New series include “Adventure Time” (debuted April 5), “Ben 10: Ultimate Alien” (debuts on Friday), “Generator Rex” (debuts on Friday), “Unnatural History” (to debut June 13), “Tower Prep,” “Sym-Bionic Titan,” “MAD,” “Regular Show,” “Robotomy,” “Secret Mountain Fort Awesome,” “The Looney Tunes Show,” “Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated,” “Young Justice,” “Run It Back Sunday,” “Total Drama World Tour,” “Metajets,” “Beyblade: Metal Fusion” and “The Amazing Spiez.”

In addition, Cartoon Network will launch its first broadcast awards show, called “Cartoon Network’s Hall of Game.” The event show, slated for early 2011, will let viewers decide their favorites in the world of sports. It will be produced by IMG Media with Sports Illustrated as promotional partner. The network also plans to air the following new movies and special events “Firebreather,” “Scooby Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster,” “KROG,” “Lords of Bad Axe,” “My Dad’s a Pro” and “Totally Spies! The Movie.”

“We’re expanding beyond the boundaries of traditional kids’ content,” says Rob Sorcher, chief content officer for Cartoon Network. “This new programming lineup brings event-quality entertainment to our prime time.”

Meanwhile, returning series will include “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Dude, What Would Happen,” “Destroy Build Destroy,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “Battle Force 5,” “Johnny Test,” “Flapjack,” “6Teen,” “Stoked,” “Bakugan,” “Pokémon,” “Pink Panther & Pals” and “Totally Spies.”

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Turbine, which was formed in 1994, has created a number of games for the Internet, including Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited and Lord of the Rings Online, the first massively multi-player online role playing game based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. In the acquisition, Warner Bros. will now have the gaming rights to the entire Lord of the Rings franchise. Additionally, Warner Bros. will gain digital publishing (proprietary) and social networking platforms.

“Turbine is a leader in online entertainment and a strong strategic fit for Warner Bros. as we continue to broaden our games portfolio and development capabilities,” says Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “Turbine’s renowned online game development and publishing expertise will help us develop additional online product offerings, while also providing us with new and innovative ways to market and communicate with our consumers.”

Warner Bros., other gaming franchises include Batman, F.E.A.R., Mortal Kombat and LEGO.

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BRC reported the boom was aided by Easter falling in March (not April) this year; Easter saw a 4.3 percent rise in footfall numbers. It said the weak pound was a second factor, luring tourists to London with the promise of cheaper shopping.

“These are strong figures, helped by an earlier Easter, overseas visitors and improving consumer confidence,” says Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC. “Overall, London’s retail sales growth was well up on a year ago and outperformed the rest of the U.K. by a wide margin.”

For the January-to-March period, London’s retail sales were up 7.7 percent compared with 2009. In the U.K. as a whole, sales up were 2.1 percent.

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“We are delighted to conclude these negotiations with our lending group
and are grateful for their support,” says Jeffrey Dunn, president and
chief executive officer of HIT. “This allows us to focus on what we do best—making great entertainment for kids.”

The entertainment company reports revenues have increased to $249.2 million from $238.4 million in the 12 months to July 31, 2009.

In March, HIT reached an agreement with lenders to waive a scheduled covenant test on its $579 million debt. HIT and lenders had reached a “forbearance agreement,” which waives testing of the entertainment company’s financial covenants.
HIT Entertainment is owned by private equity firm Apax Partners.

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The 7.5-inch commemorative statuettes, produced by Forever Collectibles, feature logos of 30 MLB teams, as well as American League and National League logos. Four other statuettes feature All-Star Game designs. The line is available now at MLB Stadium shops, Walgreens and Dick’s Sporting Goods, as well as at MLB.com and Disneystore.com. In support of the range, 36 life-sized statues will be placed as landmarks throughout Southern California leading up to the 2010 All-Star Game.
Other MLB Mickey merchandise, including caps, T-shirts, sweatshirts, drinkware, pins, throws and beach towels, will be available in May.

“Baseball and Mickey Mouse really connect families and with the All-Star Game being in our backyard this year, it made perfect sense to combine the magic of Disney with America’s favorite pastime,” says Stephen Teglas, vice president and general manager of fashion and home for North America at Disney Consumer Products. “We look forward to delighting fans of both brands with our unique products and collectibles.”

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The NBA on ESPN line includes T-shirts and hoodies from VF Imagewear, retro-influenced lifestyle T-shirts and hoodies from Sportiqe Apparel, fitted and adjustable hats from New Era Cap, novelty street signs and pennants from Wincraft and exclusive basketballs from Spalding. In addition, VF Imagewear and Wincraft have designed items with player nicknames and Sportiqe has produced illustrated tees.

