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DOES CHILDREN”S TELEVISION MAKE BUSINESS SENSE IN

INDIA?

Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for

Master’s in Communication Management

by

Sashank Kini

Submitted to

Flame University, School of Communication

March, 2016

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Certification by Graduation Project Mentor

It is certified that:

1. Project titled “Does Children’s Television Make Business Sense in India?” submitted for

examination by FSC student Sashank Kini is an original piece of research work carried

out by the student under my supervision.

2. Literary presentation of the project is satisfactory, is in a form suitable for publication

and complies with the guidelines of the publication manual of American Psychological

Association (APA).

3. This work is free of plagiarism and all materials appearing in this project have been

properly quoted and attributed.

______________________________________

Signature of the Mentor

______________________________________

Date

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Academic Honesty & Copyright Disclaimer

I certify that this work is free of plagiarism and all materials appearing in this project have been

properly quoted and attributed.

I certify that all copyrighted material incorporated into this project complies with copyright law

and that I have received written permission from the copyright owners for my use of their work.

______________________________________

Signature of Student

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Date

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgement .............................................................................................................. 5

Background To the Topic………………………………………………………………………….7

Literature Review……………………………………………………………………… 13

Methodology……………………………………………………………………………..26

Data Analysis, Results and Discussion…………………………………………………..28

Conclusions, Limitations and Scope For Further Research……………………………...49

Appendix and Bibliography……………………………...................................................57

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Acknowledgements

I am a greatly drawn towards subjects that stoke my curiosity – movies, paintings, poetry,

literature, pop culture, television among others. They are in my opinion the most potent sources

of an individual’s growth. They impinge on our (hectic) times and, in poet William Davies’

words, make us ‘stand and stare’. We turn more reflective, more observant towards life, the

myriad relationships we have formed, the tumult of emotions we have experienced, the lessons

we’ve learnt along the way. Therefore, I extend my deepest regards to all those filmmakers,

artists, writers, celebrities and entertainers from around the world who have over time created

such a rich heritage for their successors, to inspire them to build a better future.

During my undergraduate programme, I was inspired to understand ‘the factors behind

purchase of paintings by affluent individuals’ to gauge the investment potential of ‘art’. For my

Post Graduate Program, I have undertaken a study on the business potential of children’s

channels in India. It was a brief encounter with an art collector that inspired me to undertake a

research on the former. In the case of children’s channels, it was my recurrent interactions with

Professor Shukla Das, a veteran documentary and ad filmmaker, programming head (Star/Sony

TV), a specialist in children’s television and currently my professor of television-related courses

and mentor for graduation project. I am extremely gratified to say the least by her continual

guidance and inspiration, and her caring passionate and fiercely intelligent spirit.

I thank Ms. Ruchi Jaggi, professor at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication

and Symbiosis International University and an expert on children’s channels for providing me

additional help in designing discussion guidelines as well as advice on conducting interviews

with children. The indispensable contribution that Mr. Siddharth Iyer, a content specialist at Red

Chillies and former Chief Sub-Editor (Content & Business Development) at

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AnimationXpress.com, has brought in as an industry expert has been an eye-opener to my

research. And most importantly, I am heavily indebted to each and every child who provided

their precious time to add value to research and every parent who permitted them to partake in

this study. A few of them have received a Dairy Milk – a paltry offering – for their roles, but I

hope the recommendations and insights within this research paper can add value to their lives.

I am extremely thankful to Prof. Shubhda Arora, a professor at Flame School of

Communication (F.S.C.), for her tireless efforts in coordinating the Graduation Project for

Students of Communication. She has remained extremely flexible, understanding and helpful

throughout the course, bringing in wonderful professors such as Prof. Sonam Mansukhani and

Prof. Ravikant Kisana to impart their wealth of knowledge in research.

The extraordinary opportunity to conduct a research over a period of six months wouldn’t

have been possible without the sanction and support of Prof. Rajneesh Krishna, Dean – FLAME

School of Communication, and Prof. Devi Singh, the Vice Chancellor, FLAME University.

Lastly, I feel deeply appreciative of the administrative support provided by FSC staff Ms. Uma

Dudhale and Ms. Geeta Choure.

And yes, before moving to the next section, I would like to acknowledge the inadvertent

contribution of two people – Pravir and Vivhaan. My dear cousins of 14 and 6. Their endless

narration of their beloved shows – Pokemon, Doraemon, Ninja Hattori etc, has entertained,

amused, amazed and arrested my attention towards the universe of children’s television.

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Background to the Topic

The kid’s genre has burgeoned rapidly in the last decade due to multiple favorable factors best

encompassed in FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry reports as well as

various online sources covering broadcast business. Today India has approximately 200 million

children, one of the largest in the world, watching cartoons (AnimationExpressTeam, 2014). For

the audience that made up 7.3% of the viewership-pie in 2014, next to Hindi GECs (31.2%),

Regional GECs (17.9%) and Hindi Movies (13.6%), (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and

Entertainment Industry Report , 2015) there are over 22 channels, more than double from just the

year before. The Big 4 corporations – The Walt Disney Company (through its Mumbai-based

The Walt Disney Company India), Viacom (through its joint venture Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd

created with India-based Network 18 group), Turner (through its Indian-arm Turner International

India) and Chennai-based Sun TV Network own and operate 14 among them, while the rest are

under Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Discovery, Fox International and Animax India. Children

are looked today as consumers with their own tastes and preferences that may differ depending

on various factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, language etc. Therefore, there is

diversification in these channels’ STP (segmentation-targeting-positioning) strategies, with

children finally to choose what they want to watch based on what appeals to them.

They are spoilt for choices, with content from a host of countries (US, Japan, UK, Canada,

France, Pakistan etc) available on these channels. Shows such as Phineas and Ferb, Mr. Bean the

Animated Series, Doraemon, Pokémon, Oggy and the Cockroaches etc have achieved

tremendous popularity among this demographic. Adding to this, on account of growing affinity

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for characters that are Indian in spirit, (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry

Report , 2015), (often drawing inspiration from mythological tales and Indian comics), is the

boost in local content which in 2014 made up 40% of children’s programming in India (as

compared to 2008 when it only comprised 10%) (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment

Industry Report , 2015). 13% of the animated shows on Indian television are domestic in origin,

and for a country that aired exclusively international content for kids in the 1990s on a singular

channel Cartoon Network, this statistics is very encouraging. Chhota Bheem and Motu Patlu are

among the top favorite kid’s characters (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry

Report , 2015), and their success has led to a slew of local animated programmes such as Roll No

21, Kumba Karan, My Name is Raj, Pakdam Pakdai, Vir – The Robot Boy etc. The demand for

local content has led to a surge in the output of original content from Indian content creation

houses such as Green Gold Animation Toonz Media Group and Maya Digital Studios, who have

otherwise mostly outsourced animation services for international studios. Domestic content

would give these studios a unique opportunity for original IP creation (FICCI-KPMG Indian

Media and Entertainment Industry Report , 2015), which can enable them to monetize through

various avenues other than content-generated revenues. Besides this, the favorable market

climate also leads to further investment in technological and human resources to improve the

quality of animated content. The only bump in the road for local content houses is the cost of

production, which is very high as compared to acquired content costs; this is the major reason for

international content overtaking local content.

The USD 150 million Animation Licensing and merchandising (L&M) industry is growing at

10-15% in developing countries; in India, it is estimated at Rs. 3000 crores and growing at 15%

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every year (Kakkar, 2014), thus becoming a highly lucrative revenue stream that has tremendous

potential to be explored. For example, Disney, among the first to step into the Indian L&M

market in 2005, and Turner, with 3000 SKUs across 6 categories and 8000 SKUs across 53

categories respectively, have each earned over Rs. 1000 crores in FY 2015 (Kakkar, 2014).

Besides the big league players, Green Gold Animation has also entered L&M and cashed in on

its trademark character of Chhota Bheem, with its merchandise available in 12000 stores across

the country. The company has also set up 30 exclusive stores for the children’s brand, something

even Disney and Turner haven’t attempted thus far (Kakkar, 2014).

Children’s channels in India are thus witnessing a. diversification in the channel and content

offering b. increased demand for local programming c. exploitation of merchandising

opportunities. Despite these positive signs, the genre has still not been able to generate adequate

ad revenues, making up only 3.8% of AdEx in 2014, a decline from 4.2% in 2013 (FICCI-

KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report , 2015). News channels, for example,

draw in almost thrice the times of advertising spends that children’s channel get at roughly the

same viewership (Kohli-Khandekar, 2014). However, there has been an increase in the

categories which advertise on kids genre channels after trends of co-viewing (i.e. parents and

children viewing together) and pester-power in children were observed. Therefore, kid’s genre

channels continue to generate new opportunities for advertisers as well.

Children’s channels in India still have tremendous untapped potential. Digitization presents

an avenue for differentiated high-quality programming (Subramanian, 2012) and ensures

transparency in subscription base (Farooqui, 2013); before digitization, last mile cable operators,

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would prioritize general entertainment channels over children’s channels leading to bad visibility

and lower viewership for the latter (Kohli-Khandekar, 2014). Children’s theme parks haven’t

gained the traction in India as it has in other countries. Walt Disney Company has been the

frontrunner in successful execution of resorts and theme parks through its popular brand

Disneyland. The company has launched theme parks in different parts of the world but has ruled

out India, blaming poor infrastructure as the reason (Companies: Business Standard, 2013). And

despite the popularity of franchise based movies such as ‘Krrish’, ‘Dhoom’, and cartoons such as

‘Chhota Bheem’ and ‘Krishna’, India is yet to see its first movie-themed resort or theme park

(FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report , 2015).

