International Broadcasters Sign On for Classic Media Series

LONDON: Several new international broadcast deals have been secured by Classic Media for the preschool brands Guess with Jess and Tinga Tinga Tales.

Tinga Tinga Tales, a co-production with Tiger Aspect Productions in association with HomeBoyz, launched on CBeebies in February. The 52×11-minute show is set for a U.S. debut on Playhouse Disney in spring 2011. Further broadcasters for the series, aimed at 3- to 6-year-olds, include ABC in Australia, Rai in Italy, Mini Mini in Poland, YLE in Finland, ViaSat 1 and Can Family in Ghana, True Visions in Thailand, RTE in Ireland, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden, TVB in Hong Kong, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel in the Middle East, Canal Panda in Portugal and France TV.

The 52×10-minute Guess with Jess, a co-production with Nelvana, also made its debut on CBeebies, in November 2009. The series has since launched on Treehouse in Canada, France 5 and ABC in Australia. Further broadcasters now include Cartoon Network in the Asia Pacific, RTB in Brunei, Emirates Cable TV in the Middle East, YLE in Finland, TV3 in Malaysia, Canal Panda in Portugal and the Vietnamese Broadcasting Corporation. Also on the roster of broadcasters are ANTV in Indonesia, Mediacorp in Singapore, Difusion in Argentina, CYBC in Cyprus, NRK in Norway and EBS in South Korea.

Chloe van den Berg, the executive VP of international at Classic Media, commented: “The reaction from our international broadcast partners to both Guess with Jess and Tinga Tinga Tales has been fantastic and the team have been busy securing deals on key platforms across the globe.” She continued, “Both brands have launched successfully in the U.K. on CBeebies, Guess with Jess has since launched in Australia (ABC), France (France 5) and Canada (Treehouse) and Tinga Tinga Tales is set for its U.S. debut on Playhouse Disney in spring 2011. We look forward to seeing our brands rolled out into further key international territories throughout Q4 2010–Q1 2011.”