Eisner toon gets Oz debut 9 Feb 2010
Australian cable network Fox8 has acquired Glenn Martin, DDS, the first cartoon to come out of former Disney chief Michael Eisner's Tornante Animation.
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Growing appetite for Stilton 9 Feb 2010
Animated children's series Geronimo Stilton has been picked in territories including French-speaking Canada and the Middle East, taking the number of countries airing it to more than 50.
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Monster snatches Al Jazeera sitcom 9 Feb 2010
Ireland's Monster Distributes has taken international rights to Baaas, a family sitcom from Al Jazeera Children's Channel, Welsh broadcaster S4C and prodco Cynhyrchiadau Ceidiog Creations.
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Collective decision 8 Feb 2010
Animation Collective's founder Larry Schwarz believes the merging of his company with the kids arm of HandMade Group and partnering with Nat Geo Kids will create an outfit with both independent thinking and global sales nous, he tells Jesse Whittock.
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Teletoon, Sardine hook up for animation 8 Feb 2010
Canuck children's network Teletoon and Montreal-based animation house Sardine Productions have joined forces to develop a series about a boy who becomes a cartoon character.
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Babar charges into Europe 8 Feb 2010
The new 3D toon Babar & The Adventures of Badou (52x11') has been acquired by broadcasters across Europe and South Africa, Canadian distributor Nelvana Enterprises has confirmed.
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Kratt brothers, 9 Story go wild with PBS 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: US public broadcaster PBS Kids Go is to air an animated wildlife show for children produced by the zoologist Kratt brothers and Canuck production-distribution house 9 Story Entertainment.
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United Kingdom deal for Little Kingdom 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Award-winning children's animated series Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, from Peppa Pig producer Astley Baker Davies, has found its UK terrestrial home.
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France Télévisions renews Warner kids pact 5 Feb 2010
France Télévisions' children's division has renewed its exclusive Warner Bros animation agreement for another four years and made a number of new acquisitions.
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Classic onboard My Life Me 5 Feb 2010
Classic Media has acquired international distribution rights, including licensing and merchandising, to new tween toon My Life Me, the Canada-France coproduction aimed at eight- to 12-year-olds.
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Turner onboard Mondo's new teen toon 4 Feb 2010
Italian animation firm Mondo TV Group (Angel's Friends) has a new teen toon underway that has been greenlit for production by Cartoon Network and will make its international debut at MipTV.
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Toon Factory climbs Foothill in US, Oz 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: California-based kids distributor Foothill Entertainment has inked an exclusive US and Australia distribution deal for French production studio Toon Factory's new slate.
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Hasbro poaches Sony toon VP 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Staffing up continues at Hasbro Studios, which has named the Sony Pictures Television VP behind shows including The Spectacular Spiderman and Sit Down Shut Up as its new VP of production.
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New kids hire for Henson 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: The Jim Henson Company has hired a new exec director of children's entertainment, appointing the PBS Kids Sprout exec with whom it worked on The Pajanimals and Musical Mornings with Coo.
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Fresh stokes up toon's L&M 3 Feb 2010
Toronto-based family entertainment producer Fresh TV has signed Joy Tashjian Marketing Group as exclusive licensing agent for its teen-targeted animated surfer series Stoked.
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Nelvana carves out Beyblade deal 3 Feb 2010
Children's network Nickelodeon UK has secured television broadcast rights to 51 episodes of Nelvana Enterprises' animated series Beyblade: Metal Fusion.
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Rainbow warrior 3 Feb 2010
Iginio Straffi of Italian cartoon giant Rainbow tells Ed Waller what the European animation industry needs to do to compete and about his plans for digital expansion.
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E1 Dandy about Pesky JV 2 Feb 2010
International producer-distributor E1 Entertainment has come onboard a new children's animation from Pesky Animation, the Bafta-winning UK studio behind The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers.
