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The International "relaunch" of SAILORMOON will take off from Italy.  
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 
Paris (January 25, 2010) - Toei Animation and Backstage ink a deal to re-launch the classic
'anime' SAILORMOON on the Italian market. The Italian agency will manage the exploitation of
the following rights for Italy: TV, publishing, merchandising and theatrical release. The feasibility
of this project also relies on a close collaboration with the original author of SAILORMOON, Mrs
Naoko Takeuchi.
 
«We are very happy» commented Kanji Kazahaya, Directeur General, Toei Animation Europe, «to
have Backstage as the licensing partner of SAILORMOON. It is one of the most important factor
of success. We are certain that strategically Italy is the ideal country to initiate a global re-launch
of the classic Japanese animated series, such as SAILORMOON. The Italian public has
traditionally been passionate about 'anime'».
 
Toei Animation confirms the trust given to the Italian agency, which is already in charge of
managing other important Toei Animation properties such as Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya and One
Piece.
 
In Japan, SAILORMOON has been a real cultural phenomenon but also one of the biggest success
worldwide during the 90's. With 5 seasons, a total of 200 episodes of 26 min. each, plus six
feature films, SAILORMOON managed to conquer a wide public, mainly female, thanks to its
uniqueness and a plot full of humor, actions and emotions.
 
«We are thrilled to manage SAILORMOON rights for the second time» said Gianpietro Peia,
Backstage CEO. «We are very proud of the outcome of the delicate negotiation with the author
and also of the trust gained by Toei Animation. SAILORMOON can rely on hundreds of passionate
and excited fans so we are positive about obtaining good commercial results. Many Italian
companies have already expressed their interest and they will be able to take advantage of a
totally new and redesigned Style Guide». 
 
Mediaset have already purchased the TV rights and they should air the first series in Autumn
2010. 
 
 
 
 
 
Credits:
 
Toei Animation Europe, SAS
With headquarters in Tokyo and sales offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Paris, Toei Animation (Jasdaq: 4816) ranks
amongst the world's most prolific animation production studios. Toei Animation's operations include animation
development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. Founded in 2004, Toei Animation Europe, is
in charge of the distribution and exploitation of Toei Animation's animated series in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Among its most famous series: Captain Harlock, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, Sailormoon, Digimon Adventure, One Piece,...
www.toei-animation.com
 
Backstage
Backstage is one of the first Italian independent agency that since 1991 has been active in the licensing business. It operates around
different main fields: Entertainment (from Tv animated series to movies), Brand and Art licensing.  Backstage works with the most
renowned Italian companies building a relationship of mutual trust with Licensees and Licensors (Toei Animation, Marvel, Lucasfilm,
Artestar, etc.). The mission of Backstage is to provide its commercial partners with a complete service while developing effective
licensing campaigns. Backstage operates with the headquarter in Modena and one office in Milan. 
Counting 15 employees divided in different departments, it guarantees a high level of service both to the Licensor and the Licensees
through sales, communication, marketing and Brand Assurance activities. The wide choice of characters allows the development of
diversified licensing plans, all customised to satisfy every single need of our partners. 
www.backstagelicensing.com.
 
 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK and COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - October 5, 2009 - In the wake of a successful eighteen-month partnership designed to launch Gonzoft Television Animation's live animation software in the U.S., FlickerLab and Gonzoft have agreed to merge. FlickerLab, LLC will formally announce the new company at MIPCOM, the world's entertainment content market, in Cannes France, October 5, where they will also present a range of products. The new company will operate from both New York and Copenhagen.
 
FlickerLab is a creative company that has created a wide range of animation, live-action, interactive and mixed media content throughout the world for film, TV, Internet and cross-media. The company is committed to, and focuses on, socially and environmentally conscious media and the building of sustainable media brands.
 
FlickerLab recently teamed with Academy Award-winning Director Michael Moore to create an animated segment for his feature film Capitalism: A Love Story. The company has also created animation and graphics for Moore's last three films - a cartoon for Bowling for Columbine, and graphics and design for both Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko, three of the top five highest-grossing documentaries of all time. FlickerLab's portfolio also includes an animated campaign for Al Gore's Repower America; two animated pilots for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim; a viral short for Planned Parenthood; a series of live-action and animated DVD's  for  Hooked on Phonics; a weekly online animated show for Sports Illustrated; In addition, FlickerLab's portfolio includes high profile work for media and entertainment companies including A&E Networks, Bravo, Discovery Home, Disney Channel, Lifetime, Lions Gate Productions, MTV, Nickelodeon, Planned Parenthood, The Cartoon Network and The WB, and product/service companies including Bassat Ogilvy, Continental Airlines, Grey Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, McCann Erickson, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble, among many others.
 

Innovative Preschool Series Designed to
Spark Interest in Life Science, Natural History and Paleontology
Cannes, France:  October 6, 2009 - On the eve of MIPCOM, The Jim Henson Company has finalized a new broadcast agreement with Discovery Kids Latin America to air the all-new CGI-animated series, Dinosaur Train, across the region.  The new deal follows previously announced agreements for the series with Nickelodeon (Australia), Selecta Vision (Spain), Al Jazeera (Middle East), TVO and TFO (Canada), Knowledge (British Columbia) and NRK (Norway), and is the second series to be acquired by the channel which currently airs The Jim Henson Company's Sid the Science Kid.  The announcement was made today at MIPCOM 2009 by Sam Ewing, Head of International Sales, The Jim Henson Company and Bilai Joa Silar, Vice President & Channel Director, Discovery U.S. Hispanic Networks & Discovery Kids Latin America.
 
Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about natural science, natural history and paleontology.  The new series premiered September 7, 2009 in the U.S. on PBS KIDS®.  The Jim Henson Company will offer 40 half-hour episodes (80 x 11 minute episodes) at the MIPCOM market.
 
Dinosaur Train is seen through the eyes of Buddy, a preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go for adventures on the Dinosaur Train to meet all kinds of dinosaurs in different eras and learn fascinating new facts about these incredible creatures.
 
"Our international broadcast partners have immediately embraced Dinosaur Train," comments Ewing.  "The Jim Henson Company is synonymous with quality entertaining and engaging programming, and partners, such as Discovery Kids Latin America, see that Dinosaur Train is a series that delivers key elements all kids love--dinosaurs and trains."
 
"Dinosaur Train exemplifies the level of quality programming that meets our standards and helps to fulfill Discovery Kid's mission to introduce science concepts to preschoolers," added Silar.  "This is a great addition to our programming schedule and sure to engage our viewers through the unique characters and storylines."
 
Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Dinosaur Train joins other top-ranked PBS KIDS preschool series including The Jim Henson Company's Sid The Science Kid, which premiered in fall 2008. Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford and Bartlett executive produce. The series is co-produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Entertainment, with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. UK production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media.

Montreal (October 5, 2009) - Emmy Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced that Metrovision, the leading post-production studio in Argentina, has chosen the Toon Boom pipeline to start its new Animation Division. Led by the experienced María Laura Moure, this new Division will produce high quality animation for local and international advertising, television and feature film projects.

In addition to recommending using the most advanced digital equipment and technology, María Laura Moure has gathered a highly seasoned team specialized in 2D and 3D animation, and experienced in scanning, digital ink and paint, compositing and special effects. A special unit dedicated to pre-production and concept development will also be able to take care of storyboarding, layouts, backgrounds, designs, visual concepts and character designs.

"Knowing our goal is to meet international standards, we have chosen to work with Toon Boom Animation and adopt their leading-technology geared towards animation production" stated María Laura Moure, Metrovision's Animation Manager.

About Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Toon Boom Animation Inc. (toonboom.com) is the worldwide leader in animation software solutions. Toon Boom carries user-friendly animation applications for all and develops new geographies to make the animation community as global as can be. In that market segment, Toon Boom caters to the needs of children, home users, creative professionals as well as students, educators and schools.

Series marks the third collaboration between the companies
 
 
London:  Target Entertainment Group has struck a deal with Chapman Entertainment to sell the international TV rights to the 52x10' pre-school comedy animation, Rah Rah! The Noisy Lion, excluding North America and the UK.
 
Originated by leading UK animation studio Mackinnon & Saunders and co-produced with Chapman Entertainment, Rah Rah! The Noisy Lion is a fun and noisy stop-frame animated series that will help young children to find their voice!
 
Aimed at two to four year-olds, the series is about a young lion called Rah Rah and his little friends who all live in the Jingly Jangly Jungle. Rah Rah is just finding his voice and when he gets excited he forgets his words and can only manage a roar!  Luckily the noisy jungle world he lives in is the perfect place to learn. Rah Rah and his friends discover they can solve noisy mysteries, go on adventures and have a lot more fun if they use gestures, expressions and best of all, words!
 
Rah Rah! The Noisy Lion has already been picked up by CBeebies in the UK for its 2011 schedule.
 
Jane Dockery, director of sales and programming at Target Entertainment Group, said:
"Rah Rah! The Noisy Lion is the third fantastic show Target has picked up from Chapman Entertainment and we are confident that, like Roary the Racing Car and Fifi and the Flowertots, it will be a huge hit. It's a perfect addition to our quality children's portfolio."
 
Andrew Haydon, commercial and finance director at Chapman Entertainment comments: "It's great to be working with Target again on Rah Rah The Noisy Lion. We are very excited to be showcasing this adorable new stop-frame series at Mipcom, and we are confident that international broadcasters will love it as much as we do."
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Toronto (October 1, 2009) - Cookie Jar Entertainment continues to reach kids of all ages with a wide variety of soon-to-be hit and classic series including "Metajets," "Caillou," "Johnny Test" and "Hurray For Huckle!/Busytown Mysteries". New seasons of the shows have recently been sold to major networks around the world.
Cookie Jar's new high-flying, thrill-seeking, action-adventure series, "Metajets," is scheduled to air on Nickelodeon in Spain and Portugal in 2010 and on Turkey's Dogan TV / D-Smart Platform.
An all new fifth season of evergreen "Caillou," a co-production with South Africa's Clockwork Zoo, has been pre-sold to Germany's Super RTL, who also renewed the existing 66 half hours. France's Boomerang and Australia's ABC TV have also picked up 66 half-hours of the international hit. The new season will have an increased focus on storylines about healthy habits relevant to kids today.
Cookie Jar has signed multi-territory deals with both Nickelodeon and Turner Broadcasting for season four of the action-comedy series "Johnny Test". It will air on Nickelodeon in Italy, Germany, France and Benelux. It will also air on Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network in the UK, Scandinavia and throughout central and eastern Europe. Elsewhere, the show has been picked up by Filmmedya (Turkey), Orlando Kids (Croatia) and Tooniverse (Korea).
An all-new second season of "Hurray For Huckle!/Busytown Mysteries", currently in production, has been sold to RTE (Ireland), RUV (Iceland), SVT (Sweden) and YLE (Finland). Inspired by the classic works of best-selling author Richard Scarry, "Hurry For Huckle!/Busytown Mysteries" has also been picked up by ABC TV (Australia), TVP (Poland) and HOP Channel (Israel).
About Cookie Jar Group
Cookie Jar Group is a Canadian-based global entertainment, consumer products and education company dedicated to excellence. Through Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company is a leader in the creation, production and marketing of evergreen character brands that appeal to kids and families worldwide. Cookie Jar Entertainment's library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes features some of the world's most recognizable brands, including "Caillou," "Inspector Gadget," "The Doodlebops," "Arthur" and "Johnny Test".  The company owns non-character based brands for licensing such as Mommy & Me. Cookie Jar's full-service international licensing division, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, represents numerous third-party iconic brands worldwide. Cookie Jar Group also has a one-third interest in international children's television channel Kidsco. Cookie Jar Education, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of North America's largest providers of supplemental education materials, reaching nearly 2,000 teachers across the United States, through the Carson-Dellosa and HighReach Learning brands.  

New Company Heads to MIPCOM with Over 100 half-hours of New Programs Available for Co-Production, Format Sales and Worldwide Distribution.
For Immediate Release:
 
(TORONTO, CANADA) (Tuesdsay, September 29, 2009) Former Breakthrough Entertainment distribution and co-production executive TANYA KELEN has established a new production and distribution company, KELEN CONTENT. The new start-up company focuses on worldwide distribution and partnering with domestic and foreign producers, creators and broadcasters to deliver high impact multiplatform content. Ms. Kelen has set her sights on MIPCOM 2009 to introduce the company and to showcase its first programming line-up, offering over 100 half-hours of new animation, lifestyle and factual entertainment programming to domestic and international broadcasters.
 
