Cynopsis: Kids!
08/27/12

Good morning. It’s Monday, August 27, 2012, and this your first early morning briefing.

As an ongoing feature and to celebrate Cynopsis: Kids! ten year anniversary this summer we continue our coverage about the changes that have had a profound impact on producers, distributors, broadcasters, advertisers, licensors, licensees, of course, kids and families. As we celebrate the first decade of Cynopsis: Kids!, we’re presenting a series of reflections from some of the industry’s top executives and thinkers. My question to them – looking back at the past ten years, what has changed in the kid’s media business, for better or worse? As you have been reading sometimes execs and thinkers have differing opinions of these last years. Offering their thoughts today are Sandy Wax and Stuart Snyder.

Sandy Wax, President & General Manager, Sprout  in addition to Sprout, Wax also oversees the new NBC Saturday morning programming block, NBC Kids

Although there were cable networks dedicated to kids’ programming ten years ago, there weren’t many choices for preschoolers and their families. Sprout hadn’t even launched yet! Preschool programming was largely relegated to the morning hours, while afternoon and evening time slots belonged to older kids and tweens. Options were greatly limited for families with younger children wanting quality preschool programs.

Over the next few years, viewers had more choices and more chances to find and view their favorite shows, particularly as cable operators began rolling out VOD. Sprout’s partners – Comcast, Sesame Workshop, PBS and HIT – saw this as the perfect opportunity to launch a new network dedicated specifically to preschoolers and their families. Sprout was the first kids’ network to launch a video on demand channel in April 2005, followed five months later by the debut of the first-ever 24-hour linear preschool television channel. Skeptics said it would never work because there just wasn’t enough demand for 24-hour-a-day preschool programming. But, seven years later, Sprout has grown from 13 million homes to over 50 million making it among the fastest growing linear channel in recent history. Sprout was specifically designed for parents and kids to watch together with original programming, television’s only live show for preschoolers (The Sunny Side Up Show), gold standard favorites, and original hosted blocks that follow the day of the child.

Sprout has received over a billion video on demand orders to date, and Sprout linear was just named the #1 Kids TV Brand of the year in Harris Interactive’s annual EquiTrend study for the second year in a row. Sprout also just launched NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning broadcast block designed specifically to address the developmental needs of preschool-aged children, as well as a variety of new mobile apps that connect families on the go with their favorite Sprout characters, videos and games. Even with all the wonderful, quality choices now available for preschoolers and their families and all the new platforms on which to view these programs, whether it be on demand, on linear, online, on mobile devices, there is still a tremendous amount of growth opportunity available in the kids space and it will be exciting to see what the next ten years will bring.

Stuart Snyder, President and Chief Operating Officer of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, which includes Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim.

Over the last 10 years, kids themselves haven’t changed they still want to laugh, be entertained and hang with their families and friends.

Having said that, one of the biggest changes I have seen in the last 10 years is the extraordinary advancement in technology available to kids today. Today’s kids don’t know of a world without the internet, DVR, VOD, smart phones, iPods, iPads, etc. Because of this, while kids still predominantly continue to watch and enjoy traditional television, they also have many more avenues to engage with their favorite shows and characters, whether in real time, delayed, online, VOD, etc. Digital also has grown exponentially, with kids spending more time gaming, which has grown to become a significant piece of our business.

In response to this ever-increasing appetite for new content, production has also expanded, not only in technical agility and speed, but also in storytelling format: from traditional half-hours and shorts of varying length, to episodic micro-series and other specialty features that can be digested on screens of any size.

What hasn’t changed in the last 10 years is that our industry is still a creative and hit-driven business. Creating that one key property or character that kids will latch onto in a big way is still the Holy Grail of our industry. And it’s as elusive as ever. In recent years, we’ve seen the advance of co-pros and new styles of partnerships in order to broaden a brand, maximize opportunities and possibly reduce financial risks. Even with these relative safeguards, the failure rate can be daunting but when a hit project emerges, the payoff can be tremendous.

