It's a battle of bro vs. bro in the brand new animated series Chikoo Aur Bunty, premiering Monday 18th October 2021 at 10:00 am on Nickelodeon India! Following launch, viewers can catch all new episodes weekdays at 10 am on Nick India!
Bhai oh bhai! More like, why oh why! We've all felt this way before, right? 😉
So join Chikoo in the battle of #BroVsBro, when the brand new show 'Chikoo Aur Bunty' starts 18th Oct, 10 AM onwards on Nick India!
#ChikooAurBunty #NewShow #Siblings #NickIndia #Nickelodeon
The need for new characters and immersive stories is at an all-time high and India’s leading kids’ entertainment franchise Nickelodeon, continues to address this need by entertaining kids with endearing characters through new formats and relatable storytelling. Leading the local IP content game with innovation in its DNA, Nickelodeon is all set to launch its 11th home grown animated IP Chikoo aur Bunty, the only show in the category that is based entirely on the sweet-sour and inseparable relationship between siblings.
Produced by Mumbai and Kolkata based Hitech Studio and powered by Phillips, in association with Pediasure and Flipkart shopsy, Chikoo aur Bunty brings alive the epic sibling banter that happens in every family and is all set to onboard kids on a journey of unparalleled tongue in cheek comedy and the tug of war between siblings, starting 18th October, 2021 from Monday to Friday at 10am only on Nickelodeon.
Growing from strength to strength with a robust programming strategy, Nickelodeon has successfully identified white spaces and created path breaking localized content appealing to children in India. With local home-grown Nicktoons such as Happy & Pinaki – The Bhoot Bandhus, Ting Tong, Golmaal Jr., Motu Patlu, Shiva and Rudra to name a few, Nickelodeon has introduced kids to new genres of entertainment. The last IP launched by Nickelodeon, Happy & Pinaki – The Bhoot Bandhus was also a runaway hit amongst kids with the show consistently appearing in the top 10 highest rated slots of the category every week since its launch. With 700+ hours of local content, the franchise, today, dominates the kids’ space with winning IPs and has established itself as an undisputed category leader.
Adding further depth and scale to the brand’s diverse content portfolio, is the latest addition Chikoo aur Bunty that will bring forth sibling rivalry between the two brothers. A story of every household, the show is set in a middle-class home where the duo lives with their parents and a playful and intelligent dog Barfi. The 11-minute episodic series will bring alive the fun, sometimes sweet and sometimes sour banter, and rivalry between the two brothers competing for affection and goodies, while avoiding being reprimanded by their parents for all their mischiefs at home.
Speaking on the popularity of its home-grown characters and the new IP launch, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said, “Nickelodeon has always stayed ahead of the curve by introducing kids to characters that are loved and adored. We have consistently catered to our young viewers’ evolving preferences with innovative entertainment and immersive storytelling and enhanced engagement experiences. Continuing to lead the dynamic kids’ space is a testimony of our thought-through business and content strategies. With the launch of Chikoo aur Bunty, we will add further width and depth to our portfolio of “Made in India IPs” and provide impetus to our mission of entertaining kids and creating an evolved kids ecosystem.”
On adding yet another IP, Anu Sikka, Head - Creative, Content & Research, Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said, “At Nickelodeon, our journey with local content kicked off almost a decade ago. We have always introduced our young viewers to storylines and characters that are relatable, engaging and clutter breaking. The success of our past IPs reinforces our commitment and drive to serve our young audience with content that continues to raise the bar. The launch of our new IP, Chikoo aur Bunty will showcase a realistic representation of the relationship between two siblings who compete for the smallest of things but love each other equally. We look forward to enthralling kids with this unique concept of sibling rivalry and unlimited dose of comedy.”
Pulling out all the stops for the launch of Chikoo aur Bunty is a robust multi-screen and multi-touchpoint marketing plan that is sure to draw equal attention from brands as well as kids. To start with an entertaining and foot tapping music video with lyrics written by the legendary Gulzaar Saab will bring to life the fun filled relationship between the sibling duo. This apart Chikoo aur Bunty will capture kids’ imagination across the entire franchise through unique and creative promos across platform on GEC’s, Music, Movies and Regional TV channels, through interaction on popular OTT apps as well as with curated content on Short Form Content apps. Driving interactivity will be a Sibling Squad of popular Influencers from across India with dance challenges and a lot more. A Virtual Watch Party along with influencers with a whole lot of fun games and interactions is also in store. In addition, customised Chikoo aur Bunty digital games and exciting activities on all social media platforms will surely engage the youngsters. Ensuring maximum excitement, a Chikoo aur Bunty AR filter will also be available on social media platforms in addition to Chikoo aur Bunty GIFs and Stickers. Taking the overall marketing initiative, a step forward, Nickelodeon has partnered with Belgian Waffles, Smoking Joe’s and New York Burrito Company to celebrate the unique and everlasting relationship between siblings. While the partnership with Belgian Waffles will allows users to order a Chikoo and Bunty combo pack, the partnership with Smoking Joe’s will allow users to order a special Chikoo Bunty Pizza combo. Additionally, one can order a specially curated Chikoo and Bunty meal as well from the New York Burrito Company.
