ACK Media enters home video category; plans to launch 75 kids' titles

The media house plans to launch these titles, which will include more than 20 Amar Chitra Katha animated titles

ACK Media, the entertainment and education company targeting children, is venturing into the home video business category. The company, through its home video business, aims to be available across 1,000 stores spread across 20 cities by June 2010.

The group, which owns the Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle magazines, will launch more than 75 titles comprising a catalogue of more than 20 Amar Chitra Katha animated titles in one year.

Talking to afaqs! about the new venture, Samir Patil, chief executive officer and founder, ACK Media, says, "We have a long term plan to create a catalogue of good home videos for kids. Also, home video is an increasing category at this point of time, though the kids segment is not tracked or easily sized. It is roughly pegged at more than Rs 100 crore, which is growing at a steady rate of 30-40 per cent every year. The home video market is flooded with a lot of foreign heroes and foreign content. There is a need gap for good Indian content, which we aim to fulfill."

The company expects to distribute about 50,000 copies per title during the entire shelf life of a title through direct sales, in-store sales and subscriptions. Each DVD will bear a price tag of Rs 145.

He adds, "We aim to become the No. 1 home video brand in the kid's category in the country by leveraging the brand name and introducing a wide range of innovative products, offering high quality animation content to Indian kids."

The home video business is initially expected to contribute 20 per cent of the company's total revenue and will gradually increase to 30 per cent in the second year.

Some of the first home video titles to be launched by ACK Media include Tales of Shivaji, Birbal the Wise, Hanuman to the Rescue, The Pandavas in Hiding and Tinkle Junior series.

The company has tied up with Landmark, Crossword, Odyssey, Reliance Retail, Oxford, Planet M, Music World and online portals including indiaplaza.com, indiatimes.com, rediffshopping.com and amarchitrakatha.com for the distribution of the titles. ACK Media's distribution network will work to make sure that the titles are available in the stores at all times.

Patil also reveals that all home video titles will first be aired on various cartoon channels and then converted into the home video format.

For the advertisers, the company will add co-branded games and for this, it is already in talks with various FMCG and IT brands for advertising opportunities.