On Apr 6, 3:14 am, "Taylor" <fetchwithruffruff...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Oh, yeah... I'll (((REALLY))) be going there. lol ;-)
>
> http://www.worksforme.ca/
>
> ______________________________
> http//www.myspace.com/kidsco
>
> http://news.google.ca/news?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLJ_en...
http://home.businesswire.com/****tal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070403005435&newsLang=en
April 03, 2007 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Sparrowhawk Media, DIC Entertainment and Corus Entertainment Partner
to Launch KidsCo, A Branded Global Channel for Children
Fully-Dedicated Channel to Deliver Family-Friendly Programming To Over
40 Territories Worldwide
Sparrowhawk to Broadcast KidsCo with Content from Extensive Catalogs
of DIC and Corus' Nelvana
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading children's media companies,
Sparrowhawk Media, DIC Entertainment (DIC) and Corus Entertainment
Inc.'s Nelvana Enterprises, have created a strategic joint venture to
launch KidsCo, a multi-platform global television channel for children
and families. The announcement was made today by David Hulbert, CEO,
Sparrowhawk, Andy Heyward, Chairman and CEO, DIC and John Cassaday,
President and CEO, Corus Entertainment Inc.
KidsCo, a 24/7 multi-platform channel, will be committed to providing
a responsible and entertaining environment for children and families
around the world. The unique channel will begin rolling out in 2007
utilizing Sparrowhawk's state-of-the-art broadcast distribution
facility in the U.S. and the company's international network of
affiliates. Veteran media executive David Elstein serves as Chairman
of Sparrowhawk, and Hulbert, former President of Walt Disney
International Television, is part of the management team at
Sparrowhawk that launched and managed the Disney channels worldwide
and currently broadcasts the international Hallmark channels. The
first launch of "KidsCo" is anticipated this Fall in Central and
Eastern Europe with subsequent premieres throughout 2008 and 2009 in
approximately 40 territories across Europe, Latin America and Asia
Pacific.
KidsCo will feature renowned animated and live-action television
series and feature-length movies from pre-eminent independent
animation program suppliers, DIC and Nelvana. DIC's programming
library features over 3,000 half-hours of top quality series,
including Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Madeline, Dennis the
Menace, Care Bears and more. With more than 3,000 half-hours of kids'
programming, Nelvana Enterprises' catalog features international
favourites such as Babar, Franklin, The Adventures of Tintin and Rolie
Polie Olie. KidsCo will acquire programming from other major
children's content suppliers, produce original properties to launch on
the channel and will also feature prime-time family movies. KidsCo
programming will be localized market-by-market and will be programmed
by day-parts to create a strategic line-up targeting segmented
audiences.
"This alliance draws on the collective expertise of the best in the
business, and the libraries of our content partners contain some of
the world's most popular children's programming," said David Hulbert,
Sparrowhawk Media's Chief Executive. "The combined experience within
the KidsCo organisation has enabled us to develop this concept based
on an innovative business model from which we all benefit." He added,
"Sparrowhawk's global commercial and technical distribution networks
manage the successful operation of the Hallmark Channel across more
than 150 countries. It is this unique combination of assets that
enable us to deliver KidsCo in an environment designed to reassure
parents, at a price that platforms will find very refre****ng."
"As the children's market continues to evolve it presents new
challenges for program suppliers looking to find a home for their
product," stated Heyward. "The KidsCo collaboration allows
Sparrowhawk, Corus and DIC to pioneer an innovative business model
that allows us to own international broadcast real estate to showcase
our existing catalogs, as well as launch new programming overseas." He
added, "KidsCo offers the partners a unique op****tunity to merge their
combined strengths to create a truly dynamic international
distribution platform."
"This partner****p reinforces the strength of Nelvana's library in
international markets," said John Cassaday, President and CEO, Corus
Entertainment Inc. "We are proud to be partnering with Sparrowhawk
Media and DIC Entertainment to deliver on our shared mission of
entertaining children and families around the globe. Sparrowhawk's
distribution expertise combined with Nelvana and DIC's extensive
libraries of parent-trusted programming will provide audiences with
highly-entertaining, family-friendly experiences delivered in
innovative ways."
About Sparrowhawk Media:
Sparrowhawk Media is a group of media companies operating television
channel broadcast and program distribution businesses worldwide. The
group is chaired by David Elstein with David Hulbert as Chief
Executive. Backed by Providence Equity Partners and 3i, Sparrowhawk
owns and broadcasts the international (non-US) versions of the
Hallmark Channel, Movies 24 and KidsCo. The 18 feeds for the
international Hallmark Channel air across 152 countries to more than
60 million subscribers in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa,
Australia, Latin America and Asia. Movies 24 has recently launched on
Sky and Virgin TV in the UK and will be rolled out internationally in
the near future. Sparrowhawk also owns a state-of-the-art broadcast
facility in Denver, Colorado, which provides transmission facilities
for both the Sparrowhawk and third party channels operating as
Sparrowhawk Broadcast Services. Sparrowhawk's program distribution
business owns the international rights to more than 580 miniseries/TV
movie dramas in the Sparrowhawk Distribution Library (formerly the
Crown Media/Hallmark Library) and also incor****ates Sparrowhawk's
mobile video messaging business TxtBIG!
About DIC Entertainment:
DIC Entertainment, a fully-integrated global brand management company,
is dedicated to creating, developing, producing, distributing,
marketing and merchandising family-based intellectual properties. The
Company serves as the worldwide licensor for brands such as
McDonald's, Strawberry Shortcake, and Classic Trolls. DIC has become
an industry leader in developing quality content for kids with an
extensive library of over 3,000 half-hours of animated programming,
including Horseland, Strawberry Shortcake, Liberty's Kids, Madeline,
Care Bears and Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? In 2006, DIC and
AOL's kids' online destination KOL launched the new branded kids'
programming block, KOL's Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party for
CBS. As a pre-eminent supplier of kids programming worldwide, DIC has
developed strategic partner****ps with key broadcast partners
throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and
Australia. DIC recently announced the acquisition of Copyright
Promotions, a pan-European licensing agency that represents the
licensing rights of a broad ****tfolio of world-renowned companies
including DreamWorks Animation, MGM, Marvel, Sony, Twentieth Century
Fox, Viacom and The Football Association. DIC is headquartered in
Burbank, California with offices in New York, Paris and London.
About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment
company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio
with additional assets in pay television, advertising and digital
audio services, television broadcasting, children's book publi****ng
and children's animation. The company's multimedia entertainment
brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, Movie Central, Nelvana, Kids
Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus
creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences
across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed
on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus
on the web at www.corusent.com.
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