"It is a great time to be working with independent producers and creators," said Tanya Kelen, Executive Producer and Managing Director, KELEN CONTENT. "We have a strong line up for our first market with some stand out programming in both animation, drama and factual programming. We are enthusiastic to be offering independent producers and creators new venues for distribution and executive producing services while offering broadcasters high impact original programming that resonates with current market trends."
 
Original productions being offered  include family and primetime entertainment programs such as: The animated series THE INTERNS (26 x 22') A Canada/Brazil co-production that features five confused interns trapped in their unpredictable work routine, where one's inexperience is another's absolute misfortune.
 
PIDS PUPPETS (26 x 22') A puppet/animation series for 18-45 year olds that features Ronnie, family and his absurd friends. When Ronnie is transformed into a doll, family and friends are forced to help out, breaking loose from their everyday lives, proving that puppets can be smart, cruel and hilariously funny. The series combines the outrageous comedy of South Park with the cleverness of Arrested Development, and the canvas of Broadway's Avenue-Q. You have to see it to believe it!
 
 

Los Angeles, California:  September 25, 2009 - The Jim Henson Company has signed a trio of new license deals with broadcasters Nickelodeon (Australia) and Al Jazeera (Middle East) and home entertainment, television and merchandising partner in  Spain, Selecta Vision, for the all-new CGI-animated series, Dinosaur Train, following recent agreements with TVO and TFO (Canada), Knowledge (British Columbia) and NRK (Norway). The announcement was made today by Sam Ewing, Head of International Sales, The Jim Henson Company.
 
Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking as the audience learns about natural science, natural history and paleontology.  The new series premiered September 7, 2009 in the U.S. on PBS KIDS®.  The Jim Henson Company will offer 40 half-hour episodes (80 x 11 minute episodes) at the MIPCOM market.
 
Dinosaur Train is seen through the eyes of Buddy, a preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go for adventures on the Dinosaur Train to meet all kinds of dinosaurs in different eras and learn fascinating new facts about these incredible creatures.
 
"It is a privilege to introduce a pre-school series to the international broadcast community that exemplifies the high standard of programming that transcends cultural boundaries and gender, entertaining kids around the world while teaching valuable lessons." comments Ewing.
 
Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Dinosaur Train joins other top-ranked PBS KIDS preschool series including The Jim Henson Company's series Sid The Science Kid, which premiered in fall 2008. Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford and Craig Bartlett are executive producers. The series is co-produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Entertainment, with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. UK production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media.
 
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include "Sid the Science Kid", and "Pajanimals." Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and "Unstable Fables." Television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape." With additional locations in New York and London.
 
The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment.
 
The Company is currently in production on 40 episodes of "Dinosaur Train," an animated preschool series teaching concepts of natural science and history, set to debut on PBS KIDS in fall 2009. The Company's Henson Alternative brand continues to produce "Puppet Up! - Uncensored," a live puppet improvisational show that runs monthly at the Avalon Hollywood. The Company has also announced the creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim Henson's earliest sketches, and The Jim Henson Company: Discoveries, an acquisitions banner that celebrates outstanding third party produced independent film, television and video productions from around the globe embodying the Company's enduring legacy. www.henson.com
 

Melbourne, September 25 2009 - Cutting-edge independent production company Chocolate Liberation Front (CLF) is rapidly establishing itself as the interactive developer and producer of choice, securing a number of key multiplatform projects with international partners in Australia and Canada.

 

Since launching only a few months ago, CLF has opened a studio in Toronto and has already been commissioned to create the interactive strategies for some high-profile projects, working with major international producers and broadcasters.

 

CLF is currently in production with the multiplatform extension of the new 8-part television series, Death Comes To Town, from well-loved Canadian comedy troupe, Kids in the Hall. Accent-KITH Productions has engaged CLF as the strategic interactive partner for this property, airing on CBC Television in 2010.

 

CLF is also developing the interactive strategy for Mark Lewis' feature-length theatrical documentary, Cane Toads, a follow up to the 80's cult classic. Shot in 3D, the film is being produced for Participant, Discovery Network US and ABC Australia by Radio Pictures.

 

In addition, CLF is co-developing a linear TV series alongside interactive content for Vishus Productions' original property Figaro Pho, based on the Logie award-nominated shorts originally created for ABC TV.

 

CLF's Frank Verheggen says: "We are excited to be working with these brilliant partners. Each of these projects allows us to explore innovative new tools and technological approaches. We hope to continue to attract international partners looking for our unique cross-platform expertise."

 

These interactive partnerships follow hot on the heels of CLF's first major development project, The World of Infinite Curiosity, which is a far-reaching multiplatform project for family audiences, currently in development as a triple-A videogame with funding from Telefilm Canada and Screen Australia and also as a prime time television series.

Leading Italian Broadcast Network To Air Fantasy Action Series Based On Popular Xbox 360 Video Game

 Beginning Today!

 

Paris, France, September 14, 2009 - VIZ Media Europe (VME), an affiliate of San Francisco-based VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), which specializes in managing the development, marketing and distribution throughout Europe of Japanese animated entertainment and manga (graphic novels), has announced that the BLUE DRAGON animated series will premiere on Italia Uno, one of Italy's leading broadcast networks, beginning today. Episodes from the first and second season of BLUE DRAGON will air three times a week as part of the network's regular animated programming. 

 

Mediaset/RTI owns and operates Italia Uno and is Italy's leading commercial broadcaster with more than 9.9 million viewers and a total audience share of nearly 40 percent. VIZ Media is the master licensor for the television, home video and non-video game merchandising rights for BLUE DRAGON in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Mediaset's launch of BLUE DRAGON follows Cartoon Network Italy's broadcast of the series which began last April.

 

BLUE DRAGON is a fantastic adventure story of magical Shadow powers, flying air fortresses, and unbounded heroism! Brought together by fate, Seven Soldiers of Light must awaken the Shadow within themselves in time to overcome a despotic power and bring peace to their land. Their ensuing journey through a rich fantasy world is also an internal journey to awaken the great power within each of them. Journey with them into the world of BLUE DRAGON!

 

The video game "BLUE DRAGON" debuted on the Xbox 360 entertainment system, and was developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of Final Fantasy) and features characters designed by Akira Toriyama, the creator of the best-selling DRAGON BALL series of manga (which is published in North America by VIZ Media and featured in SHONEN JUMP Magazine).

About VIZ Media Europe, S.A.R.L. (VME)

Headquartered in Paris, France, VIZ Media Europe (VME) is an affiliate of San Francisco-based VIZ Media, LLC. VME specializes in managing the development, marketing and distribution throughout Europe of Japanese animated entertainment and graphic novels (manga). VME handles some of the most popular Japanese manga and animation properties from initial production, through television placement and distribution to merchandise licensing and promotions for consumers of all ages. Current VME animated properties include BLEACH, BLUE DRAGON, DEATH NOTE, HAMTARO, HONEY & CLOVER, KEKKAISHI, KILARI, M.A.R NEURO, A PENGUIN'S TROUBLES and ZOIDS GENESIS.  Contact VIZ Media Europe at 9, avenue de l'Opéra, 75001 Paris, France Phone +33 1 72 71 53 53; Fax: +33 1 42 96 97 36; and web site at www.vizeurope.com.

CAKE Entertainment has today announced a co-production deal with Studio Baestarts for a of slap-stick comedy series HUHU(52x2') which was first pitched at last year's Cartoon Forum. The series is targeted at 6-12 year-olds, and its short-form format isintended for distribution onto TV, online and mobile platforms. The series is currently in pilot stage and CAKE will be taking it to Cartoon Forum and also MIPCOM Jr this year.
 
HUHU is  directed by Alexey Alexeev and produced by Andras Erkel, and has been produced using digital animation in small file formats, so the shorts can be used immediately on the internet or as mobile downloads. The series is a non-dialogue burlesque that follows the lives and adventures of eleven owls. The comedy centres on the stupidity of the owls and their lack of memory, and combines this with slap-stick visual humour. The owls - which follow each other around like a flock of sheep, despite their strong individual characteristics - are always learning things about the world for the first time. For example, in one episode the owls poke an icicle creating sound and discover music.
 
CAKE and Studio Baestarts have already achieved pre-sales for HUHU to the following territories: YLE, STV, NRK, Duna TV, MinimaxCanal + France, Canal + Poland and Canal + Spain as well as securing Media Plus funding.  They are seeking one more significant pre-sale at Cartoon Forum to complete finance.
 
Cartoon Forum has proved a successful marketplace for CAKE's programming, and CAKE has recently been nominated as Cartoon Forum's 'Best Investor/Distributor of the year 2009'. Previous properties picked up have included international hits Skunk Fu andHareport, along with the recently announced Angelo Rules - all of which have been financed by CAKE.
 
Genevieve Dexter, Partner & Commercial Director at CAKE, says: "HUHU is a fantastically funny show and we're really excited about the flexibility of the shorts and the new media and mobile exploitation aspect.  We are confident the show will be well received at Cartoon Forum, and then at MIP, and look forward to continuing our relationship with Studio Baestarts."
 

Live-Action/CG-Animated Movie Presentation Earns Best-Ever Kids & Boys Ratings:
Boys 6-11 (12.2) - Kids 6-11 (9.3) - Kids 9-14 (7.5) - Kids 2-11 (7.4) - Boys 2-11 (9.4)
SCOOBY-DOO! Also Ranks #1 of All-Time with Network Delivery of Viewers 2+, Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11, Kids 9-14
Boys 2-11 & Boys 6-11
 
Scooby-Doo and the teen gang of mystery-solvers invoked supernatural delivery and ratings strength Sunday night when Cartoon Network premiered the original live-action movie special SCOOBY-DOO! THE MYSTERY BEGINS (7 p.m., ET/PT), setting all-new records as the most-watched telecast in Cartoon Network history, according to preliminary overnight data from Nielsen Media Research.  The live-action and CG-animated film delivered 6,107,000 with viewers age 2+ and became the #1 telecast in network history with kids 2-11 (7.4 / 3,032,000), kids 6-11 (9.3 / 2,296,000), kids 9-14 (7.5 / 1,831,000), boys 2-11 (9.4 / 1,978,000) and boy 6-11 (12.2 / 1,538,000).
A co-production of Warner Premiere and Cartoon Network, SCOOBY-DOO! THE MYSTERY BEGINS reveals the never-before-told story of how the Mystery Inc. gang first joined forces to solve a suspicious haunting at Coolsville High.  Teachers and students alike accuse Fred, Velma, Daphne and Shaggy of playing a spooky prank.  Suddenly, the school athlete, the science fair-winning brainiac, the drama beauty and the school misfit must band together to clear their names.  With Shaggy's newly adopted dog Scooby-Doo tagging along, the mismatched quartet soon discovers they have more in common than they originally thought. Warner Home Video will release SCOOBY-DOO! THE MYSTERY BEGINS on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def Combo Pack on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The live-action cast features Robbie Amell (Life With Derek, True Jackson) as Fred, along with Kate Melton as Daphne, Hayley Kiyoko as Velma and Nick Palatas as Shaggy.  Frank Welker, a member of the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! voice-cast, provides the voice of Scooby-Doo.  SCOOBY-DOO! THE MYSTERY BEGINS is directed by Brian Levant (Snow Dogs, The Flintstones), produced by Brian Gilbert (Wrong Turn) and written by Daniel and Steven Altiere (Dr. Dolittle: A Tinsel Town Tail, Gym Teacher: The Movie). 
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 97 million U.S. homes and 166 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for youth and families.  Nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
 

Paris, Monday, 14 September 2009
 
A 26 half-hour HD CGI series developed by Method Animation in co-production with the US's Marvel Animation, Iron Man: Armored Adventures will be making its small-screen debut across the world in 2009.
 
PGS have taken Iron Man: Armored Adventures, based on the popular Marvel Super Hero, Iron Man, to the international marketplace, and the series is set to air back on screens all over the world this year including; Nicktoons (USA), Teletoon (Canada), ABC (Australia), France 2 (France), Rai Gulp (Italy), Jetix (UK, France, Spain, Nordics, Eastern Europe and Latin America), Globo (Brazil), Televisa (Mexico), CTC (Russia), Cartoon Network (Asia) and Orlando Kids (Ex-Yugoslavia).
 
