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Turner to set up animation unit, launch Hollywood movie channel
Turner will set up a business unit to develop animated films in the country. It will also launch a Hollywood movie channel with sister company Warner Bros by the end of the year
Turner International has made two announcements with respect to its business expansion in India. One, it will set up a business unit to develop and produce animated films in the country. This will help Turner leverage its expertise in the kids’ genre and increase its output of original live action television series.
The animation movies will be in Hindi and designed specifically to cater to the taste of Indian audiences. This business unit will aim to produce at least two animation films every year. Indian consumers are likely to see the release of the unit’s first movie in early 2009. The officials refused to divulge any figures on the amount of investment the company is looking at for the venture.
Turner’s investments in the two projects come at a time when parent company Time Warner is putting greater emphasis on developing its businesses internationally, with India as a priority market.
Steve Marcopoto, president, Turner Broadcasting System, Asia Pacific, says, “The two initiatives will further bolster our considerable presence in an exciting market that is fast becoming our largest in the region. Our recent investment in Miditech and our Hindi GEC partnership with Alva Brothers, together with this announcement, illustrate the accelerated pace of the company’s activities in India and our longterm view of the market’s compelling potential.”
In India, Turner operates channels such as Cartoon Network and Pogo in the kids’ genre; CNN and CNN-IBN in the news genre; and HBO in the English movie space. Turner also has a distribution partnership with Zee Entertainment and Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL).