Home video publisher Ultra Movie Channel which is also a player in the Indian licensing and merchandising scene has announced a tie-up with Harvey Entertainment to bring in international toon characters to the Indian market.

Harvey Entertainment has given the copyrights for Casper-the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich, Hotstuff, Wendy-the Witch, Harman and Katnip to Ultra.

Ultra Movie Channel MD Sushilkumar Agrawal says, "We are seeking pole position in the nascent but rapidly growing merchandising industry in India. The tie-up is part of our strategic initiative to build a rich portfolio of very popular toon characters from the world over. Harvey Entertainment has a portfolio of some of the most loveable characters in the world. We plan to further build on their popularity in India and offer marketers powerful platforms to engage their consumers".

Ultra is the licensing partner of internationally acclaimed entertainment groups like Kiddinx, Carlton International, Granada, Agogo and HIT entertainment.

The Harvey tie-up gives Ultra merchandising rights for five toon characters and the company plans to market products like stationery, toys, games, consumer durables, ceramics, apparels, furniture, interiors, fixtures, furnishings, gifting items, greeting cards, party products, etc.

Through this tie-up, Ultra has also acquired the video rights for all the cartoon series for all home viewing formats including VCDs and DVDs. Ultra also owns the cable TV, terrestrial TV, satellite TV, as well as rights for dubbing the series in various Indian languages.