It can be surmised that for despite its challenges, there is extensive potential in children’s

television in India for all its major stakeholders – content production houses, children’s channels,

companies, advertisers, merchandising companies and DTH and cable companies. Whether it

makes business sense in the purest sense i.e. its profit-yielding capacity, is still a matter of

contention. There are approximately 400 million children in India (Statistics of Children in India:

Cry.org), the largest in the world making up 1/3rd of the total population. This statistic alone

underscores the potential reach of children’s television. Dubbing and multiple language settings

on set-top boxes have helped to break language barrier, and adaptation of foreign content as well

as home-grown content have shrunk cultural barriers. Digitization has led to diversified offerings

for this demographic. The rising prevalence of digital media, cell-phones and gadgets among

children has inspired companies to create engagement with them across platforms through media

convergence. Merchandising and on-ground activities ensure that kids have a tangible connect

with their favorite characters over an extended time period. And yet, the challenges of high cost

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of content creation, criticism of local content quality, flagging ad rates, concerns over ethics of

advertising to children, piracy in the merchandising market, insufficient government support etc

must be faced. The research shall attempt to anticipate the future of children’s television in India

by understanding its current business scenario.

Rationale of the Study

More over European and North American markets, emerging markets such India, China,

Indonesia and Latin America are generating a great demand for AVGC (Animation, VFX,

Gaming & Comics) content (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report ,

2015). To fulfill the demand, there is a steady supply of local content from production houses, an

increase in number of children’s channels and a spurt in merchandising. A study on the business

prospects of children’s channels in India can be helpful to a. the current stakeholders b.

students/working professionals looking for job opportunities in this area, c. investors/venture

capitalists who intend to leverage on business opportunities in this sector, and most importantly

d. children, who are the building blocks of the nation and need content that aids in their overall

development.

Significance/Utility of the study

This research project shall throw light on the business prospects in children’s television in India

and delve into questions on its future. To provide a comprehensive outlook on the industry, the

researcher shall examine every major area that contains business potential. As the researcher is a

student of Communication specializing in Journalism and New Media, Marketing and

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Advertising and Film and Television, the research shall not go at length explaining financial

intricacies and rather looks at branding opportunities, role of content on children’s television in

audience building and channel profitability, online opportunities etc, which are no less a measure

of success of Indian children’s television business.

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Literature review

Children’s television in India began in the 1960s with the Delhi School TV Project. Funded by

UNESCO and Ford Foundation, the programmes telecasted were based on the school curriculum

for students in Delhi, with 20000 secondary school students from 150 schools receiving benefits

of the programme (Agrawal, C, Kiran, & Vishwanath, 1999). In the beginning, content for

children was restricted to educational programmes which went in sync with the attitude of

policymakers, who regarded the television as a powerful tool to inform and educate.

Doordarshan aired a few original children’s programmes in the 70s such as Kilbil, Santakukdi,

Magic Lamp and Khel Khilone and telecast the acquired show Duck Tales in the evening.

Among these shows, Apple House’s Magic Lamp gained immense popularity among children in

Mumbai and Pune. It aired broadcasted on Doordarshan between 1974 and 1979, and became so

popular with time that over 3000 independent children’s clubs (fondly called ‘Panna Clubs’)

were formed that participated in various activities organized during the series’ golden run.

The show was best known for – 1) Puppets (given wacky Indian names such as ‘Aloo’ and

‘Phullu’) with distinctive personalities (for e.g. Aloo – a fun loving puppet eager to explore and

learn, and unafraid of making mistakes), 2) Variety of Mini-Series (adventures of Aloo and

Phullu in ‘Apple House’ episodes; Aloo’s experiences at school in ‘Halla Gulla Pathshala’, ‘Sing

Along Special’ featuring song and dance, animated vignettes about ‘Monu the Menace’) 3)

Blend of Live Action and Animation (inviting studio audience to celebrate birthdays of

characters within the show; introducing a special segment called ‘Nafisa’s Sweet Shop’ that

featured a lovely 16 year old girl), 4) Proliferation of Panna Clubs (no involvement of schools;

only children, known as ‘Panna clubbers’ who took part in various activities such as ‘Tree

Plantation’, ‘Annual Athletic Meets’), 5) Involvement of High Profile Individuals (some of the

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special guests for athletic meets included the then Admiral General, the Chairperson of SBI), 6)

Characters stepping out into the world outside (thus building an unparalleled connect with

audiences) and 7) Edutainment Programming. It was hailed by the makers of world renowned

Sesame Street, which partly inspired Apple House series, during their visit to India. Sadly, the

show is unavailable because of Doordarshan’s resistance in selling its rights or making

restorations. The show is perhaps the first example of an Indian television series for children that

made business sense. (data obtained through multiple interviews with Shukla Das, creator of

Magic Lamp).

In the earlier days, producing domestic content was extremely difficult then because of budget

and logistic constraints. However, what is commendable is that the domestic content was very

much Indian in spirit; the abovementioned shows involved puppets with local names, Indian

traditional and folk dance forms etc. Domestic productions, both animation and live-action,

sprung up throughout the 80s and early 90s with shows such as Gaayab Aaya, Malgudi Days and

Potli Baba Ki on Doordarashan and Junglee Toofan Tyre Puncture and the hugely popular

Bournvita Quiz Contest on the channel Zee TV, launched in 1992.

In Match-April 1996 an empirical study was carried out in Chennai which was published later in ‘A Report on

Children’s Television Pro-grammes in India’ (Eashwer, 2000). Its findings can be summarized as

follows –

Children’s programmes on the 3 primary Doordarshan channels comprised of only 3

percent of the total programming, with metro channels airing only 11% of its

programming for children. Zee TV and the popular regional language channels in

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Chennai Sun TV and Udaya TV each had an even less encouraging statistic of 2%

programming for children. English Doordarshan channels gave more time (10%) to

children’s channels than their Hindi (4%) and Tamil (4%) counterparts. A similar trend

was observed on private satellite channels, with English channels devoting a much

greater time (18%) to children’s programming than Hindi channels (2%). Most of the

cartoons were aimed at young children, leaving out pre-teens and teens. Foreign produced

cartoon shows were perceived as more entertaining and imaginative.

Until 1995, children’s programmes only occupied a miniscule segment in channels primarily

targeting adults. Also, there was a higher demand by then for English children’s programmes

because of their superior production quality. And on May 1 1995, Cartoon Network was

launched by Turner Broadcasting System in India, becoming the first channel in the country

solely dedicated to children’s programming. Beginning as a day-part, the channel aired its

programmes only in English until 1999, when it began dubbing content in Hindi and Tamil as

part of its localization strategy. By February 2000, Cartoon Network was offering nine hours of

Hindi programming every day (Kamath, 2000). In July 2001, on account of its growing

popularity, Cartoon Network announced that it would offer 24-hour non-stop service in India,

thus becoming a separate channel. Interestingly, children were not the only ones who watched

cartoons. According to Cartoon Network sources, 30 to 40% of the channel's viewership

constituted teenagers and adults, thus making it a lucrative option for advertisers to target both

segments (Cartoon Network - The Indian Experience, 2010).

While Cartoon Network struck gold in India, another popular international channel Kermit,

airing reruns of various Muppet productions, did not work in India, with Vishnu Athreya,

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marketing manager, Splash TV opining that ‘Kermit Kids simply could not relate to the content”.

(Pande, 2001). Chennai based Pentamedia Graphics owned Splash TV itself created a splash

only temporarily in the Indian market, lasting for 3 years between October 2001 and November

2004-Early 2005. Despite becoming the first children’s channel to kick start with India-specific

animated programmes like Pot Pourri and India Folk Tales and planning localizing strategies

through different language feeds, the channel couldn’t live up to its pan-India ambitions and

subsequently exited the market.

On the other hand, another big-league player Nickelodeon, launched by giant American Viacom

International, stood the test of time on Indian shores. Both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon

aired mostly American shows and did not produce local content for Indian audiences until much

later. This phenomenon was common across other countries as well where local children’s

television did not receive enough financial, technological and institutional support and hence

didn’t develop the way it flourished in US, UK, Canada, Japan and Australia. In such cases, as

the expense required in the local production of one episode, including the human and

technological resources, was usually much greater than the cost of the station’s purchasing a

year’s worth of old re-runs of an American series, television all over the world was heavily

dominated by American television. (Lemish, 2006) . Even dubbed content on Cartoon Network

was subjected to the ire of Indian parents, who at focus group discussions conducted in early

2002 by the Center for Advocacy and Research, did not approve of the inappropriate language

they were picking up from the shows and wanted their children to learn a few English words and

phrases through the medium of children (Cartoon Network - The Indian Experience, 2010). It is

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for these reasons that domestic content for children took years to gain traction in India and also

the reason for foreign content to overtake.

2004 saw two the entry of two channels that soon became drivers for local content on children’s

channels in India – Turner International India’s Pogo and UTV Software Communication’s (and

presently owned by Disney Channel Worldwide after its acquisition of UTV in 2012) Hungama.

Pogo depended entirely on international programming during launch but increased Hindi

language programming by over 80% over first 18 months since inception; since 2005 been

increasingly producing local programming (Pinto & Bhattacharje, 2004). This was the channel to

introduce the mega-popular Chhota Bheem and other hit animated shows such as Mighty Raju

and the live-action series M.A.D. (Music. Art. Dance.). On the other hand, Hungama TV started

off with a host of local live-action game-shows, talent shows and television series, with Ronnie

Screwvala, then CEO of UTV, commenting that “Hungama TV’s locally produced live action

shows make it different from other kids channels” (Saha, 2005).

