Cynopsis: Kids!
03/19/08
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, March 19, 2008, and this is your first early morning briefing.
Nicktoons Network teams with Marvel Entertainment for two new superhero animated series, Iron Man: The Animated Series (26×30) and Wolverine and the X-Men (26×30), both of which will debut exclusively on Nicktoons Network in 1Q 2009. Iron Man: The Animated Series is a co-production with French based Method Films and Wolverine and the X-Men is a co-production with Toonz Entertainment Pte Ltd., Singapore and First Serve International Ltd. Feature films staring these same characters are slated for release this year and next, Iron Man on May 2, 2008 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine on May 1, 2009.
Launching today is KidZui, a new browser targeted specifically for K3-12. The subscription-based KidZui aims to provide kids with age appropriate content through a list of 500,000 websites, images and videos that have been reviewed by some 200+ teachers nationwide. KidZui is backed by Starbuck’s Chairman and CEO, Howard Shultz.
NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
DreamWorks Animation’s 3D CG animated movie, How to Train Your Dragon, will feature a star-studded cast, per THR. Joining the voice-cast are Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Lasse. The movie is based on author Cressida Cowell’s book of the same name. Directed by Peter Hastings, How To Train Your Dragon is slated for release on March 26, 2010.
MORE KIDS STUFF
Cookie Jar Entertainment taps GoFish Corporation as the exclusive in-game advertising partner for its online, adventure/role-play game Magi-Nation: Battle for the Moonlands. GoFish will incorporate age-appropriate ad content support into the free-to-play game aimed at K8-14. The game is based on Cookie Jar’s animated series of the same name, which airs on Kids’ WB on The CW in the US and CBC in Canada.
Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney celebrates Earth Day with environment-themed episodes, including a new episode, of Handy Manny on Tuesday, April 22, 6a-12p. Throughout the morning characters from the block’s shows will offer Earth Day tips for the preschool audience, with monkey puppet hosts, Ooh and Aah, becoming the Green Team. Additionally, beginning this Friday, www.PlayhouseDisney.com will launch an Earth Day section aimed at teaching basic conservation concepts to preschoolers via activities and a parents/education area as well.
Nerd Corps Entertainment‘s 3D animated comedy series Storm Hawks (52×30) is set to launch this month in the UK on free-to-air broadcaster GMTV. The debut begins with back-to-back episodes each weekday morning on GMTV’s Action Stations block and simulcast on CITV. Storm Hawks currently airs on Cartoon Network UK, where it bowed in August 2007, as well as Cartoon Network US, France, Eastern Europe and Latin America, and in Canada on YTV and VRAK, and terrestrial broadcasters in France 3 and RTL II (Germany). Some 40+ other countries plan to launch.
This week marks the official launch of PBS Kids Play!, PBS’ new early education broadband subscription service for preschoolers ($9.95/month or $79/year). The site, which had been in beta testing for the past two months, features individual at home learning through new games and activities all based national educational standards. Characters from PBS Kids programs guide kids through each game and activity, which feature various skill levels as well as objectives and instructions for parents, and progress charts. Among the various offerings on the site, parents can pre-set a timer to ensure that their kids take a break. PBS Kids Play was developed in collaboration with Tribal Nova Inc.
Decode Enterprises will be distributing new episodes of the mixed CG and motion-capture preschool series Bo on the Go! at MIPTV. There are now a total of 40×22 episodes of Bo on the Go! available. Decode has already struck a deal for both seasons of the show to France 5. Decode represents all TV and home video rights to Bo on the GO!
Imira Entertainment will showcase of slate new programming at MIPTV including Tangerine & Cow (78×7), a 2D animated series targeted to K6-12/families. A co-production between Normaal and France 3, the series is based on the comic book Chico Mandarine, by author Jacques Azam and published by editions Milan. Imira will also offer the series Go! Go! Pig, and Rat-Man. Additionally, leading up to the market Imira has completed a range of sales for properties including:
- Cartoon Network Spain picks up season I of the preschool series Pororo (52×7) and the live-action K8-12 aimed series, Wicked Science (52×26).
- Spain’s Catalonian broadcaster TV3 takes 64 Zoo Lane (52×11) and Lazy Lucy (52×2); Portugal’s RTP acquires Hydronauts (26×13) and Pitt & Kantrop (39×26) and Rat Man (52×13)
- In Latin America, Colombia’s RTVC acquires Vitaminix (104×2), Pablo the Little Red Fox (52×2), Skyland (26×26) as well as Miffy The Classics (52×5) and Miffy and Friends (13×26).
- On the home entertainment front, Big Picture picks up the home video rights to the preschool series Bali (52×13) for Spain.
Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group plans to add 1,600 new games to its portfolio of digital sites in 2008. Of the new games, about 600 will be exclusive, original games to the sites, with the remaining 1,000 coming from outside publishers. Nickelodeon’s current library is comprised of 5,000 games. Highlights of some the exclusive, original games:
- www.nick.com , www.turbonick.com , www.nicktropolis.com and www.nickjr.com plan to bow 185+ games in 2008, with a focus on multiplayer, cooperative games such as 3D Nicktoons SlimeBall on Nicktropolis, and an Avatar multiplayer global game (fall 2008).
