Category: Kids

MUMBAI: Kids entertainment channel Pogo has unveiled its new line up of shows and movies to tap kids attention this summer through the months of May and June.
As part of its movie line up, Pogo will screen movies like as Drona, Detective Nani, Bhootnath, Meerabai Not Out, Return of Hanuman and Chain Kulli Ki Main Kulli from 2 may to 27 June. The movies will be showcased every Sunday at 12 noon. 
 
Meanwhile, kids can also participate in the Lights Camera POGO Badaa Snack Break contest, wherein kids will have to lookout for the questions during the movie breaks and SMS the correct responses and stand a chance to win pizzas.

Says Turner International India director programming Krishna Desai, “Pogo doubles the fun this summer break with its entertaining line up that promises to engage kids with its slew of action and comedy movies ranging from Indian animation to Bollywood movies. Adding to their movie watching experience is the fun, Lights Camera Badaa Snack Break contest, with which kids stand to win pizzas, during every break.”

Pogo will also launch all new episodes of kids‘ favourite Indian animation hero – Chhota Bheem, starting 2 May, Sundays at 9:30 am.; a special of kids‘ arts show – M.A.D: Rob‘s Favourite starting 16 May, Sundays at 9:00 am. and a brand new comical show – Kyoro Chan, starting 31 May, Monday to Friday at 3:30 pm.

MUMBAI: The famous Peanuts brand that includes the popular character Snoopy has changed hands for $175 million.
Iconix Brand Group has signed a definitive agreement with United Features Syndicate, Inc. (“UFS”) and Scripps to acquire the Peanuts brand and related assets in partnership with the Schulz family.

As part of the transaction, which costs $175 million, Iconix will also acquire the licensing and character representation business of United Media Licensing, a division of UFS, which, in addition to Peanuts, represents a number of character brands, including Dilbert and Fancy Nancy.

The Peanuts brand and other acquired assets will be purchased through a newly formed subsidiary, which will be owned 80 per cent by Iconix and 20 per cent by the Schulz family.
 
The characters of Peanuts, include Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty and Woodstock.

Peanuts has a strong diversified global licensing platform with over 1,200 licensing agreements including relationships with MetLife, Hallmark, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Cedar Fair, H&M, Benetton, Old Navy, CVS and Walgreens. The Peanuts brand is licensed in over 40 countries and generates annual retail sales of over $2 billion.

Iconix Brand Group chairman and CEO Neil Cole says, ” Peanuts is considered one of the most influential comic strips of all time and with its 60th anniversary this year the characters continue to be as popular as ever. Owning the Peanuts business moves Iconix well beyond fashion into a true global brand management entity with a wide variety of agreements that range from theme parks to media to financial institutions.”

Jean Schulz, wife of the late Charles M. Schulz, commented, “We are grateful and proud of the active partnership we have had with United Media for the past 60 years. From the beginning, my husband worked directly with the people using his art to preserve the authenticity of his characters. Since his death, we have continued to do the same, working directly with our licensees to be true to my husband‘s art.”

Craig Schulz, son of Charles M. Schulz, stated, “The Schulz family is extremely excited by the opportunity to create this partnership with Neil Cole and Iconix. Peanuts now has the best of both worlds, family ownership and the vision and resources of Iconix to perpetuate what my father created throughout the next century with all the goodwill his lovable characters bring.”

On a pro-forma basis the company expects Peanuts to generate approximately $75 million in annual royalty revenue and add approximately $0.12-$0.15 in annual EPS.

Different from a typical Iconix acquisition, the costs associated with the Peanuts business will be higher than the company‘s existing brands as there is an existing contractual revenue share with the Schulz heirs, which is separate from the family‘s 20 per cent interest in the new partnership. There are also agent commissions and additional administrative costs associated with managing over 1,200 contracts around the world.

Initially, EBITDA margins for this business are expected to be in a range of approximately 20-25 per cent. In 2010, the accretion will be impacted by deal costs and will depend on the timing of the close.
 

MUMBAI: DQ Entertainment and The Hive Enterprises, co-producers of the new CGI pre-school series – The Hive, has signed a broadcast deal with Playhouse Disney for 150 countries.
The series is due to be aired on Playhouse Disney channels worldwide from early 2011. It will premiere this autumn in the UK on GMTV‘s pre-school Fluffy Club weekend strand.

The Hive is being co-produced by The Hive Enterprises, DQ Entertainment, Lupus Films and Monumental Productions with a production budget of 3.5 million pounds.
 
Bejuba Entertainment has come on board as the distributor for this pre-school series and Space Enterprises is handling the licensing and merchandising for the show.

The Disney deal covers regions including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Korea, Japan and India as well as South East Asia, Latin America, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

This series follows the fortunes of the friendly Bee family who live together in the Hive. Storylines explore themes of family, working together to solve problems, being part of a diverse community and caring for the environment.

