Cynopsis: Kids!

03/18/09

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, March 18, 2009, and this is your first early morning Kids briefing.

Marvel Entertainment enters into a deal with startup Gazillion Entertainment to develop and publish massively multiplayer games (MMO) for a range of ages based on the Marvel’s universe of characters, and elements from its animated series and movies.  The first game in the development under the deal is a casual MMO for kids based on Marvel’s Super Hero Squad property, which features a stylized look for super heroes including Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, fantastic Four, Captain America among others.  The Super Hero Squad MMO is based on the super Hero Squad toy line and the upcoming animated series (26×30) of the same name that will air on Cartoon Network.  In addition, Gazillion will develop and publish Marvel Universe, an MMO for PC and consoles.

MORE KIDS STUFF

The BBC acquires a second season of Ludorum‘s preschool series Chuggington (www.chuggington.com) for its CBeebies Channel.  The new season of Chuggington (26×10) is scheduled to bow on CBeebies in 1Q 2010, and brings the total number of episodes to 78×10.  Chuggington has been sold to 140 countries.  The series debuted in the UK in September 2008 on BBC Two and launched on CBeebies in January 2009.  Chuggington’s UK consumer products begin rolling out this spring 2009 with the first DVD release from 2Entertain.  Parragon, which is the long-term publishing partner for English speaking markets (except the US and Canada) and in Germany, Scandinavia and Benelux, will publish its products in the UK in early summer 2009.  Limited select apparel ranges will appear in the fall 2009.  RC2/Learning Curve Brands, the global master toy license for the property, is set to launch its initial range at retail in the UK from spring 2010.

Shaftesbury Sales Company inks a broadcast deal with Turner Broadcasting to air the first season of the new live-action series Connor Undercover in the UK from early 2010.  The half-hour action/comedy series revolves around a teen spy buff whose life is turned upside down when Gisela, firebrand first daughter of a small island nation, comes to live with his family.  Commissioned by Family Channel (Canada), Connor Undercover is co-produced by Heroic Film Company and Shaftesbury Films, and is distributed internationally by Shaftesbury Sales Company.

Imira Entertainment inks renewals and new broadcast deals for its property Lola & Virginia in Spain and Portugal.  In Spain, TVE has renewed the pay TV rights for two more years and will continue to air the series on its main channel La 2 and Clan TV.  In a separate deal, Nickelodeon has acquired pay TV rights for Spain and Portugal.  Imira is also working on two new Lola & Virginia efforts, a new live-action Lola & Virginia Live project with co-production partner Magnolia Spain, and an animated feature film.

Moonscoop completes a raft of international sales for its preschool mixed animated/paper cutout series Ava Riko Teo (www.avarikoteo) (67×7).  Designed to encourage kids to take action and be creative, Ava Riko Teo is based on author/artist Mila Boutan works.  The series is a co-production between with Character Plan, France 5 (France) and EBS (Korea).  New broadcast deals see Ava Riko Teo acquired by Rai 3 (Italy), Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (Middle East), Disney Australia, MTV3 Finland, and Hop (Israel), Venevision and CEE channel JimJam.

Toei Animation Co. taps Plus Licens AB to handle licensing in Nordic and Eastern Europe for the Dragon Ball brand.  Under the deal Plus Licens AB will handle Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT for Nordic and Eastern European territories, including TV, video and merchandising rights except of video game and publishing.

TV-Loonland heads to MIPTV with its new tween-targeted animated comedy series, My Life Me (52×11).  A co-production with Carpe Diem Film & TV, My Life Me has been commissioned by Teletoon (Canada) and France’s France 2 and Canal J.  The company will also show off the first five episodes of the series Mister Otter (52×1.30 minutes), the first 8 episodes of Pat & Stan (7 minutes each), and the first six episodes of Leon (52×3).  My Life Me is a co-production with TV-Loonland and Carpe Diem Film & TV.

MARKETING/LICENSING

Sci Fi‘s (soon to be Syfy) new multiplatform licensing and production brand Sci Fi Ventures has partnered with Acclaim Games and ZooKazoo to develop a new series of online casual games and entertainment destinations aimed at the youth market. Developer Acclaim will create an exclusive Sci Fi label to produce games that can then be turned into other properties. Kids virtual world ZooKazoo will create a Sci Fi Club within the ZooKazoo (www.zookazoo.com) universe.