Finally, over the last 10 years, I believe that companies have become better corporate citizens. Within this time period, networks and advertisers have been increasingly confronted with the important issue of childhood obesity and fitness. Our industry responded immediately in a variety of ways Cartoon Network launched the RESCUING RECESS and MOVE IT MOVEMENT programs to motivate daily exercise, physical activity and better eating habits. Since then, industry efforts have expanded to embrace additional key issues affecting kids and families, including our STOP BULLYING: SPEAK UP. For these programs and others my colleagues have championed over the last 10 years, I’m grateful and very proud of our industry’s active leadership in helping to make a difference in young people’s lives.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

CBBC (UK) will launch its new fantasy action series Wolfblood (13×30) this September 2012. The series revolves around two seemingly average teens, Maddy and Rhydian, who are members of a mysterious and centuries old secret race known as wolfbloods. While there are some benefits to being a wolfblood, they have some unique powers – as if being a teen wasn’t hard enough Maddy and Rhydian’s lives are further complicated because they can’t tell anyone. For Maddy, she tries to manage everything, including school, friends and taking care of her parents when there is a full moon, and now her new and tense friendship with Rhydian, a foster kid who is new in town who knows nothing of the life of a wolfblood. Created by Debbie Moon, Wolfblood and is a co-production between CBBC and ZDF/ZDFE was shot on location in Northumberland. The show is produced by Foz Allan, executive produced by Gina Cronk with visual effects by Munich-based Trixter (X Men: First Class).

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

MARKETING

Publisher Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers will release an enhanced ebook version of Christopher Paolini‘s book Inheritance, Inheritance Deluxe, based on the fourth and final title in the author’s Inheritance Cycle, on October 23, 2012. The Inheritance Deluxe ebook will includes exclusive video content ($13.99) feature all of the content from the hardcover Deluxe book, as well as 17 behind-the-scenes videos embedded throughout the text that feature Paolini providing commentary on scenes and sharing various stories about the book too. The digital title also includes previously unseen artwork by Paolini, a letter to his fans, and a new scene. Consumers can get a first look at Inheritance Deluxe Edition with video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEDcs2IZ1Q&feature=youtu.be. Inheritance was initially published on November 8, 2011, becoming the bestselling book in the series and earning the highest first day sales in 2011 for any fiction or nonfiction title for adults or kids published in the US and Canada.

TCG (f/k/a The Canadian Group) and Imperial Toy launches the new RoxxNation.com (www.roxxnation.com) website for its kid/tween-targeted Roxx collectible, skill game. The website, which also serves as a community hub for the property, features the Roxx collector series products and accessories and allows kids/tweens to create an account where they can enter their Roxx into their Roxx locker, take part in online activities and game play, earn badges and points and friend their pals, as well as find out about Roxx news, events and products. RoxxNation.com, along with its augmented reality app the Roxx Nation Image Station, allows for kids to add Roxx to their Roxx Locker with their iPhones or iPads.

MORE KIDS STUFF

The Hub welcomes three series to its lineup, and will host The Aquabats! Super Show! Marathon, as well as watch and win sweepstakes, on Labor Day, Monday, September 3, 2012. Joining the network’s programming grid are the live-action series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Sliders, and Superman: The Animated Series. The three-hour The Aquabats! Super Show!, Labor Day marathon (12n-3p) will feature six episodes of the series, and the Aquabat! To School! Sweepstakes (details at www.hubworld.com). During the marathon on-air messaging will reveal a code and toll-free number for the sweepstakes and six winners will be selected randomly from those who call  each winning a $1,000 back-to-school shopping spree. Superman: The Animated Series will air regularly Mondays-Fridays at 9a (with various encores)  the series features the voices of Tim Daly (Wings) and Dana Delany (Body of Evidence, Desperate Housewives) and is distributed by Warner Bros. Television. The science-fiction series, Sliders, will run Mondays- Thursdays 10-11p and stars Jerry O’Connell (Stand By Me, Crossing Jordan), and the fantasy/action series Hercules: The Legendary will air Mondays-Thursdays at 11p-12a and stars Kevin Sorbo (Andromeda); both series originally aired in the 1990s and are distributed by NBCUniversal Cable and New Media Distribution.