As a market leader, Nickelodeon has consistently pushed the envelope on innovation by launching shows that cater to the discerning and evolving preferences of the young viewers. The launch of Chikoo aur Bunty is yet another addition to its interesting content slate and is sure to capture the hearts and minds of kids and build an everlasting bond with them.
Speaking with Animaton Xpress, Sikka shared how the advertising revenues are recovering with the onset of the festive season. She said, “We have been seeing a decline in ad-revenues during the first and second lockdown phase, but it was not restricted only for kids channel in India, but it was faced across the industry. We started to see the turn around from last year September in-between the second COVID wave. Now things are looking good and positive and we are trying to catch-up with advertising revenues for all the setbacks we suffered last year. We are quite confident and hopeful that this recovery will continue and growth will be on track.”
Sikka also added, “The strategy for us is to always ensure that both the channel and entire kids unit of Viacom 18 continue to perform the way it has performed in last few months or rather couple of years. Nick continues to be number one for past eight consecutive years, Sonic has grown exponentially and it ranked number two and Nick Junior is performing really well and today it occupies seven per cent of the category share. From content point of view our effort is always to make all our channels stay at the top. Today, we are market leader not in just terms of Nick and Sonic, but we are a clear market leader in terms of category and viewership share. We hold 33 per cent of viewership today. The major good news for us is the upcoming show Chikoo aur Bunty which already has three sponsors – Pediasure and Flipkart shopsy, and this shows that we are back on track in recovering our revenues.”
The category leaders in the kids space had came up with many local IPs like Motu Patlu, Pakdam Pakdai, Shiva, Rudra, Bhoot Bhandus which were a massive hit. Revealing the story behind creating the successful IPs, Sikka shared, “The concepts are developed in-house. Our team understands the needs and demands of the audience that keeps changing and evolving over the years. We create concepts, characters, storyline which excites children and are easy to identify and remain relatable. We first tried it with Golmaal Junior which is extremely popular and now we are hoping the same with Chikkoo aur Bunty as the relatability factor is huge as the show features sibling rivalry, something that everyone can relate to. Creating stories from the child’s point of view has given us all the success.”
Shedding light on what is the future of kids’ entertainment category, Sikka said, "Today every big network wants to come up with their own kids’ channel and there are so many emerging OTT platforms whose huge focus is on Kids category. The future of kids category seems to be brighter as there is a huge demand in the content. Kids’ content consumption is not limited. They want to explore new genres and want to see new characters, distinctive storylines. Animation as an industry has also grown exponentially and Nickelodeon is a pioneer of Indian animation. Today broadcasters cannot just survive with acquisitions but they have to showcase the local Indian contents, stories and home-grown IPs.”
On asking why Indian broadcasters are not coming up with any female protagonist shows, Sikka explained, “When it comes to local animation there haven’t been any show with girl protagonist. If you look at the kids category, it is broadly defined from two to fourteen years and segmented between different age groups. In preschool category, Nick Junior is the biggest player and contributes seven per cent of viewership share. Here we have shows like Masha and the Bear, Dora and Butter Bee Cafe that stars girls as lead. I agree for older category we don’t have female centric shows but our preschool category is entirely dominated by female shows. If you look with bigger lenses, then we also have gender neutral shows like Pakdam and Pakdai that features animals and is also performing well. Hopefully sooner or later we will launch a show starring female protagonist.”
From Campaign India:
A dynamic ecosystem needs to be created, that not only entertains but also engages: Nina Elavia Jaipuria
Campaign India speaks with Nina Elavia Jaipuria, head, Hindi mass entertainment and kids tv network, Viacom18, about its latest IP, how the channel is creating multiple touchpoints for the viewer, and more...
Nickelodeon has announced the launch of ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’, its 11th IP with associations with brands such as Phillips, Pediasure, and Flipkart. To curate an interactive approach for the show, the Viacom18 channel has created AR filters for the IP on short-form content apps and designed digital games.
In conversation with Campaign India, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, head, Hindi mass entertainment and kids tv network, Viacom18, said that the intent of launching Chikoo aur Bunty is to tap into a genre of sibling relationships adding depth and scale to their content library offerings.
Edited excerpts:
What was the idea behind the launch of Chikoo aur Bunty?