Said DQ Entertainment Chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, “This acquisition by Disney is an affirmation of the strength of this property and our partnership with The Hive Enterprises.”
 

MUMBAI: Disney Channel is set to launch the second of its local property, Kya Mast Hai Life, on 17 April.
The show will be aired on weekends at 1 pm.

Says Walt Disney Television International India associate director programming Devika Prabhu, “Viewers love stories that have relatable characters in unpredictable situations. This summer is all about magical, unpredictable fun for all Kya Mast Hai Life fans and its characters. I am sure kids and families will enjoy this new storyline.”
 
The new season will start off on a magical adventure for the entire gang when Zee accidently discovers the vial of magic potion. The magical potion makes your last thought come alive leading to a series of comic situations.

SOL has been commissioned to produce the new season of the property. The Kya Mast Hai Life cast will include Shaheer Sheikh playing Vir, Nazneen Ghani playing Ragini, Ashish Juneja playing Zeeshan and Shweta Tripathi playing Zenia.

MUMBAI: DQ Entertainment Ireland has partnered with France-based companies Method Animation and Story Board Animation to co-produce The New Adventures of Peter Pan in a 3D animated CGI format.
The TV series is being made at a global budget of Rs 600 million (Euro 9.91 million) and will consist of 26 episodes of half hour each.

Method Animation and Story Board Animation have entered into a development deal with France Television, and a high quality design and pilot team is already working in France in due editorial consultation with DQE Ireland for scripting also.
 
The company claims that Peter Pan – 26 x 22‘ 3D HD has generated tremendous interest worldwide including Europe for broadcasting and home entertainment including Licensing which DQE is working on in collaboration with co producers Method Animation and Story Board Animation.

Said France Télévisions head of children and youth programmes Julien Borde, “We are sure the first animated series version of Peter Pan will be consistent with the original universe and bring emotions and fun to an all new generation of kids.”

Added Method Animation, Franceb CEO Aton Soumache, “We have chosen the best development writers and I am sure there will be tremendous licensing and merchandising value to the all new adventures of Peter Pan.”

MUMBAI: Nick, the kids entertainment channel, is set to launch a new property, come 19 April.
Christened Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac, the new 3D animated series will be aired from Monday to Friday at 6pm.
 
Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac traces the protagonist Hoffen‘s journey to seek and train under the ‘Twelve Masters‘ who would equip him with unique skills of kung-fu.

MUMBAI: As kids get ready for their vacations, Disney Channel India is all geared up to create a strong impetus through cinema to expand its viewership this summer.
Beginning 16 April, the channel will screen a series of Disney Pixar movies and Bollywood films to tap the kid audiences as well as families.

The Disney Pixar movies will be featured every Sunday at 11 am. The films that will be screened are A Bug‘s Life, Meet the Robinsons and Toy Story 2.

Meanwhile, the Bollywood movies have been slotted at 11 am every Friday and include the titles Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na, Singh is King and Chandni Chowk to China.

As part of its local show line up, Disney Channel will launch the short format programme Big Bada Boom, under the channel‘s ‘Superstars Summer‘ theme, which will tease audiences into the channel‘s popular properties through games, trivia on the shows, and music.

Disney Channel‘s Superstars Summer fun will also continue with new episodes/seasons of Wizards of Waverly Place and Phineas and Ferb. New episodes of Hannah Montana will also premiere on the channel on 26 April.

Additionally, the Play House Disney (PHD) block on Disney Channel will feature new episodes of preschool shows – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny, premiering in April along with the new show, Jungle Junction.

The channel will also reintroduce classic Indian tales from ancient Tamil literature- Thirukkural to the young audience with the animated TV series based on this text, titled Ek Tha Jungle, at 9.30 am (Monday to Thursday).
 
Meanwhile, Disney XD, the multi-platform brand from the Disney stable showcasing a mix of live-action and animated programming for kids aged 6-14, will present ‘Red Hot Heroes of Summer‘ all through the holidays.

The channel will pose its five superheroes – Aaron Stone, Hero, Power Rangers, Spiderman and the Legend of Tarzan – at 5 pm, five times a week throughout the summer under the new programming band, ‘Heroes at 5‘!

The Red Hot Heroes of Summer theme will continue with the launch of the new shows, Little Moonlight Rider and the new Disney XD original animated series, Kick Buttowski.

Adding to this, will be a line up of hero studded movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Shanghai Knights and Inspector Gadget.

Hungama TV, positioned as the mad-fun channel from the Disney stable, will give its viewers ‘Hungamental Holidays‘ with new episodes of Doraemon, Kiteretsu, Shin Chan and Genie Family.

Hungama TV will also present short capsules titled ‘Hungamental Excuse Me Please‘ showcasing a fun point of view for kids on regular things. Also, new show, Robotan, premieres on the channel this summer.

To promote the summer line up, the channel has devised the Hungamaok initiative that will get kids to uncover their crazy, fun side in specially set up Hungamental song booths in local city malls across Delhi, Faridabad, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Chennai, Indore and Pune. The most Hungamental performances by fans will be showcased on Hungama TV.

