Ahead of the MIPTV market, The Jim Henson Company has finalized a new slate of broadcast deals for its animated preschool property SID THE SCIENCE KID.
Adding to the company's current list of broadcasters, the company has also secured licensing agreements in Europe with French educational public broadcaster France 5, and Portugal's public broadcaster RTP. In Spain, the series has been licensed to Selecta Vision, who will handle all broadcast sales and licensing and merchandising activity in the territory. In the Middle East, the series has been licensed to pan regional broadcaster Al Jazeera, and to Noga Communications in Israel. In Latin America, Exim Licensing will handle all licensing and merchandising activity across the region. Additionally, the series has been licensed to E-Vision for the United Arab Emirates, Botswana Television, TFO, the Canadian French language educational public television network, and The American Forces Network for broadcast outside the U.S.
SID THE SCIENCE KID airs in the U.S. as part of the PBS KIDS preschool destination, the hosted two-hour morning block and online destination at pbskids.org. The company previously announced broadcast licensing agreements to Discovery Kids Latin America, and a trio of Canadian public broadcasters, TV Ontario, SCN-Saskatchewan and British Columbia's Knowledge.
SID THE SCIENCE KID, The Jim Henson Company's first series for PBS KIDS that features a practical in-school science curriculum, uses music and humor to celebrate children's natural curiosity about science in everyday life. The production of 40 half-hour episodes is co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and KCET/Los Angeles for PBS KIDS. The series is created using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, a proprietary technology that allows the company's performers to puppeteer and voice digitally-animated characters in real time creating a unique, more spontaneous and fresh result. SID THE SCIENCE KID continues the company's legacy of creating successful preschool programming such as FRAGGLE ROCK, BEAR IN THE BIG BLUE HOUSE and MUPPET BABIES.
Major funding for SID THE SCIENCE KID is provided by First 5 California, The Boeing Company, The Rose Hills Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and PBS.
