Cartoon Network, Pogo claim they helped kids’ genre grow

Both kids’ channels feel they contributed to their genre’s growth last summer, and both hope to replicate the success this year with a slew of new programmes

Summer time (April, May and June) is a strategic and important time for kids’ channels because children are home for the holidays during these months and watch more television than at other times of the year. Turner International, which owns the kids’ channels, Cartoon Network (CN) and Pogo, claims that the channels contributed stupendously to the growth of the kids’ genre last summer.

As per TAM data (all India, C&S, 4-14 years), CN’s channel share in the kids’ genre dropped from 30 per cent in April-June 2006 to 25 per cent in April-June 2007. Similarly, Pogo, too, saw a fall from 23 per cent to 21 per cent during the same period. The channels that were the gainers in the same period were Chutti TV, which garnered a channel share of 4 per cent in 2007, up from 0 per cent in the months of April, May and June 2006. Disney Channel, which gained a 2 per cent more share, was up from 11 per cent. Hungama TV, too, saw a gain of 3 per cent, up from 14 per cent to 17 per cent. Nickelodeon went up from 5 per cent to 9 per cent. Besides CN and Pogo, the other loser was Jetix, which went down from 17 per cent to 11 per cent in April-June 2007.

However, Turner International would like us to believe otherwise. According to Monica Tata, vice-president, advertising sales and networks, Turner International, India and South Asia, last summer, CN and Pogo contributed almost 60 per cent of the kids’ TV genre growth. “Interestingly, considering that kids’ channels’ viewing peaks during summer – it increased by 25 per cent for CN and Pogo, but only 15 per cent for the rest of the kids’ channels,” she says.

Turner International doesn’t contradict the TAM data. So, how did the company reach these figures? The company offers the channel share figures for April-June 2007 versus the rest of the year to make its claim. “The TAM data has absolute figures,” says a company spokesperson.

As per the company, CN had a channel share of 4.1 per cent in April, May and June 2007 as against 3.4 per cent for the rest of the year. The difference was thus 0.7 per cent, or a viewership increase of 22 per cent. Thus, its contribution to the growth of the kids’ genre was 28 per cent. Similarly, for Pogo, the difference was 0.8 per cent as against the rest of the year, and the resulting contribution to the growth of the kids’ genre was 29 per cent. Put together, CN and Pogo’s contribution to the genre’s growth is 57 per cent (which the company says is almost 60 per cent).

According to Tata, “These months contribute more than 30 per cent each of the annual Cartoon Network and Pogo advertising revenue. Further on, at CN, we witness a 20 per cent jump in the number of advertisers in this quarter (i.e., over Q1).”

To replicate the success this year, CN will showcase four animation movies, Bal Ganesh, My Friend Ganesha, Bal Hanuman and Krishna Aayo Natkhat Nandlal. On Pogo, it will showcase its first Indian animation series, Chhota Bheem, and movies such as Krrish and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

“Kids have a short attention span and we are constantly challenging ourselves to retain their attention. For that, we’ll be focusing on the long-form formats, i.e., movies,” says Tata.

Pogo will also see a new action series, the Thumb Wrestling Federation (TWF), which, Tata feels, could be the prize catch of the season. “Thumb wrestling will be a craze amongst kids in schools very soon,” says Tata.

However, she agrees that unlike the news genre, the kids’ genre has not grown as expected with the coming of more players. According to her, “Kids’ channel shares in all audiences have grown from 2.7 per cent in 2004 to 5.2 per cent in 2008 (all India, C&S 4+). Meanwhile, the advertising pie hasn’t grown proportionally in the genre – it was a mere 2 per cent in 2007.”

Pogo was launched to also attract adults, especially mothers, who watch television with their children. Today, as per Tata, about 33-35 per cent of the viewers of CN and Pogo are adults.

This has reflected upon the profile of advertisers as well. Tata says, “About 30 per cent of the ad revenue for CN and Pogo comes from non-traditional advertisers like FMCGs, oil companies, and tourism and financial companies.”

Turner International has had unlikely promotions with these non-traditional advertisers like an ICICI Credit Card – a credit card for kids, with the approval of the parents; a tie-up with Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) to give away Powerpuff stickers and CN goodies free whenever petrol was filled from BPCL retail outlets; and Citibank, where a Scooby Doo bag would be given free if the parent opened an account for the child with a minimum deposit of Rs 1 lakh.

Surprised? But Tata reasons, “We are not luring the parents to open an account. The thought is already meandering in the parent’s mind to invest for his child’s future. So, the bag is just an add-on or a gift.”

The company does a lot of on-ground activities like school contact programmes and carnivals for kids, where parents too are invited, to “generate stickiness to the channel”.