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Nets worldwide hunt down more Huntik 2 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Italian animation house Rainbow's series Huntik: Secrets and Seekers has been renewed in Europe, Australasia, Africa, India, the Middle East and Latin America.
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Former Loonland execs in new roles 1 Feb 2010
Justine Bannister, former head of international at insolvent kids entertainment firm TV-Loonland, has resurfaced at a French kidscaster, while other former staffers are also seeking new roles.
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Cleverly's Connective unveils first projects 1 Feb 2010
Connective Media, the UK consultancy set up by former BBC exec Jesse Cleverly, is developing new properties including a novel adaptation that has been picked up by a US major.
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New Jungle Book toon swings into Singapore 1 Feb 2010
A Singaporean broadcaster has acquired three animated children's series from Indian studio DQ Entertainment, marking the latest pick-up of the cartoon remake of The Jungle Book.
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YFE appoints MTV alumni for sales 1 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: German kids entertainment firm Your Family Entertainment has appointed a former Nickelodeon Germany chief as its new VP of programme sales and marketing.
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CBBC takes on new mission 28 Jan 2010
The BBC Scotland production team behind digital network CBBC's series Raven is creating a new 13-part science fiction gameshow for BBC Children's.
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Boomerang lands in Scandinavia 27 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Boomerang, the children's channel from Turner Broadcasting System that airs toons from yesteryear, has launched on a pay-TV platform in the Nordic region.
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Comic craze 27 Jan 2010
Earlier this month, Marvel shareholders approved the company's takeover by Disney and rival Warner Bros revamped its subsidiary DC Comics. Jules Grant reports on how comics are moving centre stage in kids' entertainment.
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Lifeboat Luke returns stateside 27 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Irish distributor Monster Distributes has sold animated kids' series Lifeboat Luke to a US network – its second transatlantic pick-up.
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TV Loonland begins sell-off 27 Jan 2010
Insolvent children's company TV Loonland is preparing to sell off its assets, beginning with its television library, after entering administration last month.
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Carrington exits BBC for Turner 27 Jan 2010
Turner Broadcasting has poached BBC Children's veteran Michael Carrington as its chief content officer, replacing Finn Arnesen, who left the company last October.
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TVOntario develops taste for MarbleMedia 27 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: TVOntario has greenlit Canadian indie MarbleMedia to produce a third season of children's cookery show Taste Buds.
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S4C to boost kids offering 27 Jan 2010
Welsh public broadcaster S4C is expanding its home-grown children's programming after a UK parliamentary report this week called for more content for younger viewers.
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Lat Am, Euro sales for MTVNI 26 Jan 2010
NATPE NEWS: MTV Networks International has secured several programme sales with broadcasters in Latin America and Europe, which took a number of its Nickelodeon-branded live-action programmes.
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Bejuba! scores with Sokator 26 Jan 2010
Distributor Bejuba! Entertainment has signed up to represent the television, online and DVD rights to UK firm Galleon Entertainment's multi-platform franchise Sokator-442.
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KidsCo set for profit, int'l launches 26 Jan 2010
Joint-venture children's channel KidsCo will become profitable before the year end, its global MD has told C21, as the network launches on French platform SFR today.
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Sticky adheres to Buster Dandy 26 Jan 2010
Australian kids' production houses Sticky Pictures and Buster Dandy Productions have joined forces, with both companies' co-founder Donna Andrews heading the revamped prodco.
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FME poaches Wildbrain exec to kids arm 25 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: FremantleMedia Enterprises has appointed the chief creative officer of LA animation producer Wildbrain to be senior VP of its four-month-old children's and family entertainment division.
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Beyond Bebo Originals 22 Jan 2010
Restructuring at AOL last year hit its social networking site, Bebo, with staff being lost and its Bebo Originals initiative axed. So what's next for original online youth content?
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KidsCo recruits Beach Crew 22 Jan 2010
Joint-venture children's channel KidsCo has picked up Aussie animated series The Beach Crew to air across Australia and South-East Asia from June.