Disney Channel and State Farm team for a tween/teen/family-targeted safe driving campaign.  Under the agreement Disney Channel star Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) and her Mom will star in 30-second messages that empower tweens/teens to influence safe driving and make a difference in their families’ lives.  The messaging will air during the channel’s primetime programming as well as online at www.statefarm.com/teendriving.

TVN Entertainment Corp., a TV on-demand company, enters into a multi-year pact with Summit Entertainment.  First up under the pact, TVN will release Summit’s Twilight movie this Saturday, March 21, the same day the movie is released on DVD.

MIP TV Program Call: If your company will be attending and showcasing programming at MIP TV 2009 in Cannes, France, at the end of next month, Cynopsis will send out a special MIP TV Shopping Guide edition the Thursday before the conference. To have your programming included, please send only the following info for your top 5 shows: title, availability date, number of episodes, length, type (i.e., movie, series, special, etc.), genre, your terms (barter, cash, etc.) and names and contact info of those attending from your company. If your company is interested in being included in this free guide, please send the details to lisa@cynopsis.com by Friday, March 20, 2009.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

John Hardie, the EVP and MD, Disney EMEA TV operations, exits the company to become the CEO of the UK’s ITN, a news and content provider that supplies news to ITV and Channel 4, per Variety.  At Disney Hardie was Chairman, Super RTL (Germany), a board member of RTL2 and CEO of Jetix NV.

Cookie Jar Entertainment names Jamie Waese Head/Current Programming.  Waese, who has served as a writer/producer/director on Cookie’s series and specials for the last four years, will report to Pam Slavin, Head/Production.  He previously toiled for Kids’ CBC, Walt Disney TV Animation and Hanna Barbera/Turner Feature Animation.

RATINGS

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K2-11 (000) 3/9-3/15/09:
Total Day      (000)   Primetime       (000)
NICK~:            1151    DSNY*:             1355
DSNY*:             816    TOON:                880
TOON:               563    NOGGIN:            470
NOGGIN:           338    NAN**:              505
NAN**:             280    NICKTOONS:       169
ADSM**:           178    DXD:                  155
DXD:                 127    ESPN:                 106
NICKTOONS:       92    BET:                     78
ESPN:                 48    TLC:                     73
BET:                   41    DISCOVERY:          73
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) 3/9-3/15/09:
Total Day         (000) Primetime       (000)
NICK~:               602   DSNY*:             1031
DSNY*:              529   TOON:                609
TOON:                351   NAN**:              387
NAN**:              218   DXD:                   97
ADSM**:            127   NICKTOONS:        82
DXD:                   77   ESPN:                   78
NICKTOONS:        48   NOGGIN:               66
NOGGIN:             52   TLC:                      56
ESPN:                  35   BET:                      53
ANIMAL PLANET:   29   DISCOVERY:          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 Tweens 9-14 (000) 3/9-3/15/09:
Total Day  (000)   Primetime      (000)
NICK:          456     DSNY*:             877
DSNY*:        450     NAN**:             458
NAN**:        277     TOON:              392
TOON:          230     ESPN:              113
ADSM**:      163     BET:                  95
DXD:              60     DISCOVERY:      84
ESPN:             56     COMEDY:           81
BET:               53     MTV:                 72
THE N:            44     DXD:                 69
NICKTOONS:   40     TLC:                   69
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, March 14, 2009, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1548; K6-11 1025; TWEENS 9-14 759
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1118; K6-11   721; TWEENS 9-14 573
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   645; K6-11   454; TWEENS 9-14 304
DISNEY XD:               K2-11   184; K6-11   110; TWEENS 9-14   68
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Sunday, March 15, 2009, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1153; K6-11 750; TWEENS 9-14 590
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1240; K6-11 825; TWEENS 9-14 711
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   687; K6-11 409; TWEENS 9-14 266
DISNEY XD:               K2-11   154; K6-11 103; TWEENS 9-14   78
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Monday, March 16, 2009, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1286; K6-11 599; TWEENS 9-14 409
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   858; K6-11 542; TWEENS 9-14 421
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   508; K6-11 334; TWEENS 9-14 238
DISNEY XD:               K2-11   123; K6-11   85; TWEENS 9-14   71
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

