Kids
Nickelodeon announces break with Zee
MUMBAI: When it finally happened, a terse three-paragraph statement was all that was offered. Viacom kids channel Nickelodeon India today formalised a break that has been speculated about for months now.
From 1 May, Nickelodeon India will cease to be on the Zee Turner Bouquet. Just ahead of that, on 30 April, the Nickelodeon India feed will migrate from AsiaSat-3 satellite to PAS 10, joining sister music channel MTV.
No one in MTV would offer anything beyond what was said in the official release as to what the future implications of this development could be. And certainly not about what the industry believes will happen in due course – MTV and Nickelodeon joining the Sony-Discovery One Alliance platform. One issue that is complicating matters of course is the amount of confusion that is currently swirling around the conditional access rollout.
The message emanating from MTV India at this point is that the two channels will continue to go it alone, independent of any distribution platform.
Nick will reportedly be witnessing a major marketing and programming push over the coming months, the initial impetus for which has been provided by the Nickelodeon Kid Marketing Forum that was held on Wednesday.
For the record these were the comments put out by Nickelodeon and former distribution partner Zee Telefilms:
“Zee has been a great support for Nickelodeon over the past few years. We will continue to have a warm relationship with them,” said Alex Kuruvilla, MD, Nickelodeon India.
Dev Naganand, Director Zee Telefilms and chairman Zee-Turner said, “Zee-Turner always valued Nickelodeon as part of its bouquet. Our excellent relationship with Viacom would continue.”
Nickelodeon has been on the Zee platform since October 1999, which was when it launched in India. Nickelodeon initially beamed off PAS-4 and has been an encrypted feed from day one, unlike its sister channel MTV India, which only turned digital free-to-air last August.
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.
