London – Sky Vision has inked a new television distribution deal with leading digital Russian broadcaster Carousel TV for the hit pre-school show City of Friends.  Under the agreement, Carousel TV has acquired two 26 x 10 minute series and two thirty-minute specials of the popular show from Norwegian children’s entertainment producer CreaCon Group.

Carousel TV is part of Channel One Group and is Russia’s leading digital channel for families with an audience of more than 51 million viewers across the country and abroad.  Carousel’s programming is aimed at children and teenagers aged 3-15 years and offers educational, developmental and playful elements that teach young viewers how to realise their creative potential and broaden their horizons.

City of Friends launches on Carousel in late 2012 and will be aired daily on the channel.

CreaCon Group, Norway’s largest independent producer of children’s entertainment, appointed Sky Vision (formerly Parthenon) in 2009 to handle its global TV sales.  Since then, City of Friends has been sold into more than 180 countries worldwide and has been translated into more than 23 languages. Broadcasters include including Channel 5 (UK), Boomerang and Cartoon Network (Nordics), France TV (France), Aljazeera (Middle East & North Africa), M-Net (Africa), HOP! (Israel) and Yoopa (Canada).

Carl Christian Hamre, CEO CreaCon Group commented, “We are delighted to be taking City of Friends to a brand new audience in Russia and expanding our reach in this important and strategic market.  Sky Vision has done a great job in securing a best-in-class partner with Carousel TV and we look forward to building a strong City of Friends fan base in Russia.”

This October City of Friends will be celebrating its first broadcast anniversary in the UK. City of Friends made its UK debut on Channel 5’s milkshake! on October 16th 2011 and by March 2012 ratings reflected an 83% growth in viewership. CreaCon Group launched its first City of Friends app in April, which has now achieved more than 25,000 downloads and has been the Number One pre-school app in Norway for 20 weeks. The company is also expanding its popular live shows in the Nordic region with a brand new format -- City of Friends Live Arena Show -- which premiered in September 2012 to an audience of 15,000 people over six shows.

Source: Sky Vision