CABLEready Signs SSA's Slammin' Sammy
Program distribution anddevelopment company CABLEready has inked a deal with Tokyo's SSAProductions for key international TV rights to SLAMMIN' SAMMY, ananimated one-hour biography of Sammy Sosa, the Dominican-born MajorLeague Baseball star. The deal includes all of South and CentralAmerica, the Caribbean (except the Dominican Republic), Asia'sPacific Rim, Europe, Canada and Africa. SLAMMIN' SAMMY -- THE SAMMYSOSA STORY traces Sosa's life from the hardships of his youth as ashoeshine boy to the realization of his dream of playing for a MajorLeague Baseball team and his remarkable, record-breaking career."Sammy Sosa is one of the most popular and recognizable athletes onthe international scene, especially in such baseball-crazed marketsas Latin America and Japan," noted Gary Lico, president and CEO ofCABLEready. "The creative animation in SLAMMIN' SAMMY helps thespecial appeal to children and adults alike, while the compelling'rags-to-riches' storyline attracts even non baseball fans." SSAProductions has a ten year exclusive agreement with Sammy Sosa tocreate animation for TV, theatrical releases and video/DVD sales. Theagreement includes publishing comic strips, merchandising andpromotional usage of the animated Sammy. The company plans to produceweekly series in the future.