Kids

Sun’s Chutti TV targets 25% ad growth in 2010

Published

16 years ago

December 19, 2009

MUMBAI: Sun TV‘s grip down south extends beyond general entertainment audiences. The two-year-old kids channel Chutti TV has grabbed a 60 per cent share in Tamil Nadu while global brands Disney XD and Cartoon Network are fighting hard to crack that market with their localised versions.
No wonder Chutti TV is going to ride the recessionary year with a 16.24 per cent growth in ad revenue, the highest for any kids network in India. Though at a lower revenue base, the channel is eyeing a 25 per cent ad revenue growth for 2010. Says Chutti TV head Kavitha Jaubin, “We are going to post a 16.24 per cent increase in our ad revenues this year compared to 2008. And as we anticipate 2010 to be a fairly good year, we are targeting at a 25 per cent jump next year.”

Advertisers find Chutti TV an important vehicle to reach kids in Tamil Nadu, provided it comes at the right cost. Says Starcom executive director, India-West Nikhil Rangnekar, “When you are dealing with a monopoly channel, the scope for negotiations is always that much lower. By and large, advertisers are happy with Chutti TV‘s performance.”

Chutti TV‘s stranglehold in the market allows it to continue with its annual ad deals while big advertisers, hit by the global downturn, have moved to quarterly deals with the other kids broadcasters.

Says Jaubin, “We have, on a consistent basis, been making yearly deals with advertisers which have worked well for us.”

Agrees Rangnekar, “Unlike other channels in this space, Chutti TV would have seen growth since brands targeted at kids haven‘t really lowered their ad spends in 2009.”

It is pertinent to note here that apart from being the first in its genre, what has contributed most to Chutti TV‘s viewership is the language connect that it has created with audiences and a well-established distribution network.

Explains a top executive from a national kid‘s broadcaster on condition of anonymity, “Being a complete 24-hour Tamil channel in the kids space, Chutti TV has established a direct contact with the audiences, which has helped the channel to grow in viewership. Also, being part of the Sun Network, the distribution of the channel is extremely fertile in Tamil Nadu.”

Besides upping its ad revenues in 2010, Chutti TV will also focus on its content licensing segment, continuing to buy properties that click with its audiences.

Says Jaubin, “Chutti TV has been consistent in procuring shows, delivering to the channel revenues. Some of our recent acquisitions include Heidi- the renowned classic, Zeke‘s Pad – a new age series based on technology and a teenagers fantasy, Super Why? – an interactive content that is on air on PBS kids, USA, Franny‘s Feet – a fantasy story of a little girl, amongst others.”

The channel, which has so far used licensed international content across edutainment, humour, fantasy and action genres, is also looking at sourcing localised content and entering into co-productions.

Says Jaubin, “We are looking at localized content and co-productions, provided we have a good script and commercial feasibility.”

So, with Chutti TV occupying 60 per cent of the viewership share, is there a scope for new players to enter the zone?

Answers Rangnekar, “With the right content and distribution/placement, new channels should enter this market as there is just one large competitor to target. This might be easier than entering an already fragmented market where there are two or three channels close to each other and it becomes difficult to target any one channel specifically to get viewership.”

Meanwhile, Nick, which has stopped syndicating content to Chutti TV, is all geared up to speak Tamil and Telugu in the next few months.

Says Nick India VP and GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria, We have already begun working on our distribution process down South and will be available in the local languages in the next 2-3 months.”

Kids

Om Nom bites into India as Warner Bros. Discovery picks up the series

Published

2 months ago

January 20, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: The little green hero is making a big leap east. Zeptolab has struck a major distribution deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing its hit animated series Om Nom Stories to audiences across the Indian subcontinent.

Under the agreement, Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired the series for exclusive Pay TV broadcast and non-exclusive digital streaming in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The move marks a significant expansion for Zeptolab as it pushes one of its most successful original IPs into one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment markets.

As part of the deal, all 26 seasons of Om Nom Stories will be rolled out across Cartoon Network, Pogo, Discovery Kids and Discovery+, offering both linear and digital access to the franchise’s slapstick humour and expressive, dialogue-free storytelling.

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring Om Nom Stories to the Indian subcontinent,” said Zeptolab executive producer Manaf Hassan, noting that the broadcaster’s reach and legacy make it a strong fit for the series’ growing global fanbase.

