Nickelodeon (Nick) has been named as the number one network throughout the past year – from week 27, 2019 till week 28, 2020, as per BARC India data (Network Share, India U+R, 2-14).
Nick India has continued to be an undisputed leader in the kids category in India with a wide array of local and international animated IPs and curated content. It has consistently topped the list of ‘Top 5 Channels’ as per BARC’s weekly data for a long time now, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, its kids favourite shows like Motu Patlu and Rudra have garnered huge viewership according to BARC data.
During the lockdown, Nick network announced a new content line-up to its already popular programming catalogue, with fresh episodes of kids favourite shows such as Motu Patlu, Rudra, Ninja Hattori (Sonic), Pakdam Pakdai (Sonic), PAW Patrol (Nick Jr.). Additionally, all of these content is available in eight local languages like Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam along with the existing ones – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, thus ensuring that kids across the nation are able to watch their favourite toons and enjoy the shows in the language of their choice.
Earlier, Viacom18 Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network head, Nina Elavia Jaipuria stated in an official comment, “Kids are at the center of our universe and their wellbeing is of utmost importance to us. In the wake of COVID-19, we request all to stay safe indoors and have an enjoyable time at home. During this time when families must stay inside, we are offering our young viewers fresh episodes of their favourite shows so they can bond with their families while enjoying the company of their beloved Nicktoons. We at Nickelodeon believe this is a time to be positive, remain safe and we commit to do all that we can to make our viewers smile and feel upbeat.”
For week 28 2020 (11 July to 17 July) Nick reigns the ‘Top 5 Channels’ list followed by Hungama, POGO, Sonic and Cartoon Network. Motu Patlu: Kings of Kings holds the number one position among ‘Top 5 Programmes’ followed by Rudra vs Forces of Nature, Rudra vs Shakaal’s Army, Rudra: The Rise of King Pharaoh and Chhota Bheem & Krishna.
The kids broadcaster witnessed their consumption numbers soar quite naturally as the country witnessed an explosion in that category as kids watched content targeted to them more than usual, having limited or no access to outdoor entertainment.
Recently, Viacom 18 Content Creation, Channel Strategy & Research, Kids Cluster head Anu Sikka mentioned at AMS (Animation Masters Summit) 2020, “For the entire kids network at Viacom18, the numbers shot up across all the age groups between two to 14. We had seen our main premium channel, Nickelodeon touch close to 800 TVTs which is unprecedented. As a matter of fact for us, Nick Jr. today in the urban areas has a six per cent market share which we couldn’t anticipate but I guess the smaller kids are sitting at home and parents are feeling far safer to give them the remote and with brands like Nick Jr., they know the content is absolutely safe. So the entire category has seen a huge increase.”
