Corus Kids Television brings viewers an assortment of movies, stunt events, series and Valentine's specials in February. Highlights include EDGAR & ELLEN: CRUSHED and STUART LITTLE 3: CALL OF THE WILD on YTV, FRIENDSHIP & CARING DAY on Treehouse.
KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG, from the world of DC Comics, and Dr. Seuss' inimitable GERALD MCBOING BOING will debut on Cartoon Network's all-classic cartoon channel, Boomerang, on Monday, Feb. 5, 2007, at 7:00 and 6:00 pm, respectively.
After collecting love stories from their viewers, the Hallmark Channel will turn the tales into animated shorts as part of TELL US YOUR STORY, which began airing, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007. The first round of :30 programs feature love stories as part of the networks "Whole Lotta Love Month."
Canada-based Comet Ent. has sold its animated WRAPPY, SEX POLICE to MTV Latin America. SEX POLICE will have its premier in the Animatosis block during MTV's "sex month," The show has different timeslots throughout the region.
"Comet is extremely excited to be working with MTV," said Comet ceo Raquel Benitez. "Their projects are innovative, creative and our show, SEX POLICE, which is full of humor and action, will be a perfect fit in their programming. I am sure their audience will love it, we will fill an empty space in the adult animation industry."
The MASTERS OF HORROR 13-episode series will be wrapping up on Showtime with THE WASHINGTONIANS, directed by Peter Medak (THE CHANGELING) to debut Jan. 26, 2007, at 10:00 pm, with repeats through the following Tuesday and the 13th story, DREAM CRUISE, directed by Norio Tsuruta (RINGU 0: BÂSUDEI, PREMONITION), to bow Feb. 2 at 10:00 pm.
DIC Ent. has finalized new international broadcast and home entertainment distribution deals for the new series HORSELAND.
DECODE Ent. has sold a second season commission for PLANET SKETCH to Nicktoons Network in the U.S., Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network. Nicktoons Network has ordered all 26 11-minute episodes of the hit Aardman Animations co-production to air in spring 2007.
Entertainment Rights Plc (ER) has acquired worldwide publishing phenomenon, WHERE'S WALDO? Internationally, the popular character is known as Where's Wally? Through the deal with series creator Martin Handford, ER has audio visual, licensing and merchandising, publishing, live events and digital rights to the Where's Waldo? brand, worldwide in perpetuity. Handford will continue to create and publish the WHERE'S WALDO? picture books in their original format.
Twentieth Television has cleared off-net sitcom FAMILY GUY on 12 additional stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, thereby increasing its U.S. coverage to 82%, for fall 2007.
AIR GEAR: EAST SIDE SHOWDOWN will premiere Jan. 25, 2007, on Anime Network. In the VOD series, motor-powered inline skates called "Air Treks" take extreme sports to a whole new level. Those who dare to ride with these high tech devices risk life and limb in a struggle for fame, power and wings to take to the sky. Ikki Minami is the toughest fighter on the east side of town. He rules his school, takes on violent gangs single-handedly and lives with the Noyamanos -- four sexy sisters with a surprising secret.
Nick Jr. has announced it has picked up a new original half-hour preschool series, YO GABBA GABBA! The 20-episode live-action magazine-style series will use music and song to highlight simple life lessons and universal experiences in the lives of preschoolers. Produced by The Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN, YO GABBA GABBA! will commence production in April in Orange County, California, and the series is scheduled to premiere on Nick Jr. in fall 2007.
Toon Disney presents "The Great Toon Weekend" every weekend beginning Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007. Leading off every Saturday and Sunday afternoon is TOON DISNEY'S BIG MOVIE SHOW (12:00-2:00 pm, ET/PT), followed by five hours (2:00-7:00 pm, ET/PT) of programming showcasing popular series that are based on hit Disney animated feature films.
Beginning Jan. 27, Toon Disney's afternoon schedule is:
12:00 pm: TOON DISNEY'S BIG MOVIE SHOW2:00 pm: ALADDIN (back to back episodes)3:00 pm: TIMON & PUMBAA (back to back episodes)
Zoic Studios has joined the team that helps bring the acclaimed television series 24 to life. The highly anticipated season six launched on Fox on Jan. 13 and 14, delivering the cliffhanger excitement and bold performances for which the show is known.
