Kids
Nickelodeon get Visionik to make toons interactive
MUMBAI: Nickelodeon launches second offering of Visionik on board to bring interactive TV games to their audience within the UK over the Sky digital platform.
Encouraging the interactivity, the games will run behind the Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and Nick Jr channels and will be accessible by pressing the red button on the remote control, says a company release. A leading developer of interactive TV services, Visionik has designed eight games, which can be viewed either as an overlay to a broadcast or with a quarter screen video.
The ‘play for free’ games are designed so that viewers can play the game and see the show at the same time. While first game, Bug Blaster launched on Nickelodeon on 29 September, second game aimed at pre-school children, Blues Clues was launched on 1 December by the NDS arm.
The Nickelodeon games are designed, developed and integrated on NDS’s Value@TVTm head-end technology base. According to the release, iTV games are one of the best ways to attract and retain viewing audiences.
Based on characters in popular TV shows, the Nick Jr games challenges the youngsters to match colors, shapes and sounds to existing images in puzzle type games. Besides, the Nickelodeon and Nicktoons channels offer arcade type games for older children. All of the games can be paused at any time to return to full screen broadcast and easily resumed at the push of a button.
“It’s exciting to be working with Nickelodeon and to be introducing a new viewing concept to the games marketplace. The new concept gives viewers the opportunity to keep watching their favorite channel and play a game at the same time. For the broadcaster this solution means that viewers remain with the channel which enhances broadcaster ratings and in turn contributes to increased advertising sales.” says Visionik commercial director games Peter Schroder.
According to Nickelodeon head of business development David Jenkins, “The Bugblaster game is a great piece of technology. Firstly, it’s free and so gives real added value to Nickelodeon’s offering. It will also encourage kids to stick with the channel through programmes and adverts so giving our commercial offering a ‘stickier’ proposition than that of our competitors.”
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
