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Nickelodeon takes Teletubbies reboot

A US children’s channel has picked up local broadcast and on-demand rights to the forthcoming reboot of iconic UK kids’ property Teletubbies, commissioned by CBeebies.

The rebooted Teletubbies

The rebooted Teletubbies

Nickelodeon will air the new 60×12′ series on its Nick Jr channel in 2016, with CBeebies set to premiere the new episodes – the first that have been produced since 2001 – this year.

The US channel has also taken all 365 original Teletubbies episodes for Noggin, its mobile VoD subscription service for preschoolers.

The rights to Teletubbies were picked up by Canada’s DHX Media as part of its US$27.7m acquisition of owner Ragdoll Worldwide in 2013. The new series will also air on DHX’s Family Jr channel in Canada this fall.

Produced by DHX and UK prodco Darrall Macqueen, the show features a CGI-enhanced look, while the familiar screens on the characters’ stomachs are now touch-screen.

The voice cast for the reboot includes British talent such as Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), radio presenter Fearne Cotton and Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent.

Teletubbies launched on the BBC in the UK in March 1997. It went on to become one of the most successful global children’s brands of all time, with the original episodes airing in more than 120 territories in 45 different languages.

It was also the first Western preschool property to air on China’s CCTV, reaching an audience of 300 million children.

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