---

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  When this ’50s family sitcom (based on a popular comic strip) was cancelled, oversized sandwiches stacked with meats and cheeses were still referred to by the name of the lead male character.  What was the name of the sitcom?  BLONDIE – THE SANDWICH WAS THE “DAGWOOD”  Kudos to: John Carlo-Channel One Network/NY; Ellen Harter Wall-FamilyFun/Northampton; Tim Eckhart-Reebok/Canton; Brenda Bowen-Bunny Eat Bunny Productions/New York; David W Dole/NYC; Heather Floore-KDAF/Dallas; Rosemary Cunningham-MMT/Chicago; Glenn Dangerio-Walt Disney Records/Bentonville, AR; Matt Sautter-Dish Network/Denver; Tanya Young-Karbunkle Films/LA; Liz Stahler-SupperTime Entertainment/Pacific Palisades; Eric Covert-Disney ABC Networks Group/Burbank; Joe J Thomas-JoeActor.com/Los Angeles; Candace Irving-Candace Irving & Associates/Tortola, BVI; Michael Decsi-Nelvana/Toronto; Stephen S. Kelley/Toronto

Today’s Trivia Question:  On How I Met Your Mother, what does Lily do for a living?   (Email Cynthia@cynopsis.com 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!
03.18.09

Cynopsis Kids Ad Sales:
Chuck Bolkcom – 646-468-6180 / chuck@cynopsis.com
Mark Bohn- 203-583-1224 / mark@cynopsis.com
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 / trish@cynopsis.com

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here. 
To unsubscribe, click here or click the button at the end of this email.

---

Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here   .

---

JOB OPENING: BET/NY/ADSALES-EXEC ASST: 5+yrs. exp. Must be det. oriented & have ability to multi-task in fast paced environment. Proficient in MS Word/Excel/PP. Exc oral/written skills. Email: margaret.matthews@bet.net (3/25)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE PROMOTION COORDINATOR, INT’L MKT SVCS /AETN, NY: Coordinating promo materials. Strong communication, flexibility & org skills. Basic editing(Final Cut Pro). Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (3/25)

JOB OPENING: VP PRODUCTION/Discovery/MD: Focus on specials and series. Req editorial interest and proven exp from a domestic cable network. 10+ yrs exp in film or video documentary. Apply: www.discovery.com/careers #8845 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: BRAND RESEARCH MANAGER/ DIY NETWORK/ Knoxville, TN: Develops, analyzes, & interprets research. 5 yrs exp in market research at a TV network/ studio. Nielsen exp required. www.scrippsnetwroks.com #388 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC, AFFIL SALES/MKTG/WWE/Stamford CT: Seeks for distribution of all products to implement marketing, P.O.S. &community relations campaigns. Must have 3+ yrs experience & willingness to travel www.wwe-careers.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIR AUD DEV/BBC/NY: Grow mkt BBC online news. Dev traf-driving initvs, cons mktg, prtnrshp mngmnt. Anlyz traf & usage pttrns, mng synd rltnshps, up 3rd party links to bbc.com news cont. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: RSRCH ANALYST/BBC/Miami: Rsrch for Programming & ad sales. Maintain rsrch sales systems, track performance of shows, monitor industry trends. 2+ yrs exp. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: GRP REPORTING MGR/BBC/NYC: Prod, consolidation & reporting for BBCWW. Set acct’g policies, analyze & challenge perf., improve process, ensure fin. control maintained. CPA pref’d. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: SALES DIR/BBC/NYC: 5+ yrs exp mng sales team, solid sales track record, media licensing exp, direct selling. Est & imp strat, mng sales pipeline, lead team to grow biz. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL NTWRK OPS MGR/BBC/NYC: ensure dig ad campaigns supported & trafficked. Set-up, insert orders & comm discrepancies. Analyze success of campaigns & relay to ad sales team. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: SR ACCT EXEC/ACCT DIR Out-of Home media sales/NY: 5+ yrs nat’l sales exp w/clients & advrtsng agencies strat. plan’g groups. Proven track rec of new bus/acct dvlpmnt req’d. Exp w/Youth mkt a + Res to: recruiting4484@yahoo.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: MGR/SPIKE MOVE STUDIO PRODUCTION/MTV/NYC: Promo production for movie studios. 3-5 yrs exp. in production & mktg. Passion for movies and exp with talent. Dynamic personality, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED CONTENT & BREAK STRATEGY/MD: Work with Programming/Development, Ad Sales, Marketing& Digital for TLC. 8+ yrs in sales is required. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8817 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR – OPERATIONS/LA: work with special projects relating to new business development with TLC. 5+ yrs in buds. dev.& production required. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8836 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: MKTG MGR/General Electric/NY: Responsible for working w/NBC & msnbc.com’s sales team to dvlp sales prgrms & mktg solutions. Apply: https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_jobdetail.asp?partnerid=54&siteid=5346&oreq=1022190  (3/21)

