Disney characters will now speak Telugu. Walt Disney Television International, that operates three children's channels in India, is introducing a two-hour Telugu band on its flagship Disney Channel. The channel is currently available in English and Hindi languages.
Walt Disney's senior vice-president and managing director, Antoine Villeneuve, said that Disney's decision to launch the channel in Telugu was based on the success of Jetix in the south.
Jetix, the kids' channel targeted at boys in the age group of 6 to 11, is the number one children's channel in the region and is available in both Tamil and Telugu.
To drive up Disney's viewership, Villeneuve is focusing on content. For a start, December will see the channel premiere High School Musical 2 on Disney. The film is a sequel to High School Musical which turned out to be a super hit children's film in the US last year.
High School Musical 2 was premiered in America in August and has been viewed by 60 million people. To promote the film in India, Disney has released its music album and will now air a promotional music video shot in India.
The channel has already sourced a children's serial in Hindi. Called Shararat, the serial was first aired on Star Plus. "The biggest challenge is to make Disney Channel move up in terms of accessibility, reach and connection," said Villeneuve.
He said that while Jetix was leading in the south, Hungama, acquired from UTV last year, was the leader in the Hindi speaking markets. The effort will now be to make Disney more exciting by revamping its packaging as well. "Hungama gives that additional surface to our Indian operations," said Villeneuve.
Though he refused to divulge figures, Villeneuve said that advertising on children's channels was growing at 35 per cent a year. The top Jetix executive in France, Villeneuve was appointed MD of Walt Disney in India in June this year.
