Kids

TV now switches in as baby-sitter: Kaiser study

Published

20 years ago

May 25, 2006

MUMBAI: The electronic media is a central focus of many young children‘s lives, used by parents to help manage busy schedules, keep the peace and facilitate family routines such as eating, relaxing, and falling asleep.

In short, television has now stepped in as a baby-sitter according to the findings of a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Many parents also express satisfaction with the educational benefits of TV and how it can teach positive behaviours.

According to the study, in a typical day more than eight in 10 (83 per cent) children under the age of six use screen media, with those children averaging about two hours a day. Media use increases with age, from 61 per cent of babies one year or younger who watch screen media in a typical day (for an average of 1:20) to 90 per cent of four to six year-olds (for an average of 2:03).

The report, “The Media Family: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Their Parents,” is based on a survey of 1,051 parents with children age six months to six years old and a series of focus groups across the country.

In many homes, parents have created an environment where the TV is a nearly constant presence, from the living room to the dining room and the bedroom. One in three (33 per cent) children this age has a TV in their bedroom (19 per cent of children ages one year or younger, 29 per cent of children ages two-three years, and 43 per cent of those ages four-six years).

The most common reasons parents give for putting a TV in their child‘s bedroom is to free up other TVs in the house so the parent or other family members can watch their own shows (55 per cent), to keep the child occupied so the parent can do things around the house (39 per cent), to help the child fall asleep (30 per cent), and as a reward for good behaviour (26 per cent).

As one mother who participated in a focus group in Irvine, CA said, “Media makes life easier. We‘re all happier. He isn‘t throwing tantrums. I can get some work done.”

A third (32 per cent) of children this age live in homes where the television is on all (13 per cent) or most (19 per cent) of the time and a similar proportion (30 per cent) live in homes where the TV is on during meals all (16 per cent) or most (14 per cent) of the time.

As a focus group mother from Columbus, OH explained, “The TV is on all the time. We have five TVs. At least three of those are usually on — her bedroom, the living room and my bedroom.”

Children whose parents have established these heavy TV environments spend more time watching than other children: for example, those who live in households where the TV is on all or most of the time spend an average of 25 minutes more per day watching TV (1:16 vs. 0:51), and those with a TV in their bedroom spend an average of 30 minutes more per day watching (1:19 vs. 0:49).

“Parents have a tough job, and they rely on TV in particular to help make their lives more manageable. Parents use media to help them keep their kids occupied, calm them down, avoid family squabbles and teach their kids the things parents are afraid they don‘t have time to teach themselves,” said Kaiser vice president and director program for the study of entertainment media and health Vicky Rideout.

At a time when there is great debate on the merits of educational media for children, many parents are enthusiastic about its use. For example, two-thirds of parents (66 per cent) say their child imitates positive behavior from TV, such as sharing or helping. A large majority of parents (69 per cent) say computers mostly help children‘s learning and a plurality (38 per cent) say the same about watching TV (vs. 31 per cent who say TV “mostly hurts” and 22 per cent who say it doesn‘t have much affect either way).

The study found that how parents feel about TV‘s benefits is related to how much time children spend watching. Children whose parents say TV mostly helps learning spend an average of 27 minutes more per day watching than children whose parents think TV mostly hurts.

In focus groups, parents noted many specific benefits of TV viewing for their children, such as spurring imaginative play, teaching letters and words and learning a foreign language. One mother noted, “Out of the blue one day my son counted to five in Spanish. I knew immediately that he got that from Dora.”

Another mom said, “My daughter knows her letters from Sesame Street. I haven‘t had to work with her on them at all.”

Since a similar survey in 2003, there have been increases in the share of children in households with at least one computer (from 73 per cent to 78 per cent), with internet access (from 63 per cent to 69 per cent), and with high-speed internet access (from 20 per cent to 42 per cent).

There was a small but statistically significant decrease in the per cent of children living in households where the television is kept on always or most of the time, from 37 per cent in 2003 to 32 per cent in 2005, and of children living in households where the television is on during meals always or most of the time, from 35 per cent in 2003 to 30 per cent in 2005.

The study also found that among children who do each activity in a typical day, children are spending an average of 17 minutes less per day listening to music and 10 minutes less per day watching TV.

Kids

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

Published

1 month 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

2 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.