Mondo taps Turner toons for MENA

Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Europe has appointed Rome-based children’s entertainment group Mondo TV to represent toons such as Ben 10 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The deal is a boon for producer-distributor Mondo, which takes on exclusive free- and pay-TV rights to TBS’s kids’ TV library in the MENA region for the next three years. The company gains 581 hours of content, including boys’ action series Ben 10 and Generator Rex.

“Mondo TV is very satisfied by this deal, which will allow our company to further expand in the Middle Eastern TV market by representing one of the most interesting library of cartoon series,” said company CEO Orlando Corradi.

“Our programmes already have a dedicated fan base across the world and this will give even more families the opportunity to enjoy our shows,” added TBS’s VP and general manager for the Middle East, Africa and pan-regions Alan Musa.

The news comes after Italian Stock Exchange-listed Mondo announced in December it planned to raise €11.3m (US$14.4m) through a new ordinary shares issue. The capital is needed to reduce company debt, support new animation productions and expansion of distribution activities.

The outcome of the share issue is expected early this year. Mondo’s share price was €2.54 at press time today.

The company is behind shows such as Puppy in My Pocket, which will air on TBS preschool net Boomerang this year, and Cartoon Network series Virus Attack.