LONDON – Leading children’s media companies, Nelvana Enterprises, Sparrowhawk Media and DIC Entertainment announced today the creation of a strategic joint venture to launch KidsCo, a multi-platform global television channel for children and families.
The announcement was made today by David Hulbert, CEO, Sparrowhawk, Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO, DIC and John Cassaday, president and CEO of Nelvana’s parent, Corus Entertainment.
KidsCo is a 24/7 multi-platform channel and "will be committed to providing a responsible and entertaining environment for children and families around the world," says the press release.
The channel will begin rolling out in 2007 utilizing Sparrowhawk’s state-of-the-art broadcast distribution facility in the U.S. and the company’s international network of affiliates. Veteran media executive David Elstein serves as chairman of Sparrowhawk, and Hulbert, former president of Walt Disney International Television, is part of the management team at Sparrowhawk that launched and managed the Disney channels worldwide and currently broadcasts the international Hallmark channels. The first launch of “KidsCo” is anticipated this fall in Central and Eastern Europe with subsequent premieres throughout 2008 and 2009 in approximately 40 territories across Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
KidsCo will feature animated and live-action television series and feature-length movies from pre-eminent independent animation program suppliers, DIC and Nelvana. DIC’s programming library features over 3,000 half-hours of top quality series, including Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Madeline, Dennis the Menace, Care Bears and more.
With more than 3,000 half-hours of kids’ programming, Nelvana Enterprises’ catalog features international favourites such as Babar, Franklin, The Adventures of Tintin and Rolie Polie Olie. KidsCo will acquire programming from other major children’s content suppliers, produce original properties to launch on the channel and will also feature prime-time family movies. Programming will be localized market-by-market and will be programmed by day-parts to create a strategic line-up targeting segmented audiences.
“This alliance draws on the collective expertise of the best in the business, and the libraries of our content partners contain some of the world’s most popular children’s programming,” said Hulbert. “The combined experience within the KidsCo organization has enabled us to develop this concept based on an innovative business model from which we all benefit.
“Sparrowhawk’s global commercial and technical distribution networks manage the successful operation of the Hallmark Channel across more than 150 countries. It is this unique combination of assets that enable us to deliver KidsCo in an environment designed to reassure parents, at a price that platforms will find very refreshing.”
“This partnership reinforces the strength of Nelvana’s library in international markets,” said Cassaday. “We are proud to be partnering with Sparrowhawk Media and DIC Entertainment to deliver on our shared mission of entertaining children and families around the globe. Sparrowhawk’s distribution expertise combined with Nelvana and DIC’s extensive libraries of parent-trusted programming will provide audiences with highly-entertaining, family-friendly experiences delivered in innovative ways.”