Iron Man: Armored Adventures centers on teenager Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation. Tony lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests - seeking extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own impressive technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with duties of a Super Hero. Inside his remarkable invention - an armor-plated suit - Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure!
 
Philippe Soutter, MD of PGS Entertainment said, "This brilliant series presents Iron Man as a teenager, which appeals to an even wider range of broadcasters worldwide. With the strong ratings which the show generated from its premiere airings in the USA, UK, Australia and Canada, we are very enthusiastic about presenting Iron Man: Armored Adventures to the broadcast marketplace Cannes in October."
 
Eric S. Rollman, President of Marvel Animation added, "Iron Man: Armored Adventures is a vital part of Marvel's Iron Man brand as it broadens the dimensions of the characters by making them more accessible to a younger audience while respecting the core characteristics for the hard core fans.  The incredible visuals and high quality CGI production in this series are a rare treat for any viewer and the ratings support that enthusiasm."
 
Aton Soumache, Chairman and CEO of Method Animation commented, "It has really been an honor to produce a show based on such an iconic character. We worked hard to deliver the very best superhero to the screen - pushing the boundaries of HD CGI to create a high-octane show packed with truly breathtaking action sequences. We are looking forward to following its continued success."
 

Evergreen will be presenting a brand new series from Wyvern Images in Hungary at the upcoming MIPJunior following discussions in Budapest between Wyvern's Gabor Koltai and Evergreen's Steve Walsh and Alan Rudoff.

"When Gabor showed me the animation I knew that Evergreen had to acquire the distribution rights. TipTop's a 3D series for very small children with bright colours, delightful and very original  characters and simple everyday stories." said Steve Walsh.

"We have no real experience of the international marketplace, but we intend to make lots of animated shows, so we were delighted when Steve and Alan came to Budapest to visit the studio and advise us on how best to proceed. We are very happy to know that our show will be in such good hands at MIPCOM and beyond." Said Wyvern's Gabor Koltai.

'TipTop' is a 26 x 6' animated series aimed at tiny tots narrated in English by a single voice to facilitate the making of foreign language versions.

 

 

Evergreen Entertainment has acquired distribution rights to the new season of 'Shapes', the pre-school series from Peach Blossom Media in Singapore. Production has recently started with delivery of the 39 x 7' episodes due towards the end of 2010.
 
"We are delighted with the sales of the first season. Deals have been concluded in the last few weeks in Indonesia, India, Slovenia and Ukraine with several other countries close to signing and we expect a really good response from buyers at MIPJunior" said Managing Director, Steve Walsh.

An episode of Series 1 will be  showing at MIPJunior with other available on Evergreen's stand H4:35.

NEW YORK (September 9, 2009) - YTV Network, a leading Canadian kids' broadcaster, has agreed to add the latest version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! program franchise - "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds" -- and the animated comedy adventure series "Gogoriki" to its 2009-10 television season lineup.
 
The arrangement will bring the first season of "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds" (52 x 30') to the YTV Network (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds represents the ninth season in the successful "Yu-Gi-Oh!" saga).
 
"Gogoriki" (35 x 30') is an ensemble comedy adventure series that has been creatively adapted by 4Kids Productions from the long-running Russian TV series known as "Smeshariki."  The 4Kids adaptation is characterized by witty stories, clever dialogue and kid-identifiable characters, all brought to life with top-shelf voice talent.
 
"4Kids and YTV have enjoyed a terrific and successful programming relationship throughout the decade as evidenced by YTV's acquisition of over 1,200 episodes of 4Kids-offered content," said Brian Lacey, Executive Vice President, International, 4Kids Entertainment.  "We're proud to once again work with YTV this time to offer Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds and Gogoriki to YTV's audience."
 
In the U.S., "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds" airs on Cartoon Network, with the original "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and "Gogoriki" series airing in TheCW4Kids block on the CW television network.
 
Internationally, the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" series' lineup of broadcast licensees includes CITV (UK), Network Ten (Australia), AB Group (France), Mediaset (Italy), RTL2 (Germany), VAS (Spanish Speaking Satellite /Latin America), TV2 (Denmark), Digiturk (Turkey), Children's Channel (Israel) and MBC (Middle East).
 

Seoul based animation producer and distributor, Iconix Entertainment has sold its preschool property Chiro to NHK in the Japan. 

 

Launching on NHK from end of October, the 52 x 5 minutes CGI animation series follows  the amusing world of three little square chicks and their animal friends. The series premiered on Educational Broadcasting System, a terrestrial public broadcaster in Seoul where it became one of that year's top three rated shows.  The award winning show gained international recognition in Europe when it picked up the Audience Award at Cartoons on the Bay for the best infant series and was recently awarded the best animation TV series of the year by the Minister of Culture and Tourism in Korea.

 

Satoshi Ootani, NHK's Senior Producer of Program Production Department, who picked up "Chiro", comments : "I watched Chiro during 2008 MIPjunior.  After I was screening hundreds of titles for 2 days, many of them were just vanishing from my memory but, Chiro hit me with strong impressions. I think that is because of 1)adorable shape of the characters which make the show very unique, 2)secondly, I was impressed by high quality of CGI and 3)most of all, good character descriptions and stories which mirror exactly our children's behaviors and thoughts in 2 to 5 years old." 

 

Together with NHK, "Chiro" will be also showing on TV3 in Spain, DR in Denmark from fall of this year.  Mikyeong Jung, Director of Iconix Entertainment says "It is very exciting moment to have NHK on board and it will gear up sales of Chiro in further Asian and Europe countries." 

VANCOUVER - Bardel Distribution has secured a broadcast deal for its newest CG series, Zeke's Pad with Cartoon Network Latin America.  "We're thrilled to be expanding to a truly international audience for Zeke's Pad", says CEO, Delna Bhesania.  "Teenagers trying to take control of their destiny and the world around them is an appealing theme for kids anywhere.  With Zeke and the power of his pad, it definitely takes it to the next level, allowing hilarity to ensue!"  Zeke's Pad will premiere on Cartoon Network Latin America in early 2010.

 

Zeke's Pad was produced as an official co-production between Bardel Entertainment Inc., Leaping Lizard Productions Inc., and Avrill Stark Entertainment PTY Ltd.  The animated series features 14-year-old Zeke Palmer, skateboarder and artist extraordinaire, who has an electronic drawing pad that is totally WIRED.  Mysteriously wired.  Somehow, it makes Zeke's drawings come to life.  So extreme things can happen, but for every action, there is a reaction, and things just never turn out the way Zeke had imagined.... Ever.

 

The program has been pre-sold in English Canada to YTV and to Channel 7 in Australia and ZDF in Germany.  It has also been sold to Radio-Canada in French Canada and Canal+ Family in France.  The series is distributed through Bardel Distribution Inc. in North and South America, the UK and Eire, and through Studio 100 Media in the rest of the world.  The program was funded through the Canadian Television Fund, The Shaw Rocket Fund, and the Independent Production Fund, and development for the project was funded through the Canadian Television Fund, Telefilm Canada, the COGECO Program Development Fund, and British Columbia Film.  Additional information on the program can be found on its website, www.zekespadinfo.com.

Disney XD rockets to #1 kids' commercial channel with boys on launch day
 
Disney XD, the UK's first kids' TV channel primarily focused on boys, launched on Monday (Aug 31) with record viewing figures, beating competition from 25 other kids' channels to become the second most watched by boys.
 
The boy driven, girl inclusive channel, which replaced Jetix in 8.4 million satellite and cable TV homes in the UK, recorded a staggering 150% year on year increase in viewers compared to Jetix for the August Bank Holiday 2008, and a 50% higher day share1  than the best ever achieved by its predecessor.
 
Disney XD, which launched simultaneously online, proved a hit with surfers as well as viewers, attracting over half a million British kids to take the Disney XD Ultimate Gaming Challenge via miniclip in the first week prior to launch.
 
The Bank Holiday launch featured blockbuster family movies "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Meet the Robinsons," and the premiere of brand new live action series, "Aaron Stone," which achieved a 9.7% share of boys and double the audience of the best ever premiere on Jetix.
 
Boel Ferguson, General Manager for Disney Channels UK & Ireland, said: "The viewing figures for Disney XD's launch back up what boys in the UK had told us, that up until now there hasn't been a channel made for them. Disney XD set out to change that and early indications show we're on the way to achieving our goal of becoming the number one entertainment destination for boys in the UK."
 
-Ends-
 
 

Los Angeles, CA (August 29, 2009) -- The Jim Henson Company will be back directly distributing its world-renowned Family Classics and Fantasy library titles to the international marketplace at MIPCOM 2009 now that the agency agreements with HIT Entertainment and Warner Brothers have expired.  The announcement was made today by Peter Schube, President and COO, The Jim Henson Company.
 
"The MIPCOM market this year is a great opportunity to once again share our portfolio of family classics and fantasy brands. Together with our new properties, we look forward to working with our partners across all broadcast and digital platforms to deliver this incredible slate of new and classic Jim Henson Company branded programming to viewers across the globe," commented Schube. 
 
The sales effort at MIPCOM Jr. and MIPCOM will be spearheaded by Sam Ewing, Head of International Sales, who said, "With broadcasters continuing to seek out top quality, evergreen programming with brand appeal, MIPCOM this year provides the perfect platform to share this library of classic properties which have enormous worldwide recognition." Ewing added,
"We'll be actively working on our own as well as with our agents in specific territories to expand the reach and impact of our efforts.  As a group we'll be working very hard to ensure that we and our broadcast partners achieve maximum results."
 
The Jim Henson Company's extensive catalog of award-winning Family Classics includes the ACE Award-winner and five-time Emmy Award-winning Fraggle Rock™ (96 x 30).  This fan favorite currently has both film and television projects in development.  Also in the Family Classics library are Emmy Award-winning Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories (39 x 8) featuring familiar nursery rhymes; the ACE Award-winning animated feature Emmet Otter's Jug - Band Christmas™, based on a book by Russell and Lillian Hoban, a groundbreaking series featuring the first radio-controlled puppets; BAFTA Award-winning Jim Henson's The Hoobs™ (250 x 30), who investigate different worlds to learn "everything Hoobs could ever want to know about the Universe"; BAFTA-nominated Jim Henson's Construction Site™ (26 x 30), a special place beyond the fence where, through the antics of machines, children are exposed to important messages about the nature of learning, thinking, and behaving; and Jim Henson's Mopatop's Shop™ (260 x 8), a wondrous shop where kids are introduced to a variety of concepts such as circles and squares and musical sounds by the use of imagination, humor and the inventive use of language.
 
Fantasy brand properties include the full-length feature Labyrinth™ (1 x 102), produced by The Jim Henson Company with creatures brought to life by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and directed and co-written by Jim Henson who worked closely with acclaimed artist and conceptual designer, Brian Froud and executive producer, George Lucas; the masterful live-action fantasy The Dark Crystal™ (1 x 93), for which Jim Henson served as co-writer and co-director and Jim Henson's Creature Shop worked to build both animatronics and soft puppets, marking it as the first ever all-puppet full length feature; and the groundbreaking award-winning sci-fi production Farscape™ (series: 88 X 60; miniseries: 2 X 120), named by TV Guide as one of television's best cult shows ever and known for the overwhelming fan-based campaign that led to the miniseries production.
 
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Blu-ray™ High-Def versions of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal in the U.S. on September 29, 2009.  And in November, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Farscape, A&E Home Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company will re-launch the DVD franchise in the U.S. with the release of the first-ever COMPLETE SERIES MEGASET™ featuring all four seasons of the series.

The news follows The Jim Henson's Company's announcement earlier this year that the company's new in-house consumer products division, helmed by Melissa Segal, Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Products, will be establishing licensing and merchandising programs for the Company's well-known fantasy brands and Family Classics. 

