Hungama TV

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia


Hungama TV
Hungama TV.svg
CountryIndia
Broadcast areaIndia
Bangladesh
Nepal
HeadquartersMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Programming
Language(s)
  • Hindi
  • Tamil
  • Telugu
Picture format576i SDTV
Ownership
Owner
Sister channelsBindass
Disney Channel
Disney International HD
Disney Junior
Super Hungama
UTV Action
UTV Movies
UTV HD India
History
Launched26 September 2004; 19 years ago (2004-09-26) [1]
Availability

Hungama TV is an Indian pay television channel aimed at children, mainly showcasing Japanese and Indian animated series. It was launched on 26 September 2004. The Hindi word "hungama" means 'ruckus' in English.[2] Currently it is owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India.

History[edit]

UTV and Ronnie Screwvala formed United Home Entertainment with 51% and 49% ownership interests, respectively. The company was formed to launch an Indian kids channel. It hired TAG for channel packaging. Chief Operating Officer Purnendu Bose was hired and was expected to hire 100 employees for the channel. Rs 100 crore was the expected initial investment with expectations of break even in three years. In September, 2004, Hungama TV started broadcasting as the first domestic kids channel in India.[3]

In March, 2005, one of the UTV founders, Zarina Mehta became Hungama's head of programming. In early 2006, he was promoted to chief operating officer of the channel.[4]

In July, 2006, Disney India acquired a controlling stake in Hungama TV from UTV Software Communications while also taking a 14.9% share in UTV.[5] In 2006, Disney acquired Hungama TV from UTV.[6]

The channel started with both live-action and animated programming but, following the success of Doraemon, gradually shifted its focus to solely animated programming.[7][8] In 2013, Hungama started adding original Indian series as a part of a localisation strategy.[9]

In October 2021, it was announced that the channel would gain an HD simulcast, alongside a sister network named Super Hungama, a rebranding of Marvel HQ.[10] However on 30 November, the planned launch date of 11 December was then delayed to 1 March 2022.[11] Hungama TV's sister, Super Hungama, was officially launched on 1 March 2022, replacing Marvel HQ.[citation needed]

Programming[edit]

Controversy[edit]

A Hindi dub of the Shin Chan anime started airing on Hungama TV on 19 June 2006, and it gained up to 60% of the channel's market share.[12] There were complaints from parents over the main character's behaviour and the attitudes exhibited towards elders on the show, both of which were seen as a negative influence on children. This resulted in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banning further airing of the series as-is in 2008, and requiring the series to be re-edited and re-dubbed to remove the disrespect towards elders in order to air again on the network.[13]

References[edit]

  1. "Star India launches Disney Kids Pack with new campaign - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media.
  2. "UTV Launches Hungama TV". The Financial Express. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  3. Bansal, Shuchi (9 April 2004). "Hungama TV to fight for ad share". Business Standard India. New Delhi. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  4. Adesara, Hetal (27 May 2006). "Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta". Indian Television. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  5. Leahy, Joe; Sundeep Tucker (13 September 2006). "Disney switches on to Hindi market". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  6. Sinha, Ashish (18 June 2008). "UTV investment is long-term play". Business Standard. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  7. "Hungama TV banking on movies, four driver shows". 21 September 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  8. "Hungama TV to focus on animation now". 28 September 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  9. "Hungama TV gets new look, plans to add local shows | TelevisionPost.com". Television Post. Mumbai. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  10. "Breaking News: Disney Star India exits English general entertainment; Star World, Star World HD and Star World Premiere HD to go off air by November 30". www.bestmediaifo.com. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  11. Indian Television (24 February 2022). "Disney Kids to launch new channel 'Super Hungama' on 1 March". Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  12. "Shin Chan on Hungama TV - Disney India". corporate.disney.in. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  13. "India bans telecasting of Shin Chan". www.merinews.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We kindly request your support in maintaining the independence of Bharatpedia. As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on small donations to sustain our operations and provide free access to reliable information to the world. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to consider donating to our cause, as it would greatly aid us in our mission. Your contribution would demonstrate the importance of reliable and trustworthy knowledge to you and the world. Thank you.

Please select an option below or scan the QR code to donate
₹150 ₹500 ₹1,000 ₹2,000 ₹5,000 ₹10,000 Other