“Launching a co-branded merchandise line that complements our NBA on ESPN RV campaign is a great way to extend the campaign to our fans,” says Chris Brush, ESPN’s vice president of marketing. “The illustrated T-shirts and other products in the collection showcase the humorous side of the NBA players and on-air talent who really resonate with fans.”

Atlantyca’s key properties include “Geronimo Stilton” (co-produced with Moonscoop), “Tea Sisters” and “Century.” Separately, “Geronimo Stilton” is nominated for a Pulcinella award in the TV series for kids category. Atlantyca’s licensing division handles the international rights to “Geronimo Stilton,” as well as the Italian rights to Moonscoop’s “Code Lyoko,” “Dive Olly Dive” and “Hero 108.”

“We are truly honored to be recognized for our work by such a prestigious accolade from Cartoons on the Bay,” says Caterina Vacchi, senior manager and executive producer of Atlantyca Entertainment. “We are extremely proud and dedicated to delivering only high-quality work for all of our animation properties reflecting the world famous ‘made in Italy’ creativity, across all media platforms and are privileged to have our work draw such special recognition by this prestigious jury.”

The 14th annual Cartoons on the Bay will be held through Sunday. The event is promoted by Rai and organized by Rai Trade in association with Rai Fiction.

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The range for boys ages 5 to 18 will include backpacks, messenger bags and lunch kits. The products, which will retail from $5.99 to $29.99, will be available at mass, mid-tier, specialty, office supply and sporting goods stores.

“The addition of the NBA to our roster of boys’ best-in-class licensed properties helps expand the age demographic for products that FAB/Starpoint offers to the market,” says Steve Russo, president and chief executive officer of FAB/Starpoint. “The franchise has an incredible appeal to young boys that is both positive and inspiring.”

FAB/Starpoint’s other licenses include Hello Kitty, Paul Frank, Harajuku Lovers, Keith Haring, Transformers, Disney Princess, Spider-Man, WWE and Dora the Explorer.

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The three-year deal sees the production of layettes, blankets, bibs, body suits, tanks, socks, tights, leggings, slipper socks and booties. The line will launch this fall at retail. The deal was brokered by the Joester Loria Group on behalf of Baby Genius.

Marathon’s and OUAT’s beta version of Totally Spies! Fashion Agents will launch on April 20 in both French and English on Facebook. For more information, visit www.fashionagents.com.

In other MipTV news, FremantleMedia Enterprises has announced two deals for Jamie Oliver’s programming catalog. Fox Latin America, the South American Pan-regional broadcaster, has taken seven Jamie Oliver titles, re-introducing him to South American audiences for the first time in almost a decade. Danish public broadcaster, Danish Broadcasting Corporation, the largest broadcaster in Denmark, has signed a three–year output deal with FME for nearly 20 shows from the Brit chef. FME has represented Jamie Oliver programming internationally since 2002. Oliver’s programs are broadcast in more than 140 countries and translated into more than 30 languages.

Also at MipTV, FME debuted its new prime-time game show, “Push the Button,” the Gallowgate format, which was the U.K.’s highest-rated new entertainment launch this year on ITV1. “Push the Button” pits two families against each other in a series of challenges.

HIT Entertainment highlighted new series, “Monkey See Monkey Do,” yesterday and signed seven broadcast deals for the property. “Monkey See Monkey Do” is a high-energy kids’ series combining CG-animation with live-action children produced by Smartoonz. The 26×7 show was sold to France 5 (France); TVA, TVO and Knowledge (all Canada); Al-Jazeera Kids (the Middle East); Minimax (Eastern Europe); and Disney Latam (Latin America). A deal with a U.S. broadcaster is also imminent.

Studio Liddell, a Manchester, U.K.-based independent creative agency, partnered with Fun Crew and is showcasing new property, “Spooky Skaters” at MipTV. “Spooky Skaters” is based on an original idea from Angela Salt and Stuart Harrison a.k.a. Fun Crew, originally drawn as 2-D cartoons and featured in D.C. Thomson’s Dandy Xtreme magazine, as well as the subject of two children’s books. Studio Liddell is expanding the 3-D animation for TV, online and gaming platforms, targeting kids ages 6 to 11. The company is also the official iPhone and Nintendo Wii developer for the property. Studio Liddell is seeking broadcasters interested in the series for TV and/or multiplatform, as well as a distributer for an international audience.