- Nick.com will fully redesign its game experience with the debut of a new games landing page at
- Some 35 new original preschool games are set to bow on Nickjr.com this year preschoolers in 2008, including: Spin Art, which allows kids to create their art; Diego’s Snowboard Rescue (mid March); The Wonder Pets Storybook (end of March).
- www.neopets.com expands into multiplayer games, which include a new retail convergent element with Key Quest, along with tournaments with the return of Daily Dare and Altador Cup. Neopets’ Key Quest is a new multiplayer gaming and collecting experience tied to Neopets retail product.
- www.addictinggames.com will introduce 75 exclusive self-published and licensed games, along with 600+ new titles from game developers around the world, in 2008.
MARKETING/LICENSING
Every Baby Company partners with Compass Productions, producer/distributor of Parents magazine’s branded CDs/DVDs, to create eebee’s Adventures developmental play DVDs for the Parents magazine licensed brand. The eebee’s adventures: Developmental Play For You And Baby DVD will be available at Target stores nationwide on Monday, March 24. The DVD features various interactive learning adventures and discovery games and original songs and music all designed to engage babies through play, all of which are based on current research. The DVD also includes two parent resources focused on learning through play.
Toei Animation Co. has awarded Kana Home Video, division of Dargaud-Lombard, with the DVD distribution rights to its anime series One Piece. Under the deal, Kana Home Video acquires DVD distribution rights for the first 143 episodes for the following countries: France, French speaking territories (Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco, Andorra, French Dom-Tom and dependences.), Belgium and Netherlands. Based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Eiichiro Oda, there are currently 340×30 episodes of One Piece.
Tech company 3M has signed on as title sponsor of Discovery’s Young Scientist Challenge for the next 3 years, a kind of online science fair for middle schoolers asking students to submit short videos demonstrating their understanding of a scientific concept. The competition, celebrating its tenth year in 2008, is the work of the Discovery Education outreach program.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Gary Jones is promoted to President, PorchLight Home Entertainment. Jones joined the PorchLight last year as SVP and oversaw the launch of a home entertainment label for the company. A veteran of the home entertainment industry, Jones previously held executive positions at New Concorde, Trimark and Republic Pictures. Bruce Johnson is President and CEO of PorchLight and with William Baumann serving as President and COO of PorchLight.
Scholastic appoints Michael Hansen as EVP/Scholastic and President/Book Fairs and International. He will report to Richard Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic. Hansen, who previously served as President and CEO of Harcourt Assessment, Inc., is responsible for the strategic director of the two divisions of Scholastic. In addition, Hansen will join the Management Executive Committee. Alan Boyko, President/Scholastic Book Fairs, will continue in that role and will report to Hansen. Hugh Roome, who has been President/Scholastic International, is been named President/Consumer and Professional Publishing. Roome will continue to operate Scholastic consumer and professional magazines, and in addition will develop a plan for online courses for grades 11-12 and post-secondary.
Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, VP/ Research and Education, Sesame Workshop, has been appointed to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council (NACHHD). Appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the advisors serve for four years. The NACHHD Council advises The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which conducts and supports research on all stages of human development.
RATINGS
Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Saturday, March 15, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON: K2-11 1541; K6-11 1059; TWEENS 9-14 833
DISNEY CHANNEL: K2-11 1130; K6-11 684; TWEENS 9-14 577
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 574; K6-11 356; TWEENS 9-14 276
TOON DISNEY: K2-11 242; K6-11 148; TWEENS 9-14 81
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Sunday, March 16, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON: K2-11 1411; K6-11 935; TWEENS 9-14 689
DISNEY CHANNEL: K2-11 1149; K6-11 748; TWEENS 9-14 569
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 567; K6-11 353; TWEENS 9-14 264
TOON DISNEY: K2-11 185; K6-11 108; TWEENS 9-14 74
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Monday, March 17, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON: K2-11 1338; K6-11 656; TWEENS 9-14 425
DISNEY CHANNEL: K2-11 882; K6-11 563; TWEENS 9-14 439
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 494; K6-11 260; TWEENS 9-14 212
TOON DISNEY: K2-11 165; K6-11 96; TWEENS 9-14 54
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: In a series of TV commercials in the ’80s and ’90s, a gremlin-like super villain with long ears constantly tried to interfere with the quality and speedy delivery of Domino’s Pizzas. What was this character called? THE NOID Kudos to: Wendy Stone-The Golf Channel/Orlando; David S. Larson-CBS Television/NY; Sue Edelman-Walden Media/Boston; Robert Twilley-Jupiter Entertainment/Knoxville, TN; Kevin Schmidt- National Cable Communications/Chicago; Tom Boyd-WGN/Chicago; Mike Patterson-Cartoon Network & [adult swim]/Chicago; Kerri Huyck-KIDK/Idaho Falls, ID; Kathleen Campbell-The Weinstein Co./LA; Josh Fisher- Brandissimo/LA; Matthew C. Bergeron-Disney ABC Cable Networks Group/Burbank
Today’s Trivia Question: On what animated TV series could you find motley crew Cliff, Shreik and Lube? ( Click here with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)
Later — Gwen
Gwen Billings for Cynopsis: Kids!
03.19.08
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