A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM DISNEY MEDIA SALES & MARKETING

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Cynopsis: Kids!

04/01/08

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, April 1, 2008, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Get your wedge pieces ready … Hasbro acquires all intellectual property rights related to Trivial Pursuit from Horn Abbot Ltd. and Horn Abbot International Ltd, for a price tag of $80 million. Hasbro, which has sold Trivial Pursuit under a license deal for the last 25 years, is planning a new TV game show for fall 2008 called Trivial Pursuit: America Plays. The series is created in association with Debmar-Mercury and Wheeler Sussman.

This week marks Audible, Inc.’s launch of AudibleKids, a kid/family targeted audiobooks online service. AudibleKids bows with 4,000 titles from 75+ publishers all available for download and playable on iPods and other audio players and mobile devices. AudibleKids has partnered with Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), to support RIF’s mission to get kids to be lifelong readers. As part of the relationship with RIF, AudibleKids will feature a section of its website where kids/families/teachers can always download a selection of audiobooks for free. AudibleKids also features book suggestions from peers, a range of educators (e.g. teachers, librarians, reading specialists) among others. Audible is part of the Amazon.com, Inc. group of companies.

Lionsgate has entered into a multi-year deal with LeapFrog Entertainment to develop, produce and distribute a range of direct-to-DVD feature films. The deal provides Lionsgate with worldwide rights in all territories, excluding China. Additionally, Lionsgate has acquired the home entertainment distribution rights to LeapFrog’s DVD catalog, which were created and produced by Chris D’Angelo; the rights will changeover to Lionsgate in 2009 as they become available. This deal comes on the heels of Lionsgate’s new multi-year distribution deal with Hit Entertainment for North America.

Are You Ready? That is the tag line for Starz Entertainment’s new $25 million year-long re-brand and marketing initiative launching tomorrow Wednesday, April 2, on syndicated entertainment programming, network late night programming and on various cable networks, followed by a series of TV spots (5×30) bowing Monday, April 7, and an online campaign that will premiere Monday, April 14 with various sponsorships on each site. Sporting a new logo, on-air look and packaging and integrated ad campaign on-air and online, the new Are You Ready? re-branding effort will run across the six Starz standard and four HD channels and other platforms including Starz On Demand, Starz HD On Demand and Starz Play. The new brand and logo will be used by all Starz companies, including Starz Media and its subsidiaries Starz Animation and Starz Productions, as well being employed to identify Anchor Bay Entertainment, Manga Entertainment, Film Roman and Overture Films as Starz companies. The campaign was developed by kirshenbaum bond + partners, and Troika Design Group developed the company’s new on air look. Darwin, in partnership with Design & Image Communications, created the new brand identity and logo.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Nickelodeon is heading into production on Spectacular, a 2-hour original movie co-production with Dolphin Entertainment later this month. Directed by Robert Iscove (She’s All That), Spectacular is romantic comedy that will include musical performances and features music/lyrics by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil; however, the movie is not being described as a musical. Penned by Jim Kreig, Spectacular stars Nolan Funk, Tammin Sursok, Victoria Justice (Zoey 101) and Simon Curtis. Executive Producers on the movie include the groovy Lauren Levine and Jessica Horowitz as well as Bill O’Dowd and Marjorie Cohn. The premiere date has not yet been set.

UK-based indie Channel X and Moi j’aime la television, a French production company, have partnered to launch the new joint venture, Nice One at MIPTV. Nice One will focus on producing live-action and animated scripted series aimed at Teens/Young Adults 15-34 across Europe. With several projects already in development, Nice One is looking to compete with narrative content for Teens/Young Adults coming out of the US. The two companies previously co-produced the controversial animated sitcom Popetown, which heads into a second season later this year. Both will also continue to work independently on their own projects. Moi j’aime la television is currently completing a second season of Genie in the House to Nickelodeon UK. Nice One’s first three projects include: Modeling For Beginners, a comedy about friendship/rivalry and love set fashion world is being developed for Virgin 17 (France); Med School, a drama about medical students trying to make it in London, in development for the new channel Filles TV (France);

MORE KIDS STUFF

Entertainment Rights Plc has signed worldwide distribution rights pact for the Kids/Family-targeted CGI- animated series, Shelldon (26 x 30), produced by Shellhut Entertainment. Under the global deal, which excludes Thailand and features shared representation in Japan and Korea, ER acquires rights across all forms of TV, digital media, home entertainment, music, licensing and merchandising and all other media. ER will introduce the series at MIPTV for the first time next week.

Zeal Entertainment, a unit of Digital Rights Group, will showcase the new environment-focused format The Power Play at MIP-TV. Designed to support the green life, The Power Play challenges two cities to reduce CO2 emissions and at the same time save the maximum amount of money over the course of six weekly episodes. Each team is comprised of one family, a “large cornerstone company,” the city’s football team and its mayor as they take on the tasks from power Play box. So, no Simon, Randy or Paula judging this competition, rather experts on The Climate Panel, a researcher and a group of students will evaluate the teams, with the winner being the team that has done the most to improve the world. Originally created by NRK and Mediacircus, Zeal Entertainment has international format rights for the show (excluding Norway).

