Viacom 18’s kids channel franchise Nickelodeon, is all set to rebrand its 2011 launched kids channel – Sonic. With this rebranding, Sonic is all set to evolve its content strategy which will now include edgy comedy along with riveting action. The evolution in the content strategy will be brought alive through the renewed graphic elements and the new vibrant logo imbued with energy and life. Sonic in its new avatar will go live, from today, 3 May, 2016.
The channel is already prepped for the transformation through a refreshing programming line-up. This change has already been set into motion by moving their successful show Shiva which was earlier being aired on Nick to Sonic. Upping the ‘action + comedy’ quotient of the channel will be all new episodes of Pakdam Pakdai and Oggy the Cockroaches along with the evergreen shows SupaStrikas and Shaun The Sheep.
“Our flagship kids channel Nick has been the genre leader for almost two years now and our kids portfolio is amongst the top two in India. Seen in this light, the rebranding exercise for Sonic is part of an evolving content strategy aimed at building Sonic up as a strong second to Nick, thereby increasing the combined viewership share of our kids portfolio as we aim to cement our position as the number one kids’ content destination in India,” said Viacom18, group CEO, Sudhanshu Vats Group CEO.
Talking about the rebranding of Sonic, Viacom18, EVP and head – kids cluster, Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “While Nickelodeon continues its dream run, our focus for this year is on building Sonic into a formidable channel that becomes a part of every child’s daily life. Our research shows that children love action but with a significant dash of comedy and aligning to this insight we have curated the all new Sonic.”
The refreshed look of the channel will be brought to life with the Shiva expansive marketing campaign which will have promotions with an extensive cross channel plan, large scale on-ground, ambient engagement and interesting online interactivity. Adding to this will be the on-ground initiatives like retail and mall partnerships, the association with Pantaloons for the Junior Fashion Icon, Shiva themed games and meet-and-greets at Funcity, etc.
Recently, Viacom 18 launched their OTT platform VOOT that has a dedicated kids section, further strengthening their hold on the kids genre. With an enthralling programming lineup and an enhanced visual experience, Sonic is all set to zoom into the daily life of every child in India.