Cynopsis: Kids!
07/24/12

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 24, 2012, and this your first early morning briefing.

DreamWorks Animation SKG inks a deal to acquire Classic Media, which owns a immense IP portfolio of kid/family animated and live-action entertainment properties, for US $155 million in cash from Boomerang Media Holdings, a unit of Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR. Classic Media’s library features classic properties including Casper the Friendly Ghost, Where’s Waldo?, Lassie, and Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, as well as contemporary titles such as Olivia and VeggieTales, as well as Postman Pat and Noddy in international markets. Classic Media also owns a vast comic book archives and media rights to the titles in the Golden Books library. Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO/DreamWorks Animation explains that the company plans to leverage Classic Media’s properties and characters across its feature film, TV, home entertainment, consumer products, digital, theme park and live entertainment channels. Classic Media founders and co-CEOs Eric Ellenbogen and John Engelman will join the DreamWorks Animation family. DreamWorks Animations acquisition of Classic Media furthers their relationship with Classic Media and its joint venture with Jay Ward Productions. Classic Media manages the rights to the Jay Ward animated catalog, which includes Rocky & Bullwinkle and Mr. Peabody & Sherman. DreamWorks Animation’s 3D feature film Mr. Peabody & Sherman is scheduled for release on December 25, 2013. Classic Media, which earned a net revenue of $82.2 million for the year ending February 29, 2012, has approximately 80 employees and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in the UK and a division, Big Idea Entertainment, in Nashville, TN.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Lionsgate‘s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire gets another cast member as Jena Malone (Hatfields & McCoys, Sucker Punch, The Messenger, Into the Wild) takes on the role of Johanna Mason in the second movie based on Catching Fire, the second book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy. In the story, Johanna Mason is a female victor from a previous Games still in her early twenties, and is one of the youngest, but also one of the most psychologically scarred Quarter Quell participants. Slated for a November 22, 2013 release, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik.

LICENSING

Relativity Music Group is set to release the movie soundtrack to Laika‘s (Coraline) new 3D stop-motion animated movie ParaNorman on August 14, 2012. From Focus Features and Laika, ParaNorman (www.paranorman.com) will release in theaters on August 17. The ParaNorman soundtrack feature music by computer/producer/singer-songwriter Jon Brion. Brion has performed with and produced records for artists including Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, Brad Mehldau, Rufus Wainwright and Kanye West among many others. Brion also composed the music for three Paul Thomas Anderson movies (Hard Eight, Punch-Drunk Love, and Magnolia). He also scored Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as well as Synecdoche, New York, I Heart Huckabees, The Break-Up, This is 40 and Umbrella Shorts  to name a few.

HIT Entertainment and P2Games partner to launch Bob the Builder’s Playtime Fun (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bob-builders-playtime-fun!/id537197386?ls=1&mt=8), the first Bob the Builder game app, for iOS devices ($2.99). Targeted to preschoolers the Bob the Builder app features characters from the CGI Bob the Builder TV series and interactive early learning games and activities. In addition to the six games (e.g. match, puzzles, color mixing, memory games), the app also features a bonus sticker book where players collect virtual stickers.

Rubicon Group Holding (RGH) partners with licensing, merchandising and retail development company Evolution (www.evomgt.com) to represent the company’s portfolio of existing and future intellectual properties throughout worldwide. Evolution will serve as the agency of record to monetize RGH’s full slate of content and IP. The first properties that Evolution will handle under the new partnership include Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, an animated CG 3-D Stereoscopic feature film currently in production, Monster In My Pocket, the boy-targeted IP recently acquired from MEG, and Asia Lee, an urban-action property currently in development at RGH.

MARKETING

Discovery Communications and Burger King team for a kids meal promotion for the Discovery Kids brand at participating locations across the US and Canada. Beginning this week, the six-week kids meal summer promotion features Discovery Kids premiums in each BK Crown Kids Meal. Customers can receive one of 12 different Discovery Kids premiums designed to inspire adventure, including a Discovery Kids Discoverscope, Discovery Kids Star Gazer and Discovery Kids Growing T-Rex. Each toy will also include a 2×4 sheet of explorer-themed stickers, which can be used to decorate the premiums. The Discovery Kids promotion will be supported by a marketing campaign with promotional materials including interactive online content at BKCrown.com (https://bkcrown.com/default.aspx).