Demand Media and Discovery Enterprises International signed a three-year DVD output agreement for the U.K. and Ireland. The deal covers both DVD and Blu-ray releases of new Discovery Networks’ programming, as well as strong continuing series that already exist within the Demand Media stable. New releases will come under channel brands that include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Quest and Discovery Shed.

ABC Commercial (Australia and New Zealand) has secured multi-platform rights to ActiveTV’s and Apartment 11 Productions’ “Prank Patrol.” The kids’ reality series has granted ABC Commercial its home entertainment, merchandise, mobile and online content, transport/hotel and live event rights. The first DVD will release next month.

BBC Worldwide’s “3rd & Bird!” has been sold to the U.S.’ Disney Channel to premiere in the country in early 2011. Disney has acquired all 50×10 episodes, as well as one double episode and a 20-minute holiday special. Meanwhile, yesterday’s ZingZillas performance celebrated the launch of the live-action preschool TV series to international buyers. The 55×22 show recently debuted on CBeebies in the U.K.

MTV Networks International has signed agreements with multiple international broadcast partners across Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America for “The Penguins of Madagascar,” from Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation. Recently launched for international syndication, “The Penguins of Madagascar” is based on the penguins from DreamWorks Animation’s hit feature films, Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. More than 40 program sales deals have been closed in all major markets, including China (SMG Best TV), Brazil (Globosat), France (TF1), Italy (Mediaset), Hong Kong (TVB), Mexico (Televisa), the Middle East (E-Vizion), New Zealand (TVNZ), Portugal (SIC), Russia (TNT), Spain (TV3 Catalunya) and the U.K. (GMTV).

Classic Media has acquired worldwide TV and home entertainment distribution rights, excluding the Middle East, for the new preschool series “Nan & Lili,” 200×3, from Firdaus Kharas of Chocolate Moose Media for Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. “Nan & Lili” is the first Arabic animated preschool series. It has been created for a global audience of preschool boys and girls and is designed to engage young viewers in a playful way while educating and empowering them through a world of exploration and discovery. The 200×3-minute episodes are currently available in three languages—Arabic, English and French—with a further 100 episodes in development for delivery later this year.

HIT Entertainment has signed a number of video on-demand deals worldwide, including “Thomas & Friends,” “Bob the Builder,” “Angelina Ballerina,” “Fireman Sam,” “Pingu” and “Barney” in countries such as the U.K. (BT Vision), Italy (Fastweb), Turkey (TTNET), Malaysia (TMNET), Hong Kong (PCCW Limited under NOW TV), Korea, Taiwan (Mighty
Media) and Japan.

FremantleMedia is showcasing a number of new properties at MipTV this week, including “Push the Button,” “Give Us a Clue,” “Celebrity Quiz Night,” “Look Who’s Cooking,” “Young Professionals of the Year,” “My Name is Michael,” “She’s Got the Look,” “Grow Up!” and “Who Does What.” In addition, FremantleMedia has expanded its format sales relationship with Fuji Television Network to co-develop and co-produce new TV formats for the international market.

Discovery Communications, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Discovery Channel, is re-introducing a variety of key titles under the umbrella Discovery Classics. They are “Decisions that Shook the World,” “Science of the Impossible,” “Air Safety: Learning from Tragedy” and “Curse of Tutankhamun.”

Aardman Rights has announced pre-sales for its new family series “Wallace & Gromit Present A World of Invention.” The 6×30 inventions-inspired show, fronted and presented by Wallace and Gromit, has been acquired by DR Denmark, YLE Finland, Thai PBS and ABC Australia. Aardman Rights is presenting the series, commissioned by BBC One with broadcast scheduled for late 2010, to international buyers at MipTV, where it will be looking to secure further broadcast deals.

Rainbow’s “PopPixie” has signed air deals with France’s Teletoon, Portugal’s TV1 and Canal Panda and Greece’s Alter TV. The series also recently partnered with Italy’s Rai, France Television, South Africa’s KTV and Israel’s Noga.

Meanwhile at the Mip Formats conference, MTVNI has secured deals to adapt and localize a number of its reality series for Australia, France, Italy and Spain. The signings include “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” for France’s Banijay Entertainment, “Room Raiders” for Spain’s Antena Neox and Lithuania’s LNK, “The Joe Schmo Show” for Italy’s Mediaset, “Hell Date” for Australia’s Victory Hill Entertainment and “From Gs to Gents” for Australia’s Screentime. At MipTV, MTVNI will be showcasing “Pay It Off,” “Disaster Date,” “Room Raiders” and “Punk’d.”

