Telescreen Acquired by m4e

GRÜNWALD/HILVERSUM, December 18: The Dutch kids’ and family entertainment outfit Telescreen is being acquired by the German brand management and media company m4e.

The move is part of m4e’s growth strategy as it eyes expansion across Europe. Telescreen, which turned 25 this year, owns the rights to such shows as Miffy, Lizzie McGuire, Alfred J. Kwak, Moomin, Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairytaler and Frog & Friends.

Telescreen will remain fully responsible for all of its properties, and will become the international distributor of m4e’s own productions, co-productions and acquisitions.

"We are extremely excited about the possibility of working with the Telescreen team lead by Theo van der Schaaf and Sjoerd Raemakers," said Hans Ulrich Stoef, the CEO of m4e. "With this important step forward we are now in the position to offer all relevant services out of one hand, starting from the development to production and international distribution, up to licensing and merchandising and producing merchandise via our apparel and accessory company Tex-Ass. Certainly we are becoming a more international player. Soon we will announce a comprehensive lineup of new projects for production and distribution, which will be the boilerplate of our business focus for the upcoming years."

Telescreen’s general manager, Theo van der Schaaf, and director of commercial affairs, Sjoerd Raemakers, added: "Under the wings of m4e, a solid and well experienced firm with matching ambitions in the kids entertainment business, Telescreen’s international presence can be enlarged and we can jointly face an expansive growth in the field of productions and worldwide exploitation of children’s programming."

—By Mansha Daswani