MxMIndia

Tag: Hungama TV

  • The summer line-up comprises over 100 hours of fresh content introducing kids to new stories

    Disney announces 100 hours of fresh content for summer

    By A Correspondent

     

    Disney Kids Channels in India is bringing in fresh content to entertain kids this summer. The line-up comprises over 100 hours of fresh content introducing kids to new stories in addition to their existing favourites across all the channels, including Disney Channel and Hungama TV.

     

    Said Anuradha Aggarwal, Head – Infotainment, English and Kids, Star India:” “Summer is a fun-time for children and with the lockdown in place, they are especially looking to us to be their constant companion; someone who understands their entertainment needs and is there for them through the day. We have curated special campaigns for Disney Channel and Hungama in line with this thought and notwithstanding the unprecedented situation, bringing them a range of new and differentiated stories and memorable characters.”

     

     

  • Dream Theatre boss Jiggy George on how brands can benefit from Pokemon Go, whose syndication, licensing & merchandising rights he owns for India & S Asia

    Ready, Set with Pokemon Go!

     

    By Anuka Roy

     

    Have you heard someone recently shout, “Yes! I have caught them all” or a person almost bumping in to you while walking, because they were glued on their smart phone? If the answers to the above questions are yes, then you might have got a hint by now. But if you have no clue about what is being written, well, we are talking about the location-based game, Pokémon Go. It is developed by American software company Niantic, that requires players to walk around neighbourhoods, to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, which appear on the screen as if they  were in the same real world location as the player.

     

    Now, that we have introduced the game that has been creating buzz all around, let us try and understand it from the Indian perspective. Dream Theatre has renewed its master Licensing Agreement for Pokémon in India with The Pokémon Company for Content Syndication and Licensing & Merchandising for India and South Asia. The company has rights for TV/digital syndication, consumer products, promotions, publishing and home entertainment. Dream Theatre is a leading licensing representation company and manages the licensing programmes for Pokémon, DreamWorks Animation, Rovio, Twentieth Century Fox, FIFA 2018, Real Madrid, AC Milan for India and South Asia, among other brands.

     

    Said Jiggy George, Founder and CEO of Dream Theatre Pvt Ltd, “The game is just unique and phenomenal but the most important thing is, it is not about the gameplay, where a lot of people will come and do the same thing. The fact is, it is all about Pokémon. It is an intersection of different generations. From a kid’s perspective there is resonance for the brand; a massive nostalgia is there for the early jobgoers who grew up on a Cartoon Network generation many years back. Then there are gamers who have no idea about Pokémon, which is a minority, who just love the gameplay. But what you see today is an intersection of pure love for the brand Pokémon meeting a superb gameplay,” about the latest trend of the game. He further adds, “At our end we had already done a fair bit of launches in merchandise in kids across several categories. But what this has done with Pokémon Go is to open up this market for adults- adult apparel, merchandise essentially in categories like accessories, electronic accessories for phone and computers and things like that.”

     

    Dream Theatre is working closely with Disney to relaunch the show on Hungama TV from Season One onwards with a 360-degree plan in October 2016, giving audiences a chance to follow the series from the genesis. Viacom 18’s Voot is its VOD partner. Speaking about the relationship, George said, “We have a relationship with Pokémon which is across various businesses. We have rights for Content syndication. So, we place content for Pokémon on VOD,digital, television etc. We also have rights for consumer products, for promotions, for publishing, for home entertainment and this relationship are in India and South Asia. We just got our contract renewed which goes on for the next three years.”

     

    The trend-shift has made it a good proposition for companies, brands as well as retailers, given the higher purchasing power ability of the older audience and the product possibilities across categories.  With this resurgences, Pokémon is one of the first brands in India to see appeal cut across both kids and adults. “I believe that FMCG brands could use it as a tool to run promotions to increase sales or build loyalty to their consumers. Retailers, who are going to be stocking a lot of products for Pokémon, will definitely see secondary sales. You will also see retail based promotions which will allow more audience to come in to the stores. I think it would be a mix between promotions, product and content,” he said.

     

    But in the past we have noticed that trends fade away soon due to the ever-shrinking attention span of our consumers. What is his take on this regarding Pokémon Go?  “People know this character, they grew up on this character and there is nostalgia. Secondly, this is not a casual game. This a gameplay which is very different, hooked up to Google Maps and it is almost like a treasure hunt. That engages people for a very long time. By October this year, you will see tons of products at retail. We come from a market where we are a follower market versus the kind of market that starts up with a trend. The game play is very different and it will engage for a long time. And, there is enough content, whether it is on VOD with Voot or if you look at the Disney universe there is content which will grow in next three years,” said the Founder and CEO.

     

  • The company is targeting people in the age group of 4-34, with an eye on expanding advertisers’ base and revenue

    Disney launches new reality-based content to target kids and young parents

    By Deepali Gupta

     

    It’s not just kids. When Disney launches new reality-based content on its kids channel shortly in India, it is targeting young parents as well.

