Cynopsis: Kids!

05/15/09

Good morning. It’s Friday, May 15, 2009, and this is your first early morning Kids briefing.

Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation expand their relationship with their second CG animated series co-production, Kung Fu Panda: The Series (26×30).  The new series comes on the heels of the launch of the first Nick and DreamWorks’ CG animated series co-production The Penguins of Madagascar, which launched on March 28, 2009.  Based on DreamWorks Animation’s movie Kung Fu Panda (June 2008), the new series will follow the adventures of Po (the panda), his mentor as well as his pals, as he works to protect the Valley of Peace from evil.  Executive produced by Cheryl Holliday (King of the Hill, Still Standing, Father of the Pride), Kung Fu Panda: The Series is being produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank.  No word yet on the voiceover cast for the series.

Disney launches its new kid-targeted multi-platform environmental initiative Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green ( www.Disney.com/projectgreen ).  A pro-social effort, Friends for Change: Project Green will aims to get kids to work together to help the environment in four key areas: climate, water, waste and habitats.  The initiative features 29 young Disney stars, including Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, to get the message out in public service announcements that will debut on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Radio Disney and Disney.com.  Through the program, kids will learn practical ways to preserve the planet, pledge their time and actions online, track their collective impact and vote on how $1 million in donations from Disney will be divided and invested in various environmental causes over the course of a year.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Nehst Studios, a film production/financing/ distribution company, has acquired the movie rights to the Matt Christopher sports book series in a deal with publisher Little, Brown Books fro Young Readers.  Studio head Larry Meistrich is developing films based on the books, beginning with titles The Kid Who Only Hit Homers and The Basket Counts.  Ari Friedman and Meistrich will produce the films, with Wayne Chesler set to direct and write the screenplays.

CBBC commissions Skate Nation, a new 11-part roller skating/inline skating competition series set to premiere this summer.  Hosted by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, Skate Nation will feature 14 teams, each comprised of three kids (7-13 years olds) and one adult, vying for one of ten places at Skate Camp where they will be tutored by top coaches and choreographers before the major competition begins.  From there the teams will learn new routines each week and go before judges and a live audience.  The winning team will win a chance to compete in the World games in Taiwan.  Judges for the series are Camilla Dallerup (Strictly Come Dancing, professional dancer), Asha Kirby (professional skater) and Kevin Adams (Fame Academy, fitness instructor).  The series is also designed to challenge kids at home to get active and learn a new skill.

BBC Switch, which targets teen with multi-platform content, has begun production of a new teen-focused short-form soap opera, The Cut.  In five-minute episodes on bbc.co.uk/switch ( www.bbc.co.uk/switch ) and a weekly TV compilation on BBC Two launching later in the year, The Cut features drama-laced storylines relevant to teens.  The Cut was developed by writer Al Smith (BBC Switch and EastEnders) in collaboration with producer Pete Gibbons (KateModern) and director Sarah Walker (Hollyoaks).  Additionally, The Cut is being used as an outlet and opportunity for the Switch team of established directors, writers and producers to cultivate a new generation of talent.

MORE KIDS STUFF

The nominees for the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards, a presentation of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) in cooperation with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS), were announced yesterday.  As always the Daytime Emmy Awards include a range of kid-targeted programming, and this year the during the telecast the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Sesame Street in celebration of its 40 years of educating and entertaining kids.  The awards will be handed out during the live 36th Daytime Emmy Awards from the Orpheum Theater in LA, on August 30, 2009 on The CW.  Some of the kid categories and the respective nominees are listed below.  I am happy to report that there are many kid programming categories and lots of nominees to fill them, as well as some nominees for kid-centric programming in non-kid specific categories  so many in fact that I can’t list them all here.  For a full list of Daytime Emmy categories and nominees go to www.emmyonline.tv . Congratulations to everyone!