ENDS
 

Comedy Central, the home of animated hits such as South Park, Futurama and Drawn Together, has hired on Lisa Leingang as SVP of Original Programming and Development, East Coast. In her new position, Leingang will oversee all original pilots and series in production on the East Coast and report to Lauren Corrao, President--Original Programming and Dev. Leingang comes to Comedy Central from a VP programming and development post at CBS, where she oversaw development of scripted series and pilots. Her comedy chops where also honed at NBC, where she was VP of comedy development for seven years and sealed deals for Flight of the Conchords and comedian Demetri Martin.

Discovery has moved Sara Kozak from her production post at the brand's Discovery Health channel into their Emerging Networks branch, where she will serve as VP Production for  Science Channel, Investigation Discovery and Military Channel. Kozak most recently acted as senior producer on the main network's Destroyed in Seconds and Two Weeks in Hell. Kozak came to the Discovery family from the BBC after collaborated with them on American adaptations of such BBC series as  What Not to Wear.

Monster Distributes is finding that the recession has increased demand for its dialogue-free programming with broadcasters delighted to save on dubbing costs. 

 

Non-dialogue animated series Jungle Beat, 13 x 5 mins, produced by South African based Sunrise, has just sold to M-Net South Africa, Sinovision in China, C4U Media Korea and Incomsa Columbia. Currently in production with series two, the series has sold into over 170 territories around the world including RTL2 Germany, NHK Japan, NRK Norway, DR Denmark, SVT Sweden and RAI Italy as well as numerous airlines.

 

M-Net, Incomsa Columbia and C4U Media Korea have also taken Gazoon, 30 x 3'30, with Knowledge Network Canada also recently taking the series. A non-dialogue animation series produced by Sparkling and co-produced with TFI France, Gazoon is already broadcasting around the world including TV2 Denmark, YLE Finland, NRK Norway, Al Jazeera in the Middle East and Cartoon Network Japan.

 

And non-dialogue animated short, The Happy Duckling, which recently won the Pulcinella Award for Best Short Film at Cartoons on the Bay among many other awards, has been picked up by RAI Tre, as well as TV3 Catalunya and Telepool Switzerland.

 

Monster is also have a busy summer with the rest of its animation catalogue:

 

Knowledge Network Canada has just renewed pre-school animations I'm an Animal and Why?, while BBC Latin America and Astro Entertainment Malaysia have also acquired I'm an Animal.

 

As well as taking Jungle Beat and Gazoon, M-Net South Africa have also acquired Lifeboat Luke, 52 x 5 minutes and Middle-Eastern produced Ben and Izzy, 13 x half hour as part of a HD package.

 

DVD company Urania S.R.O. has just acquired animated series Hermie & Friends for the Czech Republic, while the inflight market continues to be successful with Inflight Dublin taking two episodes of Ben and Izzy for Aer Lingus.

 

Disney Australia and New Zealand have recently acquired animated pre-school series Slim Pig. Produced by Irish-based Cheeky and commissioned by CBC Canada, the 39 x 7 minute series is topping the ratings on Canadian TV in its timeslot, while the first 13 episodes of the series has already aired in the UK and Scandinavia on CITV, Cartoon Network, SVT and TV2 and in 35 other territories worldwide.

 

Starting Labor Day, PBS KIDS continues to build on science exploration with the launch of The Jim Henson Company's DINOSAUR TRAIN and PBS KIDS GO! strengthens its literacy content with the hit series THE ELECTRIC COMPANY as it begins to air every weekday. Much more is highlighted below.  Please let us know if you are interested in more details.
 
For Preschoolers:
 
PBS KIDS will debut the all-new CGI-animated series, DINOSAUR TRAIN, on September 7th. This new series embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about natural science, natural history and paleontology. DINOSAUR TRAIN is seen through the eyes of Buddy, a preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex. Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go for adventures on the Dinosaur Tr ain to meet all kinds of dinosaurs in different eras and learn fascinating new facts about these incredible creatures.
 
PBS KIDS is further extending science learning with a new curriculum-themed season from life science series IT'S A BIG BIG WORLD, introducing live-action "Snook on the Road" segments and a new character, Riona the baby sloth.BARNEY & FRIENDS introduces a green-themed special focusing on the animals, plants and insects that live in the rainforest. SESAME STREET debuts it's 40th season on PBS KIDS on November 10 with a focus on green themes and a series of celebrity guests.  In a week of new episodes about weather beginning September 14, SID THE SCIENCE KID and his friends will look to the skies for answers when a playdate is canceled due to rain.
 

·                    Countdown to launch of new second series on CBeebies
·                    Numberjacks debut on Red Button service
·                    New DVD Special release during summer holidays
Open Mind Productions announce several new developments as part of on-going expansion plans for award-winning property, Numberjacks (www.numberjacks.co.uk <http://www.numberjacks.co.uk/> ). A second series for the hit children's show is set to premiere on CBeebies from October 2009 and will include 20 x 15 minute new episodes in addition to the original 45 x 15 minutes, aimed at preschoolers and parents.  Numberjacks will also debut on the Red Button service from October 2009, offering the young audience a fully interactive experience with a new quiz.  Open Mind Productions and ITV DVD have also co-produced a DVD Special, Numberjacks: Seaside Adventure, scheduled for release on 3 August 2009.
 
Following the popularity and ratings hit of the first series which began airing on CBeebies in October 2006, Numberjacks continues to build on its success with a brand new series premiering from the week commencing October 2009 The new series will follow the same award-winning format with a mix of animation and live action that offers children an early introduction to numbers, maths and problem solving, combined with adventure, comedy and entertainment.  In addition, children will be able to press the Red Button to access a new Numberjacks interactive quiz available for the first time in October 2009.
 
Open Mind Productions continue to enjoy a strong relationship with ITV DVD who have successfully sold over 200,000 DVDs since 2007.  The next DVD release, Numberjacks: Seaside Adventure, will feature a special 45-minute episode that will be available from 3 August 2009.  This co-production between ITV DVD and Open Mind Productions has also opened up opportunities for other licensees including Egmont who have produced a 'seaside' themed edition of Numberjacks Magazine featuring a raft of offers and features.

Innovatively Integrating Skype & ISDN Technology Allowing Director Mark Simon
To Work Face-to-Face With an
Accomplished Cast Of New York-based Voice Over Talent

New York: Hyperbolic Audio was recently called upon by award-winning Florida-based animation director Mark Simon, when he needed to direct a who's who of New York-based voiceover talent for a new animated pilot entitled, Enchanted Thyme, a series based on award-winning playwright Ariane Smith's popular children's book of the same name.

Hyperbolic's engineer, Jeannine Guenther, and recently signed veteran mixer, Steve Bucino collaborated on the project. The team innovatively integrated Skype technology into Hyperbolic Audio's ISDN capabilities to provide the director and talent with a virtual on-site experience, which enabled Simon to evoke the kind of spot-on performances that could only be achieved with a face-to-face, on-site session.

Guenther recorded the accomplished roster of talent for the pilot, as Skype was employed utilizing a laptop with a built-in camera, positioned outside the recording booth window.

Although ISDN lines are commonly used to facilitate long-distance direction, this was the first time that this accomplished group of actors had ever had an opportunity to record a session with the benefit of real-time video feedback from an off-site director - And they all concurred that the one-to-one interaction that this technology allow them to maintain raised the caliber of performances.

Hyperbolic Audio's mixer Steve Bucino notes, " While I was finding sounds and building scenes in Mix Room A, Jeannine was in Studio B, editing together the dialogue and finding some extra walla to incorporate where appropriate. Since she was also the recording engineer, Jeannine was privy to Andy and Mark's directing sessions with the actors - so the efficiency of the entire process was maximized."

Enchanted Thyme initially came to Hyperbolic Audio as an animated storyboard. From the beginning of the project it was clear that the client's vision was to blurs the line between reality and fantasy.  Bucino knew that the shaping of the sound was key to creating a balance between the fusion of realism and flights of imagination that drove the style of the animated story.

"We see objects and actions that are grounded in a realistic existence, so I wanted to exaggerate their characteristics with some obvious- as well some unexpected - sound references," adds Bucino.  "I had a lot of fun experimenting with the sounds in Hyperbolic's Yamaha S90ES synthesizer, as well as experimenting with a variety of sound effects from our ever-expanding library," notes Bucino.

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 July 2009 - A Malaysian animation production company, Centraline Animation Sdn Bhd (Centraline) and Korean media content producer, ToonZip have announced the joint-production of a 3D adventure comedy animation series at the Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival Promotion Plan (SPP) last Thursday.

 

Entitled Robot ARPO, the 52-episode animation series depicts the story of a fearsome combat robot that has been turned into domestic helper by a wacky earthling family, reflecting how robots have become more prevalent in our daily lives as technology continues to evolve in rapid rate. 

 

"Centraline is pleased to be working with ToonZip, one of the most promising animation companies in Korea," Centraline's Chairman Damien Leong said.  "For a Malaysian-based animation entity, the collaboration with ToonZip represents an invaluable opportunity for us.  It allows us to lead a new wave of Malaysian animation talents and showcase to the world what we are capable of achieving and how far the Malaysian animation industry has evolved," he added.  

 

Commenting on the collaboration, Kamil Othman, Vice President of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDec) reiterates the view of co-production is the most practical way to go for the digital animation industry today. "Collaborations between creative companies will always result in synergies which may be difficult to achieve by any company doing it alone" he said. "I am proud to say that the co-production between Centraline and ToonZip, as well as other collaborations being established, will continue and sustain the growth of Malaysia's library of exportable content to the world", said Kamil.

Emmy-winning Animated Series to Air Monday-Sunday at 11 p.m. (ET)
Starting Aug. 3



               One of the most respected animated series in recent
years, SAMURAI JACK is making its way to commercial-free Boomerang
starting Monday, Aug. 3, at 11 p.m. (ET).  A Cartoon Network original
series from acclaimed creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory,
micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars), SAMURAI JACK features a distinct
animation style and storytelling that earned multiple industry
accolades, including five ASIFA Annie Awards and the 2004 Primetime Emmy
Award as Outstanding Animated Program.  The heroic story of a samurai
warrior on a journey to defeat an evil shape-shifting wizard-including
the awe-inspiring finale to the 52-episode arc-will be presented each
night of the week at 11 p.m. without commercial interruption.

SAMURAI JACK tells the story of a great warrior banished to the future
by the nefarious wizard Aku.  Samurai Jack travels the world,
encountering an amazing array of cultures and civilizations, seeking the
portal to send him back to his own time.  A man of few words, Jack
relies on his mental and physical training as a warrior to help him fend
off the evil wizard's forces.  Jack's only goal is to find the time
portal so that he may return home to liberate his people from the
terrible sorcerer and his demon forces that rule the world.  The show is
highlighted by its magnificent artistry, gripping action sequences and
evocative score, giving Samurai Jack a cinematic feel.  .

"Stylistically, this isn't like any other animated show on television,"
said Tartakovsky in 2001.  "We're using music, cinematic storytelling,
and very stylized backgrounds to create mood and atmosphere as SAMURAI
JACK travels exotic landscapes.  The environment is a major character in
each show."

    All-New Health & Fitness Themed Season Features Exuberant  New
     Character Allie Whoops and Exciting Guest Star Ed Begley Jr.


Boston, MA and Universal City, CA, July 28, 2009--America's favorite
little monkey swings back into the PBS KIDS lineup this fall with an
all-new set of health and fitness themed (mis)-adventures. Premiering
Tuesday, September 8 (check local listings), the fourth season of
CURIOUS GEORGE introduces preschoolers to the concepts of nutrition,
physical fitness, why pesky germs can cause the sniffles--and the
smartest way to fight them off!

"Teaching young children the principles and benefits of a healthy
lifestyle is of global importance today," said Senior Producer for WGBH
Dorothea Gillim. "The health and fitness theme of our fourth season
teaches preschoolers how exercise and healthy eating habits not only
help them lead better lives, but that a healthy lifestyle can also be a
lot of fun and taste delicious!"

Lessons about health and fitness are seamlessly embedded into episodes
that find George playing personal trainer to Professor Wiseman, turning
fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market into delicious
juice, and fighting off Toots the Germ. In the season's premiere
episode, actor and environmental activist Ed Begley, Jr. makes a special
guest appearance as Dr. Greenbeen--a horticulturist who teaches George
why pruning trees is essential to their growth. In future episodes
George, The Man with the Yellow Hat, and their friends dig a canal in
hopes of rescuing a fish who finds himself far from home, learn why
Gnocchi the cat has allergies, and help their canine friend Charkie to
focus so she can finish the course required for her obedience school
exam.