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Disney XD hits the slopes with Sassy 21 Jan 2010
Disney XD has commissioned UK indie Sassy Films to produce a new shortform action sports reality series to air across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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Italian puppies in US$7m toon deal 19 Jan 2010
Italian toy brand Puppy In My Pocket is being adapted into a US$7.3m animated TV series, which its producers expect will air in Italy and Spain this Christmas and internationally in 2011.
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DMG puts Split into Boomerang 19 Jan 2010
Israel's Dori Media Group has sold its teen vampire drama Split to Boomerang Channel in Latin America.
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Noga nabs The Jungle Book 18 Jan 2010
Israel's Noga Communications has acquired broadcast rights to DQ Entertainment's new TV cartoon version of The Jungle Book.
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DCI, Hasbro unveil kids channel brand 14 Jan 2010
Discovery Communications and toy firm Hasbro have today unveiled the name and logo for their 50/50 joint-venture children's channel that will replace Discovery Kids this fall.
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MTVNI sends animation into Europe, Asia 14 Jan 2010
MTV Networks International has made a slew of animation programme sales to broadcasters in Asia and Europe, including Spain's TV3 Catalunya and Korean cartoon net Tooniverse.
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Talent TV alum takes over at HandMade 14 Jan 2010
The chairman and director of HandMade, the UK production company set up by late Beatle George Harrison, has stepped down as it continues to grapple with its uncertain financial future.
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Imira live-action finds Lat Am buyers 14 Jan 2010
Spanish production and distribution company Imira Entertainment has sold live-action and animated children's programming to broadcasters in Latin America.
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Licensing Machine's Quest reaches Italy 14 Jan 2010
Panini Group's The Licensing Machine has sold animé children's series Deltora Quest to Italian free digital channel Rai Gulp.
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Balance budget with ambition 13 Jan 2010
VIEWPOINT: Mitch Schauer, creative producer of Lincoln Butterfield Animation, believes TV animation needs a development process that starts with a budget, the target audience and the delivery schedule.
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JimJam takes up Decode shows 13 Jan 2010
Global preschool network JimJam has acquired a package of more than 200 hours of programming from DHX Media's international distribution arm, Decode Enterprises.
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Disney seeks French pitches 12 Jan 2010
Disney is calling on French producers to propose live-action, animated and shortform programming to be considered for its children's channels in the country.
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Canuck nets pick up Moonscoop shows 12 Jan 2010
Networks in French-speaking Canada have picked up more than 150 hours of animated programming, including Ava Riko Teo and Casper's Scare School, from distributor Moonscoop.
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Chuggington lays tracks into Asia 12 Jan 2010
UK kids company Ludorum has struck new deals in Asia for its train-themed preschool animated series Chuggington.
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RDF hires kids licensing exec 11 Jan 2010
UK indie RDF Media Group has appointed a former 20th Century Fox licensing exec as director of consumer products for the kids and family arm of its rights division.
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CCI, Elastic get arty 9 Jan 2010
Canada's CCI Entertainment and Madrid-based brand management house Elastic Rights have joined forces to bring children's art series Artzooka! to the south European market.
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HandMade shares suspended 8 Jan 2010
UK-based production company HandMade Group has been suspended from the London stock market due to "uncertainty in relation to the financial position of the company."
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Charlie Chaplin returns in 3D, colour 8 Jan 2010
Charlie Chaplin, the legendary pioneer of black and white silent film comedy, is being reborn in a 3D colour cartoon series for television.
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ABC Oz learns How To Be Indie 7 Jan 2010
DHX Media-owned distributor Decode Enterprises has chalked up a number of international sales for its series How To Be Indie, including selling it to ABC in Australia.
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Litton leaves Nickelodeon UK 7 Jan 2010
Howard Litton, MD and senior VP of Nickelodeon UK, is stepping down after 15 years with the company.
