Good morning. It’s Thursday, March 26, 2009, and this is your first early morning Kids briefing. Also, coming to you later on this morning is the Cynopsis and Cynopsis: Kids! MIP TV 2009 Shopping Guide with a listing of more than 100 distributors and their top five offerings for the market. Keep an eye out for that one!
Momentum and a changing voice (think adolescent boy) were among the major themes underscored at Cartoon Network‘s upfront presentation of its 2009-2010 season in NYC yesterday. The network’s plans include entering into the reality TV genre, creating a new sports-centric programming block, and introducing 19 new programs/pilots/movies, many of which are live-action, as well as 164 episodes of returning series. In doing so, Cartoon Network stepped out on its evolutionary path to become what it described as a “dominant youth culture brand,” that not only understands boys, including boys 6-11, but girls and older kids too, while creating “un-sanitized” “TV for kids, not kids TV”. NBA commissioner David Stern, who discussed Cartoon Network’s new partnership with the NBA announced earlier in the week, revealed that Boston Celtic Eddie House and his 7-year-old son Jaelen will be the stars of the first project together, the short-form series My Dad’s a Pro. So pleased with the NBA’s new relationship with the network, Stern quipped to those assembled, “If I were a buyer, I would buy.”
New programming block
- Cartoon Network is creating a new Saturday afternoon sports focused programming block titled CN AMPT, underscoring its new deal with the NBA and relationship with Turner Sports.
New animated series
- Adventure Time with Finn and Jake (30 minute series) – Building off the Adventure Time animated short, the show revolves around the adventures of a boy named Finn and his friend a wise dog named Jake. Created by Pendleton Ward, Adventure Time comes from Cartoon Network Studios, and executive producers Fred Siebert (Frederator) and Derek Drymon. Fans are totally ‘algebraic’ over this!
- Stoked (26×22) – follows the adventures of six teens spending their summer away from home working, living and surfing together. From Cake Distribution and Fresh Animation, and created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis (Total Drama Island).
- Total Drama Action – a follow-up to Total Drama Island, this time around the animated characters compete on an abandoned movie studio lot. From Cake Distribution and Fresh Animation
- Ben 10: Evolutions (working title) – the adventures of Ben (16-years-old) continue. From Cartoon Network Studios.
- Sym-Bionic Titan – what happens when three beings try to escape from their planet and crash on earth? A hybrid of high school meets giant robot battles – from creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack).
- Generator Rex – Rex (15) can grow machines out of his body and then travels the world investigating mutations. The series is from Man of Action (they created Ben 10).
- Scooby Doo – Mystery, Inc. – Those meddling kids are at it again. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
Reality Series (live-action)
- The Othersiders – This reality/adventure series follows five kids as they explore potentially haunted locations.
- Survive This – The series features real teens 14-17 pushing their limits and overcoming fears while developing survival skills. Created by 9 Story and survival expert/filmmaker, Les Stroud. Stroud hosts the show.
- Destroy Build Destroy – Pretty much what it says – with the help of experts, two teams take on challenges.
- Head Rush (working title) – Kids are contestants playing for cash while riding amusement park rides.
- Dude, What Would Happen – Again, pretty much what it says, three adventurous teens who ask/answer/show what would happen if you … did all sorts of things.
- Bobb’e Says – a viral video clip show starring Bobb’e J. Thompson (30 Rock, Human Giant).
Original Movies (live-action and animated)
- Ben 10: Alien Swarm – previously announced live-action movie, directed by Alex Winter, premieres fall 2009.
- Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins – this live-action movie gives us the back-story on how the meddling kids came together as a team. A Cartoon Network co-production with Warner Premiere and directed by Brian Levant (Snow Dogs, The Flintstones), premieres fall 2009.
- Firebreather – the net’s first original all-CG animation movie, which is based on the comic book of the same name created by Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn, who serve as co-executive producers. Peter Chung (Aeon Flux) will direct.
- Tiger’s Apprentice – a live-action movie based on the young adult book by Lawrence Yep. Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) will serve as executive producer/director, with David Magee (Finding Neverland) adapting the book.