We conceptualise relatable characters that can eventually develop a relationship with our viewers. For our product’s franchise, the emphasis is on storytelling. Thus, for Chikoo aur Bunty, we have taken great detail in understanding the intent of how the characters should look - their hairstyle and fashion sense, the pets they have, and the hobbies they should possess.
The genre of sibling relationships and rivalry is an untapped category. There is a lot of potentials to create multiple content pieces in this category.
Regional content is growing in India and Nick understands that as it's available across eight languages. Which particular language category attracts the most viewers?
From all the regional languages in our product offerings, the maximum viewership comes from the four South Indian languages. We do not dub the content from our end, we write specific scripts.
We have Tamilian’s onboard that write the content in the local flavour that viewers are used to hearing. This gives us maximum viewership and helps us present a holistic target audience to our potential advertisers.
With the lockdowns and children studying from home, their screen time increased significantly. What is Nickelodeon doing to curb the increased screen time?
We as a franchise have created and provided our content on multiple screens. Therefore, there is no fixed time for kids to watch a particular show. At any point in time if they want to watch a show for half an hour they can go to Voot kids or our YouTube channel.
Our content is agnostic of screen or time. We live in a world where TV and OTT co-exist, there is freedom given to parents to decide where, how much, and what type of content they want their children to watch.
We're seeing loads of content channels on the likes of YouTube that are attracting children. With entry barriers in the category almost not existing, how can a network take on this competition?
For us, it is about being available to children at multiple touchpoints at their convenience. As a holistic creator, I want to create an ecosystem that enables children to access content on any device they choose.
A dynamic ecosystem needs to be created, that not only helps you entertain but also helps you engage. The thrill is when an animated character moves beyond the screen and engages with the children through AR filters, short-form content pieces, and digital games.
The idea is to have multiple touchpoints and remain the preferred choice of the viewer. This strategy is a win for viewers as well as for advertisers to reach out to a particular target audience. Furthermore, as a business, it enables us to have a profitable growth trajectory.
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From Exchange4media:
There is a minimum 15% increase in ad rates on our kids' channels: Nina Elavia Jaipuria
Jaipuria, Head of Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said that apart from FMCGs, ed-tech & e-commerce companies have also turned as biggest advertisers for them
Viacom18’s kid’s channel Nickelodeon is all set to launch its eleventh homegrown animated IP Chikoo aur Bunty on October 18, 2021. The show is a tongue-in-cheek comedy centred on the sibling banters.
Speaking about the popularity of its home-grown characters and the new IP launch, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said, “Nickelodeon has always stayed ahead of the curve by introducing kids to characters that are loved and adored. We have consistently catered to our young viewers’ evolving preferences with innovative entertainment with immersive storytelling and enhanced engagement experiences. Continuing to lead the dynamic kids’ space is a testimony of our thought-through business and content strategies. With the launch of Chikoo aur Bunty, we will add further width and depth to our portfolio of “Made in India IPs” and provide impetus to our mission of entertaining kids and creating an evolved kids ecosystem.”
With local home-grown Nicktoons such as Happy & Pinaki – The Bhoot Bandhus, Ting Tong, Golmaal Jr., Motu Patlu, Shiva, and Rudra to name a few, Nickelodeon has introduced kids to new genres of entertainment. According to the channel, the last IP launched by Nickelodeon, Happy & Pinaki – The Bhoot Bandhus was also a runaway hit amongst kids with the show consistently appearing in the top 10 highest-rated slots of the category every week since its launch. With 700+ hours of local content, the franchise, today, dominates the kids’ space.
Talking about the viewership trends, Jaipuria shared that the category and Viacom18’s kids genre saw a significant spike during Covid last year and was declined by nearly 10% during the second wave. However, she feels that the festive quarter is unlikely to see any drop because even kids will have a vacation from online schooling. However, as an entire year, the category will probably stabilize at a level that is slightly above pre-Covid.
The show already has three sponsors on board including Phillips (Powered by), Pediasure, and Flipkart shopsy as associate sponsors.
“With restricted supply when the demand is high, is a happy problem because then you can get the premium you deserve. Also, the leadership position always commands a premium,” said Jaipuria.
She explained that some brands have been partnering with Viacom18 for a long time because they have been a consistent player and in the leadership for many years now. “I see many of these advertisers coming back even more now because they are not just looking at audiences as kids but also watching the co-viewership that we have on the channel. All in all, we are looking at an excellent festive quarter where we have a lot of plans for new episodes, new stories, new shows, and mini-movies. With the launch of our new IP Chikoo-Bunty, we have advertisers looking to attract and caters to and target this audience.”
Jaipuria further added, “We continue to cater to co-viewers and kids, and therefore we see FMCGs continue to dominate. We have our usual advertisers like Britannia, Parle, and Perfetti Van Melle (Alpenliebe), along with Godrej Consumer Products, Policybazaar, and Dabur. We have also seen ed-tech and e-commerce companies advertising on our channels, including Whitehat Jr, Byjus', Flipkart and Amazon.”
The rise in demand has also helped the channels to command premiums during the festive period. Jaipuria stated two reasons led to an increase in ad rates: “One, of course, that we have two channels in top positions now, and they're really in a place to command a premium for that leadership. Two, in a demand-supply situation where demand is more and lesser supply of airtime, you can automatically take-up rates, and both our channels have seen double-digit growth in terms of rates. There is a minimum increase of 15% in ad rates on our channels. Slowly and steadily, the needle is moving on under the indexation as well because advertisers come around to paying the premium that we deserve.”
Even though this year, the April-June period was not great for the kids’ genre due to the second wave, Jaipuria believes that the impact wasn't much compared to the first wave. “We were all slightly well prepared during the second wave, and we didn't see as much of a dent as we saw in wave one. With the recovery kicking off from August- September onwards, we will see us ending the year back to the FY 19-20 level. Even a little higher, if not more.”
Talking about the festive period, Jaipuria shared, “We are in full force, and the momentum has picked up. We saw the momentum picking up on ad sales in late July and August already. We are a seasonal channel anyway as a genre, and we do see a lot of activity in the festive quarter.”
She also shared that the recovery has been remarkable. Jaipuria is hopeful and predicts that the genre will grow double-digits in the festive quarter because the last festive period was not significant. “As a whole, for fiscal, we will go back to the FY 19-20 levels, in fact, a little more than that,” Jaipuria added. “The festive period will only get big as it has always been for us from an advertiser and a viewership perspective.”
The network is pulling out all the stops for the launch of Chikoo aur Bunty with a robust multi-screen and multi-touchpoint marketing plan that is sure to draw equal attention from brands as well as kids.
To start with an entertaining and foot-tapping music video with lyrics written by the legendary Gulzaar Saab will bring to life the fun-filled relationship between the sibling duo. Apart from this, Chikoo aur Bunty will capture kids’ imagination across the entire franchise through unique and creative promos across platforms on GECs, Music, Movies and Regional TV channels, through interaction on popular OTT apps as well as with curated content on Short-Form Content apps.
Taking the overall marketing initiative, a step forward, Nickelodeon has partnered with Belgian Waffles, Smoking Joe’s and New York Burrito Company. While the partnership with Belgian Waffles will allow users to order a Chikoo and Bunty combo pack, the partnership with Smoking Joe’s will let users order a special Chikoo Bunty Pizza combo. Additionally, one can order a specially curated Chikoo and Bunty meal as well from the New York Burrito Company.
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Chikoo and Bunty’s universal appeal will drive co-viewability for Nick: Anu Sikka
Sikka discusses her content strategy at Nickelodeon’s 11th IP launch
Mumbai: Kids’ entertainment franchise Nickelodeon is all set for the launch of its 11th animated IP "Chikoo Aur Bunty." Starting 18 October, the 11-minute episodic series will bring alive the epic sibling banter and the playful rivalry between them through the story of the two brothers Chikoo and Bunty, who live with their parents and a playful and intelligent dog Barfi. The channel has roped in Philips, Pediasure, and Flipkart shopsy as sponsors for the upcoming launch.
Nickelodeon witnessed a successful last year on the back of its tenth IP launch and the lockdowns boosting viewership for the kids category. The growth story continues unchallenged in 2021. Overall, the Nickelodeon franchise including Nick, Sonic, and Nick Jr. had the highest network share of 33 per cent over Disney’s (26) and Turner’s (17) and reach of 50 million over Turner (34) and Disney (32) as per Barc data (India U+R, 2-14 NCCS ABC, Week 14-38’21, 07-23hrs). According to Ormax Small Wonders, August 2021, five out of the top ten characters and eight of 20 belong to Nick.
Entering into the spooky comedy space, Nickelodeon came up with the animated series ‘Pinaki & Happy - The Bhoot Bandhus’ on Sonic in November 2020. The show which commands 30 per cent of Sonic’s viewership today was a runaway hit among kids, consistently appearing in the top 10 highest rated slots of the category every week since its launch.
On the advertising front, Nickelodeon claims to be the leader commanding a 35 per cent revenue share for FY21. The channel has seen a proliferation in the categories of advertisers coming on board, especially owing to the recent trend of co-viewership wherein kids are joined by young parents and other family members in watching animated shows. While FMCG continues to dominate the genre, e-commerce and F&B brands are also picking up in comparison. The overall kids’ category, though, continues to be under-indexed despite accounting for seven per cent of total TV viewership which had shot up to nine per cent during the pandemic.