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Nick France gets new programme chief 6 Jan 2010
MTV Networks France has appointed a new programming director for the country's Nickelodeon channel and upcoming network Nickelodeon Junior.
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JimJam expands into Indonesia 6 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Preschool channel JimJam is continuing its expansion in Indonesia with a launch on Telkomvision's DTH, cable and upcoming IPTV platform.
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Dragon Knight spreads its wings 6 Jan 2010
Tokyo-headquartered studio Adness Entertainment has licensed live-action series Kamen Rider Dragon Knight to Cartoon Network in Asia and Australia.
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Making learning fun is not rocket science 5 Jan 2010
Joe Elliot, director of learning and children's media at the UK's Magic Lantern Productions, believes the key to successful children's media is finding the point at which learning and fun are the same thing.
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DQE animates Indian sleuth 5 Jan 2010
India's modern equivalent of Sherlock Holmes will make his animated debut in a TV movie and series being produced in the character's home city by DQ Entertainment.
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Disney XD lines up twin comedy 22 Dec 2009
Disney's boy-skewing cable network XD has ordered a live-action comedy series about typical American teenage twins who succeed to the throne of a faraway island.
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Disney buys into Lee's POW! 4 Jan 2010
Disney has extended its relationship with comic book icon Stan Lee, acquiring a 10% stake in Lee's media company Purveyors of Wonder for US$2.5m.
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SFR offers mobile animé on-demand 23 Dec 2009
Vodafone-backed French mobile operator SFR is launching two Japanese animé titles on mobile video-on-demand, through a deal with Paris-based Toei Animation Europe.
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DQE profit rises as Bombay listing looms 22 Dec 2009
Indian animation studio DQ Entertainment has shown steady growth in its half-year results, despite the expense of preparing for its flotation on the Indian stock market.
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MTVNI secures SpongeBob renewals 22 Dec 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Networks in Europe, Asia and Latin America have renewed 10-year-old toon hit SpongeBob SquarePants, MTV Networks International has confirmed.
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Chorion pulls new Peter Rabbit out of the hat 22 Dec 2009
UK family entertainment firm Chorion is to create a new animated series based on Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit children's books.
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Twisted Whiskers sprouts 17 Dec 2009
Broadcasters across Europe and the Middle East have acquired the animation Twisted Whiskers, a comedy based on US greetings card characters.
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Norton exits Chorion 17 Dec 2009
Chorion, the London-based rights management company behind Mr Men, Noddy and the Agatha Christie estate, is saying goodbye to its senior VP of brand development.
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Ex-Hit man in comic situation 16 Dec 2009
Former Hit Entertainment and Endemol executive Tim Collins has joined Scottish children's comic book publisher DC Thomson to help exploit its properties on television.
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Knightscove hires YTV vet for kids net 16 Dec 2009
Canadian family entertainment firm Knightscove Media has appointed a former Fireworks and YTV exec as president of its newly acquired US and Canadian cabsat network KnightTV.
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Beyond detects factual, kids sales 16 Dec 2009
Australia's Beyond Distribution has made a number of deals for factual entertainment and science-themed children's series in Asia.
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Nickelodeon greenlights more SpongeBob 16 Dec 2009
Nickelodeon has ordered another 26 episodes of veteran kids toon SpongeBob SquarePants.
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KidsCo expands into Africa 15 Dec 2009
International children's channel KidsCo is to air in multiple new territories in Africa and Europe, bringing shows such as Jass Time! and Boo And Me to local platforms.
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Target accelerates Roary sales 15 Dec 2009
UK-based Target Entertainment has sold preschool animated series Roary the Racing Car into Taiwan, Germany and France.
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Final farewell to Loonland 11 Dec 2009
By far the biggest kids' entertainment news this week was that Germany's TV Loonland was filing for insolvency after failing to raise enough cash to clear its debts. The company issued a statement on Wednesday, a move predicted by C21 on Tuesday.
