Adgully Exclusive | Competition is always healthy and helps the genre develop: Turner's Monica Tata

While all mediums have everything under the sun to offer for every individual at any age, how can kids be left behind. The kids' entertainment space has evolved significantly over the years, just like the ever changing entertainment consumption habits of the kids. A lot of players entered the arena to offer content and entertainment that both, the kids as well as their parents accepted and appreciated. Though the number of kids' channels increased gradually, Cartoon Network and POGO are a few names that come to one's mind when kids' entertainment on television is spoken about.

Adgully exclusively caught up with Monica Tata, General Manager, Entertainment Networks, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd to know more about this genre.

The kids market or this genre specifically, is very different and competitive. Tata believes that the kids' genre today is no child's play and is rigged with challenges. Through the conversation she told us that it is a competitive market considering the increasingly large volumes of content providers and that there is a constant need for players to be adept to technological evolution to ensure that content is adaptable to new devices being created at every heartbeat. They need to have the ability to persistently create content that is engaging and innovative so that kids don't find it "run of the mill' and change their channel preferences. "However, the single biggest challenge for broadcasters catering to kids is the concept of 'tyranny of the single TV household'. Although we are evolving towards providing content on other platforms, TV continues to remain the dominant platform to target our audiences. But since majority of Indian households have only one television, the kids' genre needs to put up a strong stance to gain a larger share of the viewership pie", she said.

Having said this, the performance of the kids' genre in 2011 is an indication of the potential and growth of this market that can be achieved with the right mix.

Speaking about original content and its acceptance viz a viz international content aired on other channels, she was of the opinion that content must always identify and follow the demands of the local viewer. Recognizing that India is a vibrant and multi-cultural market with unique viewing habits, Cartoon Network and POGO have successfully customized global and local shows. Adding further she said, "We have not only dubbed global shows, but in some instances, we have also re-scripting them to capture the nuances of the colloquialism. We were the first ones to bring live action with original productions in India like M.A.D. and iconic animation series like Roll No. 21 which has now become the channel's second most popular show after global sensation Ben 10".

In 2012, they assure to continue to explore the balance between local and global productions, but it will be dictated by the market demand in India. It's going to be an exciting year for kids and for them!

Sharing her views on whether and how some channels which are showcasing action and may cannibalize into their share of the pie, an optimistic Tata said that competition is always healthy and helps the whole genre develop. At Cartoon Network and POGO, this changing landscape is taken as an opportunity to meet kids' growing appetite for more diverse and engaging content. "The best example of this is how we have taken our television success and moved into the digital space. As an industry leader for 17 years, we've seen a technological evolution where the typical viewer is now tech-savvy and craves variety on several platforms", she said. CartoonNetworkIndia.com and Pogo.tv represent India's top-two entertainment websites for kids, with more than 1.1 million average monthly unique views. In 2012, kids will also be able to view their favourite shows online.

Speaking about the technological changes and the potentials they foresee, Tata said that, "We hope to see a greater consolidation in the kids' entertainment space. The real and virtual world divides are getting blurred as over 87% of kids prefer games on mobile phones to playing physical games (Cartoon Network New Generations Research 2011). Wider access to content over multiple and mobile platforms will help to end "the tyranny of a single TV household' and we can hope for greater avenues of reach and success. The advent of 3G and greater internet penetration in rural markets will also help to amplify the growth of this genre."

As it's rightly coined, "content is king' and Tata believes that once the winning combination is struck and give what the viewer wants - engaging content with multidimensional characters, success is just a show away!

Speaking about the strategy that they followed to stick to the top spot and the way they would position themselves in 2012, Tata opines that the kids' entertainment market has grown exponentially from when Cartoon Network was the only kids' entertainment channel. In the last few years itself, the industry has grown from 16.9% in 2010 to 18.3% in 2012. (Source: TAM Media Research | TG: CS 4-14 | Market: All India | Period: 2010 ' Wk 3 of 2012). Speaking about the journey, she said, "It's been a journey with the launch and success of Pogo. But since then, there has been a change in the type of content and preference for localized animated content, technology used and introduction of mobile apps and games as well as changes and growth in the ad sales spends by advertisers who now acknowledge the significance of kids in the household decision making process."

On Cartoon Network, they continue to focus on promoting the most popular international show Ben 10 and local show Roll No 21. They are also working on increasing their portfolio of blockbuster movies that are extremely popular with kids by acquiring and co-producing films and also creating original productions like Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens which will release on March 18. As told by Tata, apart from this, they continue to focus on launching new shows like Johnny Test, Chaplin & Co., etc which help to maintain interest and affinity for the channel.

POGO has consistently risen to be the No.1 kids and family channel over last year and the trend continues into 2012. With POGO, they have tried to ensure that viewers get everything they desire from a kids' entertainment channel. She said, "We have specialized scheduling blocks some of which include: 'Lights Camera POGO' for movie buffs, unique format shows like Magicskool and M.A.D. for budding magicians and artists, Tiny TV for pre-schoolers and classics like Mr. Bean who, in spite of being mute, transcends every linguistic and cultural barrier."

Conclusively she said, "The future strategy for Cartoon Network and POGO remains the same; to engage kids with different entertainment need so as to provide the ultimate 'fun' destinations." | By Ankita Tanna [ankita(at)adgully.com]