Indiantelevision.com caught up with Viacom18, head - creative content and research for kids’ TV network, Anu Sikka to discuss her content strategy that has propelled Nick to success.
Creating new characters and stories
With shows such as ‘Happy & Pinaki – The Bhoot Bandhus’, ‘Ting Tong’, ‘Golmaal Jr.’, ‘Motu Patlu’, ‘Shiva’, ‘Rudra’ and others, Nickelodeon boasts 700+ hours of content and over 1500 episodes across genres including a slice of life, slapstick, magic, action-adventure, and spooky-comedy, among others. As a brand that recognises the importance of localised content that’s appealing to Indian kids, ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ will be another addition to Nick’s shows in the slice of life genre where the concept of sibling rivalry has not been explored earlier.
Sikka tells us that the two key factors that are considered before coming up with any new IP, character or show at Nick are ‘how relatable is it for kids’ and ‘does it fire up or capture their imagination’. In the case of ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’, says Sikka, “the sibling rivalry being an everyday, unending saga in every family, the relatability factor is going to be very high. It is not just the story of these two characters, but that of every kid.”
Nick credits its success to the fact that it owns all its IPs that are developed by its team of young professionals. The brand relies on the power of observation to find new characters and plots which are then mapped onto the white spaces in content.
Sikka shares that the strategy of translating these observation-based concepts into the first few episodes and then tweaking them based on feedback from children has worked well for the brand. Commenting on whether the advertising potential of the characters and plots is factored in during the development stages, she adds, “The primary purpose for us is to create a successful show. Once you have these characters becoming popular with the audience then it can lend to various other things such as video games, advertising, and endorsements.”
Popular formats
Nick has content ranging from 60-second shorts to 90-minute TV movies. The shows are mostly seven, 11, and 22 minutes. There are mini-movies of 45 minutes and longer ones of 60, 75, and 90 minutes.
This ensures a variety of content, “all of which is enjoyed by kids, although the 11-minuters are most popular with them” according to Sikka. “Majority of the shows on Nick are 11-minute stories. While the character and backdrop of a series stay the same, each one is an independent story. Even when two 11 minuters are played out in a 22-minute slot, the track we follow is independent, and not linear. The idea is that kids who do not have the patience to sit for long can walk in any time and enjoy the content that’s available.”
These 11-minuters have also shown the highest repeat value with kids, as compared to 22- minute stories. “Children are used to watching stories that are crisp. 11-minuters allow you to create a script where you are able to tell the stories effectively while doing justice to all elements. For instance, for our chase comedy ‘Pakdam Pakdai’ seven minutes is perfectly justified, but if you have to tell a story that has more than one element such as humour and action, 11 minutes is the perfect duration,” Sikka adds.
Changing viewership trends
Viewership for the kids category is quite fluid and seasonal, with the prime time depending heavily on the kids’ school calendars. However, with children staying home during the pandemic, the time band from 8 am to 1-2 in the afternoon witnessed a substantial boost. This also holds for vacation times when more content is watched in the morning and afternoon, rather than in the evening.
As schools re-open in a staggered manner across the country, Sikka informs that she and her team are closely observing the developments and planning lives accordingly. “For now as we sail in both the boats, we are ensuring original content in the morning, followed by an immediate repeat in the evening time band. We will make scheduling changes as needed.”
Another important and very positive trend that picked up steam during the pandemic years was that of co-viewership happening on the channel. Sikka hopes that with the exception of toddlers who will find it difficult to comprehend the new dialogue-heavy comedy, ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ will drive this trend forward with its across-the-board appeal.
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From The Financial Express:
Nickelodeon pins hope on festive quarter; expects ad revenue to bounce-back to pre-covid levels
Viacom18’s kids channel Nickelodeon will roll out a new show Chikoo Aur Bunty on October 18
It has been almost a year and a half since children are home-bound and have spent more time watching television. Benefitting from this is the kids channel Nickelodeon, which claims to have recorded a viewership of 50 million every week on its channel. “Nickelodeon has retained its number one position by accounting for 33% market share in the kids genre. We also have the highest ad revenue share in the genre at 35%. With these numbers and progress, we expect our ad revenue to touch or even go marginally above the FY20 levels by the end of FY22,” Nina Elavia Jaipuria, head, hindi mass entertainment, and kids TV network, Viacom18, told BrandWagon Online.
