HIT Entertainment Inks New Co-Production, Distribution Deals

CANNES, October 10: HIT
Entertainment has inked a co-development deal with the British production
company Cocaban and the Korean animation studio SAMG for T5,
a new boy-skewing property, and has secured distribution agreements with
Animated Adventures & Pictures (AAP) and with Spargo Productions.

Aimed at boys aged 6 to 8
years old, T5 is based around a
collection of household pets that form the T5 Team, which participates in a
vehicle racing championship. Each race is broadcast to millions of pets all
over the world via PTVN (Pets Television Network) while their owners are out
during the day.

Christopher Skala, the
senior VP of production and programming at HIT Entertainment, commented: “T5 is a unique children’s property for young boys
around the world and perfectly complements the HIT portfolio of children’s
shows. With its unique mix of fast-paced action and adventure, comedy and
cutting-edge animation, we believe T5 has all the ingredients of a hit show. We are delighted to be working
with Cocaban and SAMG in developing the property further.”

Meanwhile, in the U.K.,
HIT Entertainment has reached an agreement to distribute three children’s
properties from Spargo Productions: Willo the Wisp, Little Monsters and Microscopic Milton.

The Willo the Wisp television series is now airing
daily on Playhouse Disney in the U.K. Since Spargo Productions launched in
2004, the company has acquired a number of children’s animation properties,
including Microscopic Milton, which aired on Disney Channel
in the U.S., and Little
Monsters,
which was broadcast on the BBC and is based upon the
successful children’s book series developed from an idea by Tony Garth.

Alison
Homewood, the executive VP of worldwide television at HIT Entertainment,
commented: ”We are delighted to be working with Spargo Productions. HIT has a
history of working with the strongest third-party programming and these three
titles, together with the shows that Spargo has in development, fit perfectly
into our existing lineup of shows with international, high-quality appeal.”

The British animated
property developer Animated Adventures & Pictures (AAP) has also appointed HIT Entertainment
to manage the home entertainment and worldwide television distribution rights
in the U.K. for its children’s property The Likeaballs, which is the official cartoon of the Premier
League.

Aimed at kids aged 6 to
11, the first season of 26×10-minute episodes of The Likeaballs launched on the BBC last year with a successful
broadcast on CBBC. Since then The Likeaballs has also had broadcast runs on BBC One, BBC Two
and again on CBBC from June 2006.

The first season of The
Likeaballs will roll out on DVD in
the U.K. in early 2008, with HIT Entertainment handling all distribution.

Added Homewood: ”The
Likeaballs is a perfect addition
to our existing portfolio of preschool and young children’s programming, being
a richly written, action-packed show about football and humor that communicates
directly with its audience. The fact that this is endorsed by the Premier
League backs this up and will add that extra ‘cool’ element for audiences
worldwide.”