New Canadian Pickups for Studio B’s Martha Speaks

VANCOUVER, April 25:
Studio B Productions has inked broadcast deals for its animated series Martha
Speaks, targeted at kids 4 to 8,
with three educational networks in Canada: TVO, Knowledge Network and SCN.

TVO, British Columbia
pubcaster Knowledge Network and SCN, a regional channel reaching 90 percent of Saskatchewan’s
households, will begin airing 40 half-hour episodes of the series beginning
this fall. Martha Speaks is
scheduled to launch in the U.S. on PBS KIDS this fall as well. The series is a
co-production with WGBH Boston for PBS.

Originally a children’s
book series by Susan Meddaugh and published by Houghton Mifflin, Martha
Speaks follows the adventures of
Martha, a loveable dog whose appetite for alphabet soup gives her the gift of
human speech. Using her speaking abilities, Martha gets jobs, wears disguises,
foils bad guys, wins contests, runs for office and orders lots of steaks.

“These Canadian TV sales
are a great opportunity to build exposure for Martha Speaks,” said Blair Peters, an executive producer with
Studio B Productions. “We are excited to launch simultaneously in the U.S. and
Canada by partnering with leading broadcasters in both countries.”

—By Irene Lew