CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis: Kids!
01/06/06
Good morning. It’s Friday, January 6, 2006 and this is your first early morning Kids! briefing.
Many have tried their hand at hosting the Academy Awards, but few have had great success. That said, the buzz is already humming with the news that John Stewart has been set to host the 78th Academy Awards. If Stewart and his writers are allowed to do what he does best, well then set yourself down for a good show, and set your TiVo so you can go back and hear all the jokes you miss while you are laughing the previous one. The Oscars will be handed out Sunday, March 5 on ABC.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has laid out a plan to support its animation industry by investing about $76b over the next five years, according to the English language news service Yonhap. The goal of the Ministry’s initiative is to grow the talents of those in the animation industry and cultivate them into producers and distributors.
Consumers spent $22.8b renting and buying DVDs in 2005 an increase of about +8%, according to a new report issued by the Digital Entertainment Group, an industry funded non-for-profit group that represents home video retail & rental companies. DVD retail sales grew +5% to $16.3b in 2005, and DVD rentals were up by +14% over last year to $6.5b. When you add in VHS sales/rentals to the equation, consumers spent $24.3b renting and buying DVD/VHS, which means the home video numbers are basically flat from 2004. The report estimates that there are 82m households with at least one DVD player, noting that 50% of DVD owners generally own more than one player.
MORE KIDS STUFF
Chorion, rights holder of classic literary-based brands and content, has sealed a deal that will see its preschool property Noddy airing on Nickelodeon Germany. The company has also extended contracts for the series with terrestrial broadcasters in France, Scandinavia, Norway and Greece. Under the agreement Nickelodeon Germany has acquired the computer animated series Make Way for Noddy (100 eps), as well as additional programming that will air from spring 2006. The deal has increased significance for Chorion in that Germany is the last of five international territories it specifically targeted to introduce Noddy; the other four territories were France, Japan, US and the UK. Author Enid Blyton, Noddy creator, is well known in Germany where her other book series for older kids (e.g. St. Carle’s and Famous Five) are popular.
In other Noddy news, Chorion also unveiled plans to launch the Noddy consumer website in Germany this year. Additionally, the language learning series Say It With Noddy (100 x 2-min) launches on Five in the UK on January 16, and will continue to rollout in Europe throughout the year. Say It With Noddy currently airs in the US on PBS. Meanwhile, Learn English With Noddy has been sold in a number of territories including. China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong
Spain’s RTVE has picked up Scholastic’s preschool animated series Clifford (25 x 30 min) and Clifford’s Puppy Days (25 x 30 min). The deal was put together by Icon Animation a producer and distributor. The RTVE agreement follows on the heels of Scholastic’s pact with Disney Channel Spain to air Clifford as part on Playhouse Disney.
Revered Blues legend Buddy Guy (Sweet Home Chicago) will guest-star on Noggin’s Jack’s Big Music Show, kicking off the network’s week-long celebration of Black History Month. Buddy Guy will appear in a new episode of the series entitled The King of Swing, Monday, February 6, 12:30p. Guests featured on Jack’s Big Music Show throughout the rest of the week include Yolanda Adams, Guy Davis, Anne Harris, Sweet Honey In The Rock, and Jerry Lawson and The Talk Of The Town. In other Jack’s Big Music Show news, beginning Monday, February 6 two of the episodes from the week will be available on Comcast VOD, Charter VOD and Cablevision VOD, through the end of the month.
Icon Animation sold Clifford and Clifford’s Puppy Days to Spain-based RTVE. The public broadcaster acquired 25×30 episodes of the Scholastic Media series.
MARKETING/LICENSING
By the end of the month Mattel Toys’ (India) Fisher-Price will have open the doors of 20 flagship stores across India. With nine stores already set in Mumbai, Delhi, Trivandrum, Chennai and Bangalore another 11 stores are in the works. Showcasing its preschool properties the Fisher-Price stores are specifically targeting young expectant urban moms with the aim of conveying the experience of what the company calls, “the Fisher-Price way of bringing up children.”
Visteon Corporation, an automotive entertainment and electronics company, unveiled its new Dockable Family Entertainment System featuring Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. The in-car Dockable Family Entertainment System featuring GBA allows users to play games or watch DVDs or listen to CDs, and comes with a wireless remote controller. In addition to being able to play GBA games, the system also offers players to compete against one another by attaching a GBA handheld unit to the media system using GBA link cables. Worth noting is that Visteon’s new entertainment system with Nintendo technology integrates with a cars existing audio system, and one more thing it comes with ear phones so the other folks in the car don’t have to hear those charming game sounds that just might get a little annoying on a long trip.