Children’s Animated Program
Curious George (PBS)
Little Einsteins (Disney Channel)
Sid The Science Kid (PBS)
The Backyardigans (Nickelodeon)
WordWorld (PBS)

Children’s Series
Adventure Camp (Discovery Kids)
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman (PBS)
From the Top at Carnegie Hall (PBS)
Postcards From Buster (PBS)

Preschool Series
Between the Lions (PBS)
Johnny and the Sprites (Disney Channel)
Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies (PBS)
Sesame Street (PBS)
The Wonder Pets (Nickelodeon)

Animated Series
Back at the Barnyard (Nickelodeon)
Ben 10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network)
Handy Manny (Disney Channel)

New Approaches  Daytime Children’s
Artopia (PBS)
Cyberchase (PBS)
Sesame Street (PBS)

Classic Media completes several new broadcast deals for several preschool and kid-aimed series across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

• New deals for Guess with Jess, a new animated preschool series, include: MNET (South Africa); MBC (Middle East); Al Jazeera (Middle East); PT Unggul Cipta Piranti (Indonesia); Rose Media (Thailand); True Visions (Thailand); RTE (Ireland); and RTB (Brunei).  Currently in production, Guess with Jess is a co-production with Nelvana, which is scheduled to air this fall 2009 on CBeebies (UK).
• The newest Postman Pat preschool series, Postman Pat Special Delivery Service  SDS, has been newly acquired by: Saregama (India); TVNZ (New Zealand); MPB Primedia (Philippines); PT Ardya Insani (Indonesia); Big Picture (Spain); NRK (Norway); Doordarshan (India); YLE (Finland); RTE (Ireland); Europa Records (Hungary); BBC (Poland); Bontonfilm (Czech Republic); and ORF (Austria).
• The CGI animated series Casper’s Scare School has been picked up by: RTM 1&2 (Malaysia), MTV3 (Finland), Danmarks Radio (Denmark), ABC (Australia), Luis Foes (Angola) and True Visions (Thailand).  A co-production with Moonscoop and DQ Entertainment, Casper’s Scare School is currently in production for TF1 (France) and Cartoon Network (Europe).

Echo Bridge Entertainment heads to LA Screenings 2009 where it will offer a slate of first run and catalog programming.  Among the programming Echo Bridge will feature for the first time the LA Screenings includes the teen series, DeGrassi, The Next Generation and kids-aimed animated series, Lunar Jim (46×30), from the Alliance Atlantis International Distribution library

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

MARKETING/LICENSING

Fifi and the Flowertots makes its debut appearance at the 2009 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (UK) this July 7-12.  The annual event features a range of activities aimed at encouraging kids to get involved in gardening over the weekend of July 11-12, during which kids will get to meet and have photos taken with Fifi and other characters.  Throughout the week there will be a Fifi and the Flowertots Zone where kids can organize a shopping list and collect all the right fruit and vegetables from Poppy’s Market Stall, as well as plant their own Forget-me-not seeds and decorate flower pots to take home.  The new third season of Fifi and the Flowertots launched on Five’s Milkshake! at the start of May 2009 (8:05a), and will launch soon on Nick Jr. in the UK too.

RATINGS

Final K6-11 Ratings for Saturday, May 9, 2009Broadcast Networks only (Live + SD Data):
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
ABC 1.0/5 Avg. (9a-1p)
The Emperor’s new School 0.8/4; The Replacements 1.2/6; That’s So Raven 1.0/5; That’s So Raven 1.4/6; Hannah Montana 1.3/6; Suite Life of Zack & Cody 1.0/6; Power Rangers RPM 0.8/5; Power Rangers RPM 0.5/3
CW (TheCW4Kids) 0.7/4 Avg. (7a-12p)
Huntik 0.2/2; Sonic X 0.7/5; Gogoriki 0.7/4; Gogoriki 0.8/4; Dinosaur King 0.8/4; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 0.8/3; Chaotic 0.8/4; Chaotic 0.8/4; Yu-Gi-Oh 5D 0.6/3; Kamen Rider Dragon Knight 0.4/3
NBC (Qubo on NBC) Avg. 0.4/2 (10a-1p)
VeggieTales 0.3/1; 3-2-1 Penguins 0.4/2; Turbo Dogs 0.5/3; Babar 0.4/2; Zula Patrol 0.3/2; My Friend Rabbit 0.2/1
CBS (KEWLopolis on CBS) 0.3/1 Avg. (7-10a/10a-12p)
Cake 0.3/2; Horseland 0.5/2; Dino Squad 0.3/1; Strawberry Shortcake 0.1/0; Care Bears 0.2/1; Sushi Pack 0.2/1