Scripted live-action pilots
- Unnatural History (working title) – the adventure series follows the challenges faced by a teen when he moves back to the US after traveling the world with his anthropologist parents. Created/written by Mike Werb (Face/Off, The Mask), the pilot will be produced in association with Warner Horizon Television Inc.
- Prepped (working title) – A teen trapped at a mysterious prep school tries to discover what he and his classmates are being trained for and how to escape. Executive-produced/written by Paul Dini (Lost, Batman Beyond).
Returning animated series:
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns with new episodes in fall 2009; Chowder; The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack; The Secret Saturdays; Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
MORE KIDS STUFF The new season of Chapman Entertainment‘s Fifi and the Flowertots (13×10) is set to bow in the UK on Five’s Milkshake! on May 1, at 8:05a. The new series will air every Friday morning. The new season will debut soon on Nick Jr.
Bejuba! Entertainment secures the rights to the Lupus Films, PPC and Monumental Productions‘ new CGI animated preschool series The Hive (78×7). Slated to begin delivery Q2 2010, The Hive revolves around Buzzbee and Rubee, two little preschool bees who help introduce viewers to the natural world. GMTV (UK) has already picked up the series for its preschool block The Fluffy Club.
RDF Kids and Family (RDF) acquires the worldwide distribution rights to Trapped (26×30), a tween-targeted drama series from Northway Productions Pty. RDF will be showcase the series this week at MIPTV. Commissioned by Channel 7 Australia, Trapped is the story revolves around regular kids as they, practically alone, struggle to survive at a remote scientific research station while their parents work on a secret research island nearby.
BRB Internacional taps Enjoy to distribute its programming in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. BRB’s catalogue includes classic properties such as Willy Fog, The Gnomes and Dogtanian and new HD properties like The Secret life of Suckers, Papawa, Angus & Cheryl and Bernard.
Heading into MIPTV 2009, Echo Bridge Entertainment inks a slate of broadcast licensing deals for two teen series Degrassi: The Next Generation and Instant Star, both from its Alliance Atlantis Distribution catalog. Echo Bridge is premiering season 8 (22×30) of Degrassi: The Next Generation at this spring’s market.
- New broadcast deals across Europe for Degrassi: The Next Generation include: Canal+ Cyfrowy Sp. Zoo (Poland) acquires seasons 7 and 8; Canal J (France) picks up season 7; and Antena 3 (Spain) takes seasons 4 and 5.
- New deals for in Europe and the Middle East for Instant Star include: Canal+ Cyfrowy Sp. Zoo (Poland) picks up season 4; Noga Communications (Israel) acquires seasons 1-8; MTV in Spain takes seasons 1, 2 and 3; Antena 3 (Spain and Andorra) pick up seasons 1-8; MTV Networks in Spain and Andorra take season 4; and Canal J (France) picks up season 4.
MARKETING/LICENSING
In other Cartoon Network news, the D3Publisher and its parent company D3, Inc., enter into a worldwide publishing deal with Cartoon Network Enterprises to create videogames based on the animated series The Secret Saturdays. The first game until the deal will be released for console and handheld systems in Q4 2009.
STONE SOUP
Nickelodeon celebrates Leonardo DiCaprio by presenting him with its first Big Green Help Award at the 22nd Annual Kids Choice Awards on Saturday, March 28, 8-9:30p. The award, which of course is part of Nickelodeon’s Big Green Help campaign, is being bestowed on DiCaprio for being an environmentalist and his support of green causes and events. This Earth Day, April 22, 2009, Nickelodeon will ask viewers to join in a year-long commitment to help the environment by going dark for one minute at 9p and asking kids to simultaneously unplug their gadgets and devices.
RATINGS
Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON: K2-11 1166; K6-11 500; TWEENS 9-14 351
DISNEY CHANNEL: K2-11 772; K6-11 474; TWEENS 9-14 411
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 494; K6-11 276; TWEENS 9-14 184
DISNEY XD: K2-11 140; K6-11 87; TWEENS 9-14 56
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
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03.26.09
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