Ameba, the Winnipeg-based IPTV system for kids entertainment, has signed with Barcelona-based Sol 90 to distribute GREAT CIVILIZATIONS, a Spanish-language animated series on AmebaTV.com.
Breakthrough Ent. has closed several broadcast deals for its children's programming with broadcasters, heading into this year's MIPCOM.
ATOMIC BETTY, season three (26x30), has been licensed to Cartoon Network Latin America and THE ADVENTURES OF DUDLEY THE DRAGON (65x30) has been licensed to APTN in Canada.
The Jim Henson Company will debut two new CGI-animated series, DINOSAUR TRAIN and THE SKRUMPS, at MIPCOM Jr.
Amberwood Ent. has appointed 4Kids Ent. as the worldwide merchandise licensing agent and marketing brand manager for its new animated TV series, ROLLBOTS. 4Kids will manage global licensing opportunities, working closely with all licensees of the ROLLBOTS brand, including recently signed master toy licensee Mattel.
ROLLBOTS, a CG animated action-comedy with 26 episodes currently in production, features perfectly round robots with arm and leg appendages that retract, allowing them to roll at extreme speeds on roller-coaster-like tracks through their world, Flip City.
DECODE Enterprises is bringing a diverse range of programming for all ages to MIPCOM 2008, including debut show MARTHA SPEAKS, from Studio B Productions and WGBH Boston. Also on its market slate are new episodes of established shows alongside brand new programming from DHX Media's production subsidiaries and third party producers.
MEDIATOON will present the first episodes of the new CGI series of GARFIELD from French producer Dargaud Media at MIPCOM. American cartoonist Jim Davis, who created the comic strip 30 years ago, is the exec producer. In addition to the world famous comic strip, two blockbuster feature films, TV specials and a large amount of merchandising and Internet content, Garfield strikes again with 52x11 episodes shot in HD.
The first feature length TUTENSTEIN movie based on PorchLight Ent.'s two-time Emmy winning television series, is set to debut on Discovery Kids in the U.S. this fall and premiere internationally at MIPCOM Junior in October.
BabyFirst has formed BFTV Productions, an in-house unit established to produce original television programming expressly for the preschool market.
Now reaching 100 million home worldwide, BabyFirst is a commercial-free 24/7 channel designed for babies and toddlers and their parents. Arik Kerman, SVP of Programming for BabyFirst and the executive responsible the channel's programming, will serve as General Manager of BFTV Productions. Programming produced by BFTV Productions will be offered to preschool broadcasters worldwide.
DECODE Enterprises, the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media, has promoted Josh Scherba from Director of Sales to VP, Distribution.
In his new role, he will continue to head the sales team for DECODE Enterprises' distribution catalogue which includes programming from DHX's production subsidiary's DECODE Entertainment, Halifax Film and Studio B Productions as well as acquired third party series.
Gary Wang, founder and CEO of Tudou, China's leading video sharing platform, will deliver a keynote at MIPCOM 2008. The address will be given on Thursday, October 16 within the framework of a day of debate dedicated to the convergence between TV, video sharing online communities and video games. The 24th edition of MIPCOM runs October 13-17 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France.
Do you know how many sun swords a wizard with only seven charisma points needs to slay a wandering armored Tharg troll? Likely, you don't have a clue, but this is common knowledge in NERDLAND, a new stop-motion animated pilot debuting at MIPCOM in October from Cuppa Coffee Studios and set to air this fall on TELETOON.
Aardman Animations, the Bristol-based Academy Award-winning animation studio has restructured its Marketing, Licensing and International TV Distribution departments, merging them all into a newly formed division called Aardman Rights. The new division is set up to market and sell Aardman content across all media and it will seek to expand its IP portfolio by representing third-party properties.
Ze Frank, Internet legend and pioneer, comedian, presenter and lecturer, and Gary Carter, President, Creative Networks and Chief Creative Officer, FMX of FremantleMedia, will deliver a joint keynote on creativity at MIPCOM 2008, on Tuesday, October 14 in cooperation with the Entertainment Master Class, The Format Academy for Entertainment Television.
