Turner reshapes LazyTown UK

Turner Broadcasting System EMEA has moved key UK staff from its newly acquired Icelandic prodco Latibær, producer of children’s get-fit series LazyTown, into its preschool team.

The moves comes after Turner EMEA paid £15m-£20m (US$23m-30.6m) to buy Latibær (aka LazyTown Entertainment) last September. The company has been upping its preschool business following the launch of Cartoonito across EMEA last year.

Latibær’s head of global TV Adam Selly will become a senior director in charge of non-linear distribution rights, including VoD, mobile and home video. He will report to Turner’s VP of enterprises Alan Fenwick and will also have oversight of preschool television distribution.

Co-licensing director Catrina O’Brien also joins Turner’s preschool division, with co-director Barbora Sopkova appointed to a new role in Turner’s Central and Eastern European TV sales division.

“LazyTown is an anchor show in our preschool strategy, in particular to grow audiences for the Cartoonito channel. These appointments are a natural transition in that strategy,” said Fenwick.

Details of LazyTown’s distribution structure are currently being finalised. Turner EMEA picked up rights from former vendor Nickelodeon following the acquisition.

Further plans for LazyTown, which produces the popular television series, include launching a new season – its third overall – on Cartoonito-branded blocks on preschool net Boomerang. The programme features health guru and Latibær CEO and co-founder Magnús Scheving (aka Sportacus).

The news comes after Turner EMEA brought in Disney exec Liisa Tiika as director of sales last year. Her arrival came around the same time international sales chief Joss Duffield joined Entertainment One.