Fully-Dedicated, Family-Friendly Channel To Broadcast Across 4 More Territories
KidsCo, the joint venture channel owned by leading media companies NBC Universal, DIC Entertainment (DIC) and Corus Entertainment Inc.’s Nelvana Enterprises, goes on air in the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore and Palau on 20th March 2008.
The announcement follows the securing of carriage deals with various platform operators in Asia, including SingTel’s mio TV in Singapore, the Philippines’ Sky Cable, Palau’s PNCC and Korea’s HanaTV at the end of this month. KidsCo has also signed a deal with the Philippines’ Cable Boss to act as their distributor in that market. It is anticipated that KidsCo will be available in up to 40 territories – including Europe and Latin America within the next 18 months. The channel currently broadcasts in Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Turkey and Poland.
KidsCo, a 24/7 multiplatform channel, will be committed to providing a responsible and entertaining environment for children and families around the world. The unique channel utilises NBC Universal’s state-of-the-art broadcast distribution facility in the U.S. and the company’s international network of affiliates.
KidsCo Managing Director Paul Robinson said: “The launch of KidsCo in Asia is a strategic part of our expansion into all the world’s TV markets and we are delighted to be welcomed into Asia. KidsCo’s unique positioning and content partner ownership makes us a valuable new channel to platforms and kids.”
Raymund Miranda, NBC Universal’s Managing Director Global Networks Asia Pacific, added: “KidsCo represents a unique opportunity for platforms to continue to address an underserved audience in a region that is one of the youngest in the world. Our partners have recognized this and have embraced KidsCo with great enthusiasm. We’re equally confident that families all over the region will welcome KidsCo into their homes with a lot of excitement.”
KidsCo features renowned animated and live-action television series and feature-length movies from pre-eminent independent animation programme suppliers, DIC and Nelvana. DIC’s programming library features over 3,000 half-hours of top quality series, including;
Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Madeline, Dennis the Menace, Care Bears and more. With more than 3,200 half-hours of kids’ programming, Nelvana Enterprises’ catalogue features international favourites such as Babar, Franklin, The Adventures of Tintin and Rolie Polie Olie.
KidsCo has also acquired programming from other major children’s content suppliers after signing deals with Entertainment Rights and TV-Loonland. KidsCo programming is being localised market-by-market and has been programmed by day-parts to create a strategic line-up targeting segmented audiences.
