MUMBAI: Kids Media India (KMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai-based Spacetoon Media, is launching a Hindi kids channel in India on 14 January.

“Spacetoon is launching on 14 January. The company has completed all the necessary requirements to put up the channel on air,” says a source close to the development.

Targeted at the age group of 4 to 12 years, the Hindi kids channel will be a mix of animation and live action.

The free-to-air (FTA) kids channel, has got its distribution in place, says the source.

Spacetoon India has roped in Yazdi Sodawaterwala as India distribution head of the channel. He comes in from Broadcast Initiative Limited (Live India and Mi Marathi), where he was vice president distribution.

Based out of Mumbai, Sodawaterwala will be reporting directly to Spacetoon India MD and CEO Rajiv Sangari.

As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, KMI, which is in the process of launching a kids channel in India, has a fund requirement of Rs 1 billion over three years.

KMI has already received Rs 780 million from its parent company, Spacetoon Media Group.

Spacetoon Media runs Spacetoon TV, a kids entertainment cartoon channel, since March 2000. The channel transmits in more than 22 countries throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Indonesia and Korea.