NBC Universal Buys Into KidsCo

Okay, for starters, I know that this is something that would have been posted at The X Bridge, but, that site resumes normal programming on September 10, 2007. A lot of stuff on that end coming down the pike. I'll reveal it then.

Second, I'm kind of interested in this story as someone looking for something different from the normal.

Remember KidsCo? Let me refresh your memory if you don't.

A consortium of entertainment companies (DiC Entertainment, Corus Entertainment, and Sparrowhawk) got together earlier in the year and announced plans to launch a "fourth voice in children's entertainment," a joint venture that would lead to the creation of international channels worldwide with the exception of North America. That's when I stopped giving them any credence because, well, how could you compete against the other three voices (Disney, Nickelodeon, and that channel that I refuse to talk about based in Atlanta) if you don't do it on their home turf?

But something came up yesterday.

NBC Universal annuonced plans to acquire the company that makes up a third of KidsCo, Sparrowhawk Media, which also owns international Hallmark Channels, Movies 24, Diva TV , a broadcast facility in Denver, and international distribution rights to more than 580 titles in the Sparrowhawk International Library.

Now, here's something interesting to note. NBC Universal and Corus are partners in a pair of endeavors now, the aforementioned KidsCo joint venture and, along with Scholastic, Entertainment Rights/Classic Media, and ION, the qubo programming brand, which also includes a digital channel.

Now that NBC Universal has become a partner in the KidsCo endeavor, would they seriously take on the role of being a "fourth voice" AND be brave enough to take on the big three on their home turf? When it was just DiC, Corus, and Sparrowhawk, they weren't, but now with the increasingly growing monster conglomerate with the body of a planet and the head of a peacock joining them (not to mention a company willing to expand globally and create more programming outlets worldwide, including in the US), they might seriously consider launching a Stateside channel/outlet in the future.

Interesting times we're living in, aren't they?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MeTV TOONS: A Few Pre-Launch Thoughts

Image
  On June 25, 2024, Weigel Broadcasting and Warner Bros Discovery are launching MeTV TOONS, an over-the-air broadcast network devoted to classic animation featuring the best of the best.  You'll have the usual suspects from the Warrner Bros library including Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Top Cat, The Jetsons, The Smurfs, Jonny Quest, and Wacky Races .  You'll also find some shows that rarely get the airplay or shine from the studio like Silverhawks, Police Academy, Challenge of the Go-Bots, The Mask, and Beetlejuice and surprising shows like Freakazoid. In addition, you'll have some popular shows from other studios like Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Underdog, Speed Racer, Thunderbirds, and The Real Ghostbusters. With a lot of support from historians like Jerry Beck and talent like Bob Bergen, MeTV TOONS is a dream come true for older classic animation fans who felt abandoned by kid-sk
Read more

Let's Ride This FAST Car... toon Network Concept (Part 2)

Image
Three channels. That's all the Cartoon Network brand needs to expand into FAST media. Three channels. Why three? Because with nearly 30 years of original programming, you can't put it all in one place. That's why you don't see much of the library on television nowadays. Cartoon Network itself has a limited lineup, and they're hyper-focused on the younger demographics and push more modern shows. They tried to put some of the older CN library on Boomerang, but it was buried in late-night slots.  Plus, most major TV markets don't have Boomerang on their cable lineup. You'd think they'd try to get wider distribution deals, but I think Time Warner just gave up more than a decade ago. And yeah, I put the blame on Time Warner.  Not AT&T and WarnerMedia. Not Warner Bros Discovery. Hell, not even AOL Time Warner.  I'm putting much of Boomerang's lack of carriage on Time Warner. But I digress. With the Checkered Past block on Adult Swim, some of the ol
Read more

What to Do with WBD's Networks?

 If you've followed Thoughtnami over the past 20 years, thank you for your patronage and your support . It's so great to be back writing posts like this after all of these years. It feels more natural and less constrictive than tweets and occasional posts across social media. You also know that when it comes to one particularly Hollywood media company, I have a love-hate relationship with them. And that studio has had many names during the course of those two decades. AOL Time Warner.  Time Warner. WarnerMedia. Warner Bros Discovery. And they've all been called "the most poorly run media company" by me throughout those two decades. Now, granted, I may be a little hyperbolic with that statement. They're really not the most poorly run media company (looking at you both, Paramount Global and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment), but considering the two years the current management team of David Zaslav (President and CEO), Gunnar Wiedenfels (Chief Financial O
Read more