However, by late 2005, Japanese animation became flagship programmes by late 2005 itself with

the tremendous audience response to Doraemon, thereby reducing ratio between live-action and

animation thereafter to 30:70 (Mitra, 2005). Within 2-3 years, Hungama became the market

leader ahead of veterans like Cartoon Network and Pogo (Jaggi, 2014). Since then channel has

been identified by anime like Pokémon, Beyblade, Crayon Sin-Chan etc, and only a handful of

local animated shows like Vir the Robot Boy and Chorr Police are telecasted on this channel.

Japanese animation has also grown on other channels in a big way, becoming very popular

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across India. It has re-appropriated and re-contextualized itself in the Indian space through

dubbing, tweaking narratives and allied marketing efforts (Jaggi, 2014).

While Animax was the first all-Japanese anime channel that gained popularity in India after its

launch in 2004, popular anime series became channel drivers for Hungama TV and Nick (with

Ninja Hattori) as well. Therefore, it comes as no surprise when Ashish Kulkarni, CEO, Big

Cinemas quoted in a Business Today magazine article “ Thus, 90 to 95 per cent of animation

shows Indian children watch are either American or Japanese” (Sharma, 2012). The

predilection of children for foreign content is one of the key reasons why domestic production is

still underwhelming in India, because of which content houses such as Green Gold Animation

had to expand to merchandising in order to sustain. High costs, relatively lesser demand, intense

competition from foreign productions, a cold response from advertisers and criticism of content

quality are the main challenges they face at present which are potential reasons that retard their

business potential.

Going against the trend of introducing Japanese anime on its channel, Disney Channel India,

owned by the third giant (after Turner and Viacom) Walt Disney Company, focused on

localization since the beginning, with Managing Director, Walt Disney Television International

(India), Rajat Jain saying there is a lot of focus on catering to local needs and tastes, adding “But

Indian children spend only 10% of their television viewing time watching kids' channels and we

believe that this is due to lack of high quality programming which parents can trust and kids

would like to see" (Bajoria, 2004). They have expanded their target audience to 4-34 and

currently position themselves as a family entertainment channel, producing a host of local live-

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action shows (many of them adaptations of popular US Disney originals such as That So Raven

(Palak Pe Jhapak), The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (The Suite Life of Karan and Kabir), Best of

Luck Nikki (Good Luck Charlie)) that make up for the absence of live-action on its sister

channel Hungama TV.

Over time, after extensively researching the Indian kids’ market, the 3 giants – Turner

International India, Viacom 18, Disney India – created further segmentation in their offerings by

introducing new channels post 2010. Turner International India, besides Cartoon Network India

and Pogo, launched Toonami in 2015, airing action-adventure content for boys between 8 and 14

years. Viacom 18, besides Nickelodeon India, has also introduced 1. Sonic Nickelodeon in 2011,

targeting children in the age group of 10-17 years with action, sitcoms and adventures 2. Nick Jr

and Teen Nick in 2012, the former aiming kids between 2 and 6 while the latter between 10 and

14; with the launch it has expanded its portfolio from 2yrs to 62 yrs (Home: Adgully, 2011).

Disney introduced 1. Disney Junior after finding 2-7 age-group has its own set of programming

needs that centered on theme-based fun shows, different from 7-14 age-group (Sarkar, 2012),

and 2. Disney XD, an action-oriented channel that was formerly programming block Toon

Disney that aired on Jetix (2004-2009), targeting 4-14 year boys with certain content aimed at

girls (World Library); it has emerged a leader in the South markets and has shown increasing

traction in the Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) (Television: BestMediaInfo Bureau, 2012). As

mentioned previously, after Disney’s acquisition of UTV, it also owns Hungama, thus building a

formidable portfolio in India.

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These newer channels have very limited local content, with Nick Jr specifically targeting

youngsters who consume greater Western English content (Exclusive: Adgully website, 2012).

Some of them operate as PayTV channels featuring no ads and relying entirely on subscriptions

(Toonami and Disney Jr) for the time-being. The revenue-generating potential of these channels

(as well as of recently launched independent channels like ZeeQ and Discovery Kids India) in

the light of massive digitization drive in India, should certainly be looked into.

In terms of viewership, Nick is leading the race, followed by Pogo TV, Cartoon Network,

Hungama TV and Disney Channel. Nick’s driver show is Motu Patlu, which now commands

higher ratings than Pogo’s Chhota Bheem. Table 1 on the next page captures channel and show

positions along with their ratings over the 6th-9th Weeks of 2016.

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TABLE 1

Week

9

(indian

televisi

on.co

m,

indiant

elevisi

on.co

m,

2016)

Position Channel Ratings Show Ratings

1 Nick 77619 (000s sums) Motu Patlu Deep Sea Adventure (Nick) 702(000s sums)

2 Pogo TV 60792(000s sums) Motu Patlu, Kungfu, King Returns (Nick) 568(000s sums)

3 Cartoon

Network 55414(000s sums)

Chhota Bheem: Mission Mangalyaan

(Pogo) 564 (000s sums)

4 Hungama

TV 55388 (000s sums)

Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure

(Pogo) 516 (000s sums)

5 Disney

India

53835(000s sums)

Kid Krrish (Cartoon Network) 493(000s sums)

Week

8

(indian

televisi

on.co

m,

indiant

elevisi

on.co

m,

2016)

Position Channel Ratings Show Ratings

1 Nick 81897 (000s sums) Motu Patlu Kungfu King Returns (Nick) 766 (000s sums)

2 Pogo TV 66609 (000s sums) Doraemon The Movie : Toofani Adventure

(Disney) 673 (000s sums)

3 Hungama

TV 57121 (000s sums) Motu Patlu Aur Khazaane Ki Race (Nick) 651 (000s sums)

4 Cartoon

Network 53108 (000s sums)

Chhota Bheem & Krishna vs Zimbaraat

(Pogo TV) 514 (000s sums)

5 Disney

India

52110 (000s sums)

Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure

(Pogo TV) 500 (000s sums)

Week

7

(Indian

televisi

on.co

m,

2016)

Position Channel Ratings Show Ratings

1 Nick 79007 (000s) Motu Patlu in Alien World (Nick) 918 (000s sums)

2 Pogo TV 55453 (000s sums) My Friend Ganesha (Hungama TV) 879 (000s sums)

3 Hungama

TV 55043 (000s sums) Patlu Kungfu Kings (Nick) 781 (000s sums)

4 Disney 51470 (000s sums) Shiva (Nick) 516 (000s sums)

5 Cartoon

Network 51400 (000s sums)

Chhota Bheem And The Sky Dragon with (Pogo TV)

504 (000s sums)

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Week

6

(indian

televisi

on.co

m,

indiant

elevisi

on.co

m,

2016)

Position

Channel

Ratings

Show

Ratings

1 Nick 81634 (000s sums) Motu Patlu Kungfu Kings (Nick) 876 (000s sums)

2 Pogo TV 77521 (000s sums) Doraemon The Movie: Toofani Adventure

(Disney) 652 (000s sums)

3 Cartoon

Network 57635 (000s sums)

Chhota Bheem & Krishna: Pataliputra -

City of the Dead (Pogo TV) 615 (000s sums)

4 Hungama 54735 (000s sums Shiva (Nick) 515 (000s sums)

5 Disney

Channel

52422 (000s sums)

Chhota Bheem Aur Ganesh In The

Amazing Odyssey (Pogo TV) 514 (000s sums)

(Data obtained from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s all India (U+R) data in

NCCS All 4-14 Individuals category)

One observes that both Nick and Pogo TV rule the roost, retaining top and second position

respectively in the 4 week period. The local 3D animated cartoon Motu Patlu airing on Nick

beats other shows to chart No 1 as well as multiple slots in Top 5 in the four week period.

Chhota Bheem airing on Pogo TV and Doraemon, currently on Disney, are recurrent among Top

5 shows; one is local while the other is dubbed Japanese anime. Despite airing multiple original

Indian live action content, Disney has able to crack into top 5 largely on the strength of the

acquired cartoon Doraemon. Certain shows seemed to have boosted channel performance as

well; for e.g. Hungama TV jumped from 4th to 3rd position in a week where its show ‘My Friend

Ganesha’ had the second highest viewership. Flagship shows of these channels seem to drive

performance, with the top performing Nick and Pogo TV having their flagship shows rank in

Top 5 each week. The other 3 channels and their shows aren’t maintaining this stability.

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But the most important observation here is that 90% of shows in Top 5 are local animated shows.

Solely based on the ratings chart, one can claim with certain confidence that “Indian Children’s

television and local shows make business sense’. However, one needs to study the reasons

behind popularity of these channels and shows, and the best source to obtain this data would be

its viewers.

Merchandising in Indian Children’s Television

Organized retail in India is expected to grow from 9 per cent of the total retail market in 2015 to

a staggering 20 per cent by 2020. (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry

Report , 2015) There is a shoot in merchandising targeted towards children, with the Big 4

companies having high stock keeping units (SKUs) across various categories to delight children.

FICCI 2015 report states that ‘Disney currently has 3,000 Store Keeping Units (‘SKUs’) across

six categories under license, from sheets and towels, to soft toys, fruit juice and bicycle. Turner

with its Cartoon Network and Pogo channels, has 8,000 SKUs over 53 categories. Viacom 18

Media’s Nickelodeon which shows popular characters like ‘Spongebob Squarepants’, ‘Motu

Patlu’ and ‘Dora the Explorer’ has close to 100 product categories in the market, over 300 SKUs

and a presence across 200 cities and town.’

