King Strengthens Candy Crush Licensing Categories, Adding New Jewelry lines to its Offering

candy-crush-mrinalini-chandra

 

King Digital Entertainment, a leading interactive entertainment company for the mobile world, continues to expand its Candy Crush consumer products offering, with a new range of jewelry by leading Indian designer Mrinalini Chandra. Fans and candy-lovers around the world will be able to get their hands on a range of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and rings inspired by the deliciously sweet world of Candy Crush. The deal was facilitated and is being managed by Dream Theatre, King’s licensing agent in India and South Asia.

 

The range comprises of two parts; the more competitively priced range features 2D colored candy shapes while the premium range is made from gold and features 3D versions of the candies. The premium range also offers a series of Kaleera.

 

The collection comprises of Necklace, Choker necklace, Ring, Cuff bracelet, Earrings, Charm necklace, Charm bracelet, Brooch pin in couture range and Y necklace, Two finger ring, Single finger ring, Lariet necklace, Candy Unit brooch, Earring, Hoop earring, Open bangle, Bracelet in mass range.

 

“We’re delighted to be able to offer an array of Candy Crush inspired jewellery to long-time fans of the game,” said Philippe Bost, VP International Consumer Products, Activision Blizzard. “Our colourful designs are really brought to life by this striking jewellery range and the Kaleera series will add extra sweetness to any bride’s special day.’’

 

Commenting on the range, jewelry designer Mrinalini Chandra said: “We are very excited about our collaboration with Candy Crush.  Our jewelry will comprise of hand crafted pieces inspired by the game with a quirky but chic aesthetic that is emblematic of our label. It will incorporate traditional craft techniques of Meenakari and Jaali from India infused with modern design aesthetics. Launching in the festive season, the range has something to offer every candy-lover.”

 

Founder and CEO of licensing company, Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd, Jiggy George said “We are thrilled to have facilitated this partnership between Candy Crush and Mrinalini Chandra. The collection is stunning, making it ideal for Candy Crush fans and fashionistas alike.”

The collection is launching on 29th November 2017, just in time for the Christmas season, and will be available on www.mrinalinichandra.com and leading ecommerce sites.

Candy Crush Saga is one of the world’s most popular mobile games in the world and along with its sister titles, Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Jelly Saga, is played by many millions of people every day. Candy Crush Saga and its sister title, Candy Crush Soda Saga, are two of the top 10 grossing mobile games in the U.S. Over one trillion game rounds have been played in Candy Crush Saga alone since its launch.

King continues to grow its consumer products offering across the globe supported by its global network of 19 licensing agents. King has signed 145 licensees to date.

About King
King is a leading interactive entertainment company for the mobile world. It had 314 million monthly active users as of second quarter 2017 across web, social and mobile platforms, and has developed more than 200 exclusive games that are enjoyed all around the world through its king.com and royalgames.com websites, Facebook, and mobile distribution platforms such as the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Microsoft Windows App Store and Amazon Appstore. King was acquired by Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) in February 2016. King has game studios in Stockholm, Malmö, London, Barcelona, Berlin and Seattle, along with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Malta, Tokyo, and Bucharest.

© 2017 King.com Ltd. King, the King crown logo, Candy Crush, Candy Crush Saga and related marks are trademarks of King.com Ltd and/or related entities.

About Mrinalini Chandra

With an urge to take handcrafted finesse to a new high, inspired by the rich culture & poetic verses of India, Mrinalini Chandra Jewellery, is traditional brilliance combined with modern aesthetics. We work on custom projects related to multiple facets of design. Mrinalini Chandra’s creations can be defined as an eclectic range of whimsical, slightly modern slightly ancient, slightly stuck in time, high fashion jewellery couture and High Fashion Accessories.

