ChuChu TV planning to monetize beyond the screen

In a bid to go beyond the screens, Chennai-based Indian YouTube channel ChuChu TV has inked pact with licensing agency Dream Theatre to launch its global consumer products. Valid for two years, this deal will entitle ChuChu TV to roll out toys modelled on its characters, as well as make the IP licence-ready. “On the revenue front, we will be getting a royalty percentage for the deals which happen, in addition to this, our characters will be upgraded to 3D,” said Vinoth Chander, creative director at ChuChu TV, which has over 5-million subscribers. Dream Theatre’s entertainment portfolio comprises the likes of Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Angry Birds and Candy Crush, among others, where they convert characters into consumer products for children and teenagers. “In India, licensing such products is in its infancy and is estimated to be worth ₹ 2,500 crore. The industry has seen a massive growth in the last five-six years across areas of entertainment, sports and lifestyle,” said Jiggy George, founder of Dream Theatre. ChuChu TV, which is currently doing a 13-episode series targeting platforms including YouTube Red, Amazon Prime and Netflix, plans to double its production team to 120. “In order to focus on global distribution of our content, we recently partnered with MoMediaTv. This comes especially after our recently launched ChuChu TV Police series became a huge hit, with the first two episodes garnering around 60-million views in less than four weeks,” Chander said. It will also be hiring 200 employees within the creative department in the next eight months