Toon Goggles, a free kid-targeted online channel, acquires two animated series from Malaysian animation studio Backbone Entertainment. Joining Toon Goggles’ library for the US and Canada are Backbone’s key properties Sugar Pals (13×22) and Stryker (13×22).
– Sugar Pals the series follows the wacky adventures of Gloria Baker and scientist Charlie who bring the Sugar Pals to life.
– Stryker set in a world where only cats and rats exist – and they are constantly at odds due to misunderstandings – the cats look to super hero Stryker to establish peace through team work, understanding and hope.

Mind Candy will release its new Moshi Monsters videogame, Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park (www.moshlingsthemepark.com), for Nintendo 3DS and DS at retail from October 30, 2012. The game is currently available for pre-order. The game lets kids to explore various locations as they rebuild the Moshlings Theme Park, find exclusive content, and also introduces the new Moshling character “Furnando”. Players can also find secret codes at moshimonsters.com (www.moshimonsters.com) that will unlock special content and locations on the Nintendo 3DS and DS handheld systems, and on the flip side by earning high scores on the DS game kids can also unlock exclusive content at the website. Additionally, Nintendo 3DS users can interact with one another via the StreetPass feature and play games featuring the Moshlings. Each new Nintendo DS and 3DS game comes with a free week-long membership to moshimonsters.com and a redeemable code allowing users to interact with their new Moshling on the website. The new game title is published by Activision.

ngmoco, a mobile social game company and subsidiary of DeNA, and Silicon Studio Corp. team to release the popular Japanese role-play game (RPG) Fantasica for iOS and Android devices worldwide on the social entertainment network Mobage. Targeted to all age groups, Fantasica (http://mobage.com/games/fantasica) features illustrations by art director Hideo Minaba (Final Fantasy). In Fantasica, monsters have destroyed the once peaceful lands of the Empire and players join forces to build an army to battle against the monster invasion. The game aims to engage players in its strategic real-time battles and events, offering regular updates and 200+ quests to complete. The game’s worldwide launch coincides with the debut of the Demon’s Tower in-game event, in which players are challenged to battle with, and sometimes against, some of the heroes from the story in order to rescue the princess.

London-based toy company Arklu introduces Lottie, a new fashion doll aimed at girls 3-8, in the UK and US for holiday 2012. Arklu, which produced the popular Royal Wedding Dolls, notes that while they are fashion dolls, the Lottie doll is unlike other fashion dolls in that the line does not feature scanty clothing, high heels, tattoos or makeup – instead Lottie has a “childlike” body like an average 9-year-old. The Lottie doll line offers various clothing and accessory packs, with products ranging in price from US $13-20, and a background story designed to encourage creative play. The Lottie doll stands 7-inches and is poseable and features the tagline, Be bold, be brave, be you. Each doll box includes a handle for re-use. The Lottie dolls and accessories are available at a range of retailers and online at www.lottie.com and Amazon.com.

STONE SOUP

Weekend Box Office Estimates for kids/tweens/teens rated G, PG or PG-13; August 24-26, 2012:
The Bourne Legacy (Universal) PG-13                                 $9.3m-3 wk total $85.5m
ParaNorman (Focus Features) PG                                       $8.5m-2 wk total $28.3m
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) PG-13                         $7.2m-6 wk total $422.2m
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (Disney) PG                          $7.1m-2 wk total $27.1m
Premium Rush (Sony) PG-13                                              Opening Weekend $6.3m
2016 Obama’s America (Rocky Mountain Pictures) G              $6.2m-7 wk total $9.1m
Hope Springs (Sony) PG-13                                               $6.0m-3 wk total $45.1m
Sparkle (Sony) PG-13                                                      $4.2m-2 wk total $18.9m
The Apparition (Warner Bros.) PG-13                                  Opening Weekend $2.9m
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (Fox) PG                             $2.2m-4 wk total $42.9m
Source: Rentrak (www.rentrak.com)