Final K6-11 Ratings for Saturday, May 9, 2009 Cable Networks only (Live + SD Data):
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
NICKELODEON 4.0/23 Avg. (7a-1p)
Jimmy Neutron 1.7/19; Jimmy Neutron 2.3/20; Fairly OddParents 3.8/25; Fairly OddParents 5.2/28; SpongeBob SquarePants 5.4/26; SpongeBob SquarePants 5.9/27; Penguins of Madagascar 5.5/25; Back at the Barnyard 4.4/21; Mighty B! 3.5/18; SpongeBob SquarePants 3.4/19; SpongeBob SquarePants 3.4/20; SpongeBob SquarePants 3.7/22
DISNEY CHANNEL 2.3/13 Avg. (7a-1p)
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 1.2/14; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 1.5/13; Imagination Movers 2.2/14; Imagination Movers 2.3/12; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 1.9/10; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2.2/10; Imagination Movers 2.3/11; Imagination Movers 2.0/10; Phineas & Ferb 2.7/14; Phineas & Ferb 3.0/16; Chicken Little (90 minutes) 3.1/18
CARTOON NETWORK 1.9/11 Avg. (7a-1p)
George of the Jungle 2.0/17; Transformers: Animated 1.6/10; Secret Saturdays 2.0/11; Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl  Galactic Battle 2.4/12; Star Wars: Clone Wars 1.8/8; Ben 10: Alien Force 1.8/8; Batman: Brave & The Bold 2.3/11; Bakugan 2.2/11; League of Super Evil 1.7/9; Ben 10: Alien Force 1.7/10; Ben 10: Alien Force 1.7/10
DISNEY XD 0.5/3 Avg. (7a-1p)
Suite Life of Zack & Cody 0.4/4; Phineas & Ferb 0.7/6; Phineas & Ferb 0.9/6; Jimmy Two Shoes 0.4/2; Kid vs. Kat 0.7/3; Phineas & Ferb 1.1/5; Monster Buster Club 0.6/3; Yin Yang Yo 0.3/1; Aaron Stone 0.3/1; Aaron Stone 0.2/1; Spider-Man Unlimited 0.2/1; Spider-Man Unlimited 0.1/1

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Thursday, May 13, 2009, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1083; K6-11 501; TWEENS 9-14 401
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   784; K6-11 436; TWEENS 9-14 330
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   353; K6-11 210; TWEENS 9-14 154
DISNEY XD:               K2-11   133; K6-11   77; TWEENS 9-14   55
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

 
Friday Fun Fact:  Elephants are the only mammals who cannot jump.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:   In film, his voice was supplied by Sterling Holloway; on TV by Jim Cummings.  Who is this character?  WINNIE-THE-POOH  Kudos to: Kathy Goldstein-TNS/Horsham PA; Chuck Howell, Library of American Broadcasting, Univ of MD/College Park MD; Christopher Byrne-TimetoPlayMag.com/NY; Joe Swaney-Cartoon Network/Atlanta; Jackie Bunda-Disney Channel/Burbank; David Stern-BARD Entertainment/San Diego; Jimmy Cuomo-Artboy Inc./Hollywood; Matt Stevens-Script Partners Inc/Burbank;

Today’s Trivia Question:  Who am I?  (First AND last name please):  I live with a family of three children and numerous pets.  They suspect all sorts of things about me, including wondering if I can really talk to and understand animals, whether or not i’m really 106 years old (per a found passport), and how was it I knew to answer the phone even before it rang.  Who am I?  (Email [email protected] 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!
05.15.09

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