STONE SOUP
Vivendi Universal Games has acquired independent game developer, High Moon Studios. Under the agreement, VU Games will retain High Moon’s development team (100+ individuals), as well as rights to the studio’s intellectual properties. High Moon President/CEO, John Rowe will continue to manage the studio. High Moon is best known for its Darkwatch video game, which is not for kids (rated M). The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Producers Guild of America has released the nominations for the Producer’s Guild Awards 2006, which for the first time includes a category for Producer of the Year in Animated Motion Picture … and the nominees are, movie producer(s): Chicken Little – Rand Fullmer; Madagascar – Mireille Soria; Robots – Jerry Davis, John C. Donkin and William Joyce; Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride – Tim Burton and Allison Abbate; Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit credits pending arbitration.
For those teens/young adults contemplating a career as a record company executive, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (no, really stay with me) and its marketing communications firm, Wunderman, have created a new game called The Turnaround Game. Targeted to high school and college students, the goal of the game is for players to develop a proposal to save an ailing record company, along the way learning a thing or two about business and, well, being a CPA … not that there’s anything wrong with it. The AICPA’s other games include Catch Me If You Can II, Money Means Business, and Bizzfun, all of which are part of its Start Here – Go Places campaign designed to attract high school/college students to the world of accounting (http://www.startheregoplaces.com).
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Francis X. Farrell, Publisher of National Geographic Adventure, and Rainer A. Jenss, Publisher of National Geographic Kids, have been promoted to Vice Presidents in National Geographic’s magazine division. The announcement was made by National Geographic Magazine Group Publisher and Vice President Stephen P. Giannetti.
Discovery Communications has named Melinda Bickerstaff its new SVP/Learning and Development, reporting to Pandit Wright, Senior EVP/Human Resources and Administration. She will be based at the company’s headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. Ms. Bickerstaff will be responsible for managing all aspects of Discovery’s learning and development programs.
RATINGS
Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K2-11 (000) 12/26/05-1/01/06:
K2-11 Prog Day 6a-11p (000) K2-11 Primetime 8p-11p (000)
NICK: 1196 DIS. CH.*: 1549
DIS. CH*: 1072 CARTOON NET: 814
CARTOON NET: 706 NAN**: 643
NAN**: 643 ESPN: 255
TOON DIS.: 150 TOON DIS: 115
NOG/THE N: 110 BET: 109
ESPN: 102 ANIMAL PL: 95
BET: 74 MTV: 91
MTV: 72 DISCOVERY: 70
ANIMAL PL: 59 THE N: 52
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K6-11 (000) 12/26/05-1/01/06:
K6-11 Prog. Day 6a-11p (000) K6-11 Primetime 8p-11p (000)
DIS. CH*: 730 DIS. CH*: 1203
NICK: 715 CARTOON NET: 573
NAN**: 451 NAN**: 451
CARTOON NET: 400 ESPN: 165
TOON DIS: 79 ANIMAL PL: 75
ESPN: 64 MTV: 75
MTV: 56 BET: 68
BET: 48 TOON DIS: 61
ANIMAL PL: 45 DISCOVERY: 48
DISCOVERY: 35 THE N: 43
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
Weekly, Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Networks, 12/26/05-1/01/06: Total Day and Primetime Rankings among Tweens 9-14 (000)
TWEENS 9-14 Prog. Day 6a-11p (000) TWEENS 9-14 PT 8p-11p (000)
NAN**: 455 DIS. CH*: 1008
NICK: 512 NAN**: 455
DIS. CH*: 581 CARTOON NET: 437
CARTOON NET: 367 ESPN: 184
MTV: 146 MTV: 171
BET: 78 BET: 106
ESPN: 70 COMEDY: 76
ANIMAL PL: 50 THE N: 74
DISCOVERY: 48 ANIMAL PL: 72
COMEDY: 43 DISCOVERY: 68
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
Kids Cable Network Averages in thousands (000) for Tuesday, January 3, 2005, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON: K2-11 1208; K6-11 588; TWEENS 9-14 429
DISNEY CHANNEL: K2-11 872; K6-11 515; TWEENS 9-14 401
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 629; K6-11 407; TWEENS 9-14 301
TOON DISNEY: K2-11 126; K6-11 69; TWEENS 9-14 30
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
Kids Cable Network Averages in thousands (000) for Wednesday, January 4, 2005, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON: K2-11 1067; K6-11 533; TWEENS 9-14 395
DISNEY CHANNEL: K2-11 638; K6-11 401; TWEENS 9-14 326
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 509; K6-11 354; TWEENS 9-14 279
TOON DISNEY: K2-11 137; K6-11 63; TWEENS 9-14 20
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
Friday Fun Fact: From the world of P.O.T.U.S Sports: U.S. President George Washington’s favorite sport was fox hunting; Abraham Lincoln’s was wrestling; Franklin D. Roosevelt’s was swimming; John F. Kennedy’s athletic passion was sailing; Richard M. Nixon’s was football; and Ronald Reagan’s favorite sport was horseback riding.