 

About Dream Theatre:

Dream Theatre leverages the power of licensing in India and South Asia to create, build, distribute iconic brands in the Entertainment, Sports and Lifestyle space. The company represents Angry Birds, Pokémon, Sanrio, The Smiley Company, Real Madrid, FIFA 2018 amongst other brands for Licensing and Merchandising in India and South Asia. It also handles content syndication for key brands. Dream Theatre has a joint venture with Kwan Entertainment for Mojostar, a company that partners with celebrities to co-create authentic brands in the areas of fashion, fitness and personal care. For further information, check out www.dreamtheatre.co

 

 

Dream Theatre liaises launch of Candy Crush jewellery, Esha Gupta, Roshan Abbas, Kubbra Sait attend launch

Mrinalini-Chandra-and-Jiggy-George-at-the-Candy-Crush-Jewellery-Launch-hosted-by-Mrinalini-Chandra-and-Dream-Theatre

Esha Gupta, Sayani Gupta, Sapna Pabbi, Kritika Kamra, Additi Gupta, Shaheen Abbas, Roshan Abbas, Kubra Sait attended the Candy Crush Jewellery Launch, hosted by Mrinalini Chandra and Dream Theatre at Olive, Bandra.

King Digital Entertainment, a leading interactive entertainment company for the mobile world, continues to expand its Candy Crush consumer products offering, with a new range of jewelry by leading Indian designer Mrinalini Chandra. Fans and candy-lovers around the world will be able to get their hands on a range of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and rings inspired by the deliciously sweet world of Candy Crush. The deal was facilitated and is being managed by Dream Theatre, King’s licensing agent in India and South Asia.

“We’re delighted to be able to offer an array of Candy Crush inspired jewellery to long-time fans of the game,” said Philippe Bost, VP International Consumer Products, Activision Blizzard. “Our colourful designs are really brought to life by this striking jewellery range and the Kaleera series will add extra sweetness to any bride’s special day.’’

Commenting on the range, jewelry designer Mrinalini Chandra said: “We are very excited about our collaboration with Candy Crush.  Our jewelry will comprise of hand crafted pieces inspired by the game with a quirky but chic aesthetic that is emblematic of our label. It will incorporate traditional craft techniques of Meenakari and Jaali from India infused with modern design aesthetics. Launching in the festive season, the range has something to offer every candy-lover.”

Founder and CEO of licensing company, Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd, Jiggy George said “We are thrilled to have facilitated this partnership between Candy Crush and Mrinalini Chandra. The collection is stunning, making it ideal for Candy Crush fans and fashionistas alike.”

The collection is launching on 29th November 2017, just in time for the Christmas season, and will be available on www.mrinalinichandra.com and leading ecommerce sites. The collection comprises of Necklace, Choker necklace, Ring, Cuff bracelet, Earrings, Charm necklace, Charm bracelet, Brooch pin in couture range and Y necklace, Two finger ring, Single finger ring, Lariet necklace, Candy Unit brooch, Earring, Hoop earring, Open bangle, Bracelet in mass range.

Candy Crush Saga is one of the world’s most popular mobile games in the world and along with its sister titles, Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Jelly Saga, is played by many millions of people every day. Candy Crush Saga and its sister title, Candy Crush Soda Saga, are two of the top 10 grossing mobile games in the U.S. Over one trillion game rounds have been played in Candy Crush Saga alone since its launch.

King continues to grow its consumer products offering across the globe supported by its global network of 19 licensing agents. King has signed 145 licensees to date.

Fatak Patak addressing the dearth of integrated toyline for kids

Suhas-Sundar-CEO-NIHODO-Media

An ardent admirer of GI Joe and He Man as a child, Suhas Sundar, CEO of Indo-Japanese IP company Nihodo Media is the brains behind the brand animated movie series called Fatak Patak. SUndar believes that Indian kids have been grossly overlooked and targeted toylines for them are almost an afterthought.

And this is the gap Sundar aims to fill with the integrated toyline of Fatak Patak thereby making it one of the first kids franchise to use toys and gameplay as integral to content in India.

