MUMBAI: Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance MediaWorks has collaborated with Japan?s leading private broadcaster TV Asahi through its wholly-owned subsidiary and animation production arm Shin-ei Animation.

The endeavour is to create all new episodes of Ninja Hattori, the comedy action animation franchise that has garnered a strong following in India and many other Asian countries.

While Shin-ei?s experienced team of writers and directors, in collaboration with the team of 100 animators at the Reliance MediaWorks? animation studio, have created the new Ninja Hattori episodes in 2D HD through a digitally mastered process, Reliance MediaWorks has also done the post-production and sound effects for the series.

Commenting on the collaboration Reliance MediaWorks COO ? Creative Services Naresh Malik,said, ?Being an end-to-end service provider helps us offer our clients with a one stop solution for their creative requirements and Ninja Hattori is an excellent showcase of our talent. Being associated with some of the top Japanese talent through Shin-Ei and TV Asahi for such a legendary show and bringing it back through digital technology has been an immensely challenging and great working experience for our Animation team.?

Being produced by Shin-ei Animation, original episodes of Ninja Hattori had been broadcasted on TV Asahi in the 80?s with a very strong fan base. In India, it has been one of the top-rated kids shows since its launch on Nick India in August 2006, and the new episodes will premiere on air on Nick India from May 2012.

Said Shin-ei animation producer Satoshi Kaisho, ?It is our first collaboration with any Indian company, and also very first challenge for us to make the classic show transformed into all new digitally mastered show without losing look and feel of the original episodes. Our hope is to get Ninja Hattori out to more children all over the world.?

TV Asahi is responsible for international sales of the show and has pitched it across other territories and has received strong interests from some of the key countries.

MUMBAI: Viacom18, the joint venture between Viacom and TV18, has posted a net loss of Rs 284 million for the quarter ended 30 September. This is compared to a net profit of Rs 140 million the company had posted in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

The loss was mainly triggered by a 29.33 per cent jump in the expenses, out of which Viacom18 more than double the spent on marketing and promotions.

Total expenses incurred by Viacom18 were at Rs 3.23 billion, as compared to Rs 2.50 billion in the year ago period. Out of this Rs 1.12 billion were spent on marketing, distribution and promotional expenses, as against Rs 480 million in the year ago. Production expenses remained same at Rs 1.83 billion with rest attributing to staff cost.

Meanwhile, the company saw a 15.85 per cent hike in revenue to Rs 3.15 billion, as against Rs 2.72 billion in the year-ago period. In the first quarter of FY?12, Viacom18 posted revenues of Rs 2.77 billion.

On the operating level, the company?s loss from the quarter stood at Rs 77 million, compared to an operating profit of Rs 220 million. However, from the TV business, the company reported operating profit of Rs 123 million, and the loss is from the film business (The Indian Film Company and Motion Pictures business) to the tune of Rs 200 million.

Viacom18 runs Hindi general entertainment channel Colors, youth entertainment channel MTV, kids channel Nick and English entertainment channel Vh1.

During the current quarter, Viacom18 charged one-time cost towards impairment of film rights amounting to Rs 1.39 billion to reflect the realisable value of the film library held by its subsidiary The Indian Film Company (TIFC). However, this is getting fully indemnified by Network18 Holdings Limited and hence there is no impact on the profit and loss account, the company clarified.