ABC Renews Rights to Peanuts Holiday Specials

NEW YORK: The Peanuts animated holiday specials, including the iconic A Charlie Brown Christmas, will continue to air on ABC, via a new five-year deal.

The specials are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, the newly formed joint venture between Iconix Brand Group and Charles M. Schulz Creative. The specials, which also include A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, were created by Charles M. Schulz and produced and animated by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez. A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on CBS in 1965, marking this year as its 45th anniversary. The specials moved to ABC in December 2001.

"The Peanuts holiday TV specials are iconic and represent a family tradition of watching Charlie Brown and the gang kick off the holiday season," stated Neil Cole, CEO of Iconix Brand Group. "This new deal with ABC demonstrates the continued relevance of the Peanuts brand as it celebrates its 60th anniversary."