RATINGS

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Thursday, August 23, 2012, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
DISNEY CHANNEL:          K2-11 1030; K6-11 692; TWEENS 9-14 566
NICKELODEON° :            K2-11   887; K6-11 455; TWEENS 9-14 340
CARTOON NETWORK** :  K2-11   541; K6-11 342; TWEENS 9-14 268
DISNEY XD:                   K2-11   223; K6-11 191; TWEENS 9-14 164
NICKTOONS:                  K2-11     78; K6-11   55; TWEENS 9-14   52
°Nickelodeon Total Day: Mon-Thurs 7a-8p; Fri 7a-9p; Sat 6a-10p; Sun 6a-8p
**Cartoon Network & Adult Swim share channel space ADSM airs Sat.-Thurs. 9p-6a
Source: Disney from Nielsen Media Research Data

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: What is the name of the parrot in Jake and the Never Land Pirates? Skully. Kudos to: Bob Friedland-Toys”R”Us, Inc./NYC; Whitney Goldstein/NY; Matthew C. Bergeron-Disney Channels Worldwide/Burbank; Anand Roy-The Walt Disney Company/India.

Today’s Trivia Question: What type of bird is Mr. Beakman on 3rd and Bird? (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!
08.27.12

Denise O’Connor: Group Publisher, Media Entertainment
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP Sales & Marketing | 203-218-6480
Classifieds Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations & Content | 888-702-3858

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
To unsubscribe from this edition, click here.

Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here .

JOB OPENING: SENIOR DIRECTOR, AD SALES PRICING/NBC/NY: Oversee Ad Sales forecasting & analysis for Telemundo Group including ownership of pricing, efficiency trends, assumptions & variances. 7+ yrs exp. w/financial mgmt req. Apply www.nbcunicareers.com, #6577 (9/1)

JOB OPENING: NAT PARTNERSHIP SALES MRG/ORLANDO MAGIC/ORL: 7 + yrs of sponsorship sales exp in radio, media and broadcast sales req. Create rev related to Corp Ptn prog for Orl Magic through relationships w/nat accts, sports & media agencies. Apply at www.orlandomagiccareers.com (9/1)

JOB OPENING: SR. ART DIRECTOR/A+E Networks/NY: Manage conceptual, strategic & design concepts from ideation to final product. Full Info/Apply: www.aenetworks.com/career.html (9/1)

JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR/PROG & PROMO SCHEDULING/Crown Media/Studio City: Key program & on-air promo support to the program and acquisitions team. More info & apply: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/jobs (9/1)

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE DIR./Nickelodeon/NY: 5/yrs exp.in Creatv. Leadership/On-air Promos/Resp. for creative mngmt, implementing creative Stgy, execution & evaluation of effectiveness/results.EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply www.viacomcareers.com (9/1)

JOB OPENING: MGR, ACCOUNTING/Fox Sports Group/LA: Oversee G/L, monthly close, fixed assets, acct reconciliation & staff. CPA/MBA preferred, 5+ yrs. exp. http://bit.ly/SsLk8S (9/1)

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE SHOW RUNNERS, STORY PRODUCERS, ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS, EDITORS & VIDEOGRAPHERS/Orion Entertainment/Any Location: For reality prod company. Bcast tv exp in the genre required. Send resume/reel and rates to [email protected]. (9/1)

JOB OPENING: ACCT MGR/Digital Media/HealthiNation/NY: Onboard, implement, & facilitate success of projects, partnerships, products, and initiatives. 3-5 years digital proj mngmnt or dig ad ops. Apply: [email protected] (9/1)

JOB OPENING: DIR, DISTRIBUTION WEST/CENTRAL/Olympusat: 2 openings, manage sales/marketing with region/division cable ops-30%+ travel-7-10 yrs exp w/existing op relationships-loc TBD. Send resume to [email protected] (9/1)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES MRKTG COORD’S/TRAVEL CHANNEL & FOOD NETWORK/NYC: 1-3 yrs exp; Detail oriented, creative thinking, knowledge of media/cable/creative process. scrippsnetworksinteractive.com – Req 3270 Travel / 3281 Food (9/1)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER TECHNOLOGY/Pac-12/DNVR, C0: Oversight/mgmt of key vendor relationship. Broad/TV on-air op exper @ mgmt level. http://hire.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Careers.aspx?c=qnc9Vfwn&v=1&page=Job%20Description&j=oX5IWfwq (8/31)