In a candid conversation with License India, Sundar spoke about the integrated toy line which is one of its kind for Indian market. He also emphasized on the trend of indianized content that is creating ripples in the industry.

– Talk to us about the IP Fatak Patak and the integrated toyline.
It primarily started with us wanting to work on our next TV show. We have done two animated movies with Cartoon Network. We were exploring what to do as our next IP and we didn’t want to go down the same path of what we have done earlier or what was on air at that point of time. There is lot of great content of Indian origin; in fact most of the top ranking shows are Indian.

We wanted to do something different while following what has been done around the world in terms of the toy line integrated with an animated series or an IP and that was the starting point. We started conceiving the toy line concurrently with the production of the series.

This may be something new for the Indian market, but it has been done all around the world. Every time they think of kids’ IP, they think of complete 360 degree experience where the kids play with the toys, watch the show, play games on tablets, consoles etc. that is how we approached this entire IP.

– Is Indianized content the new trend of licensing industry?
It we look at it, yes that seems to be the trend. If you look at path breakers like Green Gold; what they did with Chhota Bheem was totally unprecedented. Before they did; there was no Indian IP that was licensed and merchandise was rolled at such a vast level. Of course now there are likes of Motu Patlu proliferating in the market. Definitely I do believe that Indian audiences will have much deeper connection to an Indian concept.

– So has global content lost its demand in India?
It is not that global contents do not work in here; Doraemon is still one of the most undisputed leaders in kids’ entertainment in terms of an IP, but Indian content will always have a connect with audiences for sure.

However if you look at the toy line available in the market, everything is based on foreign IPs. Of course you will find a Chhota Bheem IP in the market; but nobody has created a toy line specifically starting from the Indian market which is integrated with the animated series like Beyblade or Pokemon in Japan.

In scenario where the kids are aware of what is available globally, we felt that we should create something specifically for them, which we can then take around the world.

– How are you going about the marketing of the IP?
Initially we are doing a movie series with Hungama channel and Dream Theatre along with their subsidiary Play Planet are doing the marketing and distribution of toys. We will amp up promotions and marketing around festivals. We will take a contest to what is happening in the market and then decide the next course of action with movies, toy line. And once this looks like a series, then we will look at exploring a full licensing program. We already have a card game developed and ready which we might be releasing as next product in market.

– How would you define the target audience for this IP?
We are looking at 5 to 10 years old kids. Boys will generally gravitate towards this toy line but that doesn’t mean that girls wouldn’t like it. I would say that anyone who has grown up playing with Beyblade or Pokemon, would find all that amalgamated in this toy line.

One can connect these characters, battle with them in real time. They actually do battle with each other when you shoot them towards each other. Then there are collectible cards and arena that comes with them, so that one has immersive game play experience along with the whole collectability factor.

The toy line has been done by Play Planet that is a subsidiary of Dream Theatre. The toys are manufactured in China and imported by us.

– When already a plethora of Indian characters are addressing to this TG, where do you see Fatak Patak fitting in?
The space that we have ended up occupying is default space by virtue of IP and there isn’t too much competition. There is no IP that has got such an integrated toy line. Motu Patlu is out and out comedy show and similar is Chhota Bheem. Ours is a comedy action show about kids battling against each other and villains using aliens.

The closest fit to our show is Pokemon and Ben 10. We started using collectability factor where character transforms into multiple aliens. The category that Fatak Patak occupies is the one where none of the top 10 shows are in India especially the home grown ones. And none of them have that integrated toy capability.

You can’t do a collectible toy action series with the likes of Motu Patlu or Oggy & the cockroaches. Our positioning might be more niche and we are speciaficaly targeting the kids who watch action comedy and love to play with such toys.

– How many retail touch points are you present at?
The products have been live on Amazon since September 2017. The toys are priced at INR 650 and come with an arena, collectible card and a shooter. We have tried to offer most of the things in one single pack. We are present across almost a thousand retail touch points pan India. Also we are available at a lot of modern retail outlets like Shoppers Stop, Big Bazaar, and we will be available with ToysRUs as well when they launch in India.