JOB OPENING: EXEC ASSISTANT, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT/MTV/NYC: 2+yrs exp. Exec Assist, Strg org/detail skills, Superior Cust. Service, Strng comm/comp skills, Able to prioritize/Meet deadlines EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/20)

JOB OPENING: RSRCH PROJECT MGR/CNN/ATL: Supporting Strat Mktg & On-Air Promo w/ ability to translate raw data into useable & actionable insights. Solid media math skills/5+ yrs. brdcst and/or cable TV Apply: Melanie.Hill@turner.com (3/20)

JOB OPENING: SR. COUNSEL, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/NY: Negotiate production, programming & talent agreements for AMC NETWORK. L.A. Contacts, JD & 8+ yrs ent law experience required / M&A exp a +.  execrec@cablevision.com (3/19)

JOB OPENING: OFFICE MGR/MGM AD SALES/NY: Mng all aspects of A/R including prep of wkly & monthly accounting reports. Provide sales & admin support to dept. Back up Sales Plan & Traffic Mgrs. Apply www.MGM.jobs #6440 (3/19)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC MGR/MGM AD SALES/NY: Resp for proper plcemnt of commercials & copy assgnmnt. Mng prod & reconcil of logs. Liaise betw Ad Agncies, Sls, Mktg & Prog depts to gather fitting copy materials. Apply www.MGM.jobs #6441 (3/19)

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at trish@cynopsis.com.

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: MARKETING/Urtak.com: user-generated public opinion site. Resp: Prdct dev, mkt expansion, corp svcs, for innovative startup. Work remotely, w/ few meetings in NYC. ~35hrs/wk. Send cv & CL to robert@urtak.com (3/19)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PROGRAMMER/Urtak.com: user-generated public opinion site. Resp: prgrm’ing & user interface design for innovative startup. RubyOnRails exp. Work remotely, w/ few NYC meetings. ~35hr/wk. Send cv&CL to robert@urtak.com (3/19)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  Doc production co. seeks exp’d, orgnzd & energetic JRS/SRS. Driven to gain exp in fast-paced envir. Pls specify “dvlpmnt” or “prod” in app. Resp. incl office, shoot, & post-prod & dvlpmnt asst. Email jmeltz@kpitv.com (3/19)

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …  There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad … for more information contact Trish Pihonak at trish@cynopsis.com

SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email: Nyehouse@sbcglobal.net (3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: OFFICE PA OR EXEC ASST /NY: 3 yrs exp in customer service working at CBS. Former intern at film & talent agencies. Working knwldg of media industry. Creative, reliable, and a team player. E-mail: smurray904@gmail.com (3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: INTERN IN MEDIA/THEATRE: Seeks work in Film / Theatre in NYC. Theatre and Media Studies at ScrippsCollege. Work experience in communications. Email: rkarpovs7596@ScrippsCollege.edu (3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING/PROMOTIONS/Boston: Marketing/promotions professional seeks television, web marketing, social networking focused position. Experienced in international markets. Creative + will travel. mdpboston@gmail.com (3/21)

E-mail Trish@cynopsis.com or call Trish Pihonak at 203.926.9878 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email Trish@cynopsis.com for specs.

Cynopsis Media LLC
One Corporate Drive, Suite 724
Shelton, CT 06484
203.926.9878

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2009