When summer approaches, teachers often ask their students about their holiday plans. While many children mention activities like learning a new sport, language, or traveling, what if some express an interest in becoming entrepreneurs?
That’s how the idea of Chhota Start Up – a new series which will air on Disney India network’s Hungama channel – came about. The 2D animated series from Green Gold Animation explores the entrepreneurial spirit of three ingenious youngsters as they navigate business challenges with their quirky yet practical solutions. “When we were discussing shows with Green Gold, we learnt that children were a lot more exposed to the world, and glued to what was happening around them. Being children, they were not hesitant to voice opinions, to want to be included in things. So we wanted to create a show that reflected this young generation,” said Disney Star India kids and infotainment business head Devika Prabhu. “Chhota Start Up is a child’s perspective on how things can be done. And it opens a new window of opportunity for children to learn about the world around them.”
Summer content strategy
Disney’s kids network channels experienced a significant 34 per cent growth in 2023 over the previous year, with a 26 per cent increase in viewership during the 2023 summer, according to BARC India’s data provided by the network to AnimationXpress. Recognising the importance of summer for kids, Disney has prepared an array of new content for the holiday season. “We start off by changing the channel packaging at the beginning of summer, and then we have a whole slate that rolls out something new every other week,” shared Prabhu.
Recently, Hungama premiered Pokémon the Movie: Hum Mein Dum and plans to roll out the new season of Bhaiyyaji Balwan, while Disney Channel will bring a fresh season of Oddbods and new episodes of Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir. In addition, the network will continue to air Japanese shows like Doraemon and Gatapishi on Disney Channel along with Shin chan, The Hagemaru Show, Atashinchi, Perman on Hungama. The network is looking at launching a new Pokémon show this summer, which will probably be the channel’s biggest reveal in the first half of 2024. Pokémon has been one of the most watched series on Hungama, reaching 87 million viewers in 2023.
Disney India has marketed its new shows and upcoming seasons of existing shows across all its channels – Disney Channel, Hungama, Super Hungama, Disney Jr and Disney HD. Promoting shows through its extensive network has worked well for Disney, revealed Prabhu. “That’s why our shows gain traction and popularity the way they do. But we don’t follow a one size fits all concept. We will do what is needed for [promoting] a particular show.”
Sharing her thoughts behind the selection of content – be it homegrown or international shows – Prabhu explained, “We look at content, agnostic of where it comes from. It’s really about the story. Does it fit or work with any one of our platforms? How are the characters? Is there a journey? Is it something that our young viewers can relate to? It’s about giving our viewers the best content mix that we can.”
Channel identity and unique offerings
“We have a unique proposition on each of our channels,” she stated. Disney Channel is all about relationships, friendship, magic and wonder, which resonates in its shows like Oddbods, Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Doraemon, Gatapishi, Big City Greens, Phineas and Ferb. Hungama, which is about fun and mischief, is home to shows like Twinkle Sharma #0007, Bhaiyyaji Balwan, Pokémon, Shinchan, Atashinchi, The Hagemaru Show and Perman. Super Hungama which is about action and adventure and targets eight to 12 year-olds, airs series like Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Milo Murphy’s Law, The Daltons, Pokémon, Beyblade, Supa Strikas and many more. Disney Junior is the network’s home for preschool content, airing shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Bluey, Puppy Dog Pals and SuperKitties.
“We have been able to identify the right platform for a particular show, place it in an environment that viewers will know what to expect when they come, and that in itself helps to grow and to build a show.”
The network’s two women-centric series – Twinkle Sharma #0007 and Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir – have been received remarkably well by the channels’ audiences – Miraculous has been watched by 21.3 million audiences and Twinkle Sharma has been watched by 21.7 million audiences. “We will continue to invest in giving our young female protagonists a voice in the drama,” mentioned Prabhu. Even among the kids trio in Chhota Start Up, there is a young and spunky female character who drives the marketing strategy of the group. “It was lovely to see her character develop, and how she holds the group together and moves it forward as well. So yes, that’s a journey that we will continue on our network.”
Disney India’s approach revolves around understanding the evolving preferences and behaviours of young viewers. “Our kids today are self–aware, curious and very digitally savvy. They want to be independent. So it’s about celebrating that child today through our content mix, our localisation strategy and our promotion and marketing. And that’s something that we will continue to be invested in,” concluded Prabhu.