New kids franchise ‘Fatak Patak’ launches in India with animated TV series, merchandise

fatak-patak-releasing

MUMBAI: In line with global kids franchises like Pokemon, which uses toys as integral part of the story telling, India now has its very own franchise ‘Fatak Patak’, owned by Nihodo Media, an Indo-Japanese IP company.

The franchise has been developed to provide children with a complete experience of the animated characters on television along with the opportunity to own and play with the toys.

While the four-part animated TV series will be aired on Disney-owned kids channel, Hungama, Dream Theatre will be managing the licensing and merchandising for this franchise. Toys are distributed by subsidiary company – Play Planet.

Suhas Sundar, CEO, Nihodo Media, said, “A key desire and motivation behind this movie and toyline has been to provide Indian Kids with their own indigenous IP. Though there have been a slew of great content and innovation in Kid’s entertainment in the past few years, with the exception of a handful, most of the toys that dominate retail shelves are based on foreign IPs and toylines. In this regard, Indian kids have been grossly overlooked and targeted toylines for Indian children are almost an afterthought.”

Sundar added that his company wanted to change the status quo and give Indian kids their own world.

“It is very exciting that the series will be launched simultaneously with the toys as it will give kids the opportunity to have a complete experience of the characters and the storyline. We hope the kids enjoy both the TV feature series as well as the toys being launched,” added Abhishek Maheshwari, VP & Head, Media Networks and Interactive, Disney India.

Jiggy George, Founder & CEO of Dream Theatre, said, “Fatak Patak could very well go on to become India’s answer to iconic brands like Beyblade or Pokemon! With high quality content to engage fans on TV and character led toys to engage them off-air, this property could set the trend for kids entertainment in our country!”

‘Fatak Patak’ is a four-part animated TV Feature series about mysterious Alienoids with incredible powers from outer space competing in the Alienoid Wrestling League. The main protagonists, Sher Singh and his Alienoid Gabru will be seen in pursuit of the championship and their adventures along the way in the Fatak Patak World.

The story is set in India with indigenous story lines and localised content that the target audience can relate to. The Alienoids appearing on the show will also be available as collectibles with pro-wrestling inspired features and elements of strategy for the kids to engage in gameplay.

Licensing is the way for strategic expansion: ChuChu TV

Vinoth-Chandar-CEO-ChuChuTV

ChuChu TV, Asia-Pacific’s most watched YouTube channel for toddlers from India, has launched the global Consumer Products business for the brand. Boasting over 6 billion views and 10 million subscribers, ChuChu TV is confident of licensing being an effective strategy, states Vinoth Chandar, Co-Founder, CEO & Creative Director of the brand.

  1. Talk to us about the brand ChuChu TV.
    ChuChu TV was born purely out of passion. It was started when I wanted to make my daughter Harshitha laugh. I thought of creating a video and naming it ChuChu which is what she is fondly called at home. I did the rhyme Chubby Cheeks that starred a small girl who looked like my daughter.

I then put it up on YouTube and I was surprised it got around 3 lakh views within weeks. I later uploaded the second video Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which got even more popular and we had around 5,000 subscribers with just two videos. This was when I decided to venture into this domain and create more pre-school content. Understanding the potential, I took this ahead with my partners. This led to the birth of ChuChu TV Studios. Today ChuChu TV has grown to become a kids brand that uses the power of positive messaging, music and learning to connect with infants, toddlers and parents around the world.

  1. What made you think about licensing as an extension tool? 
    I have always believed that licensing is an effective strategy for ChuChu TV as strategically it is a good direction for us from growth perspective. In fact within few months of the launch of our YouTube channel, we did some sample toys of our characters so see how they look. We then posted it in our facebook page and got a huge reception from our fans.

