American kids on the AOL KOL service will now get the chance to watch Nelvana's JACOB TWO-TWO. As its first English-language U.S. distribution deal for this property, Nelvana took an unconventional approach by tapping the growing online medium to showcase its popular cartoon.
JACOB TWO-TWO is enjoyed by broadcast audiences the world over on television. We are delighted to be able to reach our audience through KOLs significant footprint in the U.S. market by way of Internet-delivered content, said Doug Murphy, evp of business development, Nelvana. This partnership with AOL offers an exciting new way to reach millions of kids who are increasingly spending more time consuming entertainment content on the web.
"We are excited to introduce JACOB TWO-TWO to the millions of kids who are already enjoying animated cartoons on our service," said Malcolm Bird, svp, AOL Kids & Teens. "This acquisition is part of our strategy to bring the best kids video content available online and we are confident that as we offer more entertainment to our kid users they will want to spend even more time on KOL."
Based on renowned author Mordecai Richlers award-winning book series, JACOB TWO-TWO is an animated adventure series featuring globe-trotting international spies, mysterious neighbors, revolting cafeteria food, treacherous teachers and one very spirited boy. The series currently airs on YTV (Canada), Cartoon Network (Central and South America, Mexico, Caribbean), TPS Jeunesse (French-speaking Europe), ARD, KI.KA and Jetix (Germany), MiniMini (Poland) Telemundo (U.S. Spanish language), NOGA Israel and Jetix (Fox) Scandinavia.
The series is set to launch on KOL by May 2006.
Nelvana Limited is one of the worlds leading international producers and distributors of childrens programming and products. Nelvana is owned by Corus Ent., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in both specialty TV and radio. The companys other interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto and New York Exchanges. Corus website can be found at www.corusentertainment.com/.
The KOL service is the first version of the America Online service designed entirely for kids. KOL combines exclusive content from industry leading kids' brands and original programming, while also offering AOL's award-winning Parental Controls, which creates a safer and more secure online environment for kids. Reaching millions of kids each month, KOL is leading the next generation of children's entertainment by developing four original animated online series, PRINCESS NATASHA, SKWOD, KUNG FU ACADEMY and PILAR'S ADVENTURES.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