Answer to yesterday’s trivia question: When she wasn’t working at the bank, what was Miss Hathaway’s favorite pastime? On the Beverly Hillbillies, Miss Hathaway’s hobby was BIRDWATCHING. Kudos to: Kathy May-Fisher-Price, Inc.; Fred Petrosino-HAI/NY; Sandy Chapman-Freebairn & Co/Atlanta; David Lerner-MindShare/NY; Barb Throm-creative LAB/St. Louis; Jim Smith-National Benefit Resources/Dallas; Heather Floore-KTVD/Denver; Pat Brady-Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty/LA; Renalee Pflug-MindShare/Santa Monica; Brett Ashy-The Ashy Agency/LA; Julie Blodgett-Cranium/Seattle; Stephen Kelley-Portfolio Ent/Toronto
Today’s Trivia Question: Mrs. Garrett first was a housemother to the girls at Eastland. Before that she was housekeeper for who? (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 Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis Kids!
01.06.06 – 3:47a
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JOB OPENING: MANAGER/RESEARCH/Scripps Networks/New York: 5+ Yrs Nat Cable Ad Sales. Strategic thinker & expertise with Npower, Market Breaks, Star Media. Resume/Salary to [email protected]. Job Ref. 4928 (1/13)
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JOB OPENING: NATL ACCT MGR/Oxygen/NY: create co-branded mktg campaigns for cable operators, dev & customize events. 80% natl trvl. 3 yrs exp mktg, sales & event planning. [email protected] (1/13)
JOB OPENING: DIR ENTERPRISE MKT/Comedy Central – strat mktg + promo 4 CC branded dig.med + cnsmr prods – .com, broadband, games, mobile, DVD, Records – dig.media mrkting exp a MUST. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Send res [email protected] (1/13)
JOB OPENING: MGR, CONS MKTING/Oxygen Media, NY. Execute multiple cons mktg projects. 3-5 yrs exp. in mktg & promotions. TV/ent. industry pref. Creative thinker, organized, detail-oriented. EOE Resume: [email protected] (1/12)
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JOB OPENING: AFFILIATE MRKTNG MANAGER/Gospel Music Channel/Atlanta: 3-5 yrs related experience. Familiarity with Simmons research a plus. Service orientation a must. Keen executer. [email protected] (1/12)
JOB OPENING: DIR, CREATIVE SERVICES/DISNEY BUENA VISTA GAMES/ Resp overseeing creative services dept. 5 + yrs exp video game ind. or equiv exp/ adv agency working w/ video game clients. BA pref’d. Res to: [email protected] (1/12)
JOB OPENING: MRKTNG MGR/DISNEY BUENA VISTA GAMES: Work w/ strategic growth Buena Vista Games vertical & licensed prod’s. BA/BS Pref’d. 5 + yrs related exp. Proven success consumer kids mrktng. Res: [email protected] (1/12)
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JOB OPENING: VP,FINANCE /Wash.DC: NatGeo Channel. Participate in dvlpmt of strategic fin. plan. Oversee all operational fin.aspects.10+yrs exp. MBA pref, ent. ind a must. Apply on-line, www.foxcareers.com. EOE.(fng1179) (1/12)
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JOB OPENING: MANAGER OF DEVELOPMENT/National Geographic Channel/DC: Devlp concepts to meet aggressive ratings goals.5-10yrs exp.TV prod, writing, program financial budget. Must apply on-line@ www.foxcareers.com EOE (1/11)
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SITUATION WANTED: BUDGETS. FREELANCER available for budget work. All genres: reality, game, episodic, feature films. Budgets from $75K to $15 Mil. Union/Non Union. 15 years of experience. Contact: [email protected] (1/13)
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