We have seen that there are many digital properties that have ventured into this domain. Given the admiration that we have seen in our content, the recognition that our characters have received and that kids love our content and parents trust our content, we feel licensing is the way. Our characters ChuChu, ChaCha, Chiku, and Chika have been in all our videos right from the inception.

We also have added many new characters to our brand namely Mr.Harlo, The Unicorn Elephant, Cutians the Kittens, ChuChu TV Police, Mr.Eggsie, Wanny & Spanny from ChuChu TV Funzone. We regularly get emails asking us to provide them with our merchandise. We then met with Jiggy George, Founder & CEO of Dream Theatre, and we started our licensing program with them who are currently helping evolve the licensing strategy and find mutually beneficial partnerships. With us being an international brand, having a global presence through merchandising will be an added advantage.

  1. What are the immediate categories that you are looking for an extension?
    We are looking to focus on toys, gaming, publishing, and apparel as our core categories. We aim to launch it in 2018.
  2. What will be the point of sale and price points?
    It’s too early to speculate on this, but we would want to reach out to masses and classes – so it will be aggressively priced.
  3. According to you why should a retailer become a license for Chu Chu TV? 
    Our performance speaks for itself. We are a ‘made in India’ and distributed around the world brand. Our fans are eager to engage with us on different platforms and we will work selectively with like-minded partners who share the vision and passion!
  4. What are the parameters for an ideal licensee?
    Strong consumer focus, proven track record, ambition with the calibrated approach are what matter to us while choosing a licensee. We have poured our heart and soul into ChuChu TV – we expect the same commitment from our partners.
  5. What is your take on licensing of YouTube-centric IPs? 
    Youtube is a great platform for artists and content creators to showcase their talent and products. With over 1 billion daily Unique Users – it’s extremely impactful. Many brands have been built on the back of this popularity including ChuChu TV. As long as you’re delivering beyond the customer expectations, the sky’s the limit.
  6. What potential do they hold in India where internet penetration is yet to increase?
    India has over 250 million broadband users and while it’s growing aggressively there is significant headroom. We are very excited about the growth opportunities in India and overseas in markets where broadband penetration is a lot more pervasive. Our #1 market continues to be the US.

 

Media and entertainment veterans Anirban Das Blah and Jiggy George join hands to establish Mojostar, a house of brands powered by celebrities

