Cynopsis: Kids!

04/09/08

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 9, 2008, and this is your first early morning briefing.

UPFRONT 2008-2009 SEASON – DISNEY CHANNEL

At its annual ad sales upfront presentation in NYC yesterday, Disney Channel looked to The Next Big Thing and focused on finding and cultivating new talent, as well as announcing that there will be a High School Musical 4 (insert fan shrieks here) and of course its top cable standings in ratings for 2007, in primetime among Total Viewers, K6-11 and Tweens 9-14, and in Total Day among Tweens 9-14.  The small gathering of about 30 people took place at a recording studio in midtown, the network is holding a handful of presentations versus the usual bigger events, where it presented its newest young singer/actress 15-year-old Demi Lovato, who stars in Disney Channel’s upcoming original TV movies Camp Rock and Princess Protection Program.  Lovato, who performed a soulful ballad from Camp Rock, has starred in As The Bell Rings, a short-form series for the network, and is also the star of a current Disney Channel pilot.

Network execs spoke about its upcoming live-action original TV movies, which includes the previously announced Camp Rock:

• Princess Protection Program – basically a witness protection program for a teenage princess who escapes her country, and finds herself in living with an agent and his family where she must learn to fit in as an average teen.  This stars Lovato, Selena Gomez and Tom Verica.
• Dadnapped – this TV movie revolves around Melissa, a girl vying for the attention of her best-selling spy novel author dad.  Dad disappears during their father-daughter camping trip and Melissa finds the courage and brains to find her dad.  Written by Alan Silberberg, the movie is directed by Paul Hoen (Jump In, and the upcoming The Cheetah Girls One World).  Dadnapped stars Disney Channel talent Emily Osment, Jason Earles and Moises Arias and Phil Lewis.
• Hatching Pete – The story follows a shy high school boy trying to get the attention of special girl, when his friend asks him to quietly take his place as the school mascot.  The boy goes from shy to star, but nobody can know it is he in the costume and not his buddy.  Starring Jason Dolley and Mitchel Musso the movie is a Salty Pictures Production.
• High School Musical 4 – as HSM3 gets underway this month in Utah, the network told those gathered in NYC yesterday that HSM4 was indeed in the writing stages.  When asked if the whole cast of the first three HSM movies would return, Rich Ross, Head of Disney Channel Worldwide, said, that he wasn’t sure the whole cast would be back, but hoped that some of them would.  At the moment HSM4 is planned as a TV movie, but Ross added that could change.
• Disney Channel execs said that they are still gathering together series plans for 2008-2009 following the writers guild strike and expects to announce plans for new series in the coming months.

MORE KIDS STUFF

The Foundation, a unit of RDF Media Group, announced that Decode Entertainment, a division of DHX Media, has signed on as a co-production partner on the new live-action preschool-aimed series, Way to Blue (working title) (100×20) in an official UK-Canada co-production. Way to Blue will air CBeebies from 2009.

Belgium’s Studio100 and the BBC’s CBeebies are teaming-up to co-produce a preschool-aimed quiz show, Kerwhizz (26×22) in HD, for CBeebies.  Developed with teachers and education advisors, Kerwhizz is designed as a multi-platform project that features three teams of CGI characters competing to answer questions that will give them additional power for their high tech racing vehicles that can help them win a race against, which take place in 26 different CGI worlds in a range of environments.  The series will deliver in fall 2008.

In other MIPTV Sutdio100 news, the company has partnered with Turkish Radio Television Corporation (TRT) for the new preschool puppet series Big And Small (52×11).   Currently in production, Kindle Entertainment produces Big And Small for the BBC, in association with 3J’s Entertainment, Studio100, YTV and TRT. Studio100 Media holds the worldwide distribution rights to the series (except for UK and Canada), which is slated to deliver in fall 2008.  Big And Small was created by Steven Andrew and Josh Selig, designed by Paul Andrecjo, penned by Kathy Waugh and executive produced by Anne Brogan (Teletubbies, Pocoyo)

Zinkia (Spain) completes a TV and licensing deal for the CGI animated property Pocoyo, in Cannes with Latin American broadcaster Grupo Televisa.  Televisa will handle all TV and licensing rights for Pocoyo in Mexico, which will premiere the series this summer 2008.  A Pocoyo toy deal for Mexico is currently underway, with plans for product to be available for Holiday 2008.  Additionally, under a new home entertainment deal, Mexican DVD distributor Tycoon will release a Pocoyo DVD collection this August. Other Latin American deals signed recently by Zinkia include a pan-Latin American publishing deal with Planeta, and a licensing deal with Exim, which is handling all Latin American territories excluding Mexico.  Pocoyo is co-produced by Zinkia and Granada International.

Hit Entertainment enters into a distribution and co-production deal with Smartoonz, a unit of Zeppelin Animation, which will see Hit distributing 3 of Smartoonz’s preschool series globally.  Additionally, Hit has also locked in the first option rights to future Smartoonz properties.  Under the deal Hit takes the distribution rights to the Smartoonz mixed 2D/3D animated preschool series Little Fables (26×5.5) for K2-5, and will co-produce the mixed live-action/3D animated show Monkey See, Monkey Do for K2-6, and Clay Play, a stop-motion animated series for K1-3.

