In
such a scenario, kids broadcasters have to be that
much more vigilant to cater to their needs unremittingly.
At the second day of the Promax&BDA conference,
kids programming took center stage.
While
Nickelodeon UK vice president and creative director
Peter Drake spoke on how to cater to the "Tough
Crowd" i.e. the kids; whereas Walt Disney Television
International (India) director programming Nachiket
Pantvaidya touched upon the issue of how to localize
international brands.
"Kids
have changed the way they consume media. More and
more kids now feel the need to be in control with
all the gadgets that they are exposed to. Moreover,
with parents being busy in their work, the need for
a digital nanny has also become prevalent now. In
such a scenario, we, as broadcasters have to make
viewers see us as more than just a TV channel,"
Drake said.
He
spoke about an interactive show - Me:TV! on
Nickelodeon UK, wherein kids who have a webcam can
host the show from their homes. "The aim was
to utilise new technology to deepen the kids' experience
of our brand. User generated content can be tapped
to a great extent in the near future," Drake
said.
Another
point which came out was that there was a need for
broadcasters to develop evolving communication so
that it can work on all delivery platforms rather
than just television, which in turn would throw up
new revenue opportunities too.
"In
the end, it's still about having great content but
it's just about how you present it that matter the
most," Drake concluded.
Disney's
Pantvaidya, on the other hand, dwelled on the various
reasons why an international brand should localize
itself to suit local sensibilities. "Localisation
is cost effective and at the same time it is essential
for building cultural relevance. As far as what needs
to be localized in a channel to create relevance,
it would be language, local faces, formats, narrative
content and graphics," he said.