MORE KIDS STUFF

Discovery Familia adds WordWorld, an English language and reading skills series, which will premiere on the channel on August 6 at 3p. Following its debut, WordWorld will air weekdays on Discovery Familia at 2p. Originally created by Don Moody, Discovery Familia is collaborating with Monica Fuhrken, an educational consultant and expert in teaching English, to add a new element to the series by dubbing some parts of the narrative into Spanish and leaving others in English. The goal of this is to both familiarize kids with the world of words, but also set and reinforce the basis for the bilingual skills, which is common among Hispanics living in the US. Additionally, the channel will debut the new season of the Hi-5 on August 6 at 7p, which will also air weekdays at that time. Hi-5 focuses on learning through music, movement, storytelling and language while exploring developmental things including social and emotional skills, visual and math skills, cooperation and teamwork and social responsibility.

Sprout, First Lady Michelle Obama and LazyTown team for a new a series of new Let’s Move! public service announcements (PSA) that encourage preschoolers and their families to get up and active and living healthy lifestyles and combat the problem of childhood obesity. Produced by Sprout, the three PSAs, filmed at The White House, feature Mrs. Obama, Chica the Chicken, host of Sprout’s hit The Sunny Side Up Show, and LazyTown action hero star Sportacus. The PSAs debut this week, first on Sprout and then this Saturday, July 28, on NBC Kids, which is programmed by Sprout, and coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. LazyTown can be seen every day on Sprout at 2p and now airs every Saturday morning on the new NBC Kids block (check local listings for times).

Shake It Up’s Rocky and CeCe head to Japan for a dance video production in the special Shake It Up: Made In Japan, premiering Friday, August 17 at 8-9:30p on Disney Channel. The special will have a premiere simulcast on Watch Disney Channel, and will be available on demand via Watch Disney Channel following the linear broadcast. The special features three new original songs. From Friday, August 3, DisneyChanne.com/ShakeItUp (www.disneychanne.com/shakeitup) will launch music games, activities and quizzes inspired by the special  including a quiz that will set the Japanese-influenced fashions for avatars. When the avatar is printed, fans can assemble an origami. Additionally, on Friday, August 10, the site will host an exclusive 7-minute sneak peek at Shake It Up Made In Japan. Finally, the special will be available on iTunes, Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation, as well as on Mobile VOD platforms, including AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, from Saturday, August 18.

Chello Zone‘s, an international TV provider, Italian-language channel Mediaset Italia to be available in the Netherlands, under new deals with Dutch telecommunications company KPN and Dutch cable operator, Caiway. Not only is this the first time Mediaset Italia will be available in the Netherlands, it is also the only Italian channel on both platforms. Mediaset Italia features the best of Italian TV programming from national Italian channels including Canal 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4. It offers leading native Italian programming content from kid’s TV series Bau Boys ’12 and programming for grown-ups including the soap opera Vivere II and TV Tele Giornale 5’s popular daily news program. Mediaset Italia launches on KPN, which has 652,000 subscribers to its IPTV service, as part of the operator’s basic package. KPN already carries several Chello Zone channels including the kid-targeted channel JimJam, as well as Zone Reality and Extreme Sports Channel. The Italian launch will initially be available to around 27,000 Caiway EBT subscribers who already receive Chello Zone channels JimJam, Extreme Sports Channel, Fine Living, and Food Network.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Futurikon appoints Laurence Marty as International Sales Manager. She will handle Futurikon’s sales of theatrical, TV and video rights (both TV shows and feature films for specific territories). Marty works alongside Fazia Madouni, International Sales Manager, and Leslie Nelson Cressy, Senior Consultant. Marty previously worked as head of TV and cinema sales for TF1 International and Xilam Animation.

RATINGS

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Friday, July 20, 2012, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
DISNEY CHANNEL:      K2-11 1249; K6-11 843; TWEENS 9-14 714
NICKELODEON° :        K2-11   713; K6-11 449; TWEENS 9-14 380
CARTOON NETWORK** : K2-11   667; K6-11 425; TWEENS 9-14 347
DISNEY XD:               K2-11   315; K6-11 288; TWEENS 9-14 284
NICKTOONS:             K2-11    74; K6-11   38; TWEENS 9-14   44
°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

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: What is the name of the cartoon show that was a spin off from Happy Days? The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang. Kudos to: Michael Ratliffe-B.E.T. Networks/Wasington DC; at Brady-CESD/LA; Brett Ashy-The Ashy Agency/LA.

Today’s Trivia Question: In the cartoon Casper, the Friendly Ghost, what was the name of Casper’s horse-ghost? (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!
07.24.12

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