Kids
Disney’s UK entertainment channel ABC1 to roll in September
MUMBAI: Walt Disney has scheduled the UK launch of its entertainment channel ABC1 for 27 September. ABC1 network will be a localised version of Disney’s ABC Television network in the US.
The launch will mark Disney’s full-fledged foray into mainstream UK broadcasting. The Little Big Mouse currently has a 25 per cent stake in British commercial breakfast TV station GMTV. Disney had first revealed its ABC1 plans last year.
As regards ABC1, it is worth noting that among the three channels Disney is planning to launch in India in the first half of 2005 is also a localised version ABC Television network.
German business daily Handelsblatt in a recent report quoted David Hulbert, president of the Disney unit of Walt Disney Television International, as saying that the launch of the three channels (the other two being The Disney Channel and Playhouse) would definitely happen within a year.
Managing the show out here is Rajat Jain, who took charge on 1 August as vice-president and managing director of The Walt Disney Company (India) and Walt Disney Television International (India). Jain operates out of offices that Disney took up recently in Mumbai’s Lower Parel suburb.
Coming back to ABC1, the channel will initially be available only on Freeview, a popular digital television service sans subscription fees. The channel has expansion plans targeting other pay-TV services however. To begin with ABC1 will be running in a 12-hour schedule that will in due course become 24-hour schedule.
The channel is expected to release its full programme schedule at the end of August. For a few months from now on ABC1 will be without advertisements. Disney’s other services operating in the UK, including the Disney Channel, depend on subscription revenues.
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.
