MIPTV: The Week in Kids

NEW YORK: Affirming its dedication to the kids’ programming sector, MIPTV organizer Reed MIDEM unveiled a new Kids’ Buyers Advisory Board in Cannes.

The board, comprised of nine executives from across the children’s entertainment industry, will meet several times a year and offer guidance on strategy and content development for future kids’ programming projects at events such as MIPTV and MIPCOM.

Cannes also played host to the International Emmy Kids Awards this year for the first time ever, a highlight of the Kids@MIPTV program. Winners were named at a glammed-up gala at the Carlton, where awards were presented to Japan’s Ronja, The Robber’s Daughter, (animation), the U.K.’s My Life: I Am Leo (factual) and Bing (preschool), Norway’s Best i Mest (non-scripted entertainment), Nowhere Boys Series 2 from Australia (series) and Rabarber of the Netherlands (TV movie/mini-series).

Mattel received the MIPTV Brand of the Year Award in Cannes, accepted by the company’s president and COO, Richard Dickson, ahead of his keynote. Dickson was also joined on stage in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais by World Screen’s Anna Carugati for a Q&A, during which they spoke about how Mattel is providing beloved brands and characters on digital platforms and mobile devices, among other topics.

The content-creation arm of Mattel unveiled various international broadcast deals during MIPTV for the all-new Bob the Builder, plus a new hour-long Fireman Sam special. Also announcing some deal news at the market were Rainbow, which will launch its hit property Winx Club in India later this year and deliver a number of titles to Brazil’s TV Cultura, and Studio 100 Media, which placed 100 half-hours of programming in Lithuania, expanded its relationship with Hungarian pubcaster MTVA, and signed a VOD and home-video agreement for the revived CGI series Heidi. CAKE clinched a volume deal with the LatAm SVOD service blim. INK Global was at MIPTV launching a brand-new kids’ show with the South African producer Diprente, while ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures announced a third season for Thunderbirds Are Go, which was the World Premiere Screening at MIPJunior just two years ago.

Follow along with all the latest developments within the business of children’s programming and merchandising with TV Kids Daily and on TVKids.ws.