     

    Every weekend, the flagship Disney children’s channel will air three hours of fresh content, created in association with production houses Optimystix, Cinevistas and The Troublemakers. The company is targeting people in the age group of 4-34, with an eye on expanding advertisers’ base and revenue. “We are now evolving to appeal to the progressive Indian family of today,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD of Disney India.

     

    Disney has eight channels in India, including the Disney Channel that will soon complete 10 years. Of these, four cater specifically to the children’s segment: Disney Junior, Disney XD, Hungama TV and Disney Channel. Fresh content at the moment is for just the last one. “The channel enjoys high parental approval.

     

    We are now trying to turn it into parent engagement,” said Vijay Subramaniam, vice president for content-communications. The first new show – ‘Maan Na Maan Mein Tera Mehman’ – is about a family that finds a photo frame that brings to life the departed souls, who return with a task to complete.

     

    The second is a family drama and third of a 40-year-old school dropout who must pass to inherit wealth left behind by his uncle. Reach expansion is part of Disney’s global strategy to engage audience for 360-degree buying, such as Mickey merchandise that ranges from lunch boxes to neck ties for adults.

     

    The children’s segment in India generates annual advertising revenue of  Rs 300-350 crore and Disney India has a 36-42% market share, said a person familiar with market details.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Record response for Disney Channel's Jet Set Go campaign where 30 kids and families will fly to the Hong Kong Disneyland

    Disney wows kids with contest, launches new shows for summer

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    This is the time when it’s not just the weather, but even the competition between various channels targeting children that hots up. This year, Disney Channel has raised the bar with a unique offer in association with Jet Airways: 30 kids and their families fly to the Hong Kong Disneyland.

     

    Talking about the campaign called ‘Jet Set Go’, Vijay Subramaniam, Business Head, Walt Disney Television International India said: “This is the first time ever that a plane full of families is flying to Disneyland! And to add to the unique experience, we are also wrapping an entire Jet Airways aircraft with Disney favourite characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy, a one-of-a-kind virtual ‘billboard in the sky’.”

     

    Families will fly to Hong Kong on July 9 for two days where they will stay at the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. The contest, wherein the kids have to watch Disney Channel closely from April 29 until May 28 and spot a magical plane with their favourite characters- Mickey & Friends on their television screen to win, saw an overwhelming response.

     

    “The campaign stands out because of the record-breaking response that we have seen in just three weeks! We had three lakhs calls on day one, crossed the two million mark in a week and now, we have registered 3.5 million calls from across the country with another 14 days to go. These are at least 50 times the responses the genre has been receiving through other campaigns, so this is clearly unprecedented levels of participation and excitement,” added Mr Subramaniam.

     

    The channel feels the response is the testimony of the strength of the channel’s reach. Almost 50 per cent of the entries came from 5 key circles – Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Mumbai & MP + Chhattisgarh. And the entries coming from across the country and the winners selected till date come from  both metros and Tier 2 cities – Dehradun, Chandrapur, Kolkata, Vishakapatnam, Pune, Baerelli to name a few.

     

    The channel has been working on various campaigns in its objective of reaching out to its TG. Last year, it had ‘Disney Channel Shooting Stars’, billed as one of the biggest talent hunt platform by a kid’s channel. “Disney Channel is the only kids channel to cross the 200 GRP mark this summer as well as the last and such megashowcases reinforce our position as the leading entertainment brand for kids and families with viewers and advertisers alike,” said Mr Subramaniam.

     

    He added about how and why a kids’ channel should take advantage of summer vacations. “Summer is a time when kids have greater control over the remote and kid’s channels see a 25 per cent increase in viewership. Last year, Disney which houses Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV, saw an increase of over 30 per cent in viewership.”

     

    This year, along with the ‘Jet Set Go’ initiative, the  channel has also planned a strong content push with over 500 hours of fresh programming across the three channels, which will see premieres of 24 series across genres. “Through tent-pole programming and campaigns such as Jet Set Go, our idea is to use summer as a springboard to engage more kids and families throughout the year,” said Mr Subramaniam.

     

  • Design Stack will handle the entire gamut of off-air publicity and promotional campaigns for the network’s three channels

    Disney appoints Design Stack as creative agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mumbai based design and communication studio, Design Stack, has been appointed as the creative agency for the Disney Network. Design Stack will handle the entire gamut of off-air publicity and promotional campaigns for the network’s three channels – Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV.

     

    In early 2011, Design Stack had handled the creative duties for the immensely successful project – Disney Channel’s Shooting Stars: The country’s biggest nationwide, talent hunt by a kid’s channel.

     

    “The Disney Network’s continued success with kids and families is testament to how our stories and characters work at multiple levels and we are committed to further increasing the visibility of our brands and creating a deeper and richer connect with the viewers. We felt the time was right to appoint a creative agency that understands our brand values and can help bring them alive visually in our campaigns. The team at Design Stack brings an immense amount of enthusiasm and creative excellence to the table and we look forward to their contributions on our upcoming projects”, said Bikram Duggal, Director Marketing, Walt Disney Television International India.

