MAM
Nick Consumer Products to represent Viacom’s properties in Canada
MUMBAI: Nickelodeon Consumer Products (NCP), a division of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), has announced plans to take its Canadian licensing and merchandising business in-house effective 1 October.
NCP Canada‘s Toronto based office, led by NCP Canada senior director Tanya Visano, will exclusively represent VIMN‘s portfolio of properties and brands which include Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central and manage all operations and retail and licensee relationships for NCP.
Said VIMN senior VP of consumer products Michael Connolly, “VIMN‘s business and brand portfolio in Canada has grown exponentially since we launched our first licensing program a little more than a decade ago and now encompasses two 24-hour dedicated channel services with our Canadian broadcast partners, multiple digital platforms and mass awareness of our brands and properties. Moving from an agent to in-house representation model is optimal for our continued growth in
the region and, combined with our global scale, we are able to offer even deeper value to our Canadian partners.”
NCP Canada will focus on driving NCP‘s strategic priorities around their Something for Everyone portfolio, including innovative and enhanced retail partnerships, holistic franchise and category management with first in class operational support and product development. Visano and her expanding team of marketing and licensing professionals, who include Jeremy Potvin (Director, Softlines), Jean Brozny (Senior Manager, Marketing and Brand Management), Daniel
Christamtsis (Senior Manager, Hardlines), and Matthew Spataro (Coordinator, Retail Marketing), are based in Toronto at the offices of VIMN’s Canadian subsidiary, MTV Networks Canada.
Visano added, “We are very excited about NCP‘s expanding efforts in Canada and the great potential around our Something for Everyone portfolio. Our team will focus on deepening partner relationships through value added solutions and product innovation that will deliver increased sales and impactful retail merchandising.”
NCP Something for Everyone portfolio spans every demo across pre-school, kids, tweens, teens and adult. Nickelodeon‘s evergreens‘ Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants feature newly integrated marketing campaigns and high quality product designs. Nick‘s robust content pipeline keeps delivering the hits such as Victorious (currently broadcasting on YTV) which debuts at Walmart in Canada this summer for Back-to-School. Adult offerings around Comedy Central‘s South Park, now entering its 15th season and MTV‘s The Jersey Shore reflect NCP‘s scope as a true one-stop-shop for partners.
Visano will coordinate operational transition from agent to in-house and is responsible for all day to day NCP business.
NCP’s move to direct representation in Canada will be managed out of VIMN’s Canadian subsidiary, MTV Networks Canada.
Brands
Hocco crosses Rs 530cr revenue in two years
Sauce.vc-led Rs 100cr raise values ice cream brand at Rs 2,500cr pre-money as quick commerce hits 20 per cent of sales.
MUMBAI: Hocco has just scooped a seriously sweet milestone crossing the Rs 530 crore revenue mark in just two full years of operations. The fast-growing Indian ice cream and indulgence brand announced it has raised Rs 100 crore in fresh capital led by Sauce.vc. The round values the company at Rs 2,500 crore pre-money and underscores investor confidence in its rapid scale and distinctive India-first approach.
Founder Ankit Chona said the brand’s success stems from solving real Indian challenges extreme summer heat, fragmented cold chains and culturally rooted tastes. “In India, product development doesn’t end in the lab. It only ends when it survives the street,” he noted. This philosophy has produced viral hits such as Aamchi mango ice cream, BIX cake-sponge sandwiches, the Oh cone and culturally relevant collaborations like Haldiram’s Barfi and festive Modak specials.
Hocco currently operates manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad and Panipat with a production capacity of approximately 3 lakh litres per day, running near full capacity in peak season. The fresh capital will help expand this to around 4.5 lakh litres per day.
Quick commerce has emerged as a major growth engine, now contributing ~20 per cent of overall business and growing nearly 2x year-on-year. The channel has boosted product discovery, increased consumption frequency and helped extend ice cream beyond its traditional seasonal limits.
Sauce.vc founder Manu Chandra said, “At Sauce, we believe that when you chance upon an outlier business, you double down with stronger conviction. We see Hocco as just that.”
With a strong innovation pipeline, deeper distribution and continued focus on cultural relevance, Hocco is entering its third year aiming to capture even more mind space and market share. In a category long dominated by legacy players, this young brand is proving that the coolest way to win is to build for India’s realities, one scoop, one street and one satisfied craving at a time.