Entertainment Rights completes further broadcast deals for the series Transformer Animated (26×22 and 1×70 special) at MIPTV, including: Mediaset (Italy); Turner Broadcasting (Australia, Latin America and India); Jetix (Israel, Netherlands and Belgium); Network 10 (Australia); TV3 (New Zealand); Mediacorp TV12 (Singapore); and TV Globo (Brazil).  ER holds the worldwide TV distribution rights (excluding North America) to the 2D animated series across both free and pay TV platforms for the series. Transformers Animated is produced by Cartoon Networks Studios, and premiered on Cartoon Network US.

Canal France International (CFI) and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) unveiled the launch of the France-Singapore Cross-Platform Program Challenge at MIPTV.  Among the goals of the competition is to promote new cross and multi-platform content collaboration and co-productions between France and Singapore.  Supported by CFI and the MDA, in partnership with TV France International, the competition invites factual program proposals with cross-platform potential and that focus on topics of interest to consumers in Europe and Asia.  The competition is open through September 15, 2008, with the two winners announced in December at the Asia Television Forum.

Shaftesbury Sales Company new deals for the live-action series Life with Derek:  Renewing Life with Derek for season four are Boomerang (UK), France 2 (France), Daro Film Distribution (Central & Eastern Europe), Selectavision (Spain), Disney Channel (Germany, Italy, Latin America) and Noga (Israel); with the third season going to France 2 (France) and VRAK.TV (French Canada); new sales include MediaCorp TV 12 (Singapore).

In non-MIPTV kid news …

This week marks Cookie Jar Entertainment’s official live launch of its free online role-play game Magi-Nation: Battle for the Moonlands.  Targeted to kids/tweens 8-14, the game is based on the animated TV series Magi-Nation, which airs on Kids’ WB (US) and CBC (Canada).

Curious George will celebrate Earth Day with new episodes of the animated series Monday April 21 and Tuesday April 22 on PBS Kids (check local listings).  In one episode Curious George dons scuba gear as the show goes diving at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary with EarthEcho International’s siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau, and back on land for another episode George and the Man in the Yellow Hat take on the roles of farmers.  (www.pbskids.org/curiousgeorge).

MARKETING/LICENSING

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Hit Entertainment are set to release the new DVD, Bob the Builder: The Three Musketrucks, on May 13, 2008.  The DVD is comprised of five episodes of Bob the Builder, as well as bonus content that includes episodes of Fifi & the Flowertots, Fireman Sam (English and French) and a section called Meet New Members of the Can-Do Crew.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Mark Taylor is named SVP and GM/Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.  Taylor is responsible for day-to-day operations of Nick’s Burbank Animation Studio.  Taylor is credited for driving the expansion of the network’s CG production unit.  He will report to Brown Johnson, President/Animation and Alison Dexter, EVP/Production.

RATINGS

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K2-11 (000) 3/31-4/6/08:
Total Day     (000)    Primetime     (000)
NICK^:           1192    DSNY*:            1322
DSNY*:            770    CARTOON:         655
CARTOON:       521    NAN**:              507
NAN**:            335    TOON DIS:         148
NOGGIN:          236    NICKTOONS:      100
ADSM**:          162    DISCOVERY:        92
TOON DIS.:      117    BET:                    62
NICKTOONS:      55    ESPN:                  50
DISCOVERY:       51    COMEDY:             45
MTV:                  34    ANIMAL PLANET:  45
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
^Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K6-11 (000) 3/31-4/6/08:
Total Day      (000) Primetime     (000)
NICK^:             620   DSNY*:           1007
DSNY*:            502   CARTOON:        424
CARTOON:        317   NAN**:            395
ADSM**:          102   TOON DIS:         67
NAN**:              97   DISCOVERY:       63
TOON DIS.:        58   NOGGIN:            57
NOGGIN:            53   NICKTOONS:      51
DISCOVERY:       35   BET:                  43
NICKTOONS:      32   ANIMAL PLANET: 35
MTV:                  23   ESPN:                34
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
^Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among Tweens 9-14 (000) 3/31-4/6/08:
Total Day   (000)   Primetime      (000)
NICK^:          476     DSNY*:             800
DSNY*:         415     NAN**:             478
NAN**:         333     CARTOON:         359
CARTOON:     237     COMEDY:            97
ADSM**:       152     BET:                   92
MTV:               64     MTV:                  89
DISCOVERY:    50     DISCOVERY:       78
COMEDY:         51     THE N:               52
BET:                38     ESPN:                50
THE N:            36     ANIMAL PLANET: 38
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
^Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Saturday, April 5, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1417; K6-11 948; TWEENS 9-14 717
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   967; K6-11 600; TWEENS 9-14 474
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   573; K6-11 365; TWEENS 9-14 301
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   165; K6-11   80; TWEENS 9-14   43
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Sunday, April 6, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1254; K6-11 830; TWEENS 9-14 649
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1056; K6-11 726; TWEENS 9-14 625
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   558; K6-11 382; TWEENS 9-14 303
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   179; K6-11   82; TWEENS 9-14   48
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Monday, April 7, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:          K2-11 1043; K6-11 421; TWEENS 9-14 352
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   818; K6-11 503; TWEENS 9-14 362
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   473; K6-11 245; TWEENS 9-14 172
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   126; K6-11   59; TWEENS 9-14   38
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  What is the name of the wolf-like cyborg with a British accent that sometimes “cheaply” assists the evil Hacker on the animated series Cyberchase?  BASKERVILLE   Kudos to:  Maura B. Thompson-Thirteen/WNET/NY; Alex Dale- Momentum Talent & Literary Agency/Studio City, CA

Today’s Trivia Question: Which of the singing Chipmunks of Alvin and the Chipmunks was always seen in his green shirt and loved to eat his brothers’ leftovers?  (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!
04.09.08

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