The Grünwald-based brand management and media company m4e AG has sold the free-TV rights of the German version of the movie “Winx Club – The Secret of the Lost Kingdom” to the Viacom-subsidiary Nickelodeon.
Press Release from m4e AG
Grünwald, Munich, 7th June 2010: The Grünwald-based brand management and media company m4e AG has sold the free-TV rights of the German version of the movie “Winx Club – The Secret of the Lost Kingdom” to the Viacom-subsidiary Nickelodeon. This 90-minute animated film, which thrilled circa 300,000 moviegoers in Germany and Austria in the autumn of 2008, is expected to celebrate its German TV premiere in the autumn of 2010.
Nickelodeon is the ideal broadcaster to premiere the first movie adventure of the beloved Winx fairies on free-TV, since Nickelodeon (Germany) is also the home of the faries’ animated series. The series, produced by Rainbow S.p.A., has already been aired here since September 2006 with great success. Long-awaited by all its fans, the new fourth season was finally broadcast in November 2009, and thus achieved peak viewing figures with market shares of up to 29% in the target group (girls, 6-13 years old. Source: AGF/GfK pc#tv; Nov.-Dec. 09). A repeat broadcast of the third season of the series is presently being aired on Saturdays in two-part episodes at 14:45 and 15:15.
Work is currently in progress on a sequel to the movie in Rainbow’s animation studios. It is expected to be released in Italy in October 2010 and in German and Austrian movie theatres at the beginning of 2011 in 3D.
About m4e AG: m4e AG is an internationally active and integrated brand management and media company, which in accordance with its own motto “made 4 entertainment” is involved in the development, setting up and marketing of brands and characters (IP rights).
Business segments of the media group, which meanwhile also include the Netherlands’ Telescreen B.V., as well as Tex-ass Textilvertriebs GmbH in Essen, comprise primarily movie and TV production, world distribution of movie and TV rights, as well as exploitation of rights in the areas of home entertainment (video/DVD), licensing & merchandising, publishing, interactive and new media. With their divisions “FACES & NAMES” and “it’s fun. music” m4e develops medially supported marketing concepts for brands and personalities as well as powerful and effective media and music cooperations for the German TV station RTL II among others. A further business segment is the production and distribution of trend products from the sphere of fashion and accessories.
Through all of these activities, m4e media group is in the position to offer everything from a single source – from the development of an idea right up to the finished product and thus attaining virtually a unique position in the international media and entertainment market.
About Nickelodeon:Since September 12th 2005, NICK has been providing Germany’s kids and family TV audience with more variety, thanks to its broad range of top-quality preschool, cartoon, young teen and animal shows. NICK is home to the most popular kids’ shows in Germany, and also the world over, and broadcasts classics such as 'SpongeBob SquarePants', 'Jimmy Neutron’ and 'Dora the Explorer'. Many new formats, such as the educational preschool show 'Noddy' and 'The Backyardigans’, the superhero cartoon 'Danny Phantom', and successful live action shows such as 'iCarly', 'Zoey 101’, 'Unfabulous', 'Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide’ and 'Drake & Josh' are also shown in Germany exclusively on NICK. NICK reaches 91.7% of the TV households in Germany. The channel is available via satellite (Astra 19,2°) and digital cable TV that can be received without restriction almost everywhere in Germany. And for the genuine fans, there’s also NICK Premium, available since December 2007. There, you can watch series premieres and new episodes, broadcast for the first time in Germany and completely ad-free, a month before they are shown as free TV premieres on NICK. The pay TV channel for preschoolers, NICK Jr, started in April 2009. There, three- to five-year-olds and their parents can enjoy non-stop ad-free TV programming of the highest quality, specially made for our youngest target audience. Our online presence, www.nick.de, has had to this date more than 58 million page views and is one of the most visited kids’ websites in Germany. In addition to that www.clubnick.de was started in September 2008. This portal offers NICK fans a secure and ad-free world full of fun and games.
NICK is owned by MTV Networks, a branch of the international media company Viacom. Nickelodeon is the only multimedia entertainment brand in the world that is exclusively for kids. After 25 years of serving the world’s children, NICK today reaches 320 million households in 169 countries worldwide, with 28 TV channels, 21 program windows and 2 broadband services in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. NICK shows are also broadcast by third parties in important international markets with NICK’s distribution therefore encompassing a total of 669 million households. NICK’s international services include digital channels in the UK, Australia and Mexico. The USA also receives further digital channels, such as Noggin, Nicktoons, GAS and Nick Too. Furthermore, the corporate portfolio of international business divisions comprises 21 country-specific websites, Nickelodeon films and the global licensing and merchandising of Nickelodeon products, such as Rugrats, Blue's Clues, Dora The Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
