MUMBAI: Booyakasha! The Turtle Takeover is here fans! After a smashing international success, Nickelodeon India launched a range of the wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise at Hamleys, High Street Phoenix, Mumbai this Wednesday. Bollywood?s ardent Turtle fan Vidyut Jammwal shell-shocked the consumers as he unveiled this exciting toy range in Mumbai today.

Speaking at the launch, action hero Vidyut Jammwal said, "I am glad to be here for the launch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles range of toys. The turtles and I share a common passion - martial arts which was a big reason why they were an inherent part of my growing up days. Martial arts is the reason for me being who I am and for my love for action and stunts. Each of the four ninja turtles stood for something distinct but together they stood for the idea of the power of the mind (though I just wished that the turtles also did Kalaripayattu). I am happy to be reliving the magic of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael with this collection at Hamleys and hope that these action toys can be instrumental in shaping minds and creating memories for the generations to come."

The globally hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) range adds a modern twist to the existing classic boy?s toys and comes with new figurines and accessories that constitute the most articulated Turtles toys ever made; with each figure shown in an acute level of detail and complete with its own personalized Ninja weapon. Adding further play possibilities, the line also includes an array of villains, vehicles, play-sets and role play, enabling fans to fully immerse themselves in the world of the famous brave brotherhood of four.

The highlight of this range is the Secret Sewer Lair play-set, which is sure to become the hottest, must-have toy this summer. This first-ever boy playset to be launched in India will have kids creating their own Lair of excitement as they become the leader of the pack, swinging into action, training the Turtles and defeating the bad character, Shredder, once and for all. The retro line of figurines will resonate with young parents too, given the property?s success that goes back over two decades. This exciting new assortment of toys is priced between Rs. 699/- to Rs. 8999/- and will soon be available in other large format retail stores across India as well, like Shoppers Stop, Hypercity, Landmark and Reliance Timeout to name a few.

To add more action to the launch, Turtles are meeting and greeting their fans, in person, at Hamleys stores across the country. Fans will not only get to spend time and pose with the half-shelled heroes, but they will also learn some lean, mean moves on the TMNT title track, plus get some useful tips on how to use the turtles? butt-kicking weapons. Moreover, kids will get a chance to participate in fun and engaging activities and win loads of goodie bags. The Turtles will make a series of appearances in Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi in the coming weeks.

Commenting on the range, Sandeep Dahiya, SVP & Business Head - Consumer Products - Viacom18 said: 

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a unique franchise that not only appeals to today?s kids but also resonates very strongly with their parents, given its historic frenzy in the 80?s. We are more than confident of the globally hit TMNT range raking up the same rage in India, once again." He further added, "Beginning with toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will soon force their way into other key categories - stationery, back-to-school, publishing and apparel, amongst others."

The excitement does not end here! The series, that has registered some great ratings across US, UK, Canada & Australia, is now on air in India, coinciding with the launch of the toy range. The brand new CG-animated show is on Sonic & Nick starting 6th May, every Monday to Friday on Sonic at 8pm, with repeats at 12 noon; and on Nick starting 11th May every Saturday and Sunday at 9 am & 9.30 am respectively.

MUMBAI: Kids channel Nickelodeon India has teamed up with Home entertainment company Radical Enterprises to bring a new range of DVDs of Keymon Ache season 1, thereby marking the property?s first product launch in India.

The brand tie-up with Radical Enterprises introduces the character Keymon Ache on DVDs priced at Rs. 149/- each, with a set of five different titles to choose from.

The collectibles are available at Landmark, Reliance Time Out, Hypercity, Music World and other prominent retail chains. The collectibles are available in Hindi with six episodes each.

Commenting on the tie-up, Viacom18 Media SVP - Consumer Products & Communications Sandeep Dahiya said, "With the launch of these DVDs, die-hard Keymon Ache fans can now watch their favourite show at their convenience, again and again. Radical Enterprises has done a great job in creating DVDs that match the essence of the show in every aspect - packaging, pricing and promotions."

Radical Enterprises Partner Satish Khemchandani added, "We?re excited about partnering with Viacom18 and bringing out great kids programmes like Keymon Ache on home video. With the Bollywood theme and cool Keymon merchandise with each DVD, I think the kids should have a lot of fun with this series."

Taking the initiative a step further, Radical Enterprises has also joined hands with Akshara Foundation, an NGO working on children?s issues, and a portion of the sales from each Keymon Ache DVD will go to the NGO towards the education of underprivileged children.

Keymon Ache, the show, launched in May 2011 on Nickelodeon and is India?s first local, non-mythological contemporary show based on the extraordinary life of an ordinary 9-year-old boy Rohan Tendulkar.

MUMBAI : Comedy Central, India?s first 24*7 English Comedy channel, has raced ahead to the No. 1 spot in the English Entertainment category, within just the ninth week of its launch by amassing a substantial 22% market share, moving ahead of established players like Star World, AXN, Zee Caf?, among others.

The English entertainment space is populated with 8 players and the advent of Comedy Central in India marked the entry of the 9th player. According to TAM, Comedy Central in its ninth week of launch garnered 22% market share in the SEC AB, 15-34, 5 metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad). The English Entertainment pack now has a new leader with Comedy Central at 22%, followed by AXN at 21% and Star World at 16% (viewing hours - 6 am to 1 am). On weekends, Comedy Centrals? share goes up to a massive 45%. [TAM, Week 12 - 18th to 24th March]

Ferzad Palia, Sr. Vice President and General Manager, English Entertainment, Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd. said ?We?re ecstatic with the way the channel has driven viewership bowling over established players which have been in the industry for over 10 years. We are here to raise the bar of the English entertainment category with our strong content, distribution and innovative marketing. This No.1 position proves that India is ready to move into the next level of English entertainment.?

Comedy Central, an offering from the Viacom 18 conglomerate was launched on January 23, 2012 with a powerful programming line-up which includes hits like Saturday Night Live, Coupling, The Office, Seinfeld, The Wonder Years, That 70s Show, South Park & Goodness Gracious Me amongst others. Comedy Central is available in over 20 million households across the country and across analog, digital cable & DTH.