Etan Vlessing
Astral and Corus raise Q3 earnings, despite revenue falls
BROADCASTING / COMPANIES / TVDespite falling revenue amid a weak advertising market, Canadian pay and specialty TV and radio broadcasters Astral Media and Corus Entertainment on Thursday posted higher third quarter earnings.
Third cycle of This is… and Canadian Bookaboo series in the works
BROADCASTER / BROADCASTING / TVAs Canadian broadcasters continue banking on preschool TV series to build audiences, Corus Entertainment’s Treehouse has ordered a third cycle of the This is… franchise from co-producers Sinking Ship Entertainment and marblemedia, while the CBC has commissioned a new local version of the popular British preschool series Bookaboo (pictured).
Co-founders exit Smokebomb Entertainment
INTERACTIVE / PEOPLE MOVESSmokebomb Entertainment’s co-founders Daniel Dales and Jarrett Sherman (pictured) have left Shaftesbury Films’s digital media division, it was announced late Thursday.
Sinking Ship’s Dino Dan gets iReader treatment
INTERACTIVEIndie Canadian producer Sinking Ship Entertainment has seen its Dino Dan TV property turned into digital interactive storybooks thanks to a new deal with book apps publisher Ruckus Media Group.
US Sprout channel buys 9 Story’s Wibbly Pig
TV9 Story Entertainment has sold its preschool cartoon Wibbly Pig to the US Sprout channel.
Teletoon Canada orders two new series, and renews another three
TVCanadian animated specialty channel Teletoon on Monday unveiled two new series and renewed three others at the Banff World Media Festival.
CCI developing Taffy Saltwater cartoon
CONSUMER PRODUCTS / TVThe CCI Entertainment co-venture agreement with US-based brand management firm Evolution calls for a kids animated series from Michael Paraskevas, the creator of Maggie and the Ferocious Beast.
Thunderbird takes Canuck rights to Maya the Bee
TVVancouver, Canada-based Thunderbird Films has picked up the Canadian distribution rights to Maya the Bee, the new 3D cartoon series from Flemish kids TV producer Studio 100.
Cookie Jar licenses library to Comcast VOD service
TVContinuing along the digital curve, Canadian cartoon producer Cookie Jar Entertainment has licensed its catalogue of animated content to Comcast Cable’s subscription video service Xfinity Streampix.
BCE acquires Astral Media for US$3.4 billion
COMPANIES / TVCanadian telecom and media giant BCE has agreed to pay US$3.4 billion for Astral Media, owner of Canuck kidsnets Family Channel, Disney Junior and French-language VRAK.TV and a 50% stake in Teletoon (which is co-owned with Corus Entertainment), to strengthen the telecom group’s content presence in the province of Quebec against rival Quebecor Media.
The definitive kids ent resource.-
Disney to summer with pirates and princesses -
Jack Sorensen tapped to grow Saban’s mobile games division -
DreamWorks’ Turbo app to shell out US$1 million -
Rovio makes move into game publishing -
Target and DC superheroes get exclusive for the summer -
For Grown-Ups Only: 17 Child Un-Friendly Games That You Should Play
Photos
MIPCOM 2012 - Toon Goggles MD Stephen Hodge offers insights into new digital funding