ICONIC Welsh language children's animation Sali Mali has been sold to Channel 4 in the first deal of its kind for Cardiff-based programme makers Calon.
 
The animation company has signed an agreement to allow the English language Public Service Broadcaster to screen all 52 episodes of the series, which is based on the Mary Vaughan Jones' books from the 1960s and 1970s.
 
It is the first deal to be struck with a UK PSB since April when Calon regained the commercial rights to its back catalogue from S4C International. Having promoted studio manager Lynne Stockford to head of international sales, the company has also sold the second series of the Bafta-winning S4C and Five pre-school children's series Hana's Helpline to German public broadcaster ZDF.
 
Calon hopes the latest sale will drive other commercial deals such as DVDs and more overseas sales for its catalogue of award-winning children's animation which includes the Bafta-winning Hana's Helpline (recently screened on Five and S4C),  Eighties favourite Wil Cwac Cwac, Under Milk Wood and the feature film The Princess and the Goblin.
 
It also leads the way for sales of its new pre-school series, based on the adventures of cave girl  Igam Ogam and due to premiere on S4C in November on Five in the spring.
 

Animated and live action series sold to broadcaster in Ireland

 

Toronto, 24 July 2009. Leading kids and family entertainment specialist DECODE Enterprises, the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd., has scored a major package deal with TG4, selling six of its animated series to the Irish channel.

 

Live action My Spy Family, preschool animated shows Franny's Feet, Animal Mechanicals and Bo on the GO! (season two) have sold alongside older-skewing Chop Socky Chooks and Canadian/Hong Kong/Singapore co-production Clang Invasion in a deal that totals over 120 half hours of programming from the DECODE library.

 

Josh Scherba, VP Distribution at DECODE Enterprises said: "We're signing a number of these package deals which highlights that we have a solid library across the board. While our new shows are going from strength to strength, we're also seeing continued demand for our more established series, across both live action and animation, and for all age groups."

 

Turner Broadcasting's live action My Spy Family (26x22') centres on the Bannons, a family of ex-spies who live in an ordinary looking house, in an ordinary looking street, in an ordinary looking part of a very ordinary town. But as a family they are completely, desperately, utterly...EXTRAordinary. Trained to foil supercriminals, overthrow dictators and leap from planes without parachutes, they're now squashed together in a cramped semi and facing their toughest mission to date: retirement! My Spy Family is produced by Kindle Entertainment and aimed at kids aged 6-14 years.

Weesp, The Netherlands (17 July, 2009) - BIG BOCCA Productions is proud to announce the TV broadcast of its action-adventure property, Huntik: Secrets & Seekers on CITV in the UK.

 

The series Huntik: Secrets & Seekers (52X1/2hr), is an original action adventure property, created by Iginio Straffi, the author of the Winx Club, and developed through a partnership between Big Bocca Productions, leading animation studio Rainbow S.p.A., and production company m4e AG.

 

CITV will launch the series as of July 20^th every day Monday to Friday at 9:25AM. A Huntik mini online game will also extend the brand experience and is now available on CITV website as of this week. (please visit www.citv.co.uk).

 

A teasing campaign with original TV spots will be announcing the series release throughout the month of July on the channel.

 

Huntik will then come back on CITV in the Fall for a re-run.

 

Besides, Upper Deck has launched the Huntik trading cards game in March in the UK. A new collection "Huntik Legendary Saga" has been released in June and is sold to more than 2500 stores.

 

Huntik toy line developed by Upper Deck will be launched in the Fall in the UK.

In preparation for a major expansion of ABC TV's services for children, the Executive Head of Children's Content, Tim Brooke-Hunt, today announced the appointment of new staff and the introduction of a new organisational structure for ABC TV's Children's Department.

"The ABC is entering a most exciting period in its long history of broadcasting to Australian kids. In a few months we will launch ABC3, a channel dedicated to school-aged children, whilst expanding our offering to pre-schoolers with ABC For Kids on 2, enhancing our on-line services and maintaining our current programming on ABC1. In order to enable us to achieve these aims, I am delighted to announce the appointment of a highly-qualified group of executives to enable us to realise this goal."

A number of new positions will report to Head of Programming & Acquisitions, Barbara Uecker:

·         EMMA DOBINSON has been promoted to the position of Manager of Scheduling & Acquisitions (Pre-school). Emma has worked within the children's television department since 2004, most recently in the position of Assistant Programmer.
 
·         EMMA MUNGAVIN has been appointed to the position of Manager of Scheduling and Acquisitions (School-aged). Emma currently holds the position of Programming and Scheduling Manager at Nickelodeon Australia, and will start her new role with ABC TV on 20 July.
 
·         KERRY O'DOWD has been appointed to the position of Key Brands Manager, responsible for supervising the off-air activities of ABC Children's key in-house brands (Playschool and Bananas in Pyjamas) as well as looking after key characters and brands not owned by ABC.
 
The other changes in the department will report to the Head of Commissioning and Development, Carla de Jong:

·         SIMON HOPKINSON has been appointed to the position of Development & Commissioning Editor, responsible for supervising the development and production of shows to be commissioned from independent producers. Simon is one of Australia's most experienced script writers and editors, and was President of the Australian Writers Guild from 2003 to 2007. He starts his new role on 29 July.
 
·         JAN STRADLING has been appointed to the position of Executive Producer - Children's Production, responsible for the internal production of Play School, Roller Coaster and new hosted-blocks soon to be announced. Jan has long specialised in children's television and previously worked for Disney Channel, Australia in a similar role. Initially a primary school teacher, Jan is also a published author of both adult and children's books. Jan started her new role on 10 July.
 
·         AARON MULHERON has been promoted to the position of Development & Commissioning Co-ordinator, responsible for the co-ordination of all areas of production for Children's TV. Aaron is currently Assistant to the Executive Head of Children's TV, and starts his new role on 29 July.
 
Alison Weston, Manager of Educational Programs for ABC TV will continue to report to the Executive Head of Children's TV.
 

New York, NY - July 15, 2009 - Animation Collective, a leading U.S. provider of content to the children's entertainment market, announces today a new broadcast sale of the modern-day superhero tale, "Three Delivery".  The 26 x 22 minute animated action-comedy series has been acquired by Canal Once in Mexico and is slated to begin airing in September of 2009.


"Three Delivery" was created by Larry Schwarz, Animation Collective's founder and C.E.O.  The series, about a group of teenage delivery kids/super heroes, set in a Chinatown and is animated in a highly graphic comic-book style, was co-produced with Fatkat Studios as a U.S./Canadian co-venture.

Animation Collective and Fatkat Studios produced "Three Delivery" in association with Nicktoons Network, YTV and the BBC.  Canal Once now joins the ranks of international broadcasters including Nicktoons Network in the U.S., YTV in Canada, the BBC in the UK, Nickelodeon in Australia and CANAL+family in France.

"We are excited to close this deal with Canal Once and add Mexico to the global mix of countries watching Three Delivery," said Debbie Back of Animation Collective.

NEW JERSEY -July 14, 2009 - With some of the most astonishing moments ever
caught on tape, Alfred Haber, founder of Alfred Haber Distribution, Inc.
announced today that the company has acquired exclusive international
distribution rights from Discovery Communications and Nash Entertainment for
the highly-touted first season of MOMENTS OF IMPACT, the 13 x 60 minute
primetime reality series that premiered on July 2, 2009, on the Discovery
Channel in the U.S.  AHDI will be offering international rights starting
immediately.

Every week, MOMENTS OF IMPACT utilizes incredible clip segments to tell 15
to 20 true stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, from
the frightening and dangerous to the ridiculous and absurd. The action never
lets up as the program segments range from collisions to crashes, avalanches
to derailments, animal attacks to stupid stunts, and much more.

"MOMENTS OF IMPACT highlights some of the most unforgettable experiences
imaginable," commented Haber. "Each episode is filled with mind-blowing
footage of remarkable events and this kind of action is television viewing
at its best no matter where you are in the world."

MOMENTS OF IMPACT is produced by NASH Entertainment, whose series and
specials include such highly-rated shows as "Most Shocking," "Breaking the
Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed," "World's Most
Amazing Videos," "Meet My Folks," and the Emmy Award-nominated "Amazing
Sports Stories."

ABOUT ALFRED HABER DISTRIBUTION, INC.
ALFRED HABER DISTRIBUTION, INC. and ALFRED HABER, INC., now celebrating 42
years of business, together form the world's largest distributor of U.S.
network music, variety and annual event programs, and are major independent
distributors of reality, film and sports series and specials. For more
information about AHDI, please visit www.alfredhaber.com
<http://www.alfredhaber.com> .

TORONTO (July 7, 2009) -- Breakthrough Entertainment has licensed television broadcast rights for Jimmy Two-Shoes to Walt Disney Television International Japan. Twenty-six half-hour episodes are scheduled to premiere Fall 2009.
 
"The international response to Jimmy Two-Shoes has been very gratifying," said Nat Abraham, Head of Distribution. "The fun and humor in the series continue to spread across all regions.  We are delighted to have Disney Channel in Japan as part of the Jimmy family."
 
Jimmy Two-Shoes
What happens when you take an irrepressible, thrill-seeking optimist and plunk him down in Miseryville, the most miserable place on Earth? You get the brand new animated series Jimmy Two-Shoes! Along with his best friends, Heloise -- part-time genius, full-time soul-crusher -- and Beezy  -- lover of adventure, once you get him off the couch -- Jimmy is determined to surf past all obstacles and bring his infectious enthusiasm to the whole town ... including its megalomaniacal chief executive, Lucius Heinous the Seventh. Jimmy's making misery fun again!
Produced by Breakthrough Animation in association with Teletoon (Canada) and Jetix Europe, Jimmy Two-Shoes has already been licensed to Cartoon Network in Asia and Australia, Jetix US, and Nickelodeon Latin America.

About Breakthrough Entertainment:
Toronto-based Breakthrough Entertainment Inc. (BEI) is the distribution arm for Breakthrough Films & Television, Breakthrough Animation and Partners in Motion, as well as third party independent producers. As one of Canada's largest television distribution companies BEI has licensed programs to major broadcasters in over 200 territories. With a catalogue of over 2100 half-hours of programming, BEI handles distribution as well as worldwide pre-sales, co-productions and third-party acquisitions. On the Web, the company is located at www.breakthroughfilms.com.
 

Terrestrial platform and second series in production will boost licensing potential
 
 
London:  Target Entertainment Group, the international production and rights management company, has sold series one and two of the pre-school animation series Fluffy Gardens to GMTV/CiTV in the UK.
 
The broadcaster will air the series within its Fluffy Club block, which broadcasts at weekends on GMTV 6am to 7.25am. The Fluffy Club also broadcasts on The CiTV Channel and ITV4 during term time weekdays from 8.40am to 9.25am.
 
Turner Broadcasting's pre-school channel Cartoonito, which currently has the rights to air Fluffy Gardens in the UK, will share a window with GMTV/CiTV.
 

Nickelodeon GUTS format, Tiao Zhan Xiao Yong Shi, debuts Summer 2009
 
LONDON/NEW YORK, 2 July 2008 - MTV Networks International (MTVNI), owned by Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today that Tiao Zhan Xiao Yong Shi, the Chinese format adaptation of Nickelodeon's GUTS, will premiere on China Central Television (CCTV) during Summer 2009.  The format deal builds upon the success of a long standing relationship between the two broadcasters and is the first time a kids' format will air in the Chinese market.
 
The new prime-time series will follow Nickelodeon's groundbreaking original hit formula with an hour-long action-sports game show. Each episode will allow kid contestants to live out some of their greatest sports fantasies in a competitive arena.  Several different types of sporting events and obstacles will feature throughout the series, including basketball, high jumping, wave pool, racing track, and the "Aggro-Crag" - the show's famous mountain-climbing challenge complete with falling boulders and trap doors.
 
"Our unique collaboration with China's public broadcaster, CCTV, has been a long and mutually beneficial syndication relationship which we've been building for more than a decade and has seen some of Nickelodeon's best-loved kids' shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants and CatDog, deliver consistent ratings and viewership for CCTV," commented Caroline Beaton, Senior Vice President, International Programme Sales, MTVNI.  "This next evolution of our partnership, with CCTV picking up its first-ever kids' format series, will continue to help us further strengthen our business in China."
 