Cake Entertainment and Australia’s ABC Television signed a 80-hour kids’ programming deal, including “Stoked” seasons 1 and 2, “Total Drama Action,” “Total Drama World Tour,” “King Arthur’s Disasters” and “Edgar & Ellen.”
Twofour54 sold its CGI-animated and live-action series “Driver Dan’s Story Train” to Australia’s ABC Television. The show currently airs on CBeebies in the U.K.

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The U.S. food-maker has endorsed a 20-year license for up to 60 Cadbury Cocoa House outlets that will offer afternoon teas and a dedicated chocolatier service, according to published reports.

Cadbury had been in talks to open café outlets before its £11.6 billion ($17.8 billion) takeover by Kraft earlier this year.

The first sites will be in London and could open before the end of this year. David Morris, Harrods’ former director of food, beverages and restaurants, will head up the new venture as chief executive, with retail entrepreneur Marilyn Newman acting as chair.

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The Target pop-up shop for its exclusive Zac Posen collection will be open for 24 hours. The line launch will coincide with music performances by the Like and D.J.

The complete Zac Posen line will hit Target stores nationwide on April 25. The women’s collection, retailing from $16.99 to $199.99, features dresses, swimwear, skirts, tops, shorts and accessories, as well as a suit.

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“Everything from the weather to the calendar helped drive more shoppers into retail stores in March,” says Frank Badillo, senior economist at Retail Forward. “There will be a letup in April, but sales should hold up better than might be expected given the ongoing recovery in spending plans by shoppers.”

Among the biggest gains: Cato Corporation (24 percent), Kohl’s (22.5 percent), Nordstrom (16.8 percent), Ross Stores (14 percent), Zumiez (13.2 percent), TJX (12 percent), Macy’s (10.8 percent), Target (10.3 percent) and JCPenney (5.4 percent). Hot Topic posted the biggest decline at -7.5 percent.

For a list of the retailers reporting and their results, click here.

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The product range includes a number of varieties, including mangoes, cranberries, cherries and blueberries. The dried fruit offering is hitting North American grocery stores and club chains now.

“Sunkist is one of the most recognized and respected fruit brands in the world, known for its quality, fresh taste and natural goodness,” says Cara Bernosky, IMC Licensing’s president and co-founder. “Sunkist dried fruit is a great opportunity to extend this global brand equity into a delicious new line of better-for-you real dried fruit for healthy snacking. We are delighted to bring together Sunkist and Titan Foods to launch this innovative new product line targeting consumers of all ages searching for a healthy on-the-go snack.”

IMC Licensing also represents Duncan Hines, Tabasco, Valvoline, General Mills, Butterball and Borghese.

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Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Paradox is seeking merchandise partners in all categories. The agent also handles the stories and character rights to author Robert E. Howard’s Conan Kull, Bran Mak Morn and Solomon Kane.

“Even before it premiered in January, ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ generated passionate viewer reaction, with our audience responding to the series’ compelling story, strong characters and distinctive look and feel,” says Ferrell McDonald, Starz Entertainment’s senior vice president of marketing. “The ratings have been very strong to date and there is fan interest to match. We want to reward their interest with a range of products that please the fans and support the brand.”

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight, premiered on Starz on Jan. 22. The series was recently renewed for a second season.

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Global Icons and Performance Brands will seek out merchandise partners for both the BMW and Mini brands in mobility, fashion, entertainment and lifestyle.

“We are honored to be working with the best in its class and look forward to carrying on the ultimate experience of the BMW and Mini brands through global licensing endeavors,” says Jeff Lotman, chief executive officer of Global Icons. “The combination of the outstanding brand equities and desirability makes for an attractive product portfolio that will shape the future of luxury retail.”

Global Icons’ clients include Acura, Bennigan’s, Captain Morgan and Dannon, while Performance Brands represents Aston Martin, Heineken, Nintendo and others.

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According to published reports, Wigzell (“Unnatural History,” “Ben 10: Ultimate Alien”) will lead development of the cable network’s animated and live-action programs in the adventure genre, while Weidenfeld (“The Boondocks,” “Moral Orel”) will handle animated and live-action content.