MUMBAI: Kay Benbow is the new controller of CBeebies, the BBC‘s pre-school children‘s channel.
Benbow has worked in children‘s television for over 20 years – primarily at the BBC. She is currently CBeebies Production, Animation and Acquisitions head, where she is responsible for leading all in-house production and commissioning acquired programming – bringing in top-rated shows Timmy Time, Chuggington, Wibbly Pig and Driver Dan‘s Story Train.

She will be based in Salford as part of the move of BBC Children‘s to BBC North next year. She says, “I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to lead the country‘s best-loved pre-school channel. I am passionate about children‘s programming – there can be no better job in the world than helping provide young children with memorable programmes and experiences that will stay with them all their lives.”
 
BBC Children‘s director Joe Godwin says, “I‘m really pleased that Kay will be taking over at such an exciting time, with Strategy Review proposing an additional investment of ?10million in BBC Children‘s. I couldn‘t wish for a better person to lead CBeebies to its new home in Salford and to keep it number one.”

Benbow began working in BBC Children‘s in 1988 after beginning her career with BBC World and Domestic Services. After a period in TV presentation, where she managed the live weekday links with Andi Peters and Edd the Duck, she became a producer/director working on shows such as Get Your Own Back and Bodger And Badger.

MUMBAI: Disney Channel has acquired the animated TV movie, Feluda – The Kathmandu Caper, based on the detective series – Feluda, from DQ Entertainment.
Feluda is a series of detective novels and short stories written by the famous Indian film director and writer Satyajit Ray.

Developed and produced by DQE, The Kathmandu Caper is the first animated tele-movie in the Feluda series to be adapted and written for animation in London by the children‘s writer, Charles Hodges. The movie has been developed as a 60 minute TV movie. 
 
Said Walt Disney Television International India associate director, programming Devika Prabhu, “Disney Channel is committed to building a comprehensive entertainment destination for kids and families driven by local relevance, creativity and timeless storytelling. Feluda is a popular detective series by a master storyteller, Satyajit Ray, whose appeal goes beyond time and age of the reader. In line with our endeavour to showcase local Indian stories, characters and backdrops that appeal to kids and families alike, we are thrilled to showcase Feluda exclusively on Disney Channel for our viewers and millions of Feluda fans across India.”

The story revolves around a client with an evil lookalike, a kidnap in the neighbourhood and a gang that is involved in illegal activities. The kidnap of a stranger in the neighbourhood leads Feluda with his 14-year-old smart cousin Topshe, Jatayu his funny but smart friend and Bones, their wily dog, to Kathmandu amidst the beautiful scenic Himalayan ranges, and then straight into the den of Maganlal Meghraj, their old formidable adversary.

Said DQE Group chairman & CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, “Our objective is to introduce this genre of animated adventure to the new generation of discerning young TV viewers. We are absolutely sure that the combination of this particular genre which is adventure and mystery will definitely have world-wide appeal.”

MUMBAI: BBC Children‘s director Joe Godwin has announced his first set of new seasonal programmes.
Taking centre stage in the new season of CBeebies is Zingzillas, a band of highly-talented primates who with the help of a stellar cast of musicians from around the world and across the range of musical genres, encourage children to discover and make all kinds of music. Developed and produced by the in-house CBeebies Production department, this major new show will get under-sixes across the nation tapping their feet and making music Zingzilla-style. 
 
Other highlights include Mighty Mites, a new series which inspires children to get off the sofa to try a range of activities, from circus skills to skiing and kite-flying to tree-planting. Presented by CBeebies‘ favourite Sarah-Jane Honeywell, each programme will see two children go on an adventure to try an activity for the first time while children at home are encouraged to join in the action too.

Mister Maker is back with a new series which sees him packing up his crafts box and taking his artistic talents on the road in Mister Maker Comes To Town. Revving up his “maker-mobile”, the making maestro will be visiting “mini-makers” in the north west and finding amazing new ways to inspire young children to enjoy art and crafts at home.

There’s a new band of heroes splashing onto CBeebies screens later in the year as The Octonauts take children on a series of exciting underwater adventures. Based on the thrilling books by Meomi, The Octonauts rescue sea animals, explore underwater worlds and transport children to a world they don’t normally visit deep under the ocean.

The UK‘s children take centre stage in Same Smile as presenter Nisha Anil cycles across the UK with her group of three cuddly pandas to visit children and discover that we are all the same, but different. A collaboration involving BBC teams from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London, Same Smile opens a window on the world of young children, celebrating the diversity of their lives.

New girl in town Rosie is on a mission to teach children the importance of friendship in Everything’s Rosie. A 21st century rag doll, Rosie lives in a magical playhouse and is armed with an infectious sense of adventure. Rosie and her colourful band of pals are on a journey of discovery, embracing everyday conundrums.