JOB OPENING: BITS OPERATOR/Pac-12/SF: Work Orders, Troubleshooting, monitor feeds, Dalet. Nights/Weekends. http://hire.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Careers.aspx?c=qnc9Vfwn&v=1&page=Job%20Description&j=oM7sWfw1 (8/31)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, SCHEDULING/A+E Networks/NY: Develop and implement strategy for A&E/BIO/CI dig platforms. Full Info/Apply: www.aenetworks.com/career.html (8/31)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, SALES STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT-LATIN AMERICA/NBCUinversal/Miami, FL: Please visit www.nbcunicareers.com job#6568BR (8/31)

JOB OPENING: EXEC DIR/PROG/Tennis Channel/Santa Monica, CA: Sports fan/Cable bkgd to prov strategies/direction/supp of on-air content & mgmt of staff. 7+ yrs Prog Plan/Sched/Acq exp REQ. SIMS/Neilsen pref. Apply: [email protected] (8/31)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL SALES MGR/OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network/NYC: 5 yrs exp in Ad Sales, xlnt biz dev/client & agency mgmt skills, great team player. Apply at: http://careers.own.tv/ (8/31)

JOB OPENING: ASSET COORDINATOR/Scholastic Media/NYC: For new video streaming service. Must be motivated, enthusiastic individual w exp in digital publishing. www.scholastic.com/careers NY9020 (8/30)

JOB OPENING: SOFTWARE/HARDWARE PROJECT MANAGER/Scholastic Media/NYC: For new video streaming service. Manage porting of complex software application (iPhone, iPad, and Android devices). www.scholastic.com/careers NY8462 (8/30)

JOB OPENING: QA TEST LEAD/Scholastic Media/NYC: For new video streaming service. Proactive, detail oriented individual. Strong growth potential for the right candidate. www.scholastic.com/careers A0200007 (8/30)

JOB OPENING: FRONT END DEVELOPER/Scholastic Media/NYC: For new video streaming service. Front end development and maintenance. UI, HTML/CSS dev exp and quick read needed. www.scholastic.com/careers NY9021 (8/30)

JOB OPENING: VP, PROGRAM STRATEGY/CMT/Nashville. 10+ yrs exp. in TV prog/sched; Min 2 yrs @ Dir level and above; Min 5 yrs exp managing a team. Prog research bckgd desired. B.A req. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply www.viacomcareers.com (8/30)

JOB OPENING: DIR RESPONSE ACCT EXEC/ROVI/NYC: Leverage relationships with Direct Response (DR) clients & agencies to create new accts. 3-5 years of Media (TV, Cable, Digital, etc) More info/resume to: click here (8/30)

JOB OPENING: VP DEVELOPMENT & CURRENT PROGRAMMING/NBC UNIVERSAL/LA: Develop new series for Universal Cable Productions and oversee day-to-day on current series. Min. 4 yrs in TV development. Apply: nbcunicareers.com (6772BR)(8/30)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/ION MEDIA NETWORKS/NY: National Sales , 5+ yrs TV exp, Proven track record of increasing revenue. Strong client/agency relationships, team player. Apply at [email protected] EOE (8/30)

JOB OPENING: ASSOCIATE MARKETING MANAGER/Scholastic Media/NY: 3 yrs marketing experience in children’s publishing or licensing. Detailed, strong writing skills, www.scholastic.com/careers , requisition NY9262 (8/29)

JOB OPENING: MARKETING MGR/THE PROMOTIONAL EDGE/LA: Create breakthrough promotions. Develop/Research/Analyze social media campaigns. Good w/social media, 5 yrs exp, BA in Comm/PR/Media. Resume to: [email protected]. (8/28)

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: NYC production company needs interns to help with production, post-production, set building, admin work. Must commit to minimum 2x/wk. Email [email protected] (8/29)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Screenvision/CA: SALES INTERN to assist Nat’l Sales team with contracts, research, analysis and account management. Apply: www.screenvision.com (8/29)

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected].

SITUATION WANTED: SPUNKY REALITY PROD. (Field & Post); wears many hats; NBC, Disc, Life, CMT, A&E, VH1, Outdoor Ch; strings out on AVID and Final Cut; shoots; avail. To travel. [email protected] (8/29)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 888-702-3858 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.

Copyright Cynopsis 2012

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2012