While other animation studios forgo IP rights to channels, Green Gold Animation, the sole owner

of IP rights of its flagship Chhota Bheem and Arjun, has got into L&M segment. Over 30

exclusive retail outlets with 3,000 SKUs have been set up already, and owing to Chhota Bheem’s

appeal in smaller towns, there are stores in cities such as Chandigarh, Agartala, Jaipur, Patna,

Indore and Kakinada. Utility merchandise are currently the most popular among kids, with bags

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garnering most sales, followed by clothes and tiffin boxes as per Oramax – Small wonder report,

November 2014. Character merchandising is increasingly being seen as an effective tool for

offsetting a large portion of the money that is spent on television and film production. The

weaknesses in the L&M segment are a. Brands launched without the characters being given

sufficient time to gain popularity b. Overexposed products introduced in wrong categories

c. Lack of robustness in India’s organised retail network and d. Threat of piracy.

Movies for Indian Children

Rajiv Chilaka, Founder and CEO, Greengold Animation Pvt Limited has to say about movies

centered around kid’s favorite characters – “ Green Gold Animation’s ‘Mighty Raju Rio

Calling’ and ‘Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali’, made on a budget of Rs.50 crore and Rs.

124 crore earned Rs. 11 and Rs. 43 crore respectively. The path to international success lies in

producing good quality movies with smaller budgets of INR60 to 100 million for the domestic

market and then tying up with an international distribution agency. This path to international

fame will take another 2 to 5 years.” Currently children’s movies aren’t exactly ringing box

office figures as well as television shows.

On Amusement Parks for Children

Though not as developed as the West or the the rest of Asia, theme parks, amusement parks and

entertainment zones in India are slowly but surely gaining traction. The common themes running

amusement parks are: i. Family and friends segment as a consumer; ii. Targeting the same share

of wallet of the consumer; iii. Provide experiential and novel entertainment which is fully out-of-

home: and iv. To encourage repeat/multiple visits by the same consumer. In an amusement park

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the consumer tends to spend a full day and spend between INR1200 to 2500 for rides and

refreshments. a growing ‘mall culture’, an increasing ability to spend, the experience of family

time together and a safe, indoor environment. (FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment

Industry Report , 2015)

Over the last 35 years, amusements parks such as Appu Ghar, Essel World, Nicco Park, Ramoji

Film City were established and eventually shut down. Currently, Adlabs Imagica, established in

2011 in Mumbai, offers live action entertainment cum leisure destination, including Bollywood-

themed stage shows.

Though footfalls are increasing, amusement park is still in its infancy stage and there is

tremendous scope for expansion. Consider the giant Disney World, that brings in millions of

people each day. Would an amusement park featuring children’s favorite characters work in

India the same way?

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Methodology

The research attempts at understanding potential costs and revenue streams for the various

stakeholders of children’s television – production houses, children’s channels, advertisers and

merchandising companies. Understanding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to

these stakeholders helps in shed light on future scope and developments in children’s channels in

India. The present situation cannot be understood completely without considering the needs of

audiences. Therefore, besides stakeholders, it is essential to understand views of children, the

ultimate consumers and buyers (if not directly the buyers, at least the influencers and choosers)

whose viewing habits lead to strategizing among the stakeholders.

Secondary sources used for this study include Books (e.g. Dafna Lemish Children and Television

A Global Perspective), Periodicals (e.g. Business Today), Websites (e.g. Indiantelevision),

Reports (e.g. FICCI Reports/ TAM reports) and Journals (e.g. Media Asia). Most of the data

from these sources have been mentioned in Introduction and Literature Review section.

In case of primary sources, the first part of this qualitative exploratory and partly explanatory

study shall comprise of an interview with Mr. Siddharth Iyer, an industry professional formerly

working at AnimationXpress.com, an Indian-focused news portal for Animation, VFX, Gaming

professionals, students and enthusiasts. During his tenure as Senior Content Head at the

company, Mr. Siddharth learnt on the working of various animation studios operating in India.

He shall shed light on investments incurred by studios, various cost (technological, human etc)

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and revenue streams (advertising, merchandising etc) for production houses (Green Gold), and

channels.

The second part comprises of 2 focus group discussions and 2 group interviews with 14 urban

children from multiple schools across Pune. Both male and female viewers between age group of

4-14 have been interviewed. The selected age group represents the standard target audience of

most leading Indian children’s channels. Convenience sampling has been used in selection.

Children were interviewed without the presence of adults as it may lead to less openness in

responses. Interviews were conducted between 1st and 15th March 2016. As schools do not

permit research activities on children within their premises, interviews were conducted in

locations chosen by children themselves (such as in parks, in coffee shops, libraries). Allowing

children to decide where to conduct their focus group discussions and group interviews helped in

reducing their level of resistance. Younger children were provided incentives such as chocolates

after a round of 10 questions, and promised a better incentive on completion of interview. This

incentive kept them committed and cooperative throughout research. Each interview lasted

between 40-50 minutes.

Each interview was transcribed, and key points from the interview were then analyzed for

similarities in opinions. This content analysis took 2-3 days in total. Views from previous

research and secondary sources have been appended to these points, and elements from other

disciplines such as psychology, communication theory, television studies, marketing and

branding etc. have been utilized to further understanding.

The insights shall help in deriving sound conclusions and recommendations pertaining to

development of Indian children’s television over the next few years.

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Data Analysis, Results and Discussion

Part A – Industry Professional

In order to get an industry professional’s perspective on children’s programming, I conducted an

interview with Mr. Siddharth Iyer, content specialist at Red Chillies and former Chief Sub-Editor

(Content & Business Development) at AnimationXpress.com. He answered questions on ‘Indian

children’s production houses, children’s channels and merchandising companies –

Here are key points from his interview –

a. Investment – Three Important Elements to be considered while investing in production

house for children are a) Infrastructure (technological and physical b) Artists

(experienced and freshers) and c) Turnaround time of projects at hand. He didn’t put

specific numbers to this, but stated that the platform (broadcast/digital/find) on which

content is to be distribution decides the possible level of investment.

b. Technology – Currently local production houses use Autodesk’s 3ds MAX and Maya for

modeling, which is easily available off the shelf. Autodesk holds a monopoly in the

3D/CGI technique of animation, and having gotten rid of the perpetual license model for

its softwares, it is giving out in bulk as customized monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and

annual basis (a yearly package of Autodesk / Maya costs approximately Rs. 95000).

The most popular software for storyboarding at pre-production stage is Toon Boom

Storyboard Pro/ Boom Box Harmony. This costs approximately Rs. 30000 annually but

has a longer wear and tear life of 5 years minimum. However, the frequent

customizations required as when the team works on the project means additional features

need to be added.

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but there are various open source storyboard softwares as well. Interestingly, creating

3D/CGI content is relatively cheaper and cost effective than 2D. Both 2D and 3D

animation are popular among leading television production houses in today’s time,

although few have experimented with stop motion as well.

c. Human Resources – A production house for children’s television usually comprises of a.

The creative team (story, character development and storyboards) with a staff strength

between 3-10 depending on the demand b. The production team (BG< Animators,

Riggers, Lighting Artists, Texture, Artists etc) with a staff strength between 25-50, and c.

The post production team (sound, music, editors) with a staff strength varying between 2

and 7. In total, there would be between 30-70 employees in these production companies.

The success of a creative studio depends on the quality of artists. 75% of the team include

artists/animators, followed by 10% for Team Leads/Creative Directors, and 15% of

Content and Strategy. He hasn’t given any specific numbers to the investment level

required on human resources.

d. Acquired vs. Local Content costs – The cost of production of an episode of leading

shows Chhota Bheem (2D) and Motu Patlu (3D) are 4-5 lakhs and 2-3 lakhs respectively.

While acquisition costs of a season (52 episodes of 12 minutes each or 26 episodes of 24

minutes each) of popular shows such as Doraemon costs between 20-30 lakhs, which is

way cheaper than costs of local content.

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e. Regarding Channel Sale – Earlier channels would license content from animation

house. But co-production ensures that IP rights remains with channels for India and a few

key South East Asian reasons, and the rest of the world rights stays with animation house.

So, while animation houses can’t reap benefits of repeat telecasts and merchandising and

break even on shows that they work on with channels in India, they manage to garner

heavy profits by licensing the shows out to international markets by investing a low

additional costs on subtitling or dubbing as per requirement of the buying studio or

network. Mr. Siddharth calls this ‘the easiest and most lucrative model for animation

studios’. He doesn’t hold a favorable opinion on expansion of animated studios to other

ventures, unless they are heavy duty projects, calling it ‘an added cost’.

Channels on the other hand benefit greatly from co-production deals as they have high

quality control over characterization as well as dialogues, storylines and plots. The

animation house works on production and post-production under its supervision, thus

ensuring proper hygiene of content shown on television. Channels also bear a sizable

amount of production costs (70:30 ratio).

f. Advertising Related – While in terms of viewership, the kid’s category is the third most

viewed category after G.E.Cs and sports, it occupies merely 3-5% of advertising pie. Ad

rates range between Rs. 2000-Rs. 5000 (2015 figures). This statement corroborates the

FICCI 2015 report. More than advertising, it is brand integration that’s working best for

Indian content owners. For example, Chhota Bheem, the most popular IP in India,

features with Kellogs Chocos in special episodes and Kellogs has tied up with Tinkle for

their Youtube channel. Motu Patlu also has a couple of brands that work with the IP.

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Integrating characters with live action elements (such as Motu Patlu’s appearance on the

dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa) ensures more eyeballs and introduction to a new

set of audience.

g. New Channels Related – Channels like Zee Q, Discovery Kids, offered on a a-la-cart

basis, may have lesser reach in terms of channel presence in regional areas, but it looks at

attracting audiences from the Tier 1 cities alone currently.

h. Merchandising – As mentioned above, most animation houses don’t have rights to IPs.

An exception is Green Gold Animation. Therefore, it can’t benefit from merchandising.