With Diwali around the corner, the channel has created a pipeline of content including new shows and movies. “We will be launching new episodes of all our IPs such as Motu-Patlu, Bhoot Bandu. We will also roll out one-two movie premieres in the upcoming months. We celebrate Children’s Day and Christmas in a lavish way, so we will have a celebratory content lined up for them,” Jaipuria added. The channel will launch its new tentpole show Chikoo Aur Bunty which is a ‘slice of life’ animated show focusing on two brothers and bringing out the aspect of sibling rivalry through the show. Releasing on October 18, the show will be powered by Phillips, in association with Pediasure and Flipkart shopsy. As per Nickelodeon, the channel has over 700 hours of content slate.
The broadcaster has planned a heavy marketing strategy for the launch of Chikoo Aur Bunty. On television, Nickelodeon will be promoting the new show across genres including general entertainment channels (GECs), music, movies and regional TV channels and channels– going beyond the Viacom18 owned channels to other channels such as Sony Sab, Sony Max, Star Plus, Zee Marathi, among others. Nickelodeon will also explore the digital space by leveraging the momentum of IPL and advertising on Disney+Hotstar as well as SonyLiv and YouTube. The kids channel will also use social media to spread awareness of the show by introducing AR filters, Gif packs and stickers, as well as roping in influencers for promotion. Interestingly, Nickelodeon has partnered with gaming apps such as Eight ball, Rock Paper Scissors, Carrom Challenge, among others for advertising as well as show’s character integrations on the apps. “Our marketing strategy is to be available to kids at every touchpoint. We want to first create an engagement for the brand with children, which will then translate into an engagement with the show,” Nina stated.
As for advertisement revenue, the channel was hit by low ad volumes last year despite high viewership but claims to have witnessed a rise in ad sales this year. “For us, the festive quarter is always a very busy quarter. Diwali, Christmas and summer vacations are our high points and this year we expect a good festive quarter, enabling us to bounce back to pre-covid levels,” Jaipuria said. She also added that while FMCG continues to dominate the advertising pie, due to the co-viewership trend, the channel has seen new advertisers such as e-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon, Nykaa as well as edutech platforms such as Byju’s and WhiteHat Junior coming on board. According to industry estimates, the cost of a ten-second ad spot on kids channels ranges between Rs 1,000 – 3,000 during prime time that is between 8 pm – 10 pm.
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We want to build an overall kids ecosystem where we’re able to engage and entertain holistically and responsibly: Nina Elavia Jaipuria of Viacom18
Nickelodeon is unveiling a fun new show called ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ based on sibling rivalry
Before COVID, summer and winter vacations were the most important period of the year for kids’ TV channels. However, after COVID, kids have been home for a year and a half and are turning to TV and OTT channels to entertain themselves from the safety of their homes.
Category leader Nickelodeon has stayed on the number one rank in the kid's entertainment space for seven consecutive years and Sonic has reached number two from number seven in three years.
Now, to celebrate its 11th year of existence, Nickelodeon is unveiling a fun new show called ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ based on sibling rivalry.
We talk to Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18 about cluster’s content library, growth of local content in television, change in viewership patterns and her vision for kids entertainment genre.
The Diwali vacation is almost here and Nickelodeon, the category leader in the kids’ network from Viacom18, is as excited as online school kids are for their vacation at home and is all set to make the most of this time. It is unveiling a new show called ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ that is based on sibling rivalry. It has already onboarded three sponsors -- Phillips, Pediasure and Flipkart Shopsy for its new show, which is slated to go live on October 18.
Telling us why the channel chose October to schedule its launch, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18 said, “I think that it's always a good time to deliver new content in the quarters that are very busy from a festival perspective. So, kids are at home, they have a vacation from even online schooling and have more time on their hands. And in the festive quarter, we've always realised that partners and advertisers are also looking to advertise that much more on the genre. And so it's a great marriage of viewership and revenue that that makes us go after this particular quarter, where it's Diwali and Christmas time, kids are having fun, and they're actually watching so much more than they'd love to check out a new show from their favourite franchise.”
Nickelodeon is going all out to promote its new show and has pivoted its media plans outside of TV with digital getting the lion’s share. It is advertising across OTT apps, including Disney+ Hotstar during the IPL playoffs. It is launching AR filters, GIF packs and stickers to be a part of daily conversations. Nickelodeon has also partnered with Belgian Waffles, Smoking Joe’s and New York Burrito Company to offer a specially curated Chikoo and Bunty meal.
Finding strength in home-grown content
The 2-14 year age group forms the universe for kids broadcasters. A mix of local shows and international cartoons are aired daily to keep kids glued in front of the television. However, in the last five years, home-grown content has grown tremendously and is dominating the category. 8 out of top 20 animated characters are from the Nickelodeon franchise and only 2 of them are syndicated.
