MxMIndia

Tag: CBeebies

  • A play-based learning brand on BBC Player and BBC Kids

    BBC Studios launch CBeebies on Prime Video

    By Our Staff

     

    Prime Video and BBC Studios have launched a live feed of CBeebies, a play-based learning brand, on BBC Player and BBC Kids, two recently launched channels on Prime Video Channels.

     

    Talking about the launch, Stanley Fernandes, Vice President, Distribution, BBC Studios, South Asia, said: “We are delighted to add CBeebies as a live feed on BBC Player and BBC Kids via Prime Video Channels for our Indian audience. With its exceptional reputation for delivering safe and enriching viewing content through engaging and entertaining programming, the channel aims to keep its commitment to fostering early childhood development through content designed specifically for children.”

     

    Added Vivek Srivastava, Head – Prime Video Channels, Prime Video, India: “CBeebies joins the existing content we offer through BBC Kids and BBC Play, which have received a phenomenal response since their launch a few months ago. The addition of CBeebies’ live feed to BBC Player and BBC Kids strengthens our commitment to enhancing the viewing experience particularly for children and families, and we are certain that subscribers will love the convenience of watching their favourite British content on a single destination, at no additional cost. Our aim with Prime Video Channels is to offer our customers an incredible diversity and variety in programming by enabling convenient access to content from other streaming services. We now offer over 28,000 hours of global and local programming across genres and languages through our channel partners, with more to come.”

     

  • The pre-school channel from BBC Studios returns to India

    CBeebies plays peekaboo. Is back in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBC Studios has announced the re-launch of its popular children’s channel, CBeebies, in India. The channel is available across leading multi-system operators in the country including Tata Sky (DTH & Mobile) Sun DTH, IMCL, Fastway, and Kal Cables amongst others.

     

    CBeebies is a dedicated pre-school channel (for kids age six years and under) offering 100% ad-free content (C is for children and BBC is popular called Beeb, hence CBeebies). The programme schedule for India will include popular like Hey Duggee, Go Jetters, Sarah and Duck, Thomas & Friends and Teletubbies.

     

    Said Ryan Shiotani, SVP and GM, South and South East Asia, BBC Studios: “CBeebies is trusted by parents internationally and we are thrilled to bring this dedicated pre-school channel back to India. We are passionate about nourishing little minds and having a positive impact on their intellectual, social and emotional development. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive nature of CBeebies content, and our young audience love being able to see themselves reflected in our content, and engage with their favourite award-winning characters.”

     

    BBC Global News in India will be marketing and distributing the CBeebies channel. Added Rahul Sood, Managing Director, India, BBC Global News: “We are extremely pleased to have relaunched CBeebies in India, especially at a time when there has been a massive increase in viewership in the genre and in overall screen time by kids. We’re sure that CBeebies will provide kids and their parents a safe environment that offers a unique combination of learning with entertainment. At BBC audiences are always at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to bring quality content to our viewers no matter what the challenges are.

     

    Our only concern: Other than the OTT boom, how has the business environment changed for the channel from November 2012 when it was pulled out? And second, we do hope that there were thousands of tinytots – if not lakhs or crores – who were mighty upset when they didn’t find their favourite channel on the tube. So, this time, no peekaboo and hide-and-seek, puhleez!

     

     

  • Voot Kids will offer diverse and multi-genre content offering across Watch, Read, Listen and Learn segments

    Voot Kids partners BBC Studios on content

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 Digital Ventures has gone live with featuring content from BBC Studios’ CBeebies.

     

    Speaking about Voot Kids and the content from BBC Studios, Saugato Bhowmik – Business Head, Voot Kids said: “With Voot Kids, our endeavour is to create a superior curated platform that brings together a prudent mix of fun and learning… Kids love positive stories and adorable toons and the addition of CBeebies shows is sure to add significant diversity and value to our vast content slate.”

     

    Commenting on the content licensing agreement with Viacom18 Media, Stanley Fernandes, Sales Director, South and South East Asia, BBC Studios added: “We are pleased to be partnering with Voot Kids to bring some of CBeebies’ favourite programmes back to Indian audiences. CBeebies is known worldwide for its impressive content line up, with programmes specially designed by developmental experts to promote imaginative play, social interaction, language skills, and educational values. Along with Voot Kids, we are aiming to make screen time meaningful for kids, so that it is entertaining, engaging and enriching.”

     

     

  • Edutainment channel ZeeQ has tied up with BBC Worldwide to bring programmes from BBC's preschool brand, CBeebies, to audiences in India, starting July 1.

    ZeeQ ties up with BBC Worldwide, offers CBeebies to preschoolers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Edutainment channel ZeeQ has tied up with BBC Worldwide to bring a time band of award-winning programmes from BBC’s preschool brand, CBeebies, to audiences in India.