Also, Green Gold’s merchandising has fallen prey to piracy on most of its merchandise in

the market, losing close to 20-30% of its revenues from that stream. Despite this,

merchandising does contribute nearly 10-15% of its annual revenues.

i. Movies – Merely looking at commercial failure of animated films on popular television

characters is a myopic approach. Hollywood animation feature films like Frozen, made

on a budget of $150 million and garnering $1.3 billion at the box office, have earned

merely Rs 4.1 crore in India. Chhota Bheem, with its relatively miniscule budget of Rs. 5

crore (or $750000) has made 3.5 crore at box-office. This comparison highlights that

despite registering losses, the revenues earned through local animated films is still

commendable. However, for animated movies to succeed in India, Indian audiences need

to evolve and understand that ‘animation’ doesn’t mean its purely for kids.

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j. Digital and OTT – Mr. Siddarth has a favorable opinion of digital and OTT services. It’s

all about who gets on the bandwagon the earliest and runs it well. Revenues will come

only with maturity in the market, which shall come with a large user base. The business

model will also be important for the success of the digital venture.

k. Children’s Content – Local children’s content surely makes business sense, but it hasn’t

yet matured as a market in India. Writing has been the biggest weakness; while there is

no dearth of stories in India’s rich culture, most Indian programmes simply corrupt the

minds of kids with crass humor and slapstick content. Indian studios need to bring in new

writing talent through talent hunts and contests, supporting new talent with workshops.

Indian animated studios’ production strength has be tapped by international studios that

outsource work to Indian studios.

l. On Theme Parks – Imagica tried introducing movie characters in their parks and

managed to stay profitable. It shall take another 5-6 years for such big attractions to work

in Indian context.

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Part B – Children

The following table mentions details of children interviewed as part of study –

Group Name Age Sex School

1

Kanika 4 F Tree House High School

1 Kartik 5 M Tree House High School

1 Kavya 5 F Tree House High School

1 Rishit 8 M Tree House High School

1 Ayna 9 F Tree House High School

2 Shruti 14 F St. Joseph’s School

2 Ishita 14 F St. Joseph’s School

2 Aaruhi 14 F St. Joseph’s School

2 Roma 14 F St. Joseph’s School

3 Khushi 12 F Vidya Valley School

3 Ronak 14 M Vidya Valley School

3 Rishi 14 M Sinhgad School

4 Meenakshi 12 F Ryan International School

4 Mayank 10 M Ryan International School

Understanding the needs of the audience is the crying need of today. A major part of the research

undertaken with children involved understanding the elements within children’s shows that

appealed to them. The most important part of programming is under-standing the audience.

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Given below are finding pertaining to their views on the channels and the content of the

shows along with analysis and a discussion based on the data obtained –

1. Mood Booster / Boredom Killer

“Classic characters like Tom and Jerry are mood boosters” says Rishi, 14. Shruti feels the same

about Shin Chan, calling it a ‘stress killer’. Children have lots of time on hand; every participant

in Group 1 claim to watch at least 5 hours of television every day. Of course, children’s channels

become their only delight.

They do not have much stress in life, but rather a lot of free time, which is invariability spent

watching television to kill boredom. Older kids slowly switch over to movies and music

channels, but do find an alternative in cartoons when ‘nothing goes on’.

But even schools have become very competitive nowadays, so much so that 14 year olds call

cartoon channels a ‘stress killer’. Sometimes classic cartoons with simplistic but effective themes

just do the deal.

Towards the end of his interview, Rishi remarks astutely, “Who is able to watch television at a

later stage in life?” adding later “I like television (over online medium) because of the big

screen”. The topmost reason for continuing children’s business in India is that the television

means the world to them.

2. Humour

Respondents had a favorable view towards shows with lots of humor, such as Motu Patlu and

Chor Police. The only flipside is that if they do not hybridize and simply feature a jukebox of

gags, kids may not find it a memorable experience. Nearly every respondent interviewed did not

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speak of the aforementioned shows beyond their ‘humorous appeal’, while on the other hand

shows such as Chhota Bheem, Ben 10, Doraemon were spoken at greater length.

Another dangerous possibility is when humor turns too crass or immature for young kids to

appreciate. The younger respondents seemed especially critical towards shows that had ‘bad

words’ or taught ‘bad manners’. Slapstick content especially needs to be monitored so that it

does not border on the offensive. A famous example is that of the show Shin Chan, which drew

the ire of Indian parents because of the protagonist’s mischievous nature. If parents themselves

turn against content on shows, it is likely to be problematic especially in the case of younger

audiences, its parents who control the remote. Shows like the classic Tom and Jerry have been

scrutinized by psychologists abroad for causing ‘violent tendencies’ among children, which

when disguised as ‘humorous’ could desensitize them to the nature of show.

The imitative nature of shows especially among younger children has been spoken of even by

older kids in the response group, who denounce some of the content as ‘meant for bad kids’. In

an environment where the child watches television alone, it is highly likely that it’s not mature

enough to process certain content perhaps the way it should. A mature mind may be able to

rationalize the content on online digital entertainment channels like, for e.g., ‘The Viral Fever

/All India Bakchod’ the way its creators intended. However, the same might not b the case with

children’s shows. Humour that encourages bullying, stereotyping and harmful behaviour in

younger children should be dispensed with.

While they may bring good ratings in the short run, in the long run, such shows may not make

business sense because of the backlash / negative response they generate. A business has to build

up in terms of its brand value to sustain like Disney. The fact that a show despite its popularity

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isn’t memorable and worse, is criticized by former fans, does no good for a brand name of the

business.

On the other hand, one may argue that introducing slapstick humor and irreverent content in

children’s television has its share of loyal viewers, and there are parents who are more

permissive towards their children watching such content. One of the respondents, aged between

12-14, claimed that he/she viewed risqué All India Bakchod content along with his/her parents;

on cross-questioning the parent later the claim proved true. The problem occurs when there is an

overdose of such content on television; my older respondents complained about similar shows

being offered across various channels. Producers, on learning about a show’s success, apply the

same formula and create similar content. This leads to undifferentiated content fed to children,

and to many young viewers, for whom animation is extremely addictive, there is a gradual

cultivation of misguided values and notions. Siddharth Iyer, Content Head at

AnimationXpress.com says “Every Indian programme for children is simply corrupting the

minds of kids with crass humor and slapstick content, which is sad to see”.

Therefore, care should be taken to offer diversity even within a genre like humor. Additionally,

humor shouldn’t be crude for crude’s sake but offer an ultimately rewarding and educational

experience for children while simultaneously entertaining them.

3. Helpful Characters

A common value that most respondents learnt from their favorite shows was to help people. “I

want to be a savior like Chhota Bheem” said Kartik, merely 5 of age. Another respondent Kavya,

also 5, while asked why she wants to learn magic, says “it shall help people”. Her favorite

character Barbie has magical powers and uses it for good.

The characters in question may wear many hats – that of a mythology-inspired savior (Chhota

Bheem, Krishna in Roll No 21), a princess (Barbie, Sophia), an ordinary person, (Chutki from

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Chhota Bheem), a martial arts warrior (Ninja Hattori), crime solvers (Scooby Doo, Cambala

Investigation Agency Team) etc. These are just a few of the many problem solving characters

that appeal to today’s kids.

It is interesting to note that while younger respondents stressed on ‘helping others’, older

respondents emphasized on ‘being helped by friends’. “Whenever Sunaina is in trouble, her

friends are always present to help her” recalls 14 year old Ishita. Ronak has learnt from Ben 10

that “people shall be present to help when needed”. This has to do with a. the increasing presence

of and trust in friends in lives of older children, b. the pressure faced by teenagers who get a

gradual unraveling of the world outside.

Trust, optimism and good faith in people have done magic in children’s programmes. Remember

in Harry Potter, when Professor Dumbledore says the memorable line “Help will be always

given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it”?

Shows that are laced with cynicism, pessimism, diffidence and mistrust towards the world are

surely not going to work among children, who still view the world as a place teeming with

goodness, a place of opportunities. Kids needs problem solvers, be it Oggy from Oggy and the

Cockroaches or the Mystery Inc. team from Scooby Doo. Investing in such content makes

business sense.

4. Lovable /Cute Characters

Cuteness wins all and sundry. 14 year old bratty Shin Chan was perceived as ‘cute’ by all 4

female respondents from St. Joseph’s school. “He reminds me of my little brother” quotes one.

Scooby Doo, Barbie and Jerry were named as ‘cute’ as well.

“Chutki (from Chhota Bheem) gives me love, and holds my hands” claims 4 year old bug eyed

Kanika. The winsome appeal of cute, lovable characters is the same reason why Disney and

Pixar films such as Monsters Inc. (little Boo), Wall E, and the iconic Mickey Mouse have

succeeded. ‘Most characters are said to have universal appeal because they offer a simplistic joy

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of watching ‘adorable’ cute characters. The smooth faces of Disney characters are signs of

perpetual innocence; and the appeal of childhood is universal (Rohn) .

Social media is a searing example of this. Take 9gag for instance. Cute cats, bunnies, babies,

dogs, hamsters etc garner likes in millions. Therefore, the safest bet for children’s channels and

production houses would be cute universally appealing characters.

5. Interactive Characters

Respondents, especially young viewers, showed a liking for shows with characters that broke the

fourth wall and engaged with its viewers. Dora, Mickey Mouse and Playhouse/Clubhouse were

the names discussed in this context. Both shows are meant for younger kids.

An example for interactive characters for older kids would be Sanya, a live action show that

aired on Hungama TV in 2005. At the end of each episode, its protagonist would need to choose

between 2 paths and ask the viewers for help. The viewers would then SMS and decide the fate

of the character.

