Category: Television

At MIP-TV 2002, TV-Loonland has struck a first time deal with Italian state broadcaster RAI for several shows. RAIs free TV channels RAI 2 and RAI 3 will air CRAMP TWINS (26 x 30 minutes) in 2002 while LITTLE GHOSTS (39 x 7 minutes), PETTSON AND FINDUS (13 x 13 minutes) and CLIFFORD (40 x 30 minutes) are expected to air in 2003. Additionally, RAIs pay-TV channel RAISAT will broadcast CLIFFORD, LITTLE GHOSTS and CONNIE THE COW (52 x 7 minutes) in 2002.

Kids animation producer-distributor TV-Loonland will present a new slate of animation programming at MIP-TV 2002. Leading the Loonland catalogue is the launch of REBOOT - SEASON IV. Animated by Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. REBOOT was the first ever half-hour computer animated TV series produced. Originally seen on North American television in September 1994 on YTV (Canada) and on ABC Television (USA), the series remains one of YTV's top-rated programs and can be seen in the daily Toonami block on the Cartoon Network.

Independent animation house Alphanim has partnered with Canadian production company Nelvana on THE DELTA STATE (26 x 30-minutes). The show, which focuses on four 20-something East Berliners with supernatural powers, was originally announced in 2001 as a co-production with Cinar, but fell through when Cinar Europe closed its doors in February 2002. With Nelvana now on board, the series is scheduled to deliver in fall 2003. Alphanim has also committed to CREEP SCHOOL (26 x 26-minutes) a co-production with Sweden's Happy Life and France 3. The series is also scheduled for 2003.

DECODE Entertainment is launching two brand new preschool series at MIP-TV 2002. SAVE UMS is a 26 x 30-minute 3D animation produced by DECODE and executive produced by creator and writer Dan Clark of the Dan Clark Company (BRATS OF THE LOST NEBULA). The series is a fun and educational project with an emphasis on problem solving. The SAVE UMS characters are preschool action heroes who encourage children to learn about technology. Each episode inspires children to develop their own skills and initiative and to adapt to the technology in their world.

Egmont Imagination will bring their new stop-motion animated series LITTLE PEOPLE to MIP-TV 2002. Specifically developed for a preschool audience, the series follows five little people as they explore and discover the world around them. The versatile 65 x 5-minute or 13 x half-hour series will premiere on SRTL in Germany this fall.

pasi (philippine animation studio, inc.) and Canadian producer Nelvana have joined forces to produce 14 new episodes of the animated series, SEVEN LITTLE MONSTERS for the PBS Saturday morning kids block. Based on the book from childrens author Maurice Sendak, the series is all about life in a large family of brothers and sisters, who just happen to be monsters. SEVEN LITTLE MONSTERS is the third co-production between pasi and Nelvana to be covered under the recently ratified government sanctioned co-production treaty between the Philippines and Canada.

Discovery Kids and NBC revealed their programming line-up for the three-hour block that will debut this fall on NBC Saturday mornings beginning Saturday, October 5, 2002, and airing weekly from 10:00 am-1:00 pm ET/8:00 am-11:00 am PT. In addition to new live-action shows and kid-oriented reality series, Discovery Kids and NBC will air the documentary series WALKING WITH DINOSAURS and its sequel, WALKING WITH PREHISTORIC BEASTS.

Representing their first sale to Japan, TV-Loonland has sold the home video and DVD rights of the animated series LITTLE GHOSTS to Japanese home entertainment corporation TDK. The show has also been sold to Indonesian agent PT-NAINA, who will distribute all rights of the series to buyers in the Asia Pacific region. Australias public broadcaster ABC Australia is currently airing LITTLE GHOSTS and will be launching the series on home video through their subsidiary ABC Video in spring 2002.

The new animated series CHALKZONE premiered to Nickelodeons highest kids 2-11 ratings ever for a new series launch, outperforming broadcast and cable network competition in that same demographic. According to the network, the program, which debuted Friday, March 22, 2002 at 8:30 pm (ET/PT), scored an 8.6/27 rating and share (2.8 million average kid viewers) among kids 2-11 and attracted 4 million total viewers, a Nick record for a series launch. CHALKZONE chronicles the adventures of kid cartoonist-turned-action-hero Rudy Tabootie (E.G.

Canadian animation house Studio B is heading to MIP TV this April with two new shows and 26 new second season episodes of both YVON OF THE YUKON and D'MYNA LEAGUES. Studio B says their new property INTO THE SHADOWS is a "safe scare" show a la SCOOBY DOO. The series is in development for the Family Channel with 26 x 11-minute episodes. The production company hopes to secure international pre-sales at MIPTV. Studio B will also debut the original series FLAKES, featuring "cerealebrities" living in a place called Breakfastown.

As part of a new programming strategy, Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshops educational network NOGGIN will be unveiling its new programming schedule on April 1, 2002. The network will extend its preschool-aimed programming by three hours with a daytime block called "Noggin," airing from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm (ET). Premiering in this block beginning April 1st at 9:00 am is the new preschooler series PLAY WITH ME SESAME, featuring Muppet characters Ernie, Bert, Grover and Prairie Dawn.

Kids' WB!, has unveiled their 2002-2003 schedule and the network is introducing a "year-round" slate offering new programming beginning in summer 2002 and leading into the 2002-2003 television season. Debuting this summer is the new, entirely Flash-animated series ¡MUCHA LUCHA!, an over-the-top comedy-adventure set in the world of Mexican masked wrestling.