Over the past 14 years, MTVNI has significantly grown its multiplatform presence in China, launching a 24-hour MTV channel in March 2003 in the Guandong province reaching 13.8mm households across the region.  More recently MTVNI has established a burgeoning consumer products division in China along with several strategic syndication deals for Nickelodeon hit properties including Clarissa Knows It All, CatDog and SpongeBob SquarePants.  The iconic animation's recent return to China on CCTV Kids Channel, on 25 December 2008, was a phenomenon, topping TV ratings in 15 key cities as the number one show among kids aged 4-15 yrs for the period 25 Dec 08 - 4 Feb 09, bowling out all other cartoon programmes and reaching 20.5 million home viewers.
 
A multi-genre, multiplatform, multi-brand one-stop shop for broadcast clients, MTVNI is a long time producer of formats such as Pimp My Ride and Blue's Clues and digital rights are available via the MTVN Web Catch-Up+ service.
 

Weesp, The Netherlands (17 June, 2009) - BIG BOCCA Productions is proud to announce the TV launch of its action-adventure property, Huntik: Secrets & Seekers on Network 10 in Australia. The new series Huntik: Secrets & Seekers (52X1/2hr), is an original action adventure property, created by Iginio Straffi, the author of the Winx Club, and developed through a partnership between Big Bocca Productions, leading animation studio Rainbow S.p.A., and production company m4e AG. The Huntik: Secrets & Seekers animated series has been co-produced with Rainbow S.p.A. in Italy.

NETWORK 10 and SOUTHERN CROSS have committed to Seasons One and Two of Huntik: Secrets and Seekers (52X1/2hr) and have launched the series in Australia on May 28th 2009. The show is currently airing on Monday to Friday at 7 am.

This broadcast is backed up by a massive TV campaign from Upper Deck, our trading card licensee, with a min of 180 commercials running over 4 weeks on Network 10. A similar campaign has started on Southern Cross with 160 commercial spots as of June 1st 2009.

Upper Deck as main trading card partner has released the first products on March 20th and will be increasing the market coverage drastically. In store player demonstrations will be organized to teach kids how to play the games starting in June 09 and a rule reward program will encourage players to learn the game and potentially become judges themselves!
Huntik demonstration and beginners tournaments will be held at Supa Nova Pop Culture Expo Sydney in conjunction with Dark Moon Fair. Supa Nova Expo gathers the worlds of science-fiction, pulp TV/movies, toys, console gaming, trading cards, animation/cartoons, fantasy, comic books, entertainment technology, books, music, sport, internet sites and fan-clubs into one big roof.
Later on, in September, Upper Deck will be releasing the Huntik toy line to all major retailers. The toy line will display fully articulated action figures of the main characters and titans shown on the series.

Hybrid Tees and Random House Join Mattel, D3Publisher and Warner Home Video as Launch Partners for
Hit Fantasy-Adventure Series with Products Rolling Out at Retail this Summer
               

                The secret is out: Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) has assembled an impressive team of launch partners for the upcoming consumer products debut of the hit fantasy-adventure series, The Secret Saturdays.  The licensing and merchandising arm of the kids' cable network announced today that Hybrid Tees and Random House will join Mattel, D3Publisher and Warner Home Video, to round out a robust, fully-immersive consumer products launch for the popular Cartoon Network original series that will launch at retail starting this summer.  Hybrid Tees will create a line of boys
t-shirts and sweatshirts drawing upon the main characters and Crypids made popular in the series, with product launching in time for this holiday season across all tiers of retail.  Additionally, building on an existing relationship with its Del Ray Manga imprint, a full publishing program featuring chapter books, activity books and a Cryptid field journal will be released by Random House.
                "There is a great deal of excitement and anticipation surrounding the retail launch of The Secret Saturdays this summer," said Christina Miller, vice president, CNE.  "Our strategy for the brand was to create an immersive program that gives fans the true Saturdays' experience to battle, collect and discover and with the partners we have on board, we have done just that."
As master toy partner for The Secret Saturdays, Mattel, Inc. will manufacture, market and sell a wide range of toys inspired by the new series, including action figures, playsets, role-play items, and more.  Available at mass retailers starting this summer, key items in the line include:
 

Marathon announces new sales in Europe and in the Middle East
 
Gormiti, the 52x26' animated series adapted from the famous Italian toy figures, is on its way to make a big splash on the international market.

Launched on the market at the end of 2008, Gormiti - the Lords of Nature Return is a Marathon Media and Giochi Preziosi coproduction for M6, Canal J and Mediaset.

Deals are already closed in Germany (RTL2) and in the UK (Nick Toons), as well as in Greece (Alter Channel), in Turkey (Digiturk), in Israel (Noga) and in the Middle East (MBC).

In addition, negotiations are in their final stage in the UK (terrestrial), Spain and Latin America.

Created by Leandro Consumi, the GORMITI universe is a hit boy property with huge growth worldwide. 100 million Gormiti figurines have already been sold, mainly in Europe. They are designed by Giochi Preziosi Group, the Italian market leader and one of the four biggest worldwide players in the development, production and distribution of toys and products aimed at the youth market.

 The series is packed with a successful cocktail of magic, epic tales and comedy. GORMITI follows the everyday lives of four kids entering a magical dimension called Gorm, where they transform into superpowered creatures. Alongside with peaceful elemental monsters known as Gormiti, they battle to defeat evil fire fiends with huge egos, who cause natural disturbances in the Gorm with terrible consequences in the real world as well.

This series is broadcast on Mediaset in Italy since autumn 2008 with terrific audience scores (more than 1 million viewers per episode), and will hit the screens in the rest of the world in fall 2009.

International TV and video sales are handled by Marathon International.

Program and merchandising are handled by Marathon Media in France and Giochi Preziosi in the rest of the world.


MARATHON GROUP
 
Marathon Group is France's #1 audiovisual group, created from the fusion of French audiovisual leaders such as Marathon, Marathon Media, Télé Images Kids, GTV, Adventure Line Productions and KM Production. Present in all areas of television and a major player on the international market, Marathon Group's main successes include Dolmen, St-Tropez, Totally Spies!, Monster Buster Club, Atomic Betty, Street Football, Ford Boyard, Koh Lanta, Lea Parker, The Dominici Case, Jury Duty, Nature's Babies, the Untamed collection, etc.

Marathon Group is part of Zodiak Entertainment, a leading group in the International media industry that coordinates Italian publisher De Agostini's production and distribution activities for television and new media. Zodiak Entertainment is formed by 30 successful international companies including 5th Element, Adventure Line Production, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse, Dixi Media, GTV, Jarowskji, Lucky Day, Kanakna, KM Productions, Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media, Mastiff, Mast Media, Polska, NeoNetwork, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Social Club Productions, Sol, Telealliance, Tele-Images Kids, T&T Broadcasters, Yellow Bird, YS Film...
In 2008 Zodiak Entertainment's revenue totalled more than €400 million.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Baltimore, MD. June 26, 2009.  - Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support Sesame's Healthy Habits for Life initiative. The initiative aims to inform family child care providers on how to integrate healthy nutrition and physical activity into daycare setting that serve preschool children, as well as inform their parents and caregivers about the same topics. The announcement was made today at the National Association for Family Child Care's (NAFCC) Annual Conference.

At the present time, there is limited research on how English- and Spanish-speaking family child care providers, can include healthy habits for young children as part of their daily routines in ways that will have a long lasting impact.  In response to this fact, and as an integral part of the initiative, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is supporting Sesame Workshop to conduct an innovative impact study for a typically underserved community. The study, in both English and Spanish, will evaluate the guide's effectiveness and impact of integrating Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life messages and strategies into family child-care settings and with parents.

Instilling healthy practices in children at an early age is one way to combat the alarming rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. Early care and education providers have a unique opportunity to encourage and model healthy habits in their programs.  Thirteen thousand bilingual Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life: Child Care Resource Kits will be distributed through the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee, areas with great need and strong networks of family child-care providers.

Animated Series Most Watched in Prospective Timeslots
 
          
TORONTO (June 25, 2009) - During its first week of broadcast on Discovery Kids Channel in Latin America, Breakthrough Entertainment's Fishtronaut was rated the most-watched kids' TV show for the 4-to-11 demo during its 11:30AM-12:00PM and 7:30-8:00PM timeslots. The announcement came today from Nat Abraham, head of distribution.
 
The animated series premiered on the channel on April 20, 2009.
 
"We are thrilled at the response to this fresh new series," said Kiko Mistrorigo, Executive Producer/Co-founder at TV PinGuim. "Fishtronaut offers children a unique perspective on friendship and caring for the environment that is also entertaining."
 
"Fishtronaut is a breakout hit for Discovery Kids in Latin America," added Mr. Abraham "and we have no doubt that the international momentum will continue."
 
A charming, fun-filled animated series, Fishtronaut follows a secret-agent fish as he goes on slimy, furry and gooey adventures with his best friends, Marina and Zeek. Created by TV PinGuim's co-founders, Kiko Mistrorigo and Celia Catunda, the series explores the world's many mysteries above and below water as the friends find solutions to environmental dilemmas.
 
The series is produced by Brazil-based TV PinGuim in association with Discovery Kids Channel in Latin America and is distributed by Breakthrough Entertainment.
 
About Breakthrough Entertainment:
Toronto-based Breakthrough Entertainment Inc. (BEI) is the distribution arm for Breakthrough Films & Television, Breakthrough Animation and Partners in Motion, as well as third party independent producers. As one of Canada's largest television distribution companies, BEI has licensed programs to major broadcasters in over 200 territories. With a catalogue of over 2100 half-hours of programming, BEI handles distribution as well as worldwide pre-sales, co-productions and third-party acquisitions. On the Web, the company is located at www.breakthroughfilms.com.
 

CAKE Entertainment is marking its strategic move into producing live-action with today's announcement of a live-action/CG hybrid tween comedy pilot for a series called Cartoon Gene (26 x 30"), co-produced with Galakids and TELETOON Canada. The move sees CAKE build on their existing experiences in this area, and reinforce their established position as a meeting place for a growing family of producers of high-end children's content.
 
Cartoon Gene follows the extraordinary life of a teenage human boy who has extra random  cartoon DNA.  "It's a metaphor for adolescence, lending a hightened empathy for the viewer." says Tom van Waveren Partner & Creative Director, CAKE.   Gene's Mum is a computer-generated action game star, whilst his dad is a computer geek. As he hits puberty, his 'cartoon gene' kicks into action and his human body literally erupts in a variety of cartoon-like reactions under different circumstances. In addition to co-producing the series' pilot - in association with TELETOON, CTF, Shaw and Rocket Fund - CAKE will also be distributing it to the international marketplace.  Cartoon Gene is a Galakids original concept created by Louis Fournier and Natalie Dumoulin and directed by Adam Weissman (I Carly/Zoey 101/Drake & Josh).
 
CAKE has also recently taken on the worldwide distribution rights to  a live-action Irish series from Telegael, Aifric (26 x 30"), four times winner of best kids drama at the Irish Film and Television Awards.  Aifric is a thirteen year old girl whose parents have made the fatal mistake of moving to a small village from the city.  The comedy drama deals with the big issues facing all young teens, as a 13-year old girl tries to navigate her way in a new and smaller world where her  weird and wacky family stand out in a big way.
 

Cable TV's 1st Weekly Programming Block To Showcase Original
Chinese Animation To Thirteen Countries Across Asia

For Immediate Release
BEIJING, June 17, 2009 - Nickelodeon announced today that it will launch ChinaToon, a 1-hour branded block dedicated to showcasing original Chinese animation. Debuting July 5th on Nickelodeon Asia, ChinaToon will premiere with two acclaimed animation series, Creative Power Entertaining Co., Ltd's Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf and Zhejiang Zhongnan Group Animation Video Co., Ltd's Magic Wonderland, broadcast to 13 territories across Asia.
As the premier original Chinese animation block created by an international broadcaster, ChinaToon becomes the first region-wide platform for Chinese animators to showcase their programming to vast audiences across the region.
"Chinese animation is gaining immense popularity and critical recognition internationally. ChinaToon will be the vehicle to bring this unique animation genre to a wider audience," said Indra Suharjono, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for MTV Networks South East Asia and Greater China. "We are proud to introduce ChinaToon and its exciting lineup of Chinese animation programs as new members to Nickelodeon's family of top-rated programs that kids of all ages in Asia love," she added.