There is great possibility of integrating interactive characters across multiple mediums. For e.g.

Dora introduced popular games as well. Barbie, first launched by Mattel as toys, expanded to

television series and then dress up games as well. Khushi may have stopped watching Mickey

Mouse, but she still vividly remembers responding everytime Dora said ‘Point to this. Point to

that’. The viable possibility to expand to desktop, console and mobile gaming (Wii), books etc

makes these characters an even more lucrative for channels.

Interactive live action content such as M.A.D., Engineer This! (ZeeQ), Art Room (ZeeQ), Mister

Maker etc. were also appreciated by respondents. However a few respondents complained that

content on these shows were getting repetitive. This is the fault of channels that air similar

theme/activity based shows on different channels. For e.g., M.A.D., Art Room, Art Attack and

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its Indian Adaptation basically feature art and craft. The popularity of one has blossoms a series

of other shows, first acquired then adapted.

A show like ‘Engineer This’ proves a respite. Producers need to introduce new forms of

interactive live action content. For example, a viewer like Kavya, who ‘loved shows with magic

in them and would love to learn magic’, would certainly enjoy Pogo’s Magiskool. The traditional

art and craft, dance and music has to expand to include other interactive shows, say on magic,

tinkering, science, history etc. Only this can counter the increasing competition from channels

like Nat Geo, History TV, which have become favorites among respondents like Mayank,

Meenakshi, Shruti and Ishita.

6. Novelty / Inventiveness

In the basic model of programming proposed by Milton Hamburger, the selection factor includes

‘novelty’ as a component (Susan Tyler Eastman). This was echoed among respondents as well.

Shows like Phineas and Ferb stood out for ‘fun new ideas and inventiveness’. An ‘original’ Best

of Luck Nikki (perceived as original because its American adaptation ‘Good Luck Charlie’

hasn’t made it to Indian shores) was preferred by Ronak and Khushi over the fun but unoriginal

‘Suite Life of Karan and Kabir’. They find the former show to be ‘unlike the usual family crisis’

which is seen in typical Bollywood films and television soaps. Best of Luck Nikki may be

inspired by a run of the mill American series (enough American movies about big families with

many kids trying to stick together have been made), but for an Indian child that’s overexposed to

hackneyed drama on General entertainment channels and cartoons on children’s channels, such

live action content is definitely a breath of fresh air.

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Children get bored of repetitive content, as mentioned in the section ‘Interactive Characters’. The

respondents held a more favorable view when familiar mythology-inspired characters transported

to contemporary milieu, admiring the show ‘Roll No 21’, which places Lord Krishna in a

classroom environment. However such connotations might as well be a double edged sword.

Ronak, for example, feels that such shows ‘aren’t in sync with the current irreligious sentiments

of many youngsters’ while on the other hand, a viewer like Mayank feels ‘he can learn about

religions from such shows’. Indian children’s programmes should move beyond appropriation of

familiar characters. Krishna, for example has been portrayed in Roll No 21, Kisna and Little

Krishna. The Indian culture is surely not mono-religious. Its culture extending far and wide.

Therefore, we need new and innovative stories that are set in an entirely contemporary world that

have unique characters with relatable qualities.

Industry expert Siddharth believes that ‘writing has been the biggest weakness; while there is no

dearth of stories in our rich culture… India needs to look to tap writing talent through talent

hunts and contests, and supporting new talent with workshops’. More such activities are

desirable.

7. Variety and Action

Another component in the selection factor of Hamburger’s programming model is

‘Differentiation’ – the need to differentiate from competing channels and shows (Susan Tyler

Eastman). Variety within shows is also another point of consideration. Kartik has an option to

choose between his two favorite shows – Chhota Bheem and Mickey Mouse; the latter having

lots of action but no depiction of ‘fighting’ among characters unlike Bheem. Meenakshi likes

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shows that have ‘action, comedy, horror, emotion and education’ packed within them. This kind

of description is usually reserved for Bollywood films.

Children do not like long talk or inaction unlike some adults. An old show like ‘Junglee Toofan

Tyre Puncture’, aired on Doordarshan did not work, according to channel expert Shukla Das,

because it ‘bored children with long monologues and absence of music, dance etc’. While on the

other hand, shows like the Sesame Street worked wonders. The respondents who were very

absorbed while describing episodes always seemed to be excited while narrating the twists and

turns within the episodes. Protagonists who are action-oriented (Ben 10, Oggy, Insectibles –

name character, Ninja Hattori) appealed to them.

While younger viewers are able to consciously differentiate among shows to a greater extent

(they remembered the channels only later), older viewers differentiate among channels. Both

Meenakshi and Mayank prefer either children’s channels or educational (Nat Geo, History).

Ishita and Aaruhi find children’s channels an alternative to now favorite music and movie

channels such as MTV, VH1, 9XM, Star Movies etc. They realize that Disney and Nick target

older kids like them over channels like Hungama TV and Pogo. However, they get their variety

by watching favorite shows like Shin Chan on Hungama.

It is essential for programmers and channels to consider this gradual shift from children’s

channels to music and movies. Why? Because it means increased competition from those

channels and possible reduction in viewership. One possible way of retaining viewers would be

to integrate certain elements from competing channels. For e.g. Roma suggests having shows on

‘school bands’, which would integrate music into a tween’s life. There is enough scope for

further experimentation among genres (someone like Aaruhi, a big time fan of teen fiction

featuring vampires, would be ecstatic if Disney, a channel she watches, comes up with say a

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children’s comedy/romance/horror on vampires; along the lines of Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani on Star

One albeit for a younger audience).

Older respondents also favored shows that can titillate their short attention spans. This trend by

online shows to wrap up seasons within single digit episodes has wowed youth. Vignettes

(ephemeral series of episodes between shows) can entertain tweens and teenage viewers.

8. Dubbing

Says Shruti, about Oggy and the Cockroaches “I used to love the show in English, because it

only had background music and no voiceovers. Then it was dubbed in Hindi and they added

voices to characters. I found the commentary really funny. But then they changed the dubbing

and now it’s become bad. It’s in Hindi as well, but with Gujarati accent added on top of it. It’s

very overdone”. Her sentiments were echoed by Ronak and Khushi as well.

Dubbing plays a vital role in pulling or pushing viewers away from shows. It may so happen that

Nick deliberately changed the dubbing to push it towards a very young audience (the younger

respondents still love the show). Or it may just be poor dubbing. Whatever the case, the

importance of dubbing in localization needs to be understood.

Respondents felt that characters that convincingly ‘sound like them’ do a good job of dubbing

i.e. dubbing in ‘Hinglish’ has a positive impact.

9. Good Vs Evil

Binary oppositions underlie the narrative structures of many television programmes. The

opposition here is between good and evil. Many a times, complexity is achieved by embodying

contrasting values within a character. The audience’s pleasure partly derives from the

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anticipation that these conflicts will be resolved satisfactorily. (Jonathan Bignell, An

Introduction To Television Studies, Second Edition (London, 2008), p. 90-92)

Superhero franchise have constantly played on this trope, and garnered millions of dollars and

fans worldwide. Children’s shows such as Chhota Bheem, Ben 10, Pokemon etc that play on this

theme have found major success as well. Says 5 year old Kartik, “Bheem is my favorite. He’s a

savior who fights bad people”. This thought doesn’t alter for Ronak, who while speaking on Ben

10, says “I learnt from the show that good always prevails over evil”.

Older / more mature kids are most conscious of contrasting traits within characters. Meenakshi,

while speaking of her favorite character from Insectibles, found an appeal in the fact that ‘a

good-natured but over-smart character finally gets humbled over the episode and eventually

solves the problem’.

She even goes on to compare her to an older friend who ‘is sweet but over-smart, gets in trouble

because of her ego and cracks the solution’. Her brother Mayank had similar thoughts on Oggy –

trouble maker but problem solver. Therefore, even while they play on the same theme of ‘good

vs. evil’, characterizations need to be increasingly complex, and gradually close in on grey areas,

for older kids to enjoy. This is a. add variety and novelty b. avoid repetition c. make characters

interesting and d. retain their ‘helping’ nature.

10. Presence of Family and Friends within characters –

As kids grow older, they find resemble between characters represented in media and the people

in their lives. 9 year old Rishit says the character of Ninja Hattori “reminds him of a friend he

had during his stay at USA who like Hattori, was helpful, generous and active”, while Ayna sees

within the character of Barbie a friend who ‘always wore princess like dresses’. All respondents

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from St. Joseph’s school were constantly and spontaneously associating cartoon and live-action

characters to someone from their lives. Shin Chan and his mother remind Shruti of herself and

her mother, characters from Sunaina remind Ishita of her own school friends, and Daphne from

Scooby Doo has an uncanny resemblance to Shruti according to Roma as both as ‘stylish and

have a good dressing sense’.

Kids increasingly begin to consume media images with a perspicacity that allows them to find a

deeper bond (or a deeper dislike) for characters and stories depending on their own life

experiences. The business of children’s television can prosper further if it allows children to

think deeply about their favorite characters and identify with them at a conscious level. Kids

have a lot of free time of hand, which they spend in front of television and other devices. There

are several ways of connecting with kids, for e.g., by hosting a monthly competition on themes

like ‘Which friend / family member / teacher does character X remind you of and why? Send in

your answers in 100 words’ or ‘Why is X your favourite character? Mail us your answers!’).

Yes, the measure of a successful children’s television business is profits but shouldn’t it establish

a deeper connect as a brand?

11. Stories Centered on Real Life

Older respondents in the study looked forward to stories centered around ‘real life’, ‘high

school’, ‘classrooms’, ‘recess time’ ‘parties’, ‘family life’. Ishita loves the show Sunaina because

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it is about ‘a girl whose dreams come true but not in the way she intends’, which bears a canny

similarity to real life.

