Thomas & Friends Heads to China

LONDON, October 14: HIT Entertainment’s preschool property Thomas
& Friends will make its debut on
Chinese television on CCTV, with a plan in place for consumer products to
follow.

The distribution agreement marks the company’s first venture
into China. Alongside the CCTV deal, HIT has also appointed the Promotional
Partners Group (PPW) as licensing agent for Thomas & Friends in China. Its first range of consumer products, from
TOMY and RC2, is scheduled for launch in 2009. Children’s Fun Publishing, which
is part of the Egmont group, will launch Thomas & Friends publishing in China in early 2009, with 12 TV tie-in
book titles followed by coloring and activity titles and Thomas story library books.

Alison Homewood, HIT’s executive VP for worldwide TV
distribution, commented, “Thomas & Friends is one of the world’s most popular and unique properties in the
preschool market today and we are delighted to be bringing the show to Chinese
audiences. We’re thrilled to be working with our partners in what we see as a
long-term strategic partnership. China is an important growth market for HIT
and we look forward to making Thomas & Friends a success in this territory.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski