KIDSCO MAKES BROADCAST DEBUT IN AFRICA
KidsCo, the joint venture family orientated channel, owned by leading media companies, NBC Universal, DIC Entertainment (DIC) and Corus Entertainment Inc (Corus), has secured a major broadcast agreement with Gateway Broadcast Services (GTV), a new Pan-African pay-TV service. The channel made its debut in sub-Saharan African territories including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Botswana, Namibia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Malawi and Zimbabwe on 2 April.
Today’s announcement underlines the success of KidsCo’s aggressive roll-out strategy with the channel now broadcasting in key territories including Romania, Hungary, Russia, Turkey, Poland, Singapore and the Philippines. It is anticipated that KidsCo will be airing in up to 40 territories, including Europe and Latin America within the next 18 months.
KidsCo, a 24/7 multiplatform channel, is committed to providing a responsible and entertaining environment for children and families around the world. The unique channel utilises NBC Universal’s state-of-the-art broadcast distribution facility in the U.S. and the company’s international network of affiliates.
KidsCo Managing Director, Paul Robinson commented: “We are delighted to have concluded this deal with GTV which will bring children aged 6-10 and their families in sub-Saharan Africa an English Language KidsCo TV Channel. We are confident that the brilliant characters and shows from our content shareholders’ DIC & Nelvana will be extremely popular in Africa and is the latest chapter in KidsCo’s global roll-out.’
Julian McIntyre, Managing Director and Founder of GTV said: “We are very excited about our partnership with KidsCo. We made a commitment to our subscribers to continually add new, engaging content for customers and are confident that KidsCo will be the channel of choice, enjoyed by the whole family.’
KidsCo features renowned animated and live-action television series and feature-length movies from pre-eminent independent animation programme suppliers, DIC and Corus’ Nelvana. DIC’s programming library features approximately 3,000 half-hours of top quality series, including; Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Madeline, Dennis the Menace, Care Bears and more. With more than 3,200 half-hours of kids’ programming, Nelvana Enterprises’ catalogue features international favourites such as Babar, Franklin, The Adventures of Tintin and Rolie Polie Olie.