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The latest signings are:
- Walden Surfboards for high-end surfboards (2010, U.S.)
- Lancaster Vintage for high-end and specialty apparel (2010, U.S.)
- Pollard Banknote for scratch-off lottery tickets (early 2010, U.S.)
- C-Life for men’s apparel (early 2010, U.S.)
- Isaac Morris for swimwear and outerwear (early 2010, U.S.)
- Blik for wall coverings and decals (early 2010, U.S.)
- Flapjack Toys for luggage tags and novelty journals (early 2010, U.S.)
- Aquarius for calendars and posters (early 2010, U.S.)
- Grupo Ruz for apparel accessories (early 2010, Mexico)

Atari’s retail partners include Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, Spencer Gifts, Target, Kohl’s and Walmart.
“Brandgenuity is delighted with the continued success of Atari-licensed products and is thrilled to have new, industry-leading licensees on board to extend the brand,” says Jay Asher, partner at Brandgenuity. “The excitement over additional licensed Atari products shows that after nearly 40 years, Atari remains a pop culture icon in the constantly evolving gaming world.”

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In the multi-year deal&#44, Food Network-branded menu offerings will launch in the coming months at a number of Major League Baseball ballparks, including Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians), Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers), Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals), Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds) and Rangers Ballpark at Arlington (Texas Rangers). Delaware North’s sports service division will be rolling out the food line. Meanwhile, the company’s travel hospitality division is collaborating with Food Network Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto on Skewers, an Asian dining concept for airports.

“At Food Network, we are all about feeding people’s passions in fun and interesting places,” says Sergei Kuharsky, general manager of new business enterprises at Scripps Networks, a division of Scripps Networks Interactive, owner of Food Network. “This partnership with Delaware North Companies allows us to spread our table wider and deepen Food Network’s relationship with viewers who have always wanted to taste what they see us serve up on TV, online and in the magazine.”

Delaware North, a hospitality and foodservice provider, also has operations at New Jersey’s new Meadowlands Stadium, Boston’s TD Garden, Los Angeles International Airport, Kennedy Space Center and Yosemite National Park.

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Licensee Adjmi Cynosure Holdings will produce juniors’ sportswear, handbags, belts, scarves, hats, hair accessories and socks and hosiery for the collection. Footwear will roll out in October at the retailer.

“Selena Gomez is a positive role model for teens and her fans all over the world look to her for style inspirations,” says John Goodman, executive vice president of apparel and home fashion at Sears Holdings, Kmart’s parent company. “We are delighted to offer our customers the opportunity to emulate her style with affordable apparel and footwear options.”

Gomez is the star of Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She is also cast in Twentieth Century Fox’s upcoming film Ramona and Beezus, which hits theaters on July 23. Gomez also recently released her first recording album, “Kiss & Tell,” from Hollywood Records.

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The new partners are VMC for a range of apparel accessories such as hats, gloves and scarves; Toybrokers for a craft product that lets Gogo’s fans make a rubbery pencil topper; Lightbody for celebration cakes; and Titan for a monthly magazine that is due to launch in September.

Gogo’s other licensees include Bacup for footwear, Sambro for stationery, Portico for greetings cards, Pyramid for posters, Roy Lowe and Sons for socks, Infocado for calendars, Zap for bedding, Halsall for wheeled toys, Poetic Gem for apparel, MV Sports and Leisure for plush, Alpa for back-to-school and giftware, Vogue for lunch boxes and bottles, Winning Moves for top trumps and Penguin and Random House for publishing.

The brand is the No. 1 selling toy collectible in the U.K., according to agent Bulldog Licensing.

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Wow! Stuff has been tapped to produce a line of adult gift items for the new season, which premieres this Saturday and features the eleventh doctor, played by Matt Smith. The range for fall 2010 will include clocks, watches, desktop accessories and salt and pepper shakers.

Current licensees will also launch new lines such as master toy partner Character Options (fall/winter 2010), as well as Christy’s for dress-up (summer), Bon Bon for seasonal confectionery, Royal Mint for commemorative medals, Pyramid for posters and Ravensburger for jigsaw puzzles.

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The Katie Brown range for Meijer will include kitchen textile items, tabletop products, patio furniture, outdoor décor accents and gardening tools in two distinct lines—the Orchard Collection and Northern Shores Collection. This September, the line will expand into bed and bath products and home décor. During the holidays, the retailer will launch Katie Brown-inspired kitchen ornaments, stockings, skirts, tabletop textiles and accent tableware. In 2011, the range will extend to bakeware, pictures frames, a refreshed seasonal garden line, pantryware, fresh floral, room organizers and craft organization.

“This is an exclusive line of products that we and Katie have been working on for more than a year,” says Bryan O’Connell, group vice president of hardlines at Meijer. “It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before in terms of creating a high-quality, great-value product line with an outside partner of Katie’s stature. We’re confident that Meijer shoppers will connect strongly to these designs, products and prices.”

The initial range of Katie Brown products are hitting all 191 Meijer stores now throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. Brown is the host of PBS’ “Katie Brown Workshop.”

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