KIDSCREEN Magazine reports that 80 full-time employees of the newly merged DIC Ent./Cookie Jar Group have been let go. Plans to restructure the company came earlier in August, following the July acquisition.
Most positions were eliminated effectively immediately, according to Cookie Jar CEO Michael Hirsh. Some departures will occur as far away as six months from now to finish up current projects. The company now employs between 230 and 240 people, including staff at CPLG the European licensing agency that was part of the DIC acquisition.
4Kids Ent. has set MIPCOM 2008 for the premiere of 26 all-new half-hour episodes of DINOSAUR KING.
The global broadcast line-up for DINOSAUR KING series includes Mediaset (Italy), RTL2 (Germany), France 3 (France), Canal J (France), TV2 (Denmark), TV4 (Sweden), MTV 3 (Finland), TVI (Portugal), LNK (Lithuania), Neljas (Estonia), Jetix (UK, Scandinavia, Spain and Latin America), MNET (South Africa) and YTV (Canada) among many others. New markets expected to close at MIPCOM include the U.K., Ireland, Australia and a number of central European countries.
Cyma Zarghami, President of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, will present the MIPCOM Junior 2008 Keynote on Sunday October 12. The 16th edition of MIPCOM Junior, the specialist international screening marketplace and conference for children's programming and merchandising will be held on the October 11-12 at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France.
During her address, Zarghami will share her vision of how the localization of global hit creative properties can result in a stronger worldwide brand presence.
Swedish animated film GNOMES AND TROLLS: THE SECRET CHAMBER has sold to 69 countries so far, per VARIETY. The English-language children's film first screened this weekend at the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund.
GNOMES was directed by Robert Rhodin, who produced along with Carl Johan Merner for White Shark. It has yet to be sold in the U.S., U.K., France, Italy or Germany, but will screen at the AFM in Santa Monica, California in November and a TV version will be shown at MIPCOM in Cannes, France in October. An unfinished version showed at Cannes Film Market.
MGM Domestic Television Distribution has acquired an option to develop digital graphic novel THE MANY WORLDS OF JONAS MOORE, a Factory Publishing property, as a possible television series.
Playhouse Disney U.K. has acquired a new U.K. preschool animation series, CLAUDE, scheduled to air later this year. The series is being produced by U.K. production companies Dot To Dot and Red and Blue Productions.
4Kids Ent., has licensed the new animated TV series, ROLLBOTS from Amberwood Ent., for broadcast in the United States in The CW 4Kids Saturday morning block on The CW Network.
David Zaslav, President and CEO, Discovery Communications, will present the MIPCOM 2008 Green TV Keynote on Monday, October 13. MIPCOM, the world's audiovisual content market, will be held in Cannes, France from October 13-17, 2008.
MIPCOM 2008Cannes, FranceOctober 13-17, 2008
Chad Hurley, co-founder and CEO of YouTube, will open MIPCOM's first Broadband Video Summit with a keynote speech. The Broadband Video Summit will take place on Wednesday October 15 at the 24th edition of MIPCOM, October 13-17, 2008, Palais des Festivals, Cannes.
ANDY'S AIRPLANES, a soaring new adventure series that captures the exhilaration of flying for children, has retained International Producers Group (IPG) as worldwide sales agent for the new property.
IPG President and CEO, Richard Ellman, is now in discussions with both international distributors and U.S. broadcasters as well as manufacturers and distributors for all ancillary rights. IPG will bring the debut animated program to MIPCOM Jr. and MIPCOM in Cannes, France this fall.
From Disney comes NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS and the third season of THE MUPPET SHOW, along with Volume 1 of the RICHIE RICH/SCOOBY-DOO hour and OBAN STAR-RACERS Vol. 2.
Michael Eisner, the former CEO of the Walt Disney Company and now the driving force behind online content companies Vuguru and Veoh, will deliver a keynote at the upcoming MIPCOM, which takes place in Cannes October 13-17, 2008.