Joint venture to create multimillion-dollar retail brands in fashion, fitness, and personal care in India
Mumbai, August 28, 2017: In a paradigm changing development which will redefine the way retail brands are created in the country, Anirban Das Blah and Jiggy George, two of the foremost names in the Indian Media & Entertainment and Brand Management & Licensing spaces respectively, have joined hands to launch Mojostar. The company will focus on partnering with celebrities to co-create authentic brands in the areas of fashion, fitness, personal care, and more.
The development is particularly exciting given the recent exponential growth in the retail sector, as well as for the coming together of two of the biggest and most illustrious names in their respective domains. Kwan Entertainment has established itself as India’s largest entertainment marketplace connecting investors, artists, and brands. Dream Theatre, on the other hand, is India’s premier brand management and licensing company that builds, represents, distributes, and retails iconic brands in the entertainment, sports, and fashion space. Mojostar’s operations will be boosted by the combined reach, knowledge, and domain expertise of the two iconic companies. It is a first-of-its-kind partnership that will look to tap into the growing influence of Indian celebrities to create powerful retail brands in the country. Mojostar has already finalized Bollywood stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Tiger Shroff to launch the first line of celebrity brand products catering to fashion, fitness, and personal care segments.
Speaking on the launch, Anirban Blah, Director – Kwan Entertainment and Founding Partner – Mojostar, said,
Celebrities hold massive influence in trends related to fashion, fitness, personal care, and appearance, and have been used by brands for decades for endorsements. This represents a large and profitable market opportunity to create authentic brands with celebrities. We have partnered with Dream Theatre to launch Mojostar and create world-class retail brands in India. Globally, we have seen billions of dollars of value being created by celebrity brands such as David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Jay-Z etc.”
Mojostar’s operations will be spearheaded by its CEO, Abhishek Verma. Abhishek was previously associated with Myntra.com as a part of its management team and has also worked for leading management consulting firm McKinsey. While at Myntra, Abhishek used to run the private label brands & labels business and has worked with some of the largest internet-led fashion brands, like Roadster, in India and played an integral role in building a portfolio of 15 indigenous brands in apparel, footwear, and accessories.This includes brands co-created with leading celebrities, such as HRX (Hrithik Roshan) and All About You (Deepika Padukone).
Sharing his thoughts on the launch, Jiggy George, Founder & CEO – Dream Theatre and Founding Partner – Mojostar, added,Creating celebrity brands and their extension in product and services requires crafting an authentic brand DNA, with a lot of attention to detail and genuine differentiation. In India, there is an obvious market opportunity for celebrity brands, but the authentic approach to celebrity brand creation has not yet matured. Anirban and I have been working together for a while now to address this market and come up with attractive brand propositions. This joint venture will be leveraging our mutual strengths to revolutionize the way retail brands are created in India.
While the West has seen the proliferation of multiple super brands created by celebrities that offer an array of products and services, the area has been largely unexplored in India outside of fashion and a few leading celebrities.  Mojostar will look to leverage the high-impact influence of celebrities to build a ‘house of brands’.
With a core focus on fashion, fitness, and personal care categories initially, the company envisions creating a minimum of 3-4 celebrity brands worth upwards of $100 million in each category in the next five years. With international standards in celebrity licensing and brand management as its benchmark, and driven by an in-depth understanding of the preferences of the Indian consumer, Mojostar can be rightly heralded as the harbinger of a new era in retail brand operations in India.
About Kwan
Established by Mr. Anirban Das Blah in 2009, KWAN Entertainment (KWAN”) is India’s largest entertainment marketplace connecting investors, artists, and brands. Its leadership status is underlined by its varied spectrum of business undertakings, which includes cinema (Bollywood and regional), music, sports, fashion, and lifestyle. KWAN Entertainment is currently associated with several Indian celebrities, including prominent names like Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Pritam, Mahesh Babu, and Rana Dagubatti, as well as leading brands in sports and entertainment like Mumbai City FC (ISL). Within the marketplace, KWAN Talent Management vertical alone represents more celebrities than India’s second to seventh largest celebrity management companies. The company is also an investor/stakeholder in several leading entertainment and media entities such as Saavn, All About You, Gigstart, Rooter and Gamezop, amongst others. For further information, please visit http://kwanent.in/
About Dream Theatre:
Established by Jiggy George in 2010, Dream Theatre Group leverages the power of licensing to CREATE, REPRESENT and DISTRIBUTE iconic brands in South Asia. These brands are focused on Entertainment, Sports and Lifestyle businesses. Dream Theatre represents The Smiley Company, Sanrio, Twentieth Century Fox, Real Madrid, FIFA 2018, The Pokemon Company, Rovio amongst other brands for Licensing and Merchandising in India and South Asia. The company manages content syndication for key brands and creates and retails products via Dream Theatre group companies. For further information, please visit http://www.dreamtheatre.co.

KWAN, Dream Theatre to partner with celebrities to co-create brands

Mojostar_Logo

MUMBAI: In what could potentially be the big daddy of the retail and entertainment business market in India, celebrity management firm KWAN Entertainment and brand management and licensing agency Dream Theatre have come together to create Mojostar -a celebrity-driven house of brands.

Mojostar will focus on partnering with celebrities, in the world of entertainment and sports, to co-create authentic, retail brands in the areas of fashion, fitness and personal care.

