GECs
Disney and GroupM present ‘Disney’s KidSense’
A strategic initiative to bring insights into the world of kids
Mumbai, June 13, 2006: Disney, the world’s number one media brand and GroupM, the world’s leading full service media investment management company have joined hands to launch ‘Disney’s KidSense’ in India.
KidSense is a strategic effort by Disney and GroupM to explore the world of kids and share insights with the media and marketing fraternity. This initiative includes annual research and periodic forums for deliberations and creating opportunities to understand the largest kids market in the world – India. This announcement was jointly made today, by Rajat Jain, Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company (India) and Ashutosh Srivastava, CEO, GroupM, South Asia.
Disney’s KidSense will be the knowledge powerhouse for all stakeholders in the kids segment in the country. Using strategic insights gathered from research, opinions from childhood experts, media professionals, international learning and experience of the two giants, KidSense aims to fill the information need gap in the industry. As part of this initiative, KidSense today released its first two-part Research Study, which will provide a window into kids’ minds, interests, their behaviour, and influence on family purchase decisions.
Rajat Jain, Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company (India) said “Kids have increasingly emerged as savvy, sensitive and an extremely important consumer segment today. As global leaders in this genre, it is our responsibility to understand kids and provide a knowledge-house for all the stakeholders. We believe that Disney’s KidSense would act as a credible reference-point for the industry, our business partners and help grow the business in this industry as a whole.”
“This initiative with GroupM is an important step towards addressing the missing links into the external and internal realities of this genre. The four to fourteen age group is definitely one planet with multiple worlds. You can no longer treat them all as a homogenous group. The kids market in India is in a growth phase and marketers are interested in learning about this segment more than ever before. With Disney’s KidSense, we are beginning to equip ourselves to provide answers to most queries on kids”, he added.
Ashutosh Srivastava, CEO, GroupM, South Asia said, “The association of GroupM with Disney is all about unlocking value in this growing market segment of young consumers. An important learning for all is that kids like to be spoken to in their own environment – their schools, their play areas, their homes and their shows. Disney’s KidSense shows new realities of influence from this genre on purchase decisions in categories ranging from confectionery to cars and insurance companies. The latest mantra for marketers should be – talk the kids language to enter their homes. With this association, we have created a solid information base to address planners’ needs for the genre.”
The two parts of this elaborate research (quantitative and qualitative) were conducted and collated early this year by leading research firms – Indica Research Practices and Consulting and Third Eye across twelve markets in India. Over 4000 kids across the country were studied over a three month period to delve into their tastes, behaviour and influences on purchase decisions on 15 product categories ranging for confectioneries, commodities, FMCG, white goods, and services.
KidSense also includes the perspective of caregivers to draw insights on the developmental, social and behavioral reality of Indian kids. For the first time in India, this study provides a detailed analysis of kids between the ages of 4-14 with segmentation that brings out a clear distinction between the 3 main groups – 4 to 5, 6 to 9 and 10 to 14. It offers a full section on kid-power, which covers 15 non traditional product categories and answers a broad spectrum of advertiser’s queries.
About The Walt Disney Company:
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified, international family entertainment and media enterprise which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc., ESPN, Disney Channel, Toon Disney, Disney Consumer Products, television and radio stations and Internet web sites.
About GroupM:
GroupM, the world’s leading full service media investment management operation, includes MindShare, Mediaedge:cia, MediaCom and MAXUS. It has pioneered diversified services such as branded entertainment, data analytics, digital media, and brand activation. The focus of GroupM is the intelligent application of volume and scale in trading, innovation and quality of services, in order to bring benefit to clients and the companies it operates. GroupM believes that all communications planning begins with Consumer Insights.
For Media Enquiries please contact:
K. Seshasaye / Pooja Verma
Walt Disney Television International (India)
Tel: 5651 6630 / 6628
Mob: 9820715609 / 9820139811
pooja.verma@disney.com
seshasaye.kanthamraju@disney.com
Ameeta Sequeira / Khyati Parekh
Corporate Voice|Weber Shandwick
Tel: 2281 2960/ 2281 2957
ameeta@corvoshandwick.co.in
khyati@corvoshandwick.co.in
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
