RollBots

TV Kids Weekly, September 16, 2008

ORIGIN: RollBots is an original concept from creator MCM. The property was acquired by Amberwood Entertainment and developed in association with YTV.

DISTRIBUTOR: Amberwood will be distributing the property worldwide. The official sales launch of the series will take place at MIPCOM/MIPCOM Junior next month. 4Kids Entertainment has been named the worldwide merchandising and licensing agent and brand manager for RollBots.

TV SHOW: RollBots is a 3-D animated action comedy produced in high definition. The first cycle is comprised of 26 half-hours and is aimed at kids 6 to 11 years old.

DESCRIPTION: Spin is the only bot in Flip City who doesn’t have a tribe, but he makes up for it with speed! His hyper-roll mode and powerful Skyv Boots let him pull off amazing moves while he chases down criminals with his fellow cops—even though he’s not a member of their tribe. Between bickering tribes and a crazy rush of speeders on the RMS, there’s more than enough to keep Spin busy. But he gets more than he bargained for as he hunts down the evil Vertex and his henchbots as they pull off heists and daring crimes around town. There’s a lot to uncover in Flip City, and while he’s on his adventures, Spin may just discover why he has no tribe.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Sheldon S. Wiseman

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jonathan Wiseman

MAIN BROADCASTER: The series has been commissioned by Canada’s YTV and will premiere on February 7, 2009.

TV SALES: The series has been licensed into the U.S. to 4Kids Entertainment and will premiere in February 2009 on its Saturday morning block on The CW, 4KidsCW. The series has also been pre-sold in France, Italy, Spain and the Middle East.

MAJOR TOY LICENSEE: Mattel is the worldwide master toy licensee for the property. The anticipated retail launch is spring 2010.

OTHER PRODUCTS: 4Kids, the worldwide merchandising and licensing agent and brand manager for RollBots, has begun presenting the property to potential licensees in many categories with a primary focus at the moment in securing a video-game deal. Thereafter, key categories are expected to include publishing and trading cards, with the eventual expansion into apparel, party goods and beyond.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: The RollBots teaser website has officially launched at www.rollbots.com. New character profiles are uploaded each week, and the final update will include a series teaser.

The RollBots Online Gaming Experience, produced by Xenophile Media, will launch on YTV.com in December. The site will be an immersive experience allowing users to create their own RollBot, join a tribe and explore Flip City while racing along the tracks and playing games along the way.

The series will launch on YTV and The CW in February 2009. Additional broadcasters will be announced and secured at MIPCOM with launch dates to follow. Most broadcasters will air a new episode once a week, with repeats throughout the week, leading up to the season one finale, which can be viewed as a one-hour special if desired.

“Our specific MIPCOM strategy is to focus on a few key territories that will help establish a strong merchandising and licensing campaign,” says Jonathan Wiseman, the VP of sales and acquisitions at Amberwood. “In Europe we’re focusing on five key territories: Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the U.K. In most cases we’ll be targeting terrestrial broadcasters in those territories, eventually to be enhanced and supplemented by some cable and satellite deals. Scandinavia is also very important. Other than the European territories, we’re going to be focusing on a deal for Australia and there has been some interest regarding potential pan-Asian and pan-Latin American deals. It will also be very important to have a Mexican broadcaster on board. That’s the first tier.”

From its launch date in February, the series will have a presence on air, online and on demand. The tentative launch date for toys is spring 2010, ideally followed by a video-game launch for the 2010 holiday season. Additional licensing products will tentatively roll out through to spring 2011 and onwards. Wiseman notes that the merchandising and licensing campaign is expected to focus on the show’s key elements of speed, racing and transformation. Broadcasters who are interested will be able to have a look at some of the conceptual designs for Mattel’s upcoming toy line at MIPCOM.

“RollBots does a really strong job at targeting the 6-to-11 demographic,” Wiseman says. “It’s a boy-skewed property but not a boys-only property. There are characteristics of this brand that are proven to appeal to that demographic. Things like racing, collectability, a sense of community, battle and competition.”