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DreamWorks’ Turbo app to shell out US$1 million
INTERACTIVEIt’s commonplace these days for major animated blockbusters to be preceded by a branded app. DreamWorks Animation is putting a spin on things with its Turbo Racing League app that is currently offering up to US$1 million in shell-out cash prizes.
3 days ago
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Vine videos to star Peanuts gang
INTERACTIVETwitter’s four-month-old social video platform Vine will host 12 videos using the iconic Peanuts characters following a deal with stop-motion animator Khoa Phan.
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Jack Sorensen tapped to grow Saban’s mobile games division
INTERACTIVE / PEOPLE MOVESDigital gaming vet Jack Sorensen, who has played a hand in managing Star Wars and Pixar game franchises, will be at the helm of Saban Brands’ mobile gaming division The Playforge as president.
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Five kids content companies among first paid YouTube channels
BROADCASTING / CONSUMER PRODUCTS / INTERACTIVE / TVHalifax-based DHX Media, The Jim Henson Company, Nat Geo Kids, Corus and BabyFirst Plus are among the first creators of paid YouTube channels.The move puts the Google-owned online platform closer to acheiving an affordable a-la-carte lineup of premium content and in a better position to compete on the SVOD front.
9 days ago
With widened losses, Jakks points to mobile-toy venture
CONSUMER PRODUCTS / INTERACTIVEThe first quarter of 2013 saw sales increase 6.4% to US$78.1 million for California-based toymaker Jakks Pacific. But with losses rising to US$27.6 million from US$16 million in 2012, the company is harvesting momentum for the fall launch of its DreamPlay interactive toy line.
Kidscreened
- Opening the floodgates, Amazon plans for a set-top TV box (Businessweek)
- Major retailers can play in the online video service space, too (SNL Kagan)
- What do tepid Wii U sales mean for Nintendo? (The Wall Street Journal)
- Mobile and tablets keep on dragging down desktop computer usage (eMarketer)
Chapman director joins Sixteen South as development head
PEOPLE MOVES / TVFormer Chapman Entertainment production director Emily Whinnett will now oversee development at Northern Ireland’s Sixteen South as the company makes a push from puppetry into more live-action drama and animation.
Disney starlet gets Random House book deal
CONSUMER PRODUCTS / TVIt looks like Disney’s Shake it Up stars are doing exactly that in the tween/teen media space. Following news of star Zendaya Coleman topping girls’ style lists, her co-star Bella Thorne has inked a YA book deal with Random House Children’s Books.
Suzanne Wilson steps into buyer’s role at TVO Kids
PEOPLE MOVES / TVSuzanne Wilson has joined Canadian public media outlet TVO as children‘s acquisitions officer for TVOKids.
Walmart to sell movie tickets in new Warner Bros. partnership
CONSUMER PRODUCTSAn unprecedented deal between Walmart and Warner Bros. will grant US customers of the mega retailer exclusive access to screenings of Man of Steel one day in advance of the projected blockbuster’s official US release on June 14.
What tween girls want: Game apps and Disney star lead the pack
INTERACTIVE / KID INSIGHTRecent data pulled from FashionPlaytes’ 700,000+ online subscribers have revealed some telling insights on what’s driving tween girls’ interests in mobile technology and fashion. Among the findings is a penchant for arcade-style games like Temple Run and an admiration for Disney star Zendaya Coleman.
Moonscoop delves further into VOD space with hoopla deal
INTERACTIVE / TVContent from production studio Moonscoop, including Code Lyoko and Tara Duncan (pictured), will be available in the US and Canada on video-on-demand platform hoopla via public library cards. The deal marks Moonscoop’s continuing expansion into new digital media platforms.
Kidscreened
- Coca-Cola officially freshens marketing campaign with teen-driven digital experiences (AdWeek)
- Lego builds its own school that will focus on inquiry-based learning (The Telegraph)
- The Aereo Web video service continues its TV-Land shakeup with Boston expansion (The Boston Globe)
- Disney goes back to the past with Mickey (Los Angeles Times)
Random House acquires Jason Segel’s tween book
CONSUMER PRODUCTSAfter co-writing The Muppets feature film in 2011, actor and creative artist Jason Segel is now fully immersed in the children’s book world following a Random House deal for his middle-grade trilogy Nightmares!
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
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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 - Saban cocktails