent (April to May). Cartoon Network and Pogo made an individual contribution of 27 per cent and 26 per cent respectively to the development.

Turner International India vice president advertising sales and networks India and South Asia Monica Tata said. “We are pleased that we have delivered on our promise to Indian kids in bringing them the best in world-class programming across genres, including movies such as the blockbuster Harry Potter series. This repeated, over-whelming performance of both our number one and number two kids’ channel’s – Cartoon Network and Pogo across summer, indeed, demonstrates that we truly understand the entertainment needs of Indian’s kids’ best. It is our endeavour to continually provide compelling content that is both engaging and entertaining to our loyal audience.”

July 8, 2006
Zee-Turner switches off OCN Network in Mangalore

MUMBAI: Zee Turner Limited, the distribution arm of Zee Telefilms Ltd and Turner International (I) Pvt. Ltd, has finally switched off its bouquets of 26 channels on OCN Network in Mangalore due to non payment of its huge outstanding to Zee Turner and non signing of fresh agreement after expiry of earlier one.

Zee Turner has been in negotiations with OCN for past eight months to clear its outstanding and to sign a fresh subscription agreement declaring its accurate subscriber base as the old agreement. It was found that OCN had been serving many more subscribers and households as compared to the number of subscriber households declared to Zee Turner.

The decision to switch off the operator came in wake of fall out of negotiations and the operator’s constant abstinence from clearing its outstanding and signing the requisite agreement.

While rest of Mangalore on CCC and ICN’s network continues to enjoy the channels of Zee Turner, close to 50,000 subscribers of OCN Network are deprived of channels like CNN, Zee Cinema, Zee TV, HBO, Cartoon Network, Pogo due to default on OCN’s part.

Zee Turner Ltd. CEO Arun Poddar said, “We are concerned about our viewers and still trying to negotiate with OCN and have kept all our channels of communication open. We have shared an extremely healthy relationship with OCN in past and are positive of resolving the issue in an amicable manner.”

It is to be noted that as per the regulation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), if a cable operator drops a channel or bouquet of channels from his network, he is required to reduce the price of such channel/bouquet to be charged from his customers/households. The viewers are, therefore, entitled and may ask for reduction in price from their monthly cable bill if these channels are missing due to such switch off.

June 26, 2006
Sesame Workshop to set up NGO in India

NEW DELHI: In order to develop strategies and partnerships that ensure Galli Galli Sim Sim – an alliance between Turner India and Sesame Workshop – delivers, Sesame Workshop will be forming a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in New Delhi.

In addition, the Workshop has named Sashwati Banerjee to become Executive director of the NGO once it is established, while Shari Rosenfeld, vice-president, developing and emerging markets, Sesame Workshop, will oversee it.

Galli Galli Sim Sim’s mission is to educate and engage pre-school children throughout India and is a joint effort of Workshop and Time Warner company Turner India, which has contributed corporate social responsibility funds toward the establishment of the NGO.

The India office will drive Galli Galli Sim Sim’s outreach projects and manage its network of collaborative partnerships with other NGOs, funding partners, consumers, government agencies, educational institutions, broadcasters, and production team members.

“Sashwati, with over 15 years of experience in creative and management positions is deeply committed to children’s and women’s rights issues,” said Rosenfeld in a statement today.

“We are thrilled that she will be joining our team to lend her expertise in raising the profile of Galli Galli Sim Sim, an initiative aimed at promoting joyful learning of basic life skills for India’s young children and celebrating the diversity that is a part of their every day lives,” she added.

Galli Galli Sim Sim is a broad-based, multi-platform educational Initiative for young Indian children. A television show of the same name will debut later this year (the date being bandied around is 15 August) on India’s leading kids’ channels, Cartoon Network and Pogo.

The outreach campaign will extend the educational impact of the show by reaching out particularly to underprivileged children and the adults who care for them, through materials and programs in various media.

Congratulating Banerjee on her appointment, Soumitra Saha, senior VP, regional advertising sales and marketing, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia and project director, Sesame India, said, “With her Experience and well-honed skill set in the niche segment of social sector, Sashwati Banerjee is well-positioned to spearhead and successfully extend the long term educational objectives of Galli Galli Sim Sim to reach millions of young kids through the specially designed outreach campaign.”

Most recently, Banerjee was the programme director and communications Advisor with Abt Associates, for the private sector partnership One Project, funded globally by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Prior to this position, Banerjee worked with the leading communications agency Ogilvy & Mather, where she was instrumental in setting up their healthcare division. In her capacity as the Business Manager, she designed and led successful campaigns for her clients in the pharmaceutical
industry.

Sesame Workshop is a US-based nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of children around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street.

Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and groundbreaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia.

June 12, 2006