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Fox loses 4Kids TV early Fox network in the US is looking for a new Saturday morning solution, after the settlement of a lawsuit with 4Kids Entertainment brings the current 4Kids TV block to an end nine months early. The original 2001 deal between Fox and New York-based 4Kids, which put the block on air originally as Fox Box but later as 4Kids TV, was due to expire in September 2009. However, after 4Kids signed a deal for another Saturday morning kids block on rival network The CW last autumn, replacing the 13-year-old Kids WB! brand, relations with Fox went legal. The block debuted on The CW on September 13. "Under the terms of the settlement, our agreement with Fox will end on December 31, 2008, rather than at the end of the 2008/09 broadcast season in September 2009," said Al Kahn, chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. "Our remaining financial obligations to Fox for the first three quarters of 2009 will also terminate. We believe that the settlement is favourable for both companies and enables 4Kids, beginning in early 2009, to focus resources on our five-hour block of children's Saturday morning television on The CW Network." The move means Fox will be without a kids content partner for Saturday mornings. ABC runs repeats from Disney; CBS's Saturday mornings are handled by DIC Entertainment; NBC is running its Saturday kids block in conjunction with Qubo/ION Media Networks; and The CW is with 4Kids. Unveiling 4Kids' quarterly numbers, Kahn also revealed net revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2008 totalling US$17.8m, compared with US$12.2m for the same period in 2007. However, the firm's losses grew from US$4.2m for the same quarter in 2007 to US$5.3m. Ed Waller 11 Nov 2008 © C21 Media 2008
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