The kids category in India was shaped by Cartoon Network in the 90s as it was the first channel to be launched in the genre in 1995. Since then, the genre has seen about 12-15 players catering to pre-schoolers and tweens. Cartoon Network occupied the majority of the market with its international content for a long time, post that, its sister channel Pogo climbed the top with its local hero, Chhota Bheem. Then came Turner, followed by Nickelodeon which took over with its local content and a few international shows eight years ago. Since then, it has focused on launching one home-grown IP each year to maintain its leadership position and expand its presence further by localising its content. Currently, its home-grown content of 10 IPs drives the majority of viewership on the category.
Jaipuria said, “The Nickelodeon franchise and what we deliver to children, at least on Nick and Sonic, is all almost local except for Ninja Hatodi, which is syndicated content. We really are not playing any other international content on the channel outside of Ninja. Local has also grown in its own way. As you create local, you have to keep in mind the dynamic target audience that you have. And you have to therefore write stories accordingly, contemporize, take care of the look and feel and fashion, apparel, and music. The overall local content has evolved over the years.”
The kids genre has been growing year-on-year too, despite COVID-19, channel segmentation and other new channel launches. During the lockdown(s), with no friends, no playgrounds -- kids weren't even allowed to step out. In such a scenario, TV and OTT entertainment channels acted as their escape and respite. Egro, kids’ entertainment category has also seen more interest from new advertisers across categories.
“We are a mass channel as we enjoy 7% of the total viewership. In the pandemic, particularly where TV has been the primary screen of entertainment for families, co-viewership is actually making the genre even more attractive. We have kids and non-kid advertisers on the channel. We have partners who have been with us for several years, and new partners on board as well. So, we have a good mix of advertisers who are looking to even not just talk to kids who are in-house consultants, they influence almost every other household decision and purchase, but they're also now looking at families and parents, who are actually watching with their children. And therefore you see lots of FMCG brands on the channel. And we've seen right from handwash, and sanitization to cosmetics to Britannia and, Parle and BYJUs, Amazon, Flipkart. So there is this whole robust co-viewership that Nickelodeon as a franchisee enjoys. And that is why you have advertisers who are targeting both kids as well as families,” shared Jaipuria.
Co-viewership on the genre has been very crucial from both advertising and viewership points of view. It has been growing consistently, as more and more parents are keen on becoming friends with their kids.
Viewership patterns and vision for the cluster
The Nickelodeon cluster with three channels (Nick Jr, Nickelodeon and Sonic) grabs 33% of the kids market share. It also has the maximum share in kids ad revenue pie, with a strong 35% lead. It is the network’s robust library with 700+ hours of content that has helped it stay ahead of the curve and consistent with its performance.
Due to COVID, the overall television viewership saw a hike. Nickelodeon also witnessed a similar trend. However, as schools open up for kids above 7th grade across the country now, the viewership is likely to go down.
Telling us how the viewership might change, Jaipuria said, “It grew at a very robust percentage of almost 39-40% during the lockdown and we have seen a decline of about 10% as of now, but I think at some point it will stabilise and I do feel that it will stabilise slightly above the pre-COVID level. So, we may not go back to the pre-covid level but we will obviously not stay at this very high level of 40% also, that's very unnatural and cannot happen as things open up and as the remote move from person to person in the household. But it will continue to be a very mass genre and I think it will stabilise above the pre-COVID-19 level.”
With 11 homegrown IPs, Nickelodeon will now focus on reaching out to its viewers at multiple touchpoints and continue building a content library that caters to India’s diverse needs.
“From a kids entertainment perspective, the vision is to ensure that we continue to custom-make and tailor-make content for kids in the country. The vision is to make sure that we continue to curate and conceptualise content that has great potential, which is either relatable, identifiable or has the ability to transport kids it into a imaginary world. I think the vision is to create content, which is agnostic, so that we can cater to their entertainment needs and preferences across any device that they choose to actually consume us. So I think the vision is to create an ecosystem -- a very dynamic evolved engagement ecosystem as an entertainer, where we not only engage them on television, but we are there with them on social media, Ott and we're able to engage with them and give them the ability to play with the characters at various levels, which is in terms of gaming in terms of challenges, DIY, short form long form. So we want to be the one stop shop for entertainment. We want to be an overall kids ecosystem where we are able to engage and entertain with them holistically and responsibly,” shared Jaipuria on a final note.
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From afaqs!:
"OTT streaming not cannibalising but supplementing TV viewership in kids’ content": Nickelodeon’s Nina Elavia Jaipuria
Viacom18's head, Hindi and kids TV network, says digital platforms bring in more viewership and ad revenue.
It is that time of the year when kids can sit glued to the television all day long without a care about school homework. It’s vacation time! And to keep them entertained kids’ channels launch new titles during this time. Viacom18’s Nickelodeon also announced the launch of its 11th homegrown animated IP ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ set to air from October 18.