Warner Bros. Discovery, meanwhile, sees the acquisition as a natural addition to its children’s portfolio. Warner Bros. Discovery head of factual entertainment, lifestyle and kids for South Asia Sai Abishek, said the series aligns with the network’s focus on cheerful, imaginative and universally appealing content for families across the region.

The timing adds an extra layer of significance. The expansion coincides with Om Nom’s 15th anniversary, underlining the franchise’s staying power and its evolution from a mobile game character into a global animation brand. With this latest bite at the Indian subcontinent, Om Nom’s adventures look set to find a whole new generation of fans.

Kids

Colour outside the lines Chhota Bheem sketches a new play with Faber Castell

Published

2 months ago

January 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: If childhood memories had a colour palette, Chhota Bheem would likely be right in the middle of it and now, quite literally, in children’s pencil boxes too. Green Gold Animation has announced a landmark licensing partnership with Faber-Castell India, marking the global stationery major’s first-ever licensed character collaboration. The association brings Chhota Bheem to a specially curated range of student art and creative products, blending everyday learning tools with one of India’s most recognisable homegrown characters.

The move is a notable expansion of Chhota Bheem’s footprint beyond screens, reinforcing the character’s status as a multi-generational IP that has steadily grown from a television favourite into a cultural constant. For Green Gold Animation, the partnership signals a sharpened focus on extending its intellectual property into daily touchpoints, where entertainment meets education and habit.

In its first phase, the collaboration will roll out Chhota Bheem-themed products across key student art categories, including watercolour cakes, wax crayons, poster colours, sketch pens, oil pastels and creative bundling kits. The range is aimed squarely at school-going children, tapping into Bheem’s strong emotional connect while encouraging imagination, creativity and hands-on expression.

Green Gold Animation founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka noted that Chhota Bheem’s journey has long moved beyond episodic storytelling. He said the partnership reflects a deliberate attempt to embed the character into moments of learning and creativity, while building a more purpose-led licensing ecosystem around Indian IP through collaboration with a globally established brand.

From Faber-Castell India’s perspective, the tie-up marks a strategic first. Faber-Castell India director marketing Sonali Shah said the collaboration opens a new chapter by pairing the brand’s long-standing reputation for quality and safety with a character that already commands trust and affection among Indian children. The aim, she added, is to make creativity more engaging and relatable without diluting product standards.

The launch will be backed by a 360-degree promotional push, spanning digital campaigns, social media storytelling, creative usage content and on-ground retail activations across select markets. Both companies have confirmed that this is only the starting point, with additional Chhota Bheem-themed products across new categories planned in the months ahead.

Headquartered in Hyderabad, Green Gold Animation continues to scale its ambition of building globally competitive Indian IPs, with Chhota Bheem leading the charge. This latest collaboration suggests that the brand’s next phase of growth may be less about what children watch and more about what they create.

Kids

Sony tightens grip on Peanuts with $457 million stake buy

Published

3 months ago

December 22, 2025

indiantelevision.com Team

JAPAN: Sony has doubled down on the power of legacy brands, snapping up a majority stake in the Peanuts intellectual property in a late-year deal valued at about $457 million.

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan have acquired the roughly 41 per cent holding in Peanuts Holdings LLC previously owned by Canadian children’s entertainment company WildBrain. The move lifts Sony’s ownership to 80 per cent, with the Schulz family retaining the remaining 20 per cent.

The deal brings one of pop culture’s most durable franchises, home to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang, firmly under the Sony umbrella. The characters were created by Charles M Schulz, whose daily comic strip ran for half a century before ending in 2000.

Sony had already been a long-time partner in the business. The latest transaction consolidates control and sharpens the group’s hand as it looks to keep the characters front and centre across film, television, music and consumer products.

President and group ceo of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Shunsuke Muramatsu, said the additional stake would allow Sony to further elevate the Peanuts brand by drawing on the group’s global reach and creative expertise, while preserving the legacy of Schulz and his family.

President and ceo of Sony Pictures, Ravi Ahuja, said the combined ownership gives Sony the ability to protect and shape the future of the characters for new generations, expanding their relevance without diluting their charm.

Peanuts long ago escaped the confines of the comic strip, cementing its place in popular culture through perennial television specials such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. More recently, WildBrain kept the franchise active with animated series including Snoopy in Space and The Snoopy Show.

Now, with Sony firmly in control, the message is unmistakable. In an industry obsessed with the next big thing, nostalgia still sells and Sony is betting big on a doghouse that refuses to age.