“Agencies typically sign deals, the likes of HRX by Hrithik Roshan, All About You by Deepika Padukone but this (initiative) is not about an agency doing deals. We are going to invest in this business and manufacture our own products,“ Anirban Das Blah, managing partner of Mojostar and founder of KWAN Entertainment, told ET.

KWAN Entertainment, Dream Theatre, Blah and Jiggy George, founder of Dream Theatre, have invested in the new business with the two taking up the roles of managing partners. Blah declined to share details on the holding structure of the company, adding, however, that the duo had earmarked an investment of $30-40 million over the next 2-3 years into Mojostar.

“We will invest in product development, design, manufacturing, marketing and Mojostar as a standalone independent business will build out brands in these areas. In the next 5-7 years, we are looking to build at least 4-5 brands worth $100 million,“ said Blah.

Mojostar has roped in the former head of fashion brands at Myntra, Abhishek Verma, as its chief executive officer and has also signed deals with three artists to launch brands starting 2018. Film actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Tiger Shroff are among the first to be signed and will work with Mojostar to develop a product range in the areas of fitness and fashion.

As a business model, Mojostar will bring on board each celebrity as a partner in the business for each product they create. “Celebrities will have equity ownership in the business as they come on board. Each brand will be in partnership with a celebrity and they will own an equity stake at a brand level,” said George, declining to share details on the equity ownership structure.

Through Mojostar, Blah and George are looking to create a house of celebrity-led retail brands akin to international labels such as those by Kate Hudson, David Beckham and Jay-Z. Mojostar is looking to develop 5-6 brands by 2019 with the first three launching as early as next year.

“I don’t think it’s an unrealistic goal if we are funding them independently. If we are not doing revenues worth $500 million in 10 years from now, I would be disappointed,” said Blah, outlining his outlook for the new business.

ChuChu TV crosses 10 million YouTube subscribers milestone with only 154 videos

ChuChuTV

It is now is the fourth largest YouTube channel in India with its online audience larger than that of All India Bakchod (AIB), Viral Fever Videos or Comedy Nights, Colors TV and Star Plus.

Popular edutainment channel, ChuChu TV, has now 10 million subscribers with just 154 videos, making it the fastest ever growing YouTube channel in the world in the family entertainment and pre-school educationspace. ChuChu TV is a YouTube-based kid’s channel which offers educational videos and original nursery rhymes refreshed with a positive message.

It is now is the fourth largest YouTube channel in India with its online audience larger than that of All India Bakchod (AIB), Viral Fever Videos or Comedy Nights, Colors TV and Star Plus. The channels more popular with a larger subscriber base than ChuChu TV are T-Series, Sony and ZeeTV.

In terms of views, ChuChu TV has a whopping 12 billion views across all its channels. It ranks #1 in Asia Pacific region and in India and #2 worldwide in terms of subscribers in the family entertainment and pre-school education categories.

“We are delighted and proud to have made history by becoming the fastest growing family entertainment and preschool channel in the world on the back of just 154 videos. As a team, we have always believed in quality and positive messaging and this landmark is a thumbs up from our audience and care-givers. It tells us that we are on the right path and inspires us to push new boundaries, create iconic content, introduce consumer products and basically do more of everything that delights and educates our audiences across the world”, says Vinoth Chandar, co-founder and CEO, ChuChu TV.

Licensing association appoints Jiggy George as India head

LIMA-Logo

MUMBAI: The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) has appointed Jiggy George as LIMA’s official head for India.

George, a veteran in the Indian licensing industry, has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, project management and licensing.

George is the founder and CEO of Indian licensing agency Dream Theatre, established in 2010. Dream Theatre represents iconic international and domestic brands in India including the Angry Birds.

Earlier, George set up and ran the Viacom (MTV) and Turner (Cartoon Network and POGO) licensing businesses, and also served as executive director at Cartoon Network Enterprises.

“With experience as a licensor, licensee and agent, Jiggy possesses a thorough knowledge of the licensing industry in India and of the overall regional market. He understands both the power and benefits of operating in India, as well as the challenges,” said Charles Riotto, president, LIMA.