Speaking to afaqs! post the show launch, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, shared some interesting insights on the children’s broadcasting space.
With kids being locked up at home due to the COVID-induced lockdown, the category witnessed an unprecedented growth last year. In FY21, Nickelodeon’s viewership grew by 39 per cent. But with schools reopening and kids going back to their usual routine there has been a decline of over 10 per cent and now it is stabilising.
“During this year kids and their families have faced a lot of stress and difficult times. Animation content gave them this comfort and escape from reality. But over a period of time, we've noticed that the category is now stabilising, and going back to where it used to be. Yet it is still higher than the pre-COVID level,” she said.
During this time, the channel maintained its leadership for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data. While its flagship channel Nick continues to be the most-watched in the genre, their other channel, Sonic has jumped to the second position, from its earlier held number five spot. This is followed by Hungama and Disney Channel. Pogo has slided down from the second to the fifth spot.
Nickelodeon has 33 per cent network share (viewership), followed by Disney (26 per cent) and Turner (17 per cent). In terms of ad revenue share, Nickelodeon leads (35 per cent), followed by Disney (25 per cent) and Turner (23 per cent).
The lockdown ensured kids had little or no access to their friends and play time was also limited to their home. This created a viewership surge in the morning, early afternoon and afternoon time bands. “We have a majority of ‘one television households’ and because of work from home and other household chores, the kids got the remote. Television has become the primary screen for families to watch together. It has created a lot of co-viewership for the genre,” she adds.
Video-streaming apps and OTT platforms also offer a plethora of content for children’s entertainment. Does that take children away from television viewing? Jaipuria says that it only supplements it.
“Unlike adult content, kids content is evergreen. There is no different kind of an audience who's looking for different kinds of content on a different platform. We ensure that the same content is available to them on Voot Kids, on an Ott platform or on Youtube Kids or anywhere that they would like to watch and engage with us. It allows the child to watch their favourite cartoon at any time of the day and on any device. Especially in homes that have only a single television,” she adds.
It helps them provide advertisers a better reach as well. “It's not just about delivering the reach on the channel, but also on Voot Kids and our social media. It gives the advertiser a more holistic ability to reach out to the audience,” she says.
During the lockdown, the kids felt the need to find innovative ways to entertain themselves. This could be in the form of online gaming/ creating reels, DIY, social media challenges, etc. So short format video apps saw a massive growth in popularity among kids. Nick is also partnering with these platforms to allow children to engage with their characters, watch DIY videos, participate in dance challenges, and play games.
With kids finding new forms of entertainment, the channel is also changing their strategies to promote their shows. The marketing plan for the new show ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ includes influencer engagement, OTT and short content apps and gaming among the traditional TV, OOH and cable and DTH.
“With schools, malls and theaters shut, we don't have access to kids physically. We have made the plans in a way that we are able to engage with our audience where they are today, that is on social media and gaming. So we really pivoted our marketing plan to ensure that we are able to reach out to our audience and they can engage with the characters. For example Chikoo aur Bunty coming out of a TV show and playing carrom with them. It is about creating these different touch points outside of mass media. But it's also important in this space to know children’s preferences, which are so dynamic,and then stay with the times,” she adds.
Afaqs! had recently written an article about the absence of female protagonists in children’s entertainment shows on television. There is a predominance of male leads in Nick shows as well. Commenting on it, Jaipuria explained the reason to be that girls exit the category much before boys to join their mothers in watching GECs.
“The boys versus girls ratio in our channel is at 55:45. The reason why we're probably catering more to the boys is because we know that girls’ loyalty starts to shift much earlier than the boys. Also a lot of our shows are very gender neutral because animation is really not so much about ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ but about families, friends and pets. Here the gender is irrelevant,” she adds.
She said they are examining and understanding that space. “If we do create that show then what role will the female protagonist play? Because then she will also have to entertain 50% of the boys who are also watching the category,” she concludes.
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Elder bro? More like a pain in the toe! If you've felt this way before, you're going to love this one. 😂
Join Bunty in the battle of #BroVsBro when the brand new show 'Chikoo Aur Bunty' starts 18th Oct, 10 AM onwards on Nick India!
#ChikooAurBunty #NewShow #Siblings #NickIndia #Nickelodeon
Groove to the beat and join ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’ in the battle of #BroVsBro, starts Mon 18th Oct, 10 AM onwards only on Nick!
#ChikooAurBunty #NewShow #Siblings #NickIndia #Nickelodeon
More Nick: Viacom18 Partners with Pinkfong to Launch Baby Shark Animated Series & Merchandise in India!
Originally published: October 08, 2021.
Source: AdGully; Additional source: Television Asia Plus.
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