Postman Pat buys Tweenies prodco

After being rebuffed by Chorion last year, Postman Pat owner Entertainment Rights has acquired the production company behind the global preschool hit The Tweenies.

Under the £3.1m deal, Tell-Tale Productions directors Karl Woolley and Helen Cadwallader, alongside creatives Iain Lauchlan and Will Brenton, will now become part of Entertainment Rights’ inhouse creative division. An ER rep confirmed there were no job losses resulting from the deal.

While rights to the £350m Tweenies property will remain with BBC Worldwide, ER will now receive Tell-Tale’s royalties from the show, alongside revenue from the company’s other series Boo!, a BBC series 100% funded by Universal Pictures.

Also new to Entertainment Rights’ production slate are Tell-Tale’s BB3B (fka Sprogs) for CBBC this winter and Fun Song Factory for CiTV, while a big screen version of The Tweenies is in the pipeline for 2005/6.

“This is a significant development for the company,” said ER’s group commercial director, Jane Smith. “Alongside ER’s expertise in sales and brand management, Tell-Tale’s creative talents will enable us to build on an enhanced development and production slate with global exploitation potential.”

The move will enhance ER’s long-held plans to crack America, where Tweenies is already on air, courtesy of BBC Worldwide. The show airs on Nickelodeon and Noggin, reaching over 80m homes, with a consumer products roll-out managed by MTV Networks and a nationwide live touring stage show set to launch in Spring 2005.

“The US exposure of The Tweenies, coupled with the recent acquisition of the Filmation portfolio of US icon characters, enhances ER’s opportunities to develop many of its owned brands in this key territory,” the company said today.

The move follows Entertainment Rights’ unsuccessful attempt to acquire Noddy rights holder Chorion last year, and the $20m acquisition of Hallmark’s Filmation library, which includes He-Man, Masters of the Universe and Fat Albert. Entertainment Rights also owns the Welsh toon studio Siriol.

In other news, Entertainment Rights’ home entertainment arm Right Entertainment has appointed a new director of home entertainment, former BBC Worldwide marketing director Julia Rich.