Cynopsis: Kids!

11/15/07

Good morning. It’s Thursday, November 15, 2007, and this is your first early morning.

IMAX Corp. and DreamWorks Animation SKG have inked a four-picture deal that will see the release of DreamWorks Animation’s first three 3D feature films worldwide in IMAX 3D, which will include Monsters vs. Aliens (March 2009), How to Train Your Dragon (November 2009), and Shrek Goes Forth (May 2010).  The 3D movie titles will be simultaneous released in conventional digital 3D Theatres.  The fourth DreamWorks animation title under the deal, Kung Fu Panda, will be released in the IMAX 2D format in 2008.  IMAX’s digital 3D projection system is currently slated to launch in June 2008.  This marks IMAX’s first multiple 3D picture deal with a Hollywood studio. Paramount is the exclusive distributor for these movies.

Australia’s the ABC has announced plans to launch ABC3, a new free-to-air kid’s TV channel in April 2008.  The channel will feature commercial free kid’s programming, which will include newly commissioned programming as well as acquired content.  The Australian Government has committed US$74 million over four years to fund the channel, which is a co-venture by the ABC and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.  ABC3 will be a digital channel, available free to viewers who have a digital TV or a digital set-top box.  Previously, ABC had two digital channels, which it shuttered due to relationship problems between the management and government.

Two years in the making, Egmont UK has unveiled plans to launch a US publishing company this January 2008.  The new company, Egmont US Inc. will produce a line of kid’s and young adult books. The first titles of young adult and middle school fiction and pictures books, from established and new authors, will be published in fall 2009.  Douglas Pocock, currently Group Sales Director, Egmont UK, has been tapped to lead Egmont US as EVP.   Pocock, who joined the company in 1994, will report to Rob McMenemy, SVP and Managing Director, Egmont UK.

FAO Schwarz has acquired Best & Co., a retailer and manufacturer of luxury kid’s apparel and accessories.  The terms of the deal were not disclosed.  The Best & Co. store was initially founded in NY and on the East Coast in 1879, noted for its kid’s department, where it thrived until 1971.  Best & Co. was re-established in 1979 by Susie Hilfiger, with a store in Greenwich, Connecticut and now also has a boutique in NYC’s Bergdorf Goodman.  Hilfiger will continue to serve as Creative Director, Best & Co.  Select items from FAO Schwarz’s private label toy collection will be featured in the Greenwich store beginning holiday 2007.  For those curious, FAO Schwarz was founded in 1862, and was acquired in 2004 by a member of the investment firm, the D.E. Shaw group.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Actor Kevin Dillon (Entourage) joins the cast of the live-action DreamWorks family movie Hotel for Dogs, per The Hollywood Reporter.  Based on the author Lois Duncan’s 1971 young-adult book of the same name, the movie stars Emma Roberts, Don Cheadle and Lisa Kudrow.  Dillon will play Roberts’ foster dad.  Currently in production, Thor Freudenthal is directing the project from a screenplay penned by Jeff Lowell.  Hotel for Dogs is slated for release in 2009.

Blueprint Kids, the animation and kid’s unit of Blueprint Entertainment, enters into a pact with The Mad Science Group to develop a new TV series targeted to K6-9, and related consumer products and promotions.  Blueprint will handle worldwide sales via its distribution company Oasis International, while The Mad Science Group manages ancillary products and licensing for the property.  The project will be executive produced by Blueprint’s John Morayniss and Frank Saperstein, and The Mad Science Group’s Ariel and Ron Shlien.  A creator/producer of educational science content for kids, focused on what science is and how it affects the world, The Mad Science Group recently partnered with NASA for an after-school program and permanent theatrical show at the Kennedy Space Center.

MORE KIDS STUFF

TV One and Disney/ABC Domestic Television have completed a multi-year programming deal to an array of movies and TV series on the African American targeted channel.  The deal includes a number of kid/teen/family titles such as the made-for-TV movies Sounder (2003) and Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (the 1997 one with Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg and Whitney Houston), the feature films Glory Road (2005/rated PG), Bringing Down the House (2002/PG-13) and Sister Act 2 (1993/PG) among others.

thePlatform has been selected by HIT Entertainment to manage the back-end video publishing for HIT Entertainment’s web channels for shows including Barney and Bob the Builder, along with the syndication of these videos to other destination web sites around the world. thePlatform has also been tapped by PBS KIDS Sprout as the backend video platform for its 24-hour preschool network’s website (SproutOnline.com).

Heads up!  Today’s Cynopsis Weekender is the College Edition featuring four very different editorials written by college students on how their view the television industry.  You don’t want to miss this one!  If you are not a subscriber to Weekender, you can either go to www.cynopsis.com and subscribe, or you can go there and read the edition online.  But read it you should – these four were chosen of all the essays submitted from student around the country and abroad, and they did a great job!

MARKETING/LICENSING

GapKids has teamed with apparel company Junk Food Clothing to launch Junk Food Loves GapKids, a co-branded line of vintage tees available now in select GapKids stores nationwide.  For girls and boys, the new apparel line consists of a range of Junkfood Clothing designs, including Hello Kitty, Peanuts, DC Comics, Star Wars, Twister, Lemon Heads and Little Miss.  The shirts are available in various styles and range in price from $22.50-$26.50.

K’NEX Brands has awarded French distribution rights to Tomy.  The deal, which goes into effect January 1, 2008, includes K’NEX and KID K’NEX branded building sets.  Tomy will preview the 2008 K’NEX French line at the Preshows Jouets & Jeux in Deauville, November 19-24 2007.

RATINGS

SpongeBob soaked up the series’ biggest ratings ever when 8.8 million Total Viewers 2+ tuned into the premiere of SpongeBob Atlantis SquarePantis, the first SpongeBob TV movie, on Nickelodeon, Monday, November 12, 2007 at 8p.  Featuring the voice of rocker David Bowie, the debut ranked as the highest rated total day of the year for K2-11 4.8 million and K6-11 3.3 million, an increase of +231% and +239% respectively over the like time period last year.  To support the movie Nick.com went underwater, and there the Atlantis SquarePantis show page received 4.2 million visits since it debuted October 17 through November 12.  Additionally, fans played the online game SpongeBob Atlantis SquarePantis: Bus Rush, 2.7+ million times, since the game went live on Nick.com on November 1,

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Monday, November 12, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 2127; K6-11 1295; TWEENS 9-14 906
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1053; K6-11   688; TWEENS 9-14 600
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   458; K6-11   304; TWEENS 9-14 232
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   153; K6-11    95; TWEENS 9-14   54
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 998; K6-11 489; TWEENS 9-14 392
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 954; K6-11 620; TWEENS 9-14 503
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 450; K6-11 258; TWEENS 9-14 194
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11 123; K6-11   60; TWEENS 9-14   34
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: On what children’s TV show would you find Bessie Busybody and Robbie Rotten?  LAZYTOWN (Nickelodeon)   Kudos to:  Laura Lady-Fisher-Price/NY; Amrita Sooklall-MTV Networks/NY; Bonnie Bluemke-IAG Research/NY; Catherine Pirrone-Nickelodeon/NY; Susan Arcidiacono-Frankie & Her Little Pals/Burbank; Izzy Neis-Six Degrees Games/LA; Maytal Nissim-Hop! Preschool Channel/Israel; Eric Shain-Disney ABC Cable Networks Group/London; Claire Wilmut-Boomstone Animation,Inc./Ottawa

Today’s Trivia Question:  My best friend is named Gerald. I live in a boarding house with my grandparents. What cartoon character am I?  ( 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 Cynopsis: Kids!
11.15.07

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