| However, he added that no official word had come regarding
Cartoon Network and Pogo from either Indian pubcaster Doordarshan
or the Tata-Star combine, both of whom propose to start a DTH service
in the near future.
But even without additional platforms, Misra said both the channels
were doing well with Pogo "exceeding expectations factored
into the business plan."
Still, it is Cartoon Network that is setting the cash box ringing
for Turner in India. The kids channel, which was introduced in the
Indian market in 1995, recorded a 48 per cent growth in ad sales
revenue on year-on-year basis during the period 2002 and 2003 (calendar
year).
The quarter on quarter growth in 2004 (January - March vs. April
- June) in ad sales revenue was 36 per cent for Cartoon Network,
Misra pointed out, adding, "With Cartoon Network now being
perceived as a mass channel, some non-traditional advertisers (like
petroleum company HPCL) too have come on board."
Though exact numbers are not available regarding the size of the
kids market in India, it is estimated to be in the region of Rs
1 billion. "Our assumption is that the advertising pie would
grow for this particular genre of television programming and entry
of more players may fuel that growth through competition,"
Misra said, while dwelling on the advertising market.
Over the next six months, the Indian market would see several other
channels - from the Disney group, UTV's Hungama - being launched.
The target audience: pre-school to college.
According to Misra, combining on-ground activities with on-air
initiatives has paid off well for Cartoon Network and should for
Pogo too, which is still in its early days. Events like Toon Cricket,
Toon Yatra and now Toon Games have all proved to be 360-degree marketing
activities that have yielded good dividends for the channel.
Pointing out that similar activities would be unveiled for Pogo
too, Misra added, "At the moment, we are looking at introducing
Hindi language in Pogo, which would be ramped up slowly." Telugu
and Tamil continue to be other languages, apart from Hindi, which
are attractive for Cartoon Network and Pogo.
At some later stage, according to Misra, Cartoon Network might
also look at having separate feeds for countries like Maldives,
Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to attract local advertising.
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