Disney has caught their fancy lately by producing a number of live-action shows for family

entertainment. While it is currently at 5th position and not able to generate the share that channels

like Nick, Pogo, and Hungama TV, it is nevertheless offering differentiated content for an

audience that is not content with, in their own words, ‘repetitive’, ‘childish’ programmes on

competitors’ channels. A channel like Disney shouldn’t head in the direction of Hungama TV,

which started off as a local live-action heavy entertainment channel for kids but soon gave in to

popular anime and should persist to create more live action content, perhaps following what is

trending among tween and teenage viewers as it was found that they were very receptive towards

real-life references (such as reference to latest cinema/musician/trending social media topics on

television shows).

12. Power vs Affiliation –

The female respondents interviewed stressed more on ‘friendship’, ‘socializing’ and ‘bonding’,

‘loyalty’ while the male respondents stressed on ‘need for power’, ‘adrenaline rush’, ‘cool

gadgets and weaponry’ (which could be considered a tool to achieve power). Ronak explains his

reason for liking the character Ben as “Ben has the power to control. I feel an adrenaline rush

watching the show. I think of ‘what can I do under extreme circumstances such as a meteorite

crash?”.

The Need Theory popularized by renowned psychologist David McClelland in 1961 explains

‘Need for Affiliation’ as ‘Preference to spend time creating and maintaining social relationships,

enjoy being a part of groups, and have a desire to feel loved and accepted’ while the ‘Need for

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Power’ as ‘high value on discipline, status recognition, winning arguments, competition, and

influencing others’. This motivational theory was used in the managerial context. There is a

parallel seen in the likings of male and female viewers of children’s television. Since the study

was undertaken on a limited sample, the affiliation vs. power need can’t be conclusively proven.

However, the point here is that while create content for children’s channels, production houses

and channels must understand inner drives of an audience such as the one stated here.

13. Educational Content

Some of the respondents watched educational channels such ‘Nat Geo’, ‘History TV’ etc and had

a positive response towards new children’s channels such as Discovery TV and ZeeQ for

introducing many educational local shows. These respondents find solace in reading

‘encyclopedia of facts’ and other such educative books. It would be very lucrative for these

newer channels to expand their merchandising across educational categories.

Even shows that entertain should be wary of the kind of message it sends out to children. Some

older viewers, for example, did not approve of content on shows like Chhota Bheem. Three

respondents – Rishi, Ronak and Mayank – complained that it promoted unhealthy habits such as

‘overeating of sweets’. Young Indian kids may identify more with local characters from their

favorite television shows, and it is therefore a matter of concern if such shows do not take any

responsibility in teaching the right habits to children.

Mayank, while describing an episode from Oggy and the Cockroaches, could vividly recall ‘the

Big Ben’, ‘violin music’. Entertaining local shows can also be wonderful mediums for learning

about Indian culture, art and architecture, music, dance forms etc. For this, Indian children’s

shows, especially animated, need to move beyond depiction of fictional cities or overused

landmarks (the Taj Mahal, for example) and integrate the multifarious diversity of India.

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Another aspect is value-based education. Certain values of ‘nonviolence’, ‘obedience’, ‘respect

towards elders’, ‘good manners’ although universal but highly stressed especially in a country

like India was cherished by respondents. Bringing American and Japanese shows is somewhat

problematic because of certain contrasting values depicted within them, especially a high level of

violence.

Given below are findings on the respondents’ viewing behavior –

1. The youngest respondents (between 4-6 years of age) preferred watching television

throughout the mornings.

2. Respondents between the age group of 6 and 10 watched television usually after school

and during weekends.

3. The oldest respondents (between 10 and 14) watched television after school and,

considering their newfound interest in other channels (movies, music, English / Hindi

GECs), they sometimes watch until late nights to early mornings. However, many a

times, early school timings prevent them from staying up until late except on Fridays or

the weekends.

4. While younger respondents would find most of their content on television, older respondents

would search online for content. This includes shows that are off-air or air late into the night.

5. All respondents consumed much more television content during summer vacations.

6. Some of the respondents picked lunch and dinner time to view television.

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Given below are findings on the respondents’ views on merchandising within children’s

shows –

1. Older respondents (between 8 and 14) responded more positively towards utility merchandise

such as ‘bags’, ‘waterbottles’, ‘lunchboxes’, ‘jackets’, ‘pillow covers’, etc. of their favourite

shows. Tween/teen role models play a positive role in glamorizing an ordinary person’s world, in

only briefly.

Additionally, tweens and teens abhor ‘in-your-face merchandising’. Older respondents such as

Aaruhi and Ronak demanded for subtler merchandise; Aaruhi for example said she would be

game to purchase ‘a pillow cover featuring only the initials of Cambala Investigation Agency

(C.I.A)’. Roma would definitely check out ‘Daphne’s (of Scooby Doo) stylish sunglasses’.

2. Long term brand connect can be built through merchandise. For example, the first things Ronak

recalls when shown an image of Pokemon is ‘the Taazos, the playing cards’. Shruti went at length

to talk about the Hannah Montana merchandise she purchased when young. As they age, kids

may forget the plotlines of shows they used to watch (the older respondents, while recalling the

names of shows, couldn’t describe it as vividly as younger ones) but they shall carry memories of

merchandise. Remember the film Toy Story 3. In the final scene, Andy decides to keep his

favourite toys with himself.

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Conclusions, Limitations and Scope for Future Research

A. Key Points on Content on Children’s Channels

1. Kids have a lot of spare time on hand usually spent in front of the television. They view it

as a. A Boredom Alleviator b. A Stress Killer and c. A Mood Booster

2. Humour has a broad appeal. However, crass and immature content or excess of it in

children’s programmes should be avoided because both Indian kids and parents haven’t

shown liking for it. Also, comedy shows may not be memorable unless they offer more

than simply a string of gags in them.

3. Characters that are ‘helpful’, ‘optimistic’, ‘action-oriented’ appeal to children than

‘cynical’, ‘depressed’, ‘diffident’ ones.

4. The soundest bet for channels is to include cute lovable characters in their shows.

5. Interactive characters and new forms of interactive live action content is the need of

Indian children.

6. Channels and production houses should look forward to creating new, innovative stories

set entirely in the contemporary world and feature unique characters (preferably not

mythology based)

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7. Variety of genres on children’s channels and variety of genres within shows themselves

draws the attention of children. Differentiated content is the key to success.

8. A ‘Hinglish’ lingo works while localising through dubbing. Although care needs to be

taken in choosing the right dubbing artists, so that audiences do not move away from

show.

9. Shows revolving around the theme of ‘Good vs. Evil’ have a universal appeal. However,

tween and teenage viewers look forward to more complex characterisations (but not

entirely grey characters) than younger counterparts.

10. Kids began to identify both themselves and people from within their lives with characters

on their favourite shows. There is a great potential for channels to recognize this

identification in creating further brand loyalty among young viewers towards shows and

channels.

11. Older viewers tend to be drawn towards shows, especially live action, paralleling their

own lives and experiences. Reference to trending topics within their lives on these shows

can help in building further connect with these viewers.

12. It is most crucial to understand inner motivations and psyche of children while creating

shows for them. If this isn’t understood clearly, the show has little chances of appealing

to them. A story like Shin Chan might be considered ‘bad’ by some kids who heavily

influenced by their internalization of their parents’/teachers’ moral standard i.e. their ego

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ideal (or imitate, becoming positively reinforced). But ‘bored’ tweens or teens may

satisfy their ego pangs by positively responding to its irreverent humour. It could be

stroke on memories of their lost ‘freer’ childhood.

13. There is a great demand for educational content on children’s television. Educational

content includes value based education. Even purely entertaining content can hit the right

chord with children if it is able to impart some values or ideals useful for their learning.

Key Points on Viewing Behavior –

Older respondents stated missed out on some of their favorite cartoon shows because of the

late night scheduling. They still want to catch episodes from popular old shows such as Johnny

Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory that only air early morning (on Cartoon Network); the fact that these

shows have resonated over longer time period indicates the necessity of channels to employ

branding strategies that retain the shows’ extended resonance.

Also, they also expressed contempt towards daytime programming flooded with repeat

episodes of cartoons for ‘younger’ audiences. It is interesting to note that while many American

(usually non-dubbed) cartoons could strike a chord with younger as well as older viewers, there

exists gulf in the case of local content. All respondents beyond the age of 9-10, and among them

include former fans, had a negative opinion about Chhota Bheem, a favorite among younger

viewers. The problem isn’t when cartoons aren’t able to hold its appeal beyond a certain age,

which is alright; one would shift from shows such as Teletubbies after the age of 2-3. It is only

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problematic when viewers grow out of it condemning the content. Both channels and production

houses need to rectify this.

Therefore, when older viewers who stay away from local cartoons cannot watch their

favorite shows when desired, they may switch from the channel altogether. Besides the fact that

local production houses need to work on their animated content so they do not resonate in the

minds of viewers for a limited time period, channels should also make more content, especially

of past shows, available online. The online medium can be a game-changer for tween and teen

viewers, especially with the increasing use of internet by teens.

Besides allowing the option to view classic shows on their official websites (especially in

case of shows airing only at midnight or early mornings), an additional option can be to make

such content available at High Definition on Netflix, the streaming service that had its India

launch recently (a lot of popular children’s shows are currently available in Netflix USA). It is

not just acquired content of the past that can have a second run online. Popular local content such

as Sunaina, Sanya, Shaka Laka Boom Boom, Malgudi Days, Son Pari, Shararat etc., can also be

added to online streaming services. This would entail major deals between channels and Netflix,

but since the data obtained from respondents shows nostalgia towards old shows, it is very likely

to hit it home. If a comedy series like Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai can command a legion of fans years

after going off air, why not Shakalaka Boom Boom and Sunaina? Since weekend also

spell free time for tween and teen viewers, ‘special’ reruns of these shows can be aired for a

limited time during the day.

