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It’s moment of truth for Star Plus

: How do you keep restless kids glued to TV, especially in India which is still predominantly a one-TV household country? How do you establish a brand and promote other activities around it? How do you grow the business? These are a clutch of challenges facing top kids channels operating in India—a total of six: Cartoon Network, Pogo, Nick, Jetix, Disney, Hungama—some of which have been around for over a decade.

And yet it hasn’t been a bad year for kids channels despite meltdown pressures. Analysts said 2009 has been a year of ‘status quo’ for kids entertainment channels; and channel owners echoed the sentiments. Says Nina Elavia Jaipuria, GM & senior VP, Nick: “We have not grown, we have not fallen. We are consistent.”

Turner, which has been around in this space for 13 years now with Cartoon Network and then Pogo, hopes the genre will get the seriousness it deserves. “A kid’s channel is tough business,” points out Monica Tata, VP and deputy GM, entertainment networks, South Asia, Turner International India. There are two parts to the business—first establish the brand, then take the brand beyond the TV—and Indian kids entertainment channels are just about getting part one right, that is setting up the brand. So, if Cartoon Network and Pogo have Ben Ten, The Power Puff Girls, Tom & Jerry, Chota Bheem and M.A.D as their most prominent shows, Nick has Dora, the Explorer, Ninja Hattori and Perman; and Disney and Hungama have Hannah Montana, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon and Shinchan to name a few. Ask any 4-14 year old, and chances are s/he will know about all and more of these shows.

But that’s only work half done. As Smita Jha, associate director, PwC, explains: “There’s limited growth in broadcasted revenues. So, once you have established your brand you must grow your other activities like licensing and merchandising, setting up theme parks, appearing on radio, movies and so forth.” Then, again, Indian consumers are cost-conscious, perhaps one of the reasons why a Disney theme park hasn’t come up yet; or expensive cartoon merchandise don’t fly off the shelves.