CCI, Weekly Reader in JV for Educational Content

TORONTO, May 28: Weekly
Reader Publishing Group and CCI Entertainment have announced an agreement to
jointly develop and produce a range of educational content for the consumer
market.

The exclusive development
and production agreement is aimed at introducing a lineup of new concepts to
the market, based on the Weekly Reader franchise, over the next several years and producing audio-visual
material that is targeted at commercial and public television, as well as DVD
and Internet distribution. CCI will also be seeking manufacturing partners to
create interactive merchandise that can extend the educational output into
leisure areas such as hobby play, home educational supplements and quality-time
activities.

“Weekly Reader is a household name in the U.S., well-respected by
teachers and parents alike,” said Charles
Falzon, the co-chairman of CCI Entertainment. “It’s currently used as an
engaging educational resource in over 300,000 classrooms in America and found
in millions of households across the nation. Parents know that Weekly Reader represents integrity, accessibility, and is
recognized as an authoritative voice in helping young children learn about
their world. Through this venture we plan to directly access this expertise and
utilize the huge repository of content to extend this experience to more
children, through more activity platforms, and in more countries.”

“At Weekly Reader, we’re incredibly excited to see this iconic franchise
reach millions more children through television and other products,” said Neal
Goff, the president of Weekly Reader Publishing Group. “CCI is ideally suited
to be our partner in this venture because they understand the importance of
connecting playing to learning.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski