Joanna Padovano Tong

DUBAI: Turner has launched Cartoon Network Hindi, the first Hindi channel for South Asian children living in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

TORONTO: DHX Television has ordered a second season of the original tween drama series Backstage, produced by Fresh TV, for broadcast on Family Channel next year.

PARIS: Animation company Studio Hari has officially launched an international distribution division, Hari International, with sales being led by former Gaumont exec Adeline Tormo.

NEW YORK: Sesame Workshop has launched Sesame Studios, a YouTube Kids channel featuring new non-Muppet characters, short-form series and original stories.

SYDNEY: Filming on the third installment of the action/adventure series Nowhere Boys, which airs on ABC3 in Australia, has kicked off this week in Melbourne.

BELFAST: Claude, a new 2D animated preschool show produced by Sixteen South, has been picked up by Disney Junior for broadcast in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

LONDON: TotallyTween is logging off next month as the founders of the U.K.-based online service for 8- to 12-year-old girls contemplate its future in today's highly competitive market.

LONDON: The online streaming service NOW TV is slated to launch the NOW TV Kids Pass this summer, offering access to a variety of children's television content for a monthly fee.

TORONTO: Industry veteran Pam Westman has been appointed as the head of Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises.

SYDNEY: ZooMoo, an interactive preschool channel focused on animals and wildlife, has become the first children's service to be offered by Australia's Telstra TV.