CBeebies Slot for twofour54 Co-Pro

ABU DHABI: twofour54 ibtikar, the media industry funding and support pillar of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, has signed its first partnership deal, an agreement with the U.K.’s 3Line Media to co-produce Driver Dan’s Story Train, which will air on CBeebies.

twofour54 ibtikar will co-produce the series with 3Line Media, developing and producing the property for the Arabic-speaking region, including sourcing and producing original stories from Arab authors. Rather than reformatting or dubbing into Arabic, live-action footage of actual children responding and play-acting to the story will be produced.

The series is slated to debut on CBeebies in spring 2010. Driver Dan’s Story Train is an animation and live-action series developed to introduce young, preschoolers to storytelling and reading books. The 52×11-minute program was created by British illustrator and children’s author Rebecca Elgar, and features a cast of animated animal characters who read and explore a different storybook in each episode.

"With the deal to co-produce Driver Dan’s Story Train, twofour54 is taking its first steps towards establishing a sustainable media and content industry in the MENA region," commented twofour54’s CEO Tony Orsten. "The fact that we have already secured an agreement with one of the world’s leading children’s TV channels shows how great the programme is and we are sure it will be well received by Arabic TV channels throughout the MENA region."

He continued: "One of our objectives is to stimulate and produce high-quality, original content for the MENA region and Driver Dan’s Story Train offers us the opportunity not only to co-produce a delightful and distinctive new children’s property but also to directly develop its content in an appropriate direction for the region and its culture. Increasing and improving the levels of literacy amongst Arabic-speaking children is a priority in many MENA countries and a TV show such as Driver Dan’s Story Train is the perfect vehicle upon which to build an early reading program."

Estelle Hughes, the director of 3Line Media and executive producer, said, "We are very excited to be working with twofour54 on Driver Dan’s Story Train and are looking forward to collaborating with them to shape the project directly for the Arab world. It is well accepted in educational circles that introducing children to storybooks and reading at an early age is very important. The MENA region has one of the world’s fastest growing child populations with an increasing demand for relevant and high-quality children’s content."

"Storytelling-based properties such as Driver Dan’s Story Train can play a major part in driving higher levels of reading and educational attainment as well as providing genuine entertainment to this new emerging children’s marketplace," she added.