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Where's Waldo? gets in on the app 11 Dec 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Family entertainment firm Classic Media has branched out into the app business, launching a game based on kids brand Where's Waldo?
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Cake surfs Dailymotion for new series 10 Dec 2009
UK-based family entertainment firm Cake Entertainment is lining up a new animated web series coproduced together with a young animator discovered on Dailymotion.
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Dish Network picks up Baby 10 Dec 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Mexico's Dish Network has added a commercial-free channel for infants and parents to its schedule.
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TV Loonland enters administration 9 Dec 2009
German-listed kids company TV Loonland has filed for insolvency, after failing to raise enough cash to clear its debts.
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Loonland's future in the balance 8 Dec 2009
TV Loonland is on the verge of an announcement about its future that may see the international kids producer and distributor sold or go into administration.
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Alliance takes Super RTL formats abroad 8 Dec 2009
German kids broadcaster Super RTL has struck a rights deal with distributor TV Alliance, making a number of its programme formats available internationally for the first time.
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ABC Australia opens The Jungle Book 8 Dec 2009
Australia's ABC has picked up rights to DQ Entertainment's upcoming 3D animated TV series version of The Jungle Book for broadcast next year.
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Toei sends VP to Paris 8 Dec 2009
Japanese studio Toei Animation has appointed its first European VP, responsible for developing business in EMEA.
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Toon trio for TV Brasil 7 Dec 2009
Two-year-old Brazilian public broadcaster TV Brasil has acquired a trio of animated series from the three shows' producer/distributor Hit Entertainment.
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Cartoon Network rapped by regulator 7 Dec 2009
UK media regulator Ofcom has censured broadcaster Cartoon Network after ruling that one of its programmes contained sponsorship and advertising that broke transmission rules.
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Winx Club scores a century 7 Dec 2009
Season four of Italian animation company Rainbow's Winx Club is heading to a new territories, including Australia, Spain and Russia, bringing the number of countries airing it to 100.
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Numericable gets KidsCo 4 Dec 2009
Children's channel KidsCo has struck a carriage deal with France's Numericable, taking it into Belgium and Luxembourg.
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3rd and Bird! flies off to Spain 4 Dec 2009
BBC Worldwide has licensed children's animated series 3rd and Bird! into Spain.
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Ki.Ka explores ToddWorld 4 Dec 2009
German broadcaster Ki.Ka has acquired animated preschool shows ToddWorld and SamSam from distributor Moonscoop.
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TVO kids dance series waltzes into Israel 4 Dec 2009
Ontario pubcaster TVO's educational children's dance show Pop It! is heading to broadcasters in Israel, New Zealand and Turkey, while a new season of the programme is in the works.
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France Télévisions to up toon commissions 3 Dec 2009
Public broadcaster France Télévisions has agreed with the country's animation producers union to increase its commitment to French animation.
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Mouse House to triple EMEA animation 3 Dec 2009
The Walt Disney Company is planning to triple its investment in the production of television animation in EMEA and produce seven animated series per year out of its London hub.
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CCI multi-platform project kicks off 2 Dec 2009
Canadian production company CCI Entertainment's multi-platform kids property GeoFreakZ has been given the green light.
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Malaysia on the march 2 Dec 2009
Following Korea and Singapore's arrival on the international animation scene some years ago, another Asian country is pushing itself as a destination for coproductions and is plugging its own original work: Malaysia.
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Zinkia's alternative lifestyle 2 Dec 2009
Madrid's Zinkia Entertainment made headlines when it became the first company to join Spain's alternative stock market, the Mercado Alternativo Bursatil for Growth Companies, this summer.
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Decode's Court resurfaces 1 Dec 2009
Former Decode Enterprises topper Neil Court has been hired by a leading UK drama producer as a consultant to expand its children's programming.
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M4E greenlights hybrid toon 1 Dec 2009
German distribution and licensing group M4E has given the go-ahead to a combined live-action and CGI children's series.
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