Leading into MIPTV, Nelvana Enterprises completes an agreement that will see the boy-targeted animated series Bakugan continue rolling out for broadcast on Cartoon Networks internationally, including in the UK, Europe (excluding Spain), Africa, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan. Specific launch dates across these territories will be announced in the coming months. A co-production from Nelvana Enterprises, Spin Master Ltd., Sega Toys Ltd., TMS Entertainment, Ltd., Japan Vistec Inc. and Sega Corporation, with animation by Japan Vistec Inc. and TMS Entertainment, Ltd., Bakugan currently airs in Japan and Canada and premiered on Cartoon Network in the US on February 24, 2008.

Cookie Jar Entertainment is packing up for MIPTV where it will feature its new preschool series Noonbory & the Super 7. A Cookie Jar co-production with Daewon Media, Noonbory & the Super 7 is designed to encourage kids to discover ways to combine their talents with those of others to solve problems, through characters each with their own unique skills. The series is set to bow in Canada on BBC Kids, Knowledge Network, Access Television and SCN. Cookie Jar lineup also includes World of Quest, Hurray For Huckle!, Will & Dewitt and Magi-Nation.

Cartoon One will attend MIPTV 2008 with a slate of programming such as season 3 of School For Vampires, while also looking for co-production opportunities for new series including: the 2D animated HD comedy Teen Days, which, story edited by Kurt Weldon, will feature original music and is a co-production with RAI (Italy); Galactik Kid – the series will be written by Jeffrey Scott; Felix The New Adventures is a co-production with Felix The Cat Productions in the US; the preschool CGI animated HD series Buttercup Wood, a co-production with Agogo Entertainment Hong Kong, which has been acquired by Mirax Blue Black 1908 for both TV and Video rights across Easter Europe and to Moonscoop for French speaking Europe; Red Caps, a co-production with Epidem Zot Finland. Additionally Cartoon One has confirmed two new co-productions: Arpo (26×26) a CGI animated co-production with Trunk Animation (South Korea), Cartoon One holds the distribution rights outside of Asia; and Stone Age (52×11) a 2D digital animated series co-production with BKN New Media (Spain).

MARKETING/LICENSING

Super hero kicks for kids are on the way, as Marvel Entertainment teams with Reebok. Under the pact Marvel and Reebok will launch a new exclusive collection of kid’s sneakers featuring Marvel super heroes Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. The new sneaker line will be available exclusively at Foot Locker and Kids foot Locker stores beginning this spring ($45-$65), which of course coincides with the release of Marvel Studios’ movies Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

MGM Consumer Products taps Jakks Pacific as the exclusive worldwide master toy license for the TV series American Gladiator, which airs on NBC. Jakks plans to launch a line of American Gladiator toys and related products, based on the characters and series challenges, in spring 2009. Produced by MGM Television and Reveille in association with Flor-Jon Films, inc., NBC has picked up a second season of American Gladiators, which will begin airing on the network on May 12, with a 2-hour special (8-10p). Hosted by Hulk he series will then air Mondays 8-9:30p, and will be a featured part of NBC’s All American Summer special promotion for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Shaftesbury Films and Itoys have partnered in a worldwide license deal for Shaftesbury’s live-action comedy series, Life With Derek (70×30). Under the deal IToys will produce a line electronic hand-held and tabletop games, and other youth-aimed electronics, based on Life With Derek. The first products are slated to rollout in 1Q 2009. Created by Daphne Ballon and commissioned by The Family Channel (Canada), Life with Derek is produced by Shaftesbury Films and distributed internationally by Shaftesbury Sales Company

RATINGS

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Friday, March 28, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1245; K6-11 588; TWEENS 9-14 425
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1060; K6-11 741; TWEENS 9-14 584
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   571; K6-11 339; TWEENS 9-14 234
TOON DISNEY:          K2-11   131; K6-11   72; TWEENS 9-14   45
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

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Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  On what animated children’s TV series could you find a cat intern named Princess Blossom Pepper Doodle Von Yum Yum or “Blossom” for short?   FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN   Kudos to: Christopher Byrne-Byrne Communications, Inc./The Toy Guy®/NY; Tamera Bogusky-PBS/Arlington, VA; Heather Hargrave-Break Thru Marketing/CTZ; Steve Fowler-The Licensing Shop, Inc./Toronto

Today’s Trivia Question: What was the name of Casper’s good witch friend on Casper the Friendly Ghost? (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!
04.01.08

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CYNOPSIS MEDIA: TOP TIER

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JOB OPENING: ONLINE, PRODUCER, HEALTH CENTERS/Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Creates and package online content. Please apply at www.nbcunicareers.com reference job number 810271 (4/8)

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