Nick goes local, finally learns Hindi

Localisation is the key to success among kids’ channels in India. The market leader, Cartoon Network, has already tasted success with its Hindi feed. Even the new Toon Disney saw an immediate surge in viewership after it turned Hindi.

Nick, which has been around for five years, has also realised the benefits of localisation. Come January 1, 2006, Nick will start a Hindi feed.

The channel executives claim that this development is one of the many initiatives that Nick will undertake to localise its content and packaging to suit Indian tastes.

Hema Govindan, vice-president and general manager, Nick India, remarks, “We are in the process of implementing a multi-pronged strategy to push growth, driven by some innovative flagship events, grid restructuring and a new team, among other developments. The Hindi Nick is the beginning of an aggressive programming line-up for 2006.”

From January, Nick will launch 10 new shows, including ‘Danny Phantom’, ‘Trollz’, the animated ‘Avatar’ and a show for pre-schoolers, ‘Go Diego Go’.

Nick will also launch a new season of its local production, ‘Dum Duma Dum’, which is a family game show. With this, the GAS (Games and Sports) block on Nick will be extended to one-and-a- half hours daily. Another change will be the animated show, ‘J Bole Toh Jadoo’, which will be telecast seven days a week at 6 pm.

At present, these are the only two local productions Nick has in its kitty. The channel plans to introduce more locally produced shows next year, but Govindan says it is a bit too early to talk about them.

Despite being launched in 1999, Nick has not been able to garner a very significant market share so far, as the kids’ genre is ruled by channels such as Cartoon Network. New entrant Toon Disney’s market share has also seen an exponential growth of late. Govindan shrugs this off, saying, “We plan to shake things up much more next year, and we hope to give all our competition a run for their money. I am hoping that 2006 will be a good year for Nick with new programmes and more localisation.”

To promote the new Hindi feed, the channel has launched loyalty promotions and school contact promotions to popularise the characters in its stable.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!