Rai YoYo licenses both incarnations of preschool phenomenon
Halifax, NS – 17 June 2015 – DHX Media, a key player internationally in the creation of content for families and children, has signed a major European deal for its much anticipated new Teletubbies, with N°1 kids’ broadcaster Gulli acquiring exclusive Free TV rights as well as non-exclusive VOD rights for its online platform GulliMax.
Set to air on the channel in France from early 2016, the deal includes French-language broadcast in territories where Gulli is available, including Monaco, Andorra, Mauritius, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Russia, Maghreb, Near and Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Slovenia, Belarus and Israel. It will also air on pay TV network Gulli AFRICA reaching 22 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Josh Scherba, SVP Distribution of DHX Media, said: “France is an important part of our European roll out for Teletubbies for both broadcast and consumer products. We’ve had a great response to the new show, and with Gulli on board we are preparing a strong lineup of channels for launch.”
Caroline Cochaux, Executive Director in charge of Broadcast and TV Programs for France and International at Lagardère Active comments, “We are delighted to be a part of this new show. The preschool unit, called “Gullidoo”, broadcasting in the morning and at midday on Gulli’s air, is one of the most popular of the day. Teletubbies will perfectly fit into our schedule!”
The timeless, unique and much loved Teletubbies are re-imagined for a new generation with 60 brand new episodes for 2015, starring Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po. With rewarding rituals, sound play, and physical comedy, new generation Teletubbies will build upon many familiar and beloved features of the original series, while offering some exciting and surprising new developments too. With the Teletubby landscape replaced and replicated by a beautiful, detailed model that will be enhanced via CGI, there will be freedom to apply large doses of creative imagination to Teletubby stories. The wonderful new world of the Teletubbies will resonate with preschoolers, reflecting child development and learning in a stimulating and contemporaneous manner.
Worldwide phenomenon Teletubbies first launched in March 1997 and became one of the most successful global children’s brands of all time. It has reached more than one billion children to date and the original episodes have aired in more than 120 territories in 45 different languages. It was the very first western pre-school property to air on China’s CCTV reaching an audience of 300 million children.
For more information, please contact:
Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8985 4708 or aimee@ddablueprint.com
About Teletubbies
Originally created in 1997 Teletubbies is a children’s television series targeted at preschool viewers. In September 2013, DHX Media acquired all rights to Teletubbies through its purchase of Ragdoll Worldwide, a joint venture between Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide that owned, managed and exploited Ragdoll programming.
Multi award-winning, Teletubbies is designed to encourage young children to watch television creatively. Full of fun and exploration it inspires confidence and curiosity and nurtures childhood development. DHX Media has engaged award-winning UK production company Darrall Macqueen to produce Teletubbies. Together they are pioneering a 21st century version of the show for a new generation of viewers.
About DHX Media
DHX Media Ltd. (www.dhxmedia.com), a key player internationally in the creation of content for families and children, is recognized globally for such brands as Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test, Slugterra and the multi-award winning Degrassi franchise. DHX Media Ltd. is the owner of Family Channel, the most-viewed children’s television channel in Canada, as well as the channels Disney Junior (English & French) and Disney XD in Canada. The Company markets and distributes its library of more than 11,000 half-hours of entertainment programming worldwide, and licenses its owned properties through its dedicated consumer products business. DHX Media Ltd.’s full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. (CPLG), represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. DHX Media Ltd. has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Amsterdam, and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols DHX.A and DHX.B
About Gulli
Gulli pull out all the stops with a website, replay TV, connected TV, mobile and tablet apps and more!
As France’s leading free youth and family channel, Gulli draws an audience of both children and parents, with 6 million viewers daily. Gulli is France’s best known channel in its category (95% of generally known rates*). Friendship, tolerance, cheerfulness, respect for others and the environment: those are Gulli’s values.
Today, in addition to the television channel, Gulli is a true family entertainment platform available on a wide variety of media, including digital (gulli.fr is the french youthful leader with 1.2 views per month, Gulli Replay : up to 22 million videos seen a month, the free app has been downloaded over 2 million times) with a full audio range, magazines, toys and field events. These various modes of expression offer the whole family a multitude of ways of experiencing the brand’s values and communicative energy.
(Source: Mediamat/Mediametrie, annuel 2014)
*to the family with children
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward looking statements with respect to DHX Media including the completion of the production of the series, the timing of the television debut and the ability of the Company to place the series in other territories. Past performance of the television series is no guarantee of the future performance of the new series. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risks factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s short form prospectuses dated November 14, 2013 and December 31, 2013, Annual Information Form, and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.