Ambush on the Net

When Dora the Explorer is not travelling with Map or playing with her monkey buddy,the little girl wants fashion tips.

When Dora the Explorer is not travelling with Map or playing with her monkey buddy,the little girl wants fashion tips. Cartoon channels are using their websites to keep the children hooked beyond the telecast of programmes. By making toon content available 24×7 and by creating a world where Dexter has a web address for his laboratory and Mickey Mouse has a clubhouse for his online fans,they are looking at kids who are as savvy with the keyboard as they are with the remote control.

The Web enables value addition and allows the channel to reach out to children beyond the telecast. Kids like to explore and experience new things. The Internet,powered with games,applications,videos,can deliver that to them, says Benjamin Grubb from Turner Entertainment,that owns Cartoon Network and Pogo. Apart from TRPs of the channels,he also keeps a check on the number of visitors on their websites. Cartoon networkindia.com gets more than 4.2 lakh unique users and more than 65 lakh page views every month while pogo.tv records more than 70,000 unique users and more than 5.3 lakh page views a month. Wooing the children are videos of select shows,including Ben 10 and Dexter,and games based on toons such as Chhota Bheem,Tom & Jerry and Scooby Doo that are added to the arcade at regular intervals.

At Nick India,too,a separate team constantly updates the website. Available for download are wallpapers of Dora and Perman and e-cards of Eliza and Jimmy Neutron. Online competitions are held to provide added incentive to log on. The aim is to establish closer relationship with our audience and keep them engaged. Edutainment is ideal, says Nina Elavia Jaipuria,vice-president and general manager,Nick India. Before the recent solar eclipse,the channel sent more than 200 special goggles to children across India who registered on the website,and information was provided on safety measures to be taken while watching the eclipse.

Grubb says some of the applications on the Cartoon Network website are a result of feedback from children. This includes the Toon Creator Contest,initiated in June,which requires children to create a 25-second ending for an animation video,and Ben 10 Game Creator,which requires them to design a customised game with characters from the cartoon series.

With children and teens as target audience,the security concerns are considerable. User-generated content is limited and there is a lot of control over what is published on the website, says Nitin Chawla,executive director of Disney digital interactive and media group that handles Disney India and Hungama TV.

The aim of the website is ultimately promotion of the channel but in the process we hope to provide other services too, says Kavitha Jaubin,channel head of Chutti Tv. It has been on air for three years but its website was launched earlier this year. The websites are,not surprisingly,a source of revenue,with advertisement slots and promotional campaigns. However,we ensure that the products advertised are not against the interest of children, says Jaipuria.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Loading Taboola...