MUMBAI: It’s been a little over a month since its launch and Nickelodeon’s newest original kids show Shiva is already a leader in its genre. Topping the kids’ programming ranks for the last two consecutive weeks as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s data, Shiva has claimed the title of the most watched kid show in India.
Viacom18 EVP and business head – kids cluster Nina Elavia Jaipuria shares that she was sure Shiva had the makings of a great show for kids, as the character resonates with millions in the target group.
“For any show to work in the kids category, the character has to have all the right attributes, which the kids of today want and value. With Shiva, I think we got that perfect winner yet again. Before the launch of Shiva,we had syndicated an Ormax True Value (OTV) study with boys and girls across Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Chennai. Shiva ranked highest on the OTV score in comparison to all competitive players. The testament of this character’s success lies in the ratings where Shiva has been leading the charts across the four weeks since its launch,” Jaipuria explains.
Nickelodeon’s latest gift to their tiny tot audience across the country, Shiva has not just helped in maintaining the channel’s high ratings but has also taken it to a new level. If one was to take out the average of the channel’s weekday ratings for the time slots when the show airs in the last four weeks, Nick leads the category by a large margin.
Shiva currently airs at 1:30 pm, 4 pm and 6:30 pm on weekdays.
Going by the time band of 1:30 pm, Nick’s ratings stand at 584 (Rat 000s), followed by Cartoon Network at 268 (Rat 000s), Pogo TV at 344 (Rat 000s), Hungama TV at 192 (Rat 000s) and Disney Channel at 298 (Rat 000s). Similar is the case with time bands starting at 4 pm and 6:30 pm with Shiva amassing ratings of 440 (Rat 000s) and 807 (Rat 000s) respectively.
According to BARC India's week 48 ratings, the show leads the top five kids program list with a rating of 691 (Rat 000s), followed by Nick's Motu Patlu in Wonderland with a rating of 675 (Rat 000s) and Cartoon Network's Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii at third position with 662 (Rat 000s).
Jaipuria says that Shiva commands 11 per cent of Nickelodeon’s ratings and contributes to eight per cent of the channel’s slots. “In week 48, seven out of the top 10 slots belong to Shiva. With my years of working in this category, there are only a few shows which get such a heartwarming opening. Shiva topped the charts in the first week of its launch itself and continues to lead its slots,” she adds.
Given the show’s popularity, advertisers are naturally buoyed. “Nickelodeon has been on a strong growth trajectory and we have been clear leaders in the genre. We have seen a huge growth in our ad rates, with advertisers continuing to show great interest in us and our characters,” Jaipuria reveals.
The growing popularity of the show has also made Shiva a viable character for merchandising. “In the coming financial year, you will see a host of Shiva merchandise in the market. Stating from apparel, bags to even watches and bicycles, we will be launching Shiva merchandise across multiple categories,” Jaipuria informs.
With ample faith in their home grown content, the channel also plans to take Shiva international. “All our local productions are being syndicated internationally. We presented Shiva this year at MIPCOM and talks of international syndication for our new hero are underway,” she adds in parting.
