Wendy Goldman Getzler
Disney Mobile raises the bar
INTERACTIVE / NEWSFor 20 days this past October, an amicable alligator gave some bitter birds a run for their money. Where’s My Water? starring Swampy the alligator – Disney’s first original mobile character- took the top spot on the Apple iTunes store, briefly eclipsing the reign of mobile juggernaut Angry Birds. Where’s My Water? has also spawned a new web series that will run on its own dedicated YouTube channel, but perhaps the most tangible outcome of the Where’s My Water? launch is that it signifies that Disney Interactive Media Group’s burgeoning Mobile division is making strides.
The name game
INTERACTIVEBig changes in the mobile space are providing developers and publishers with lots of opportunities to create digital products, while consumers are left scratching their heads over what to call them.
Parents covet couch time with their kids
KID INSIGHT / TVRoughly 60% of US parents see watching TV as a means to connect with their teens, according to a recent study conducted by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) and C+R Research entitled Watching Gens X, Y, & i.
Search engine KidZui gets into original programming
INTERACTIVE / PEOPLE MOVESSan Diego-based startup KidZui, which launched its kid-friendly search engine Zui.com in August, is now moving into original content development thanks to an additional US$2.4 million in funding.
Nickelodeon restructures consumer products division
CONSUMER PRODUCTS / INTERACTIVE / PEOPLE MOVES / RETAIL / TVIn a move to better manage its evergreen properties like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, Nickelodeon has aligned and integrated all of its consumer products affairs within the network’s overall business structure.
Random House picks up Pocoyo
CONSUMER PRODUCTS / INTERACTIVE / TVSpanish brand Pocoyo continues to make its mark on the North American marketplace, with Random House Children’s Books set to develop a broad range reading formats for US and Canada based on the Zinkia Entertainment property.
Disney unveils first little girl princess
TVAfter more than 70 years in the limelight, adult-aged Disney princesses like Cinderella and Snow White are getting a preschool-aged counterpart. A new animated TV movie and series, aptly dubbed Sofia the First, will premiere next fall and in spring 2013, respectively, on Disney Channel and Disney Junior worldwide.
Lesley Douglas named Lime Pictures CEO
PEOPLE MOVESYouth media exec Lesley Douglas has been named CEO of ALL3MEDIA-owned Lime Pictures, Britain’s largest regional indie TV producer behind such series as Nickelodeon’s House of Anubis.
Scaredy Squirrel collects digital momentum
INTERACTIVEThe Scaredy Squirrel publishing franchise, which has sold more than one million print books, has made its foray into eBooks and apps following a partnership between Corus Entertainment’s Kids Can Press and Open Road Integrated Media.
Turner taps Susan Shipsky as production VP
PEOPLE MOVESTurner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media’s Creative Group, which encompasses both on-air and off-channel creative departments, has a new VP of production in Susan Shipsky.
The definitive kids ent resource.Photos
Kidscreen Summit 2010 -