Turner International India Pvt Ltd (TTIL), which runs the kids’ channels Cartoon Network and Pogo, is now extending its characters to the gaming platform.
MUMBAI: Turner International India Pvt Ltd (TTIL), which runs the kids’ channels Cartoon Network and Pogo, is now extending its characters to the gaming platform.
The company has entered into an alliance with Zapak.com, Reliance Entertainment’s online gaming portal, wherein a section on Zapak.com will be dedicated to games based on Cartoon Network characters.
It will feature popular and iconic characters from Johnny Bravo, Code Name Kids Next Door, Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd and Eddy among others.
These games have been specifically created for the site by Turner’s in-house game development team.
Siddharth Jain, V-P, distribution and business operations (India and South Asia, Turner International), said: “At Turner, we are now constantly trying to move out of the conventional medium of television to extend the reach of our characters. We want to connect with our audiences on the move. Hence we already have mobile VAS content. For the online platform, we’re starting with about 20 games on the site and this will be periodically refreshed with new ones.”
The logic, Jain said, is to tap the growing online user base of gamers, especially among kids. Research agency TNS India’s New Generations 2007 survey shows that gaming is the “number one internet activity for kids”.
The number is expected to grow even further in 2008 with steadily increasing broadband and PC penetration.
Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak Digital Entertainment, said: “Kids below the age of 14 years constitute over 25% of Zapak’s users. They are also serving as the stickiest and most loyal users on our site. Overall there will be a collection of over 40 Cartoon Network action-adventure packed online games.”
TTIL’s logic of extending itself into the gaming space is part of its larger strategy to get hold of young audiences through non-TV based touch points. For example, apart from merchandising and gaming, Turner had last year announced plans for building two theme parks - Planet Pogo and Cartoon Network Townsville - in Delhi at an investment of Rs 550 crore.
TTIL has a strategic business alliance with International Recreation Parks Pvt Ltd (IRPPL) and real estate developer Unitech for the same and the parks are expected to be up and running by the third quarter of fiscal 2009.
c_arcopol@dnaindia.net
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