Zoic will provide both dramatic and invisible effects throughout the season, as Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) embarks on his continuing high stakes adventure, playing out in realtime, hour by nail-biting hour.
Continuing Cartoon Network's move into the live-action arena, Adult Swim has announced premiere dates for two original live-action series. From the creators of TOM GOES TO THE MAYOR comes TIM AND ERIC AWESOME SHOW, GREAT JOB, a variety sketch show premiering on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at 11:45 pm (ET/PT). Immediately following is SAUL OF THE MOLE MEN, a comedy/adventure shot entirely in front of a greenscreen, at 12:00 midnight (ET/PT).
SCI FI launched an original new marketing campaign to promote THE DRESDEN FILES, a fresh supernatural take on the television crime drama, which premieres Jan. 21, 9:00 pm, as lead-in to the channels critically-acclaimed series, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, which begins airing in its new timeslot, Sundays at 10:00 pm.
Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeons 24-hour animation network, premieres THE SECRET SHOW, an original series from U.K. producer Collingwood OHare Ent., on Jan. 20, 2007, at 8:30 pm. The 13 half-hour series, which is packed with covert missions, layers of secrecy and original storylines, will air regularly Saturdays at 8:30 pm on Nicktoons Network.
EM.Ent. has licensed new rights to library titles in both France and Eastern Europe. The French broadcaster Canal J has acquired a program package encompassing exclusive marketing rights for pay and free TV respectively (cable and satellite) as well as non-exclusive exploitation rights for IPTV and Mobile. Further more, EM.Ent. has granted DVD/video marketing rights for Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to InterDomino whilst the Eastern European free TV channel Minimax has also purchased formats from the company's distribution portfolio.
Since its launch three months ago at MIPCOM 06, Aardman Animations' SHAUN THE SHEEP has racked up television sales in 60 countries and tied up licensing deals in several key territories worldwide.
Following its success as the most viewed show at MIPCOM Jr., the series has been sold by Aardman Int'l to multiple broadcasters across the globe, including France, Japan, Asia and Latin America.
4Kids Ent. Inc. brings 52 new episodes of the CG animated television series VIVA PINATA to NATPE 2007.
HIT Ent. offers a slate of new program offerings at NATPE 2007. Representatives for HIT's award-winning catalog may be reached at Booth #1540 throughout the show.
BOB THE BUILDER is a key part of preschool children's lives, as he hammers out solutions to new problems in more than 200 countries worldwide. In BOB THE BUILDER -- PROJECT: BUILD IT, the #1 pre-school television series in the U.S., Bob and his team move to Sunflower Valley to build an echo-friendly town from the ground up.
Cookie Jar Ent., which just sold MAGI NATION to KIDS' WB! in the U.S. and CBC in Canada, will unveil its newest original animated series to global programmers at NATPE '07.
FRANNY'S FEET will return with its second season of 13 half-hour shows premiering February 3, 2007, on PBS KIDS. The series, produced by DECODE Ent. in association with Thirteen/WNET New York, debuted in the U.S. last summer and has become a hit for kids 4-7.
Franny's adventures take her and her viewers to places around the world, where she meets new friends and tries to help them solve problems, sharing her feelings, fears and advice with the audience along the way. Global awareness, science and vocabulary development are woven together with entertaining storytelling.
With the series returning from hiatus on Feb. 7, 2007, the makers of LOST have begun talks with ABC about when the series will end, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. This doesn't mean the series is coming to a close soon. The discussion is part of an effort to help the series writers lead the show toward a fixed ending in the future.
"Once we figure out when that will be, a lot of the questions will go away," said exec producer Carlton Cuse.
DECODE Ent. has pre-sold GIZMO to Canada's YTV. The animated series (26x22 or 52x11), which is set to be delivered in fall of 2007, is a sci-fi comedy about the adventures of a dysfunctional crew of alien robots who crash-land in the backyard of siblings Daisy and Robin.
The series is developed by Singapore's Scrawl Studios and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) in co-production with DECODE, YTV and Hong Kong animation company Agogo Ent. Ltd. DECODE has worldwide distribution rights for this Canada/Hong Kong/Singapore treaty co-production.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has extended the STARGATE SG-1 franchise with two movies based on the popular series. Titled STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH and STARGATE: CONTINUUM, the movies will both be made available to TV and home entertainment by MGM.