Emmy Award-Winning Animated Comedy Series Confirmed To Run On COMEDY CENTRAL;
Broadcast Network Run Also Possible
--------
 
            NEW YORK, June 10, 2009 -- 20th Century Fox Television, the animation powerhouse that brought "Family Guy" back from the dead five years ago, has done it again: Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last original episode.  The move comes on the heels of the series' blockbuster performance on DVD and on COMEDY CENTRAL; the announcement was made today by Twentieth Century Fox Television Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and David Bernath, senior vice president, programming for COMEDY CENTRAL.
            "Futurama" was a staple of Fox's Sunday night animation block from 1999 to 2003 before ceasing production on original episodes.  In June 2006, COMEDY CENTRAL acquired the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the series, which the channel began airing in January 2008, and four recently-produced extended length "Futurama" adventures:  "Bender's Big Score," "The Beast with a Billion Backs," "Bender's Game" and "Into the Wild Green Yonder," which enjoyed enormous success both on COMEDY CENTRAL and in DVD release.  This new deal marks the show's return to episodic series production on original episodes.  "Futurama" becomes only the second series in the history of the medium to go back into production based on the strength of its DVD sales and repeat airings on cable.
            The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on COMEDY CENTRAL.  Twentieth Century Fox Television retains the option to license the original runs of the new episodes to a broadcast network.
 

Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF, the wildly popular kids' TV series, continues to wrestle its way through Latin America, announcing today that it has picked up a new team of broadcasters.  TWF will be hitting the airwaves on Cadena Tres in Mexico, RedeTV! in Brazil, Telemundo in Puerto Rico, América TV in Peru, Televisora Hondurena in Honduras, Red Uno in Bolivia, and Ecuavisa in Ecuador.  TWF has already found success in Latin America on Cartoon Network, where it will continue to air.
 
Thumb Wrestling Federation is produced by New York based Animation Collective and distributed in Latin America by Televix Entertainment.  With four seasons completed and a fifth season currently in production, TWF has quickly become a global brand, airing on Cartoon Network in the US, BBC in the UK, and YTV in Canada. 
 
"Over the four seasons of Thumb Wrestling Federation that are currently airing, we've seen that the more kids are exposed to the property, the greater their demand for it is," said Larry Schwarz, CEO of Animation Collective and creator of TWF.  "These additional broadcast partners will enable us to connect to more fans across Latin America."
 
The series also airs on Cartoon Network feeds throughout Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.  TWF consumer products, ranging from toys to tshirts and socks to sticker albums, are already available in multiple territories, and will be making their way to Latin America this year.
 
About Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF
The live-action, short-format comedy series is a thumb-sized view of a fictional sports league. With larger than life wrestling personalities, thumb on thumb contact, and two wacky commentators, TWF brings to life the battle between the Mighty Dexteras and the evil Sinistras, a classic good versus evil showdown between 56 original characters. The short-format segments include one-minute wrestler bios, 45-second gags, and three-and-a-half-minute thumb wrestling matches.  Viewers can also go to www.thumbwrestlingfederation.com to play games, design their own characters, view exclusive content, and post their own artwork.
 
About Animation Collective
A leading independent creator of children's entertainment in the U.S., Animation Collective has original content in more than eighty countries and in over fifteen languages on platforms including television, broadband, wireless, books, games and consumer products. Proprietary productions include: Kappa Mikey, MTVN and Nickelodeon's first global acquisition for Nicktoons Network and Nickelodeon; Three Delivery for Nicktoons Network, YTV, Canal+ Family, Nickelodeon Australia, and the BBC; Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF for Cartoon Network in the U.S., Asia, Australia and Spain, YTV and the BBC; and Ellen's Acres for Cartoon Network, TVO, Al Jazeera and ABC TV Australia. Work-for-hire productions include Speed Racer: The Next Generation for Nicktoons Network and Lionsgate Entertainment; Eloise in Africa (direct to video) for HandMade Films and The Incredible Crash Dummies for 4KidsTV. Animation Collective is the largest provider of original content for KOL, America Online's kids channel and Red, its teen channel. Larry Schwarz, the company's founder and CEO, is the creator and executive producer of all its original series.

Munich/London, 8 June 2009 - Following successful worldwide sales of the first Season, TV-Loonland and French broadcaster Gulli TV have commissioned a further two brand new Seasons of the hit animated comedy series RAYMOND. This sharp and quirky series is produced by Paris based production company Everybody on Deck, the addition of 52 hilarious new episodes of 7 minutes will complement the existing 26 episodes of the show.
 
Indeed, the series continues to attract broadcaster interest worldwide with most recent sign-ups being Cartoon Network Japan, Sweden's N°1 commercial Broadcaster TV4 and International Francophone Channel TV5 Monde scooping up broadcast rights for airing in Europe, North Africa, the Orient, Asia, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.
 
The odds may be stacked against him, but Raymond just never gives up! Being a somewhat strange-looking, super self-conscious, and a natural born worrier can make life pretty complicated for an eight-year old - but his gentle quirky nature and wry sense of humour make Raymond both truly unique and totally irresistible.
 
Olivier Dumont, Managing Director at TV-Loonland: "We are thrilled to support Everybody On Deck in this new venture with the commissioning of not only one but two new Seasons of RAYMOND. With a greater number of episodes we expect sales to grow even more strongly as broadcasters can rely on a steady stream of episodes to fuel strong ratings."

The first season has already been placed with major broadcasters including Canal + and Gulli TV in France, ABC Australia, DR TV Denmark and MNET in South Africa.
 
TV-Loonland holds worldwide rights for the show targeting kids aged 7 to 10 years.
 
 

30 PLUS MINUTES OF ANIMATION ENHANCE TELEVISION EVENT
 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - June 03, 2009 - Is our species on an inexorable, suicidal path to extinction?  Are we rapidly approaching the end of civilization as we know it?  Are we past the point of no return? Experts warn that unless we change course the "perfect storm" of population growth, resource depletion and climate change could wreak havoc on planet Earth.  In order to plan for the worst we must anticipate it, and "earth2100," ABC News' unprecedented two-hour television event, which aired in primetime on June 2, 2009 and was hosted by ABC journalist Bob Woodruff, explored possible consequences of human inaction on current and impending issues that threaten our planet.
 
With 30 plus minutes of animation created by Guerilla FX, projections by leading scientists, historians and economists, a simulated global summit on climate change, audience generated web submissions and some stock footage, the special educated viewers on the state of dystopian Earth in 2015, 2050 and 2100.
 
Guerilla FX (GFX), the New York-based visual effects, production, post finishing, design and interactive house, designed and executed over 30 minutes of animation from thousands of original illustrations. Sometimes the illustrations stand alone, but often they are animated in combination with footage and still photographs, creating a stunning animated future.
 

Third season of successful cartoon series -- with first TV movie in the works -- now available
 
 
BRB International will attend next month's DISCOP in Budapest with a few new twists in its catalogue. Among them are the new adventures of the most famous polar bear on TV: first, the smash hit TV series Bernard is set for its third season and, second, our amiable buddy will premiere his first TV movie My friend Bernard which will also come out in a special DVD edition.
 
The third season of Bernard consists of 52 episodes starring the most original bear on TV, always trying to stay in shape by exercising, putting himself to the test in an attempt to live a healthy life with a balanced diet. The complete series, featuring the misfortunes of our friendly protagonist who travels around the world without a clue about the rules governing anything, is available in two formats, which also allows for the grouping of these 3D Hi-Def side-splitting sketches without dialogue into thematic blocks.
 
Already a TV phenomena on a global level, Bernard just keeps on being added to catalogues belonging to major companies in over 50 countries around the world: Al Jazzera in the Middle East, Soyuz in Russia, HBO in Eastern Europe, Canal Once, in Mexico, Canal Futura, in Brazil, MTV en New Zealand and U TV in Rumania are just some of the most recent. Now, the series' creators are immersed in the production of a spectacular TV movie titled My friend Bernard in which Bernard and the young Sam - a shy young lad who's afraid of just about everything - are going to have the funnest adventure of their lives.
 

Top-rating Halifax Film-produced series commissioned for Season III
and home entertainment deal signed

Toronto, 28 May 2008. Leading kids and family entertainment specialist DECODE Enterprises, the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd., is set to bolster its slate of dynamic preschool entertainment following a CBC commission for an additional 15x11' episodes of Animal Mechanicals from DHX production subsidiary Halifax Film.

In further deals, DECODE Enterprises has scored a home entertainment deal with Phase 4 Films for English and French-speaking Canada with launch set for Fall this year, and TG4 Ireland joins a number of major international broadcasters airing the series, picking up Seasons I and II (40x11').

Animal Mechanicals is one of CBC's top-rating preschool shows and also scores high ratings around the world on Disney Channels in the UK and Asia; Radio-Canada, Discovery Latin America, Romania's HOP, EBS in Korea; Al-Jazeera Children Channel and Prava I Prevodi, who acquired the title for Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. DECODE Enterprises will be at the Licensing Show in June looking to build on the television success by extending the brand into licensing and merchandising.

- Children's programming and formats a priority at the market -
 
 
London:  Target Entertainment Group is exhibiting at this year's Discop, where it will build on a raft of recent sales to broadcasters and licensing companies in  eastern and central Europe.
 
Deals include a package of factual, factual entertainment and comedy hours to Russia's Red Media for use on its platform of channels, plus sales to a range of Polish broadcasters.
 
A deal has just been finalised with BBC Poland for  the UK and US versions of long running, makeover show Ten Years Younger,  while MTV Poland has acquired series one of the US dating show Next, produced by Lighthearted Entertainment for MTV in the US. In addition, Polsat Play has bought Rabbit Film's action packed travel and adventure show Madventures (10x30'), which has also been acquired by TV3 Hungary.
 
On the drama front, fellow Hungarian broadcaster DUNA TV has bought Caught In A Trap, produced by Target-owned Greenlit Rights for ITV, and Element Film's  one-off,  Little White Lie.
 

Four Alternative Live-Action Series Debut in June Along With Total Drama Action
 
 
Cartoon Network unveils four new live-action alternative series this summer as part of its "CN Real" block of programming. Wednesday nights, starting June 17, is the destination for thrills as two new half-hour unscripted series follow real kids on real adventures with the debut of The Othersiders at 8 p.m. (ET, PT), followed by Survive This at 8:30 p.m. (ET, PT). Then let the games begin on Saturday, June 20, with two game shows featuring kids competing for some serious cash. BrainRush, the only game show that takes place entirely on a roller coaster, premieres at 8 p.m. (ET, PT) followed by an explosive new competition series Destroy Build Destroy at 8:30 p.m. (ET, PT).
Also premiering on Cartoon Network this summer is the animated reality parody Total Drama Action, the latest in the Total Drama series franchise.  A whole new twist on Cartoon Network's #1 series of 2008, Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action premieres Thursday, June 11, at 9 p.m. (ET, PT).
 

Twelve Action-Driven Hours of Original Animated Series Hail Start of Summer on Monday, May 25, 12 p.m.-12a.m.



               Fighting for truth, justice and the last slice of pizza, the D.C. Comics Teen Titans are five super heroes who are living proof that you're never too young to save the planet.  Twenty-nine hand-selected episodes of the hit animated series will air uninterrupted over 12 hours on the commercial-free Boomerang network, Monday, May 25, starting at 12 noon and culminating at 12 a.m. (ET).  Teen Titans originally premiered on Cartoon Network in 2003 to great viewer and critical acclaim, making the series an instant classic for younger generations and a TV favorite for comic book fans of all ages.

Based on the long-running DC Comics series, Teen Titans features five teenage superheroes who each exhibit special powers.  The team is led by Robin, the acrobatic and daring group leader with a stocked utility belt and no fear.  Beast Boy, small in stature and quick with a joke, can shift into the form of any animal, from a tiger to a Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Starfire is new to Earth and naïve to its ways, but when it is time for a throw-down, she fights as hard as any of the others.  The spooky, deadpan Raven can control inanimate objects with her powerful mental abilities.  Hulking Cyborg is half-man, half-machine and the most powerful member of the team.

