Kids channels roll out diverse summer offerings to boost viewership, keep young audiences hooked

As summer vacation approaches, kids' channels are gearing up to captivate young audiences with an array of new shows and campaigns. With the aim of boosting viewership during the holiday season, broadcasters like BBC Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney Kids, Nickelodeon, and more are rolling out a diverse line-up of unique content. 

From BBC Studios’ ‘Superato’ - a superhero potato battling evil in a supermarket to Nickelodeon’s 'Abhimanyu Ki Alien Family', the offerings are aimed at exciting and getting the young audiences hooked this summer. 

Stanley Fernandes

Stanley Fernandes, Vice-President, Distribution, BBC Studios South Asia said that family-friendly content is key to their summer strategy. 

“Our latest to launch this season is ‘Supertato’, a slapstick comedy animation series featuring the world’s greatest potato superhero where good battles against evil among the aisles of a local supermarket. Each episode brings new challenges and hilarious silliness, from riding an out-of-control toy dinosaur to building a baguette rocket to visiting the stinky cheese moon in the deli aisle,” Fernandes stated. 

Furthermore, he went on to say that, “Aside from this show, we have our fan-favourite and multi-award-winning series ‘Bluey’ and ‘Hey Duggee’. Bluey is an overenthusiastic and imaginative Blue Heeler puppy, who along with her younger sister Bingo goes on adventures which unfold in hilarious ways.”

“‘Hey Duggee’ is a story of a big dog who is also the leader of ‘The Squirrel Club’ and attempts to inspire young children to learn new things and gain experience through fun activities and adventures,” Fernandes added. 

“Our classic hits such as ‘Teletubbies’ and seasonal favourites such as ‘Andy’s Adventures’, ‘Swashbukle’ and ‘Thomas and Friends’ continue to entertain and bring families together,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Nickelodeon, the kids’ franchise, recently announced the launch of two new IPs with the aim to cater to kids this summer season. The new IP, ‘Abhimanyu Ki Alien Family’ was launched on April 24, 2023, while ‘Kanha – Morpankh Samrat’ will begin airing at the end of May on Sonic.

Nina Elavia Jaipuria

Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said, “'Abhimanyu Ki Alien Family' is a genre that has never been done before. For the marketing of this new IP, a whole mass media approach is initiated along with a below-the-line approach because of summer and the fact that viewership surges.”

“As the sample size has grown, Nickelodeon has now achieved the highest reach in both urban and rural areas.” Specifically, she stated that on a franchise basis, Nickelodeon's viewership has reached 44 million people and their closest competitor’s reach is 37 million. 

“We have a 31% market share which is almost 1/3rd of the whole market. Therefore, we have maintained this pole position for the longest time despite the plenty of choices that kids have. It is about the width and depth of content that we have been delivering consistently over the years. Kids are coming back to watch what is being tailor-made for them,” she said. 

“Throughout the years, our primary focus has been on crafting exceptional narratives and developing captivating characters that establish a unique emotional connection with children, ultimately leading to the formation of a habitual comfort zone. As a result, kids repeatedly choose to engage with our content. We have successfully launched 11 shows so far (apart from the two new IPs). However, our approach does not solely revolve around generating IPs, but also centres on crafting fresh storylines for each existing IP,” Jaipuria added.

Uttam Pal Singh

Uttam Pal Singh, South Asia - Head of Kids Cluster, Warner Bros Discovery, said that their kids' entertainment channels - including Cartoon Network, POGO and Discovery Kids - have introduced new shows, new formats, and homegrown offerings this year. 

“We have exciting plans for the summer season. On POGO, we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of ‘Chhota Bheem’ with a new big picture, movie premieres, digital activities and on-ground events across the country. ‘Chhota Bheem’ and ‘Little Singham’ are travelling to several cities to meet fans and celebrate his birthday. Moreover, to mark this milestone, we premiered the globally successful series ‘Mighty Little Bheem’ for the first time on Indian TV. In addition, ‘Little Singham’ is hosting a ‘Main Mom aur Blockbuster’ campaign for Mother's Day.”

“We are confident that these adventure comedy series, our ‘Chhota Bheem Big Pictures’ and ‘Little Singham’ movies, and ‘Tittoo’s new episodes will captivate and delight audiences,” Singh added. 

He also spoke about Cartoon Network's ‘CN Superhero Summer’ campaign, which celebrates the brave heroes of their shows. 

“The excitement kicked off with the launch of 'Dragon Ball Z Kai' in five local languages and received an overwhelming response from viewers. Throughout May and June, fans can expect new movies of ‘Dragon Ball Z’ franchise, and movies of 'Teen Titans Go!' to keep them engaged and entertained. Cartoon Network fans will meet ‘Teen Titans’ for the first time in India as part of the on-ground activities happening in popular malls. Additionally, on Discovery Kids, viewers can join Kris' bandwagon with the 'Non-Stop Masti Summer' activation and enjoy new episodes airing during the summer,” he added. 

A Disney Kids channels spokesperson said, "This Summer, as a network, we launched 100 hours of new content– with an eclectic mix of global and local series to cater to the ever-evolving entertainment needs. In keeping with this content, we introduced two incredible campaigns on our flagship channels."

"We are asking kids to celebrate this summer vacation just as they always had and are walking alongside - bringing in the best of animated stories and characters through new shows such as ‘Twinkle Sharma’ – an epic adventure series told through the lens of a 10-year-old girl, popular Japanese anime shows such ‘Gatapashi’ along with movie premieres of ‘Doraemon’, and much more. We will continue ramping up the volume every month with fresh new content and new episodes of audiences’ absolute favourites," he added.

The spokesperson added that Hungama, in particular, has always been a favourite amongst kids. 

"As a special summer bonanza, we introduced ‘Majaama Hungama’ – encouraging them to have fun-filled with friendship, adventure and a riot of laughter. We are bringing a special line-up of shows including ‘Chuck Chicken’, ‘Tensai Baba’, ‘Atashinchi’ along with kids’ current favourites – ‘Bhayajji Balwan’ and more with entertaining movies that kids will enjoy watching,” the spokesperson said. 

“We understand the role our channels play in the lives of our audiences. They consider us their friend, a constant companion who often transports them into a world of adventure and fun and we take this role very seriously. We ensure that we specially curate our content to cater to their entertainment needs - indulging their creativity, imagination and their needs. Our stories and characters celebrate childhood; embracing every little emotion and behaviour of a child and now, our stories and characters have become an integral part of their lives as they enjoy their world through us,” the spokesperson stated.

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