     

    This licence agreement will see ZeeQ airing preschoolers’ favourite CBeebies programmes from Mondays to Thursdays for an hour between 9.30am and 10.30am, with a two-hour repeat telecast on weekends between 11am and 1pm. The CBeebies band will launch on Monday, July 1.

     

    Through this collaboration, ZeeQ’s viewers will be able to watch Teletubbies – the multi award winning and hugely popular live action series aimed at preschoolers aged zero- to- three; 3rd & Bird – an animated series for three-to-five-year-olds, packed with entertaining stories, songs and cute characters and Charlie and Lola – an exuberant and delightfully witty animation series about two siblings based on the award-winning picture books by Lauren Child.

     

    Teletubbies has won numerous awards including ‘Best Pre-School Live Action Series’ at the BAFTA Children’s Awards for three years running. 3rd and Bird was the recipient of the Golden Magnolia award at the Shanghai Television Festival and Charlie and Lola has picked up BAFTAs for ‘Best Children’s Television Show’ and ‘Best Script’.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Subhadarshi Tripathy, Business Head, ZeeQ, said, “We are very happy to partner with BBC. ZeeQ is committed to the positive development of children and ZeeQ’s ethos of ‘What Is Right For The Child’ gels well with CBeebies’ philosophy of providing clean and safe content to the child.”

     

    “We are very pleased to be partnering with ZeeQ to bring CBeebies’ favourite programs back to Indian TV screens”, said Myleeta Aga, Senior Vice President and General Manager India and Content Head Asia. “The CBeebies brand is trusted by parents and caters internationally to deliver a safe, non-violent and interactive experience designed by developmental experts to promote imaginative play, social interaction, language skills and educational values. The CBeebies time band on ZeeQ is just the beginning of our partnership. We look forward to working with Zee to continue to bring popular and award-winning CBeebies programs to ZeeQ.”

     

    ZeeQ currently caters to the 4-14 year age segment. This association will help ZeeQ tap the pre-school segment as well (0-3 years) and strengthen its current portfolio of programs. The channel currently airs a mix of live action and animated shows. Some of its prominent shows include Teenovation, Science with BrainCafe, Amar Chitra Katha Heroes, Sid the Science Kid, The Weekly Wrap, Word Match and MI Four- The Multiple Intelligence quiz.

     

  • On Thursday, BBC Worldwide confirmed the closure of BBC Entertainment and CBeebies thanks to the digitization delays and the business being unviable thanks to high carriage fees

    Bad news for Bachcha party: CBeebies to shut by Nov-end. So will BBC Entertainment

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parents of tiny tots whose kids won’t eat a morsel without Teletubbies for company may now have some trouble on hand.

     

    By end-November, CBeebies will go off air as will BBC Entertainment. Hey, didn’t we all hear just earlier this week that the channel was to air a special Top Gear show on 50 years of James Bond cars? Yes, we did. But that’s the way it is.

     

    On Thursday, BBC Worldwide confirmed the closure of two of its branded entertainment channels in India. BBC Entertainment and CBeebies are to be withdrawn and will no longer be available beyond the end of November 2012.  BBC World News, however, will remain available in India and continue to grow its distribution in the market.

     

    Said Mark Whitehead, Senior Vice President and General Manager, BBC Worldwide Channels Asia: “The decision to withdraw BBC Entertainment and CBeebies has not been an easy one.  India is a dynamic and fast growing media market but remains uniquely challenging for pay TV channels.  Specifically, delays in digitization and the need for channel operators to pay cable platforms for carriage makes the economics of running channels very challenging at this time.”

     

    Hey, Mr Whitehead Sir, digitization took off in right earnest in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata yesterday. 100% of Delhi is digitized, in Mumbai it is 118% whereas in Kolkata it is 85% and in Chennai it stands at 63%… and all of this information is not MxMIndia, Saar, but from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. So now why this Kolaveri?

     

    Despite this, a statement says, BBC Worldwide remains committed to India, where BBC World News – the BBC’s international news and current affairs television channel – will be available across the market, along with the bbc.com and bbchindi.com websites, BBC Hindi radio and Global India, a new primetime programme produced by BBC Hindi TV which will launch on five ETV channels later this week. Interestingly, the communiqués announcing Global India reached us a few hours before the BBC Entertainment and CBeebies closure was announced.

     

    In addition, BBC Worldwide operates a TV production business, a content syndication business and Lonely Planet in India. The company is also evaluating the potential for a number of digital initiatives which have been successfully developed in other markets. BBC programmes will also continue to be available on other channels in India, both terrestrial and cable, as well as digitally on a YouTube channel.