But Teen Titans is not all about superpowers and bad guys.  Like most teens, they love hanging out with their friends, playing video games and going to parties.  And also like most adolescents, they each are trying to find their place in the world and deal with their growing pains as best as they can.  

"A Teen Titans marathon is the perfect way to ring in the summer," Said Stacy Isenhower, senior vice president of programming and scheduling for Boomerang and Cartoon Network.  "Teen Titans shows us that we can be capable of great things while still having a little fun."

NEW YORK (May 19, 2009) - 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE), a global provider of children's entertainment, has reached agreement with Cartoon Network by which the popular cable network will air the "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's" animated series and the 4Kids-produced "Chaotic: M'arrillian Invasion" starting next month (June 2009).  Cartoon Network will also air the third season of "Chaotic" scheduled to be delivered in the fall of 2009.
            "This is tremendous for 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' and 'Chaotic' fans across America," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO, 4Kids Entertainment, which produces "Chaotic" and the English language adaptation of "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's.".  "We are pleased to partner with Cartoon Network to bring two of our most exciting properties to a broader audience."
Since its debut in October 2007, the Chaotic Trading Card Game has become one of the most popular titles in the category, breaking into the "Top Three" of best-selling trading card games in North America.  Its companion Website (www.chaoticgame.com) currently has more than 1.5 million registered users who have uploaded over 60 million cards for online play with fans the world over. TheCW4Kids five-hour Saturday morning broadcast block on The CW television network, is expected to continue airing the "Chaotic" series going forward.
            Premiering in 2001, Yu-Gi-Oh! has amassed an international following with over 18.1 billion trading cards sold in seven languages throughout 51 countries.  Approximately six million fans collect and play the Yu-Gi-Oh!  trading card game across the globe.
            Series descriptions follow:

Children Can Now Interact with Elmo, Big Bird,
Cookie Monster in Classic and New "Sesame Street" Scenes
 
 
NEW YORK, NY, May, 2009 -Yoostar today announced a new partnership with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street", to feature 160 classic and contemporary "Sesame Street" clips on Yoostar's revolutionary entertainment system, available for purchase on Yoostar.com starting July 1 and in retail outlets beginning on August 24. The new Yoostar™ system will allow "Sesame Street" fans to replace and interact in segments with characters such as Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and more. 
 
The Sesame Workshop partnership is the first major children's content franchise licensed by Yoostar, which made its debut at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. The Yoostar system allows users to star in their favorite movie and TV scenes together with the original actors and share their performances online with family, friends and the world.

"'Sesame Street' has been delighting children for generations, and Yoostar is thrilled to add this franchise to our growing list of the most iconic scenes and characters in film and television," said Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, President and CEO, Yoostar Entertainment Group. "Yoostar will give children the chance to engage with 'Sesame Street' at an even higher level by playing and interacting directly with the characters."
 

Named Vice President of International Sales Sonia Mehandjiyska
to Attend the Cannes International Film Festival
 

NEEDHAM, MASS and LOS ANGELES, CA (May 12, 2009) - Independent global distributor Echo Bridge Entertainment continues to ramp up its sales executive ranks with the appointment of Sonia Mehandjiyska to the post of Vice President of International Sales, Eastern Europe. The announcement was made today by Dan March, Executive Vice President, Echo Bridge Entertainment, to whom she will report.
 
Mehandjiyska's appointment is the fourth senior sales executive appointment this year, following the addition of Natalie Yuen to the newly created position of Vice President, International Sales, Asia Pacific; Melissa Caron to the post of Vice President, International Sales, Europe; and Emilia Nuccio's appointment to Vice President, International Sales with a focus on Latin America and U.S. Hispanic market.   Mehandjiyska will spearhead the company's sales activities in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina> , Croatia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia> , Macedonia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia_%28country%29> , Montenegro <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montenegro> , Serbia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia> , Slovenia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia> , Kosovo and Turkey.  She will first represent the company at the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival.
 

New Episodes to air July 13-17, 2009, Supported by On-Air Promotion
and New Online Content
NEW YORK - May 11, 2009 -- Scholastic Media's (www.scholastic.com) Emmy Award®-winning WordGirl® (pbskidsgo.org/wordgirl) and her monkey sidekick Captain Huggy Face galaxy-hopped from planet Lexicon several years back, to battle Earth-bound villains with bad grammar and even worse vocabularies.  But her alter ego Becky Botsford embarks on a much more exciting adventure with friends and family during the "WordGirl Summer Road Trip," airing July 13-17, 2009 on PBS KIDS GO!sm (Check local listings.)  The special week of programming will be supported by on-air promotion and new "road trip"-related online content at pbskidsgo.org/wordgirl.
                                                                                                                
New episodes airing Monday and Tuesday (July 13-14) find Becky and the gang roughing it on a serene camping trip marred by a giant robot, and saving the city's candy supply during an all-but-routine field trip.  Fan favorites re-air the rest of the week, including episodes in which WordGirl protects the local amusement park and averts a major cheese heist during a family vacation.

Fox Combines Three Current Websites - FoxNow.com Product Catalog, FoxFast.com Marketing Support, and Fox Screening.com Video Resource - Into One Powerful Comprehensive Site That Will Also Serve As The Destination To Download Digital Broadcast Files.
 
 
Los Angeles, May 1, 2009 - On the eve of the Los Angeles Screenings, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, the exclusive international distributor for all FOX produced or acquired programming, is launching an all-new expanded www.FoxFast.com website May 4, 2009 replacing its current FoxFast.com marketing support website.  The announcement was made today by Mark Kaner, President, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.
 
This new powerful tool will support Fox's international broadcast clients by building on the success of the original FoxFast.com launched in 1999, which established Fox as the first studio to move the worldwide distribution of marketing and publicity support materials to the internet. The new FoxFast.com combines all areas of client support - researching the vast Fox film and TV series catalogs, finding and downloading marketing and publicity assets for a broadcaster's licensed titles, and viewing product and promo video - all into one easy-to-use website.  Advanced search and user preference features allow the broadcaster to customize the site to meet their particular use and needs.
 

Favorite Playhouse Disney characters including Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso and Zefronk star in a new interstitial that showcases the importance of washing hands. The messages reinforce lessons taught at home including basic practices during a cold or flu. The messages will premiere SATURDAY, MAY 9 (6:25 a.m., 7:25 a.m., 8:25 a.m., 9:25 a.m. and 10:25 a.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel, will recur daily during the Playhouse Disney programming block and will be available on PlayhouseDisney.com.
 
Disney Channel has also increased rotation of its animated Playhouse Disney short-form series, "Can You Teach My Alligator Manners?," in which a boy and his pet alligator help preschoolers learn good manners especially when one has a cold or flu.  The series airs weekdays at 9:55 a.m. ET/PT and weekends at 6:25 a.m. and 8:55 a.m. ET/PT, and is also available on PlayhouseDisney.com.

Playhouse Disney is seen in a daily programming block on Disney Channel U.S. and in 16 languages across 21 Playhouse Disney channels around the world.

Hit PBS KIDS® Series Boosts Literacy Skills for Preschoolers
Through Interactive Storybook Adventures and Unique
Educational Approach on TV, Online and in Communities
 
Study Shows Greatest Skill Enhancement for Children from Low-Income Families
 
Arlington, VA, May 6, 2009 - Two new studies on the highly rated, award-winning PBS KIDS series Super WHY! prove that children, especially those from low-income families, are learning core early literacy skills from the TV series and its educational support materials.  The studies were funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Education's Ready To Learn Grant.  The first study conducted by the Annenberg School for Communication, at the University of Pennsylvania, assessed the TV series' abilities to help boost preschoolers' early literacy skills ranging from knowledge of the alphabet to letter sounds and reading comprehension. The second study evaluated how children learn from the series content via Super WHY! five day reading camps where children were invited to take a hands-on approach to applying the Super Readers reading lessons into their daily lives.  Super WHY! is part  of the PBS KIDS Raising Readers initiative, which uses multiplatform content and targeted, local community engagement activities to help increase literacy skills for children ages 2-to-8, especially those from low-income families.
 
The Annenberg study, which was headed by Deborah L. Linebarger, Ph.D., Director of the Annenberg Children's Media Lab, determined whether young viewers learned the key early literacy content in the show, such as letter names and sounds, rhyming, and matching spoken words to print and whether they applied their learning in their daily lives.  "Learning to read begins early on in a child's life," said Dr. Linebarger, "and children need multiple experiences with storytelling and language in which to do so.     The format of Super WHY! provides them with an engaging platform that fosters literacy skills, resulting in learning the content featured in the program as well as applying that content to other contexts."
 

·       Best ever quarterly reach for Playhouse Disney in the UK

·       Best ever weekly share for Playhouse Disney, making it the number one pay-TV preschool channel in the UK

·       Best ever programme launch with "Special Agent Oso"


London: 1st May 2008: Leading preschool TV channel, Playhouse Disney, today announced its best ever quarterly performance in the UK. The channel doubled its share year on year to 1.8%* and attracted 5.8 million viewers between January and March 2009, up 14% on the previous year.

This positive trend has continued in April, with Playhouse Disney achieving its best ever weekly share among kids at 2.3%**, beating the channel's main competitor, Nick Jr, for the first time, and making Playhouse Disney the UK's number one preschool channel in pay-TV.

April also saw the channel's best ever launch with animated preschool series Special Agent Oso, which premiered on Saturday 4th April at 9:50am. Across its premiere weekend, the show starring Academy Award-nominee Sean Astin ("The Goonies", "Lord of the Rings Trilogy") as the voice of Oso, was seen by 377,000 viewers, including 181,000 kids aged 4-15.

New Season of Popular Adult Swim Series to Conclude with Live-Action Episode

BK-Sponsored Search Discovers Carl Look-A-Like to Round Out Cast

After more than 80 animated episodes of the Adult Swim hit Aqua Teen Hunger Force, creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis have developed the first-ever live-action episode.  To mark the occasion, they turned to none-other-than Grammy-winning southern soulster and rapper T-Pain to portray the Aqua Teen's only sane and rational roommate Frylock, whose animated form looks much like a floating box of French fries.  Starring as the Aqua Teen's self-appointed leader Master Shake will be actor Jon Benjamin.  The lovable and remarkably stupid Meatwad will be live as well but bare a striking resemblance to an exercise ball, and first-time television actor Dave Long Jr. has been tapped to play the Aqua Teen's obnoxious neighbor Carl after a lengthy nationwide search.  The new season of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which continues throughout May on Sunday nights, will conclude with this first-ever live-action episode on Sunday, May 31 at 11:45 p.m. (ET/PT).
Grammy-winning singer-song-writer-producer--and actor--T-Pain burst on the music scene in 2005 and has produced and written a plethora of chart-topping and platinum-selling singles.  In addition to the Grammy, T-Pain has garnered "Songwriter of the Year" and "Producer of the Year" honors at the BMI Urban Awards and earned a BET Award.  His self-produced third album, THR33 RINGZ, was released last November, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

Grupo Televisa and Sesame Workshop encourage children: tell a parent if you feel sick, wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.
 
(Mexico City, MÉXICO and New York, NEW YORK; April 29, 2009) - Beyond teaching letters and numbers, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street and Plaza Sésamo, is known for its consistently honest and brave approach to tough subjects.  As news and concern about a potential swine flu pandemic originating in Mexico City reaches around the world, today is no exception.  Production partners for over 35 years, Televisa, México's largest producer and terrestrial broadcaster, and Sesame Workshop have produced four public service announcements (PSAs) featuring the beloved Muppets of Plaza Sésamo Pancho and Lola as well as Mexican celebrities Lucero, Jorge Poza and Adrián Uribe, all of whom donated their time to the cause.  Plaza Sésamo's Education and Research team worked with México's Ministry of Health on developing the scripts which present the following important messages:
 
Tell a parent if you feel sick so they can take you to the doctor.  Don't go to school or outside where there are people who might catch your sickness.
 
It is important to cover your mouth with a tissue or your arm if you sneeze or cough.  Be sure to throw away the tissue and cover the trash can, too!
 
Wash your hands with soap and clean water several times throughout the day for at least 20 seconds.
 
The PSAs began airing on Televisa this morning.