4Kids Entertainment

September 23, 2009 World Screen

 

Brian Lacey
Executive VP, International

 

What are some of your top properties for MIPCOM?
We are bringing to MIPCOM a fresh new animated comedy series (20×30 minutes or 40×11-minute episodes) entitled Rocket Monkeys, as well as 12 new half-hour episodes of the Chaotic: M’arrillian Invasion series and a very entertaining animated all family program event, Turtles Forever, an 80-minute special that features those iconic green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. In addition, we will be expanding our worldwide broadcast relationships for the Dinosaur King and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds brands, now in their second and ninth seasons, respectively.

 

Why will these programs appeal to buyers?

As broadcasters face increasing competitive pressures from other entertainment/media platforms, it is essential that program content is entertaining and promotable. This explains why brands such as Yu-Gi-Oh! (now in its ninth season) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (celebrating 25 years of entertainment heritage) remain popular, and why newer content like Dinosaur King and Chaotic are building strong broadcast franchises around the world. Finally, there is strong pressure to keep program schedules fresh with entirely new content, which explains why we expect Rocket Monkeys will be very attractive, as it captures both the boy and girl viewing demographic.
 
What are some of the trends you’re currently seeing in this market?

 

 

Broadcasters are facing a range of challenges and opportunities with the emergence of the new-media outlets, most especially the Internet. Viewing patterns and habits are changing rapidly, as more and more young people are turning to the new-media outlets for their entertainment, information and social networking. These trends are influencing buying decisions, rights negotiations, pricing structures, scheduling arrangements, promotion plans and other marketing activities. The challenges facing broadcasters, producers and distributors are much more than trends. These are seismic shifts in the way in which business will be conducted, characterized by entirely new strategies and very different financial models. Producers, distributors and broadcasters are forced to be creative across all disciplines.

 

 

What are your goals and expectations MIPCOM?

 

 

We fully expect to see a bounce in the acquisitions market as broadcasters who have been relatively inactive for the past six to nine months due to the global economic downturn now need to freshen up their schedules and expand their catalog of content. We also expect to participate in some new co-production discussions with our long-standing relationships in Japan, Korea, Europe and Canada, as well as opening up conversations with the emerging markets of China and India. In short, we are looking forward to a very productive MIPCOM and well appreciated after the bearish MIP market in April.