Cartoon Network to host the world television premiere of Vikram Betal

Media release, June 15, 2005

Mumbai

The classic tale of the courageous and judicious King Vikramaditya and the clever ghost, Betal, is all set to make its world television debut on India’s number one kids’ channel, Cartoon Network on June 19 at 12 noon.

Produced by Hyderabad-based Green Gold Animation Studio, the 85-minutes long, 2-D animation movie chronicles King Vikramaditya’s repeated attempts to capture Betal, a clever and elusive ghost who loves to tell stories and pose questions to the King in order to test his wisdom and sense of justice. The movie will be aired in English and Hindi and is Cartoon Network’s ninth local acquisition.

Commenting on the debut, Anshuman Misra, managing director, Turner International India said, “Airing locally produced shows is one of the cornerstones of the Network’s localisation strategy and helps us contextualise the content for our Indian audience. We are sure that the animated version of Vikram Betal, the ninth locally produced animation acquired by Cartoon Network, will resonate amongst kids as well as their parents, who have grown up listening or watching this enduring tale. This show is part of the fabulous summer holiday programming that we have especially scheduled for our Indian viewers this year.”

Speaking about the opportunity of working with Cartoon Network, Mr. Rajiv Chilakalapudi, director, Green Gold Animation said, “We are extremely excited that Vikram Betal will launch on Cartoon Network, the number one kids’ channel in India today. Vikram Betal is an age-old story that is sure to charm audiences in India with its endearing cartoon characters and its very interesting storyline."

Green Gold Animation is a sophisticated digital animation and graphics production company, which, since inception has been focused towards the development of original intellectual animation properties with the assistance of powerful digital animation software tools while pushing the boundaries of constant innovation.

According to the legend, King Vikramaditya ventures deep into the jungle to bring a corpse to help a sage with his rituals. Unknown to the King, a witty ghost Betal possesses the corpse and prevents the King from taking back the body by narrating stories and asking complicated questions. The King is faced with a dilemma – if he answers the question correctly, the ghost gets away. And, if his reply does not satisfy Betal, the King has to forfeit his life.

Will the King ever be able to capture Betal? If so, what happens when he returns to the sage with the corpse? To find out the answers, join King Vikramaditya on his adventurous quest to the heart of the jungle, in the world television premiere of ‘Vikram Betal on Sunday, June 19, 2005 at 12 noon, only on Cartoon Network.

Launched in India in 1995, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s (TBS) Cartoon Network is the leading kids’ entertainment channel, reaching more than 22 million viewers. Currently available in English, Hindi and Tamil languages, Cartoon Network was the first international kids’ channel to acquire locally produced programming like Pandavas – The Five Warriors, Sinbad – Beyond The Veil of Mists, Ramayan – The Legend Of Prince Ram, The Adventures of Tenali Raman, Alibaba & Forty Thieves, The Adventures of Chhota Birbal, Jungle Tales and Vikram Betal. Cartoon Network has also launched successful, innovative, and integrated on-ground events, such as Toon Cricket, Toon Yatra, Next Big Toon, School Is Cool, Save Dexter’s Brain, etc.

Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

For further information, please contact:

Deepti Mathur

CMCG India Pvt Ltd

Tel: 011-29216470-73