A dynamic ecosystem needs to be created, that not only entertains but also engages: Nina Elavia Jaipuria

Nickelodeon has announced the launch of ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’, its 11th IP with associations with brands such as Phillips, Pediasure, and Flipkart. To curate an interactive approach for the show, the Viacom18 channel has created AR filters for the IP on short-form content apps and designed digital games.

 

 

In conversation with Campaign India, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, head, Hindi mass entertainment and kids tv network, Viacom18, said that the intent of launching Chikoo aur Bunty is to tap into a genre of sibling relationships adding depth and scale to their content library offerings.

 

Edited excerpts: 

 

What was the idea behind the launch of Chikoo aur Bunty? 

 

We conceptualise relatable characters that can eventually develop a relationship with our viewers. For our product’s franchise, the emphasis is on storytelling. Thus, for Chikoo aur Bunty, we have taken great detail in understanding the intent of how the characters should look - their hairstyle and fashion sense, the pets they have, and the hobbies they should possess. 

 

The genre of sibling relationships and rivalry is an untapped category. There is a lot of potentials to create multiple content pieces in this category. 

 

Regional content is growing in India and Nick understands that as it's available across eight languages. Which particular language category attracts the most viewers?

 

From all the regional languages in our product offerings, the maximum viewership comes from the four South Indian languages. We do not dub the content from our end, we write specific scripts. 

 

We have Tamilian’s onboard that write the content in the local flavour that viewers are used to hearing. This gives us maximum viewership and helps us present a holistic target audience to our potential advertisers.  

 

With the lockdowns and children studying from home, their screen time increased significantly. What is Nickelodeon doing to curb the increased screen time?

 

We as a franchise have created and provided our content on multiple screens. Therefore, there is no fixed time for kids to watch a particular show. At any point in time if they want to watch a show for half an hour they can go to Voot kids or our YouTube channel.  

 

Our content is agnostic of screen or time. We live in a world where TV and OTT co-exist, there is freedom given to parents to decide where, how much, and what type of content they want their children to watch. 

 

We're seeing loads of content channels on the likes of YouTube that are attracting children. With entry barriers in the category almost not existing, how can a network take on this competition?  

 

For us, it is about being available to children at multiple touchpoints at their convenience. As a holistic creator, I want to create an ecosystem that enables children to access content on any device they choose. 

 

A dynamic ecosystem needs to be created, that not only helps you entertain but also helps you engage. The thrill is when an animated character moves beyond the screen and engages with the children through AR filters, short-form content pieces, and digital games. 

 

The idea is to have multiple touchpoints and remain the preferred choice of the viewer. This strategy is a win for viewers as well as for advertisers to reach out to a particular target audience. Furthermore, as a business, it enables us to have a profitable growth trajectory.