Industry Leading Online and Mobile Providers Including iTunes, YouTube, Hulu, Joost, Crunchyroll, MashON and Nokia Get Behind The WheelLas Vegas, Nevada (June 1, 2009) - Speed Racer Enterprises shifts into high-gear for Licensing International with all-new online and mobile brand extensions for both Speed Racer: The Next Generation and the classic animated Speed Racer series. The iTunes App Store will host a Speed Racer App in their Games and Entertainment category, the division which accounts for a majority of sales in the store. Full length episodes of both series can be found on several key online television service providers including YouTube and Hulu, the top two video destinations on the Web; Joost, the video portal from the founders of Skype; as well as on the anime and manga fan site, Crunchyroll.
Speed Racer fans will be able to take their devotion to the next level with MashON, an easy-to-use creative social media application where users can create 'mashups' by combining their photos, videos and sounds with the popular Speed Racer characters. The resulting 'mashup' can be instantly distributed across the web, shared on social networks, or produced into greeting cards, comics, posters, and personalized t-shirts or skateboards, among other varied products.
Fueling Speed Racer Enterprises' mobile initiatives is a deal with cell phone industry giant, Nokia. Through ZooVision, a mobile video 3gp streaming content aggregator, a comprehensive offering of the Speed Racer brands has been tailored for Nokia's new handset, the N97, which will have both series pre-programmed onto over 200 million new cell phones rolling out this summer.
Additionally, Speed Racer Enterprises is renovating its website to include a secure online world where young viewers can play games, do online activities or download and print coloring pages through the Speed Racer website parents have come to trust to provide age appropriate content (www.speedracer.com).
"We are thrilled to have so many top-notch companies involved with our launch into the digital and mobile space. The landscape of the industry has been changing significantly over the years and we've taken a proactive approach to ensure Speed Racer not only thrives but remains at the forefront of current trends," said James Rocknowski, President, Speed Racer Enterprises.
The highly-rated new animated television series Speed Racer: The Next Generation (SR: TNG) airs in the U.S. on Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network. The first season of Speed Racer: The Next Generation reached an average of roughly 2.9 million Total Viewers 2+ each month 2009 to date (Source: NMR: Jan - April 2009 NPower).
Speed Racer: The Next Generation (26 x 30') is geared toward a new generation of 6-14-year-old viewers and builds on the legendary adventures of the original iconic series incorporating hot-topic storylines such as renewable resources and the pursuit of a car built with a gasless engine. After leaving an orphanage, Speed arrives at the Racing Academy and discovers that he is the son of the world famous Speed Racer who had gone missing many years ago. Along with action-packed adventure on the racetrack, Speed and his pals work together to solve the mystery surrounding his father's disappearance and build the ultimate racing machine - the Mach 6 - and balance their studies, all the while avoiding the evil schemes of oil tycoon Zile Zazic.
Speed Racer (52 x 30') made its original debut in 1967 in Japan and was dubbed into English and syndicated nationally on television. After 40 years, it is one of entertainment's most recognizable animated cultural icons. The classic series explores the passion of a teenage racer with the most powerful and stylish car on the planet, the unsurpassed Mach 5, and centers on friendship and family issues amidst the world of high-octane racing.
ABOUT SPEED RACER ENTERPRISES
Speed Racer: The Next Generation is executive produced by John and James Rocknowski, principals of Speed Racer Enterprises, and Larry Schwarz, a principal of Animation Collective in association with Lionsgate. Lionsgate launched the first installment of these television episodes on DVD in 2008. The first two DVDs from the new series, The Beginning and Fast Track, have already sold over 250,000 DVDs to date while classic Speed Racer DVDs have sold over one million DVDs to date.
Speed Racer Enterprises handles licensing and merchandising for the brand with Lionsgate as a consultant for both the classic Speed Racer and the new animated series Speed Racer: The Next Generation. Lionsgate is also the worldwide distribution company for both television and home entertainment.
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"We are thrilled to have so many top-notch companies involved with our launch into the digital and mobile space. The landscape of the industry has been changing significantly over the years and we've taken a proactive approach to ensure Speed Racer not only thrives but remains at the forefront of current trends," said James Rocknowski, President, Speed Racer Enterprises.
The highly-rated new animated television series Speed Racer: The Next Generation (SR: TNG) airs in the U.S. on Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network. The first season of Speed Racer: The Next Generation reached an average of roughly 2.9 million Total Viewers 2+ each month 2009 to date (Source: NMR: Jan - April 2009 NPower).
Speed Racer: The Next Generation (26 x 30') is geared toward a new generation of 6-14-year-old viewers and builds on the legendary adventures of the original iconic series incorporating hot-topic storylines such as renewable resources and the pursuit of a car built with a gasless engine. After leaving an orphanage, Speed arrives at the Racing Academy and discovers that he is the son of the world famous Speed Racer who had gone missing many years ago. Along with action-packed adventure on the racetrack, Speed and his pals work together to solve the mystery surrounding his father's disappearance and build the ultimate racing machine - the Mach 6 - and balance their studies, all the while avoiding the evil schemes of oil tycoon Zile Zazic.
Speed Racer (52 x 30') made its original debut in 1967 in Japan and was dubbed into English and syndicated nationally on television. After 40 years, it is one of entertainment's most recognizable animated cultural icons. The classic series explores the passion of a teenage racer with the most powerful and stylish car on the planet, the unsurpassed Mach 5, and centers on friendship and family issues amidst the world of high-octane racing.
ABOUT SPEED RACER ENTERPRISES
Speed Racer: The Next Generation is executive produced by John and James Rocknowski, principals of Speed Racer Enterprises, and Larry Schwarz, a principal of Animation Collective in association with Lionsgate. Lionsgate launched the first installment of these television episodes on DVD in 2008. The first two DVDs from the new series, The Beginning and Fast Track, have already sold over 250,000 DVDs to date while classic Speed Racer DVDs have sold over one million DVDs to date.
Speed Racer Enterprises handles licensing and merchandising for the brand with Lionsgate as a consultant for both the classic Speed Racer and the new animated series Speed Racer: The Next Generation. Lionsgate is also the worldwide distribution company for both television and home entertainment.
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