MUMBAI: In its bid to build the best team in the kids' television space and build the Nick brand, MTV Networks India has managed its best poach yet in the form of Turner's research director.

Pradeep Hejmadi has joined Nick as director, business and operations. Hejmadi, who has spent over four years with Turner India, has, in the words of MTV India MD Alex Kuruvilla, 'tremendous knowledge of the kids' market', and thus brings to Nick the expertise the channel needs for a quick resurrection. Hejmadi, who put in his papers at Turner by mid May, has joined Nick in the last one week.

Kuruvilla says Nick, which has already started undergoing programming changes, would launch several initiatives in the coming months. This is to ensure the channel emerges as a strong contender for the top slot among children's channels by the year end. Hejmadi's defection from rival Cartoon Network and Pogo will be a crucial catalyst for Nick's change of image. Earlier this year, Hejmadi had spearheaded an expert study to gauge the effect of shows on the newly launched indigenous channel Pogo on pre-schoolers.

Hejmadi, who began his career with Times FM in 1994, moved to media planning and buying with the media buying unit of HTA, shifted to Discovery Communications in 1997, before moving to Turner. At Turner, Hejmadi was responsible for CNN, CNN.com, Cartoon Network & Cartoonnetworkindia.com.