“Our goal for LIMA India is to unify licensing professionals through the development of valuable regional networking and educational opportunities. We are looking to reach not only those directly involved in licensing, but also those whose business is connected to our far-reaching industry,” Riotto added.

India is a strategically important market for the licensing industry and LIMA recognises the market’s growth potential.

“With its rich history of entertainment and brand awareness coupled with strong economic fundamentals, the Indian licensing industry is poised for takeoff. This is the perfect time for LIMA to bring the key players together to jointly address the challenges and grow the licensing business in India,” said George.

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS APPOINTS DREAM THEATRE AS NEW LICENSING AGENT IN INDIA

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Dream Theatre Becomes Newest Licensing Agent for Company in India

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products announces today the appointment of Dream Theatre as its new licensing agent in India effective immediately. Dream Theatre will establish and grow the licensing business for Fox Consumer Products’ portfolio of TV and film brands including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Sons of Anarchy, Ice Age, Rio, and Avatar, among others in the market.

The Fox portfolio has the distinction of not just having properties across movies and television, its legions of fans cut across age groups of kids, teens, youth and adults making it one of the most sought after propositions in India and across the world. The addition of Fox properties to its portfolio reinforces Dream Theatre’s leading position in India with its three verticals of Entertainment, Sports and Lifestyle.

 

“We are delighted to have Dream Theatre as our new licensing agency in India,” said Pinky David, Vice President Asia Pacific, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. “Their leadership and brand-driven creative approach makes them the perfect partner to continue exploring new consumer targets and expanding our retail reach in this very important territory.”

Dream Theatre will further establish all Fox Consumer Products brands in the Indian market with a focus on franchise building and retail expansion. Dream Theatre’s great reputation and truly unique approach to building brands and keeping them relevant locally allows Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products to continue to expand the business in a country that is now the world’s third

largest economy.

 

Twentieth Century Fox theatrical film releases have performed superlatively with Ice Age and Rio featuring in the top 5 animated films in India. On the television series front, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Modern Family and 24 air on India’s leading English Entertainment channels like Star World, Comedy Central, Zee Café and others making the brands household names. The avid fan following makes India a leading potential market for Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.

 

“We are thrilled and are extremely proud to have been chosen as Fox’s partner of choice in India. We aim to make Fox one of the largest licensing propositions in India with its sheer diversity of appeal and its legendary popularity,” said Jiggy George, Founder and CEO of Dream Theatre.

The Fox partnership will allow Dream Theatre to unleash the power of Fox in India in the form of apparel, toys, stationery, home furnishings, gifts and novelties and more through licensees. 2

Fans in India will now be able to buy authentic licensed merchandise which will be available at retail and online portals at price points ranging from INR 99 to INR 3000, making it possible for every fan to own their favourite Twentieth Century Fox movie or TV series merchandise.

 

About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

A division of 21st Century Fox and recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, the flagship studio leading the industry in supplying award-winning and blockbuster primetime television programming and entertainment content.

 

About DREAM THEATRE:

Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd is a Brand management company that builds, represents and distributes iconic Entertainment, Sports and Fashion brands in South Asia. Dream Theatre owns brand Beebop and Joshua Tree. They have also built their own distribution network through Woodstock Merchandising, an apparel merchandising company. Within the Sports space, Dream Theatre represents AC Milan, FIFA World Cup 2014, Real Madrid. In the Entertainment space, they represent DreamWorks Animation brands, Discovery channel brands, Krrish 3, Rovio (Angry Birds), Outfit 7 (Talking Tom & Friends), King’s Candy Crush Saga, Pokémon Company and World Wrestling Entertainment. On the Fashion and Lifestyle front Dream Theatre represents Sanrio (Hello Kitty and Mr. Men and Little Miss), Von Dutch, Times of India among others. More information available on www.dreamtheatre.co