Southern Star, Showtime Attractions in New Deal for Raggs

SYDNEY, February 27:
Showtime Attractions has acquired the live-performance rights from Southern
Star International for the hit Australian preschool series Raggs.

Currently airing on Seven
Network in Australia from Monday to Friday, Raggs is about a group of five, fun-loving dogs that
perform in the Raggs Kids Club Band and hang out in their own kid-friendly
Clubhouse.

Raggs debuted in the U.S. on public television in June
2007, where it was supported by a series of live performances throughout the
summer. Raggs is slated for
full national launch across public-broadcasting stations in the U.S. in 2008.

Raggs is accompanied by a selection of
home-entertainment releases through Paramount Home Entertainment. There were
four home-entertainment releases throughout 2007: Let’s Play, Holiday Hounds, Move Your Tails and Wag N Wiggle, with a further slate to follow this year. Music
is handled locally by Universal, whose current releases include Let’s Play, Dance Party and Santa Paws.

Raggs is a Southern Star Entertainment production in
association with Raggs LLC for Seven Network. Raggs LLC handles exploitation in North America and music
worldwide.

“Showtime Attractions is
one of Australia’s leading suppliers in the provision of premium children’s
entertainment,” said Keith Brown, the managing director of Showtime
Attractions. “2008 is an exciting year for our company and this has recently
been made even more so with the acquisition of the Raggs license to our stable. Raggs has a fantastic track record as one of Australia’s
biggest and most-popular children’s TV programs and we are looking forward to
the opportunity of strengthening this even further with well-produced live
performances across the country.”

—By Irene Lew