Key Points on Merchandising–

Utility driven merchandising for older children. Positive influence of tween role models in

purchase decision making. Subtler merchandising. Through merchandising, a long term connects

with brand is possible.

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After examining the ratings of children’s channels and current trends, and getting a fresh

perspective from industry professionals and viewers, it can be surmised that children’s television

does make business sense in India and can grow exponentially in the coming years. However,

one mustn’t simply consider television ratings as barometer of success. Children should be

looked upon as active consumers who have great expectations from the medium. As their

cognitive abilities develop and they begin to think rationally, their needs begin to differ from

younger viewers. Channels therefore need to welcome stories they can empathize with and

discuss a wider range of themes within children’s shows. One of the respondents feared that ‘the

government and fundamentalists might not want certain content to be aired’. This kind of

censorship and paternal outlook is limiting channels and content houses from discussing themes

that resonate with them. Conversely, they are fed slapstick content that, while popular, may not

offer them an experience that aids in their development as individuals. Viewers want to see

more, and content houses must hire better quality writers and voiceover artists and create shows

that are novel, have lots of variety, teach the right principles, and educate and entertain them.

Merchandising is a lucrative revenue source for channels and, in the case of Green Gold, an

animation house, but they shouldn’t be sold with the sole purpose of expecting monetary returns.

‘In Your Face’ merchandising should be avoided, and their integration into shows must not

hamper the quality of content but complement it.

Despite dominance of Big 4, newer channels such as Discovery Kids and ZeeQ must continue

airing original content and not resort to the done-to-death tactics used by the leaders for profit

motive. There is an audience that are tired of the hackneyed shows on leading channels which

prefers content on these new channels. Movies must be made despite their financial failures as

they introduce content to a large set of audiences and boost sales of merchandising. They also

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make characters nearer, dearer to children. Online platform must be tapped into, especially for

older viewers.

In the book ‘Walt Disney The Triumph of The American Imagination’ by Neal Gabler (Vintage

Books) the unparalleled Disney shared his experiences on how he had a prescience that

television would save him. He knew that “Television is the coming thing… television was not

the enemy of the motion picture; it was its ally… it would help advertise movies… television, he

saw, was a way to underwrite the entire studio operations”. He realized its ability to pump a

regular stream of income into the studio.

Television attracted American families’ attention towards Disneyland, and its audience kept

growing, it’s rating climbing. The popular show Davy Crockett was a trendsetter among

children, who sang songs, bought records, t-shirts, knives, books, jackets etc. Disney wasn’t one

to compromise on quality. His studio budget overshot as he reshot scene after scene until he

thought it was perfect. His company ran into losses, but Disney had a larger objective in mind –

to promote Disneyland. It was a genius like him who envisioned shows that had the greatest

impact on children in the history of communications. He kept the views of Parent Teacher

association in mind while creating content to skirt avoidable controversies. He hired kids rather

than adults to perform at Disneyland. When Disneyland translated into heavy profits, stock

prices for his firm shot up.

He would always keep profits at the back of his head while getting into ventures. But he was also

a risk taker and a perfectionist. And he meant business. His perseverance bordering on religiosity

made his projects eternal.

Indian children’s television needs its own Walt Disney.

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Limitations of Research

1. While the research does dwell on live action content and attempts to find insights through

the perspectives of children, due to paucity of time, opinions of industry professionals

currently in live action productions for children couldn’t be included in primary data.

Further study needs to be done in this regard.

2. The project proposal mentions conducting interviews with channel houses and merchandising

companies. Unfortunately, much effort taken to coordinate appointments were proved fruitless.

The FICCI report does a fine job in quoting opinions from within the industry.

3. While the research takes into consideration similarities and differences in the views of

respondents depending on factors such as gender and age, it does not pontificate further.

Also, there is an imbalance in the sampling based on gender – a. interviews of 9 girls vs.

5 boys and b. lesser interviews with younger children. This may bring in certain biases in

analysis.

4. As mentioned in the significance or utility of research, the study was conducted from the

point of view of a student of journalism, marketing and branding and film and television.

There could be further scope to study in-depth financials of children’s television

programming.

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Scope for Future Research

As this research shows that Indian children’s television does make business sense in India,

studies can be conducted in the future on fields such as –

1. Children’s Television and Gender

- Similarities and differences in viewing behaviour and content interpretation

based on gender

2. Creation of a Contemporary World for the Indian Child on Indian Television

- How can Indian television create a contemporary world for an Indian child?

What is the contemporary world? What kind of stories children like to see?

What can be created for them and what potential resources can be used to

make this world?

3. Live Action Content on Indian Children’s Television

- What possible live action forms that can be created? What has been created in

the past? How can it be made indigenous? What kind of values can be

imparted?

4. Viewing Patterns among Indian Children

- What kind of television content do Indian children view? How do they view it

– alone/siblings/parents? What is the effect? When do they view it?

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APPENDIX

Discussion Guideline for Children

1. Which children’s channels can you remember? Which ones do you watch?

2. Have you tried watching the other channels? Why/why not?

3. When is your favourite time to watch programmes?

4. Do you watch alone/with family/with sibling/with friends?

5. What are your favourite shows?

6. Why do you like these shows? What do you remember about them?

7. Which language do you prefer watching them? Why?

8. Can you describe the show?

9. Who are your favourite characters from the show?

10. Can you describe these characters?

11. Why do you like them? / What do you like about the characters?

12. Do these characters remind you of someone?

13. What have you learnt from these characters?

14. What is the nationality of the character?

15. Have you purchased any toys etc that features these characters? How did you know about

the toys? What do you think about it?

16. Do you watch these programmes or related content around it online?

17. Show a Power Point Presentation consisting of images from popular shows and note their

opinions and reactions.

18. What do you think about (select) Indian programmes?

19. Have you watched them?

20. Why do you like / not like them?

21. What kind of stories do you like?

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Questionnaire for Mr. Siddharth Iyer (AnimationXpress.com)

(ALL QUESTIONS ASKED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INDIAN PRODUCTION

HOUSES/CHANNELS/MERCHANDISING COMPANIES)

1. What is the level of minimum investment required to begin a production house that

specializes in animated content for children?

2. Questions related to –

a. Technology

- What are the popular technologies (software & hardware) used in creation of animated

shows (in production: character/setting creation etc) and post-production: (editing/sound

designing/dubbing etc) stage)? Are these indigenously available or imported?

- What are the popular animation techniques used by leading Indian children’s television

production houses today?

- What is the approximate level of investment required in these technologies? (if possible,

please mention their lifespan to give a better picture of investment required over a time

period; for e.g., Rs. A investment in X software – renewed every 2 years at additional

cost Rs. Y)

b. Human resource

- What is the usual employee strength in children’s television production houses?

- Who are the key personnel in children’s television production houses? (Have mentioned

a couple below)

Top Level – COO / CEO/Chief Strategy Officer / Content Heads / Creative Directors

Mid and Lower Level – Graphic Designers / Sound Engineers / 3D Animators / Texturing

Artists/Scriptwriters etc

- How much is the approximate level of investment on human resources by animated

production houses?

- What are the stages of production adopted by Indian animated companies?

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3. What is the approximate cost of producing an episode / a season (in case costs decline

over episodes for various reasons) of local animated shows like Chhota Bheem/Motu

Patlu/Shiva today (giving a range would suffice) vis-a-vis acquiring foreign shows?

4. Other important costs content houses bear –

5. Channel Sale Related –

a. What is the usual process of selling to channels (for e.g. making a pilot, which is

commissioned by channel if successful)? Could you give me an idea of this

agreement between channels & content houses?

b. How much money do production houses end up making through sale? Are they

paid extra for repeat airings of episodes/higher viewership of certain episodes or

is it fixed?

6. Channel Related –

a. What are the ad rates (in range from lowest to highest) for (general) content on

children’s channels today?

b. How is the situation of Indian content – is it attracting more advertisers in current

scenario?

c. How does product placement within animated shows work? To what extent does

it contribute to revenues for channels and production houses? (also what about

integration with other channels, for e.g. Motu Patlu on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa)

d. How do ‘ad-free channels’ such as ZeeQ etc. survive? Is solely relying on

subscription revenues enough or do they rely on alternative revenue sources?

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7. To what extent does merchandising today contribute in revenue stream for a.

production houses and b. channels (in India)?

8. Animated films based on popular characters like Chhota Bheem and Motu Patlu are

being made despite their commercial failure. What do you think is the rationale of

Indian children’s production houses behind extending to cinema?

9. How according to you is the digital medium impacting children’s channels in India?

Can it be a potential revenue stream for production houses/channels in years to come

and how?

10. If you were to compare all revenue streams (channel revenues/merchandising/box

office collection of movies etc), which are the most lucrative for Indian children’s

production houses today? Is expansion the only route to profitability or can

production houses survive only through revenues received from channels?

11. How much time do Indian children’s channels and local animated production houses

take to attain a breakeven? Do you think they make business sense today solely in

terms of profitability?

12. Indian production houses for children’s content as well as Indian children’s channels

have to face challenges like poor unoriginal content/ high costs etc and low ad rates

respectively. What in your opinion can help this situation?

13. What is your opinion on the prospects of theme parks featuring local Indian

characters akin Disney World in the near future? Can it work like Disney World did –

if not, what needs to be changed to make it happen?

14. What is the USP of Indian programmes for children (be it animation or live action) on

children’s channels today?

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