     

    “We’ve all grown up with Disney as a part of our childhood and it’s a thrill to be associated with such an iconic brand, especially at a time when they are building a strong local presence in India,” said Priyanka Bhasin, Partner, Design Stack

     

    “The Disney Channel is very particular about maintaining consistency of their brand. It is exciting collaborating with their team of sharp marketing strategists and visual communication design specialists, who have high standards when it comes to messaging and design. In a sense, it’s a fitting partnership,” added Anoop Patnaik, Partner, Design Stack

     

    Design Stack, founded in 2004 by Priyanka Bhasin and Anoop Patnaik (graduates from the National Institute of Design), is a branding and strategic design studio located in Mumbai. Over the years, the firm has built up a diverse range of clients – from retailers like Westside and youthful, experimental brands like Chimp to corporate entities like Asian Paints, Cox & Kings, Standard Chartered Bank, Times of India, Sahara Housing & Infrastructure, to name a few. The studio was also awarded The International Design Award, LA,Californiafor Asian Paints Colour Spectra Pro – Packaging Design and Chimp Retail Branding.

     

  • Nearly a fifth of those watching these channels are between 25 and 44 years. And nearly four out of ten viewers of these channels are more than 14 years

    Brands focus on toon channels as viewership changes

    By Ameya Chumbhale

     

    If you thought Cartoon Network, Pogo, Disney, and Hungama TV were kids’ channels, look who’s watching them – nearly a fifth of those watching these channels are between 25 and 44 years. And nearly four out of ten viewers of these channels are more than 14 years.

     

    Most children, on the other hand, either prefer or are forced to watch what adults are watching on general entertainment channels – soppy serials or reality shows. According to TV viewership data shared by TAM Media Research, only 15 per cent of all children viewing TV, watch kids’ channels. The rest – 85 per cent — watch general entertainment channels (GEC).

     

    Needless to say, this has become a big opportunity for advertisers, especially those who try and reach out to parents through their children. “Parents are increasingly looking at children as representatives of the new world and latest technology. Consequently, children between 10-14 have a considerable say while buying a car or a gadget,” said Santosh Desai, chief executive officer at Futurebrands.

     

    In fact, for Turner International India, which runs Cartoon Network and Pogo, nearly 35-40 per cent of their advertisers last year came from what would seem like “non-traditional categories such as auto, consumer electronics, finance and telecom,” said Monica Tata, general manager for entertainment networks at Turner in India.

     

    Chairman and chief creative officer at ad agency BBDO India Josy Paul, while explaining the rationale behind these channels attracting non-traditonal categories of ads, says that brands don’t want to miss out on any opportunity of talking to the mother who is the anchor of the house. Traditionally, one would expect kids’ channels to air ads by ice creams, chocolates, F&B, and toy companies.

     

    Insurance major Aviva India is a case in point. Aviva spent 5 per cent of its advertising budget on kids genre in 2011 and had run the ‘Aviva Young Scholar Hunt’ contest between July and October 2011 on Pogo. The impact was telling. “Of all the insurance plans sold by Aviva, the share of child plans went up from 2-3 per cent in 2010 to 11-12 per cent in 2011,” said Gaurav Rajput, director of marketing at Aviva India.

     

    Sony tablet computers and Hewlett-Packard printers too are advertising across all kids channels these days. In fact HP, which launched its printer campaign across kids channels two weeks ago, is something they have done after several years.

     

    “My target group for the campaign is parents of school-going children, so the kids channels were a natural fit,” said Ayesha Durante, country manager for marketing HP India. For Anuradha Aggrawal, senior VP for consumer insights at Vodafone India, whose team spends a lot of time researching the dual viewership (kids and adults), says it helps in choosing their icons — the pug and the ZooZoos, which connect with children, actually help to build an early brand association with these young consumers.

     

    Mr Desai cautions that this could be a long-term strategy which only sectors like telecom can afford as they have “cash to burn”. He further added that in a one-TV system, everybody has his/her time slot to watch TV. Therefore, if a child is watching a kids channel, the parent has no option but to watch it.

     

    For the genre, this means big business. The Disney channel has more than doubled its ad revenues last year while Hungama TV’s revenues rose by 35 per cent, said Vijay Subramaniam, business head at Disney Kids Network India which runs the Disney channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV in India. Disney enjoying highest share of viewership at 22 per cent among kids aged between 4-14, according to TAM.

     

    Subramaniam says that the return on investment is not proportional to the viewership as kids genre corners just over 1.6 per cent of total revenue of the television industry against the over 6 per cent share of viewership.

     

    According to the 2011 FICCI-KPMG report, the TV industry is projected to grow to 33,700 crore by 2015 from the current 14,400 crore (2010) at a CAGR of 17 per cent. And the kids genre gets the maximum in terms of viewership after GECs and movie channels, which lead currently.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved