Kids
Nick heads South
MUMBAI: Viacom18 kids channel Nick is southward bound following in the footsteps of the other kids channels. What‘s driving it there is the fact that the south accounts for more than one-fourth of the total Indian kids‘ TV viewership.
After gaining a firm hold on the Hindi speaking market, the channel is now ready to have its characters speak Tamil and Telugu in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively. While Kerala will air shows in English, Nick will feature a mix of Hindi English and Tamil feeds in Karnataka.
Says Nick India SVP & GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria: “We have consolidated our position in the HSM space by constantly reinventing ourselves and engaging young audiences, our intent is to expand viewership on the national level Also, our advertisers, which currently cater to the HSM market, are keen to address the south market.”
In 2010 (first two weeks only, Tam‘s expanded universe estimation), southern Indian kids accounted for 27 per cent of the all India kids market (42.7 million kids all India).
To begin with, Nick has dubbed Dora the Explorer, Ninja Hattori and Perman in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi while the rest of the shows will be telecast in English.
“Right now we want kids to sample our shows and build awareness. Our soft launch has already generated double digit numbers and we are very optimistic about our prospects,” says Jaipuria.
Talking about the challenges it faces from rivals, Jaipuria observes that barring Tamil Nadu – where Sun‘s Chutti TV will provide additional competition – “it‘s the same six players that will battle it out in the other three regions.”
“The entry of new players in the South will actually help the genre grow with each grabbing a piece of the ad pie. However, the share of revenues will not grow much but, instead, only get dispersed,” says a media observer.
To create direct consumer interaction that will help craft kids preferences in the new region, Nick has plans to take the brand beyond television through various on-ground activities.
The channel is scheduled to host the ‘Horlicks Growth Carnival‘ in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata that will have magic shows, clowns, jugglers, games and meet and greets with Nicktoons Ninja Hattori, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob Square Pants and Perman.
“We have adopted a 360 degree approach to reach out to the target group. We will create touch points in schools and malls and also have a TV plan in place that will work outside Nick to create brand preference,” Jaipuria avers.
If it gets its act right, Nick might well end up licking the competition.
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.
