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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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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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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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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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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TCNE, which is currently seeking partners for CNN, has developed a product concept guide focusing on travel and business products for potential suitors such as travel guide publishers and luggage and travel accessories manufacturers.

“The CNN brand enjoys fantastic global recognition driven by a comprehensive broadcast platform and a strong online presence,” says Alan Fenwick, vice president of TCNE. “We look forward to developing the CNN licensing program and building relationships with licensees with the vision to create product that celebrates the values of this unique property.”

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“Adding these best-in-class executives further strengthens our already solid management team at The Hub,” says Margaret Loesch, president and chief executive officer of The Hub. “Each of these leaders brings significant industry expertise and talent to help us build a world-class, family-friendly destination for children.”

The new staff additions are:

• Joshua Meyer as senior vice president of business and legal affairs, where he will oversee business affairs and legal matters including production and talent deals, acquisitions, licensing, marketing, promotions, sales, operations, new media, digital distribution, copyrights, clearances, corporate, regulatory and tax issues. He was co-general counsel and senior vice president of business and legal affairs for Cookie Jar Entertainment.
• Jordan Beck as vice president of creative services and on-air promotions, where he will provide strategic and creative direction on the production of on-air promotion and marketing projects. He was senior vice president of creative services at ReelzChannel.
• Lou Fazio as vice president of scheduling, acquisitions and planning, where he will identify, evaluate and source creative programming. He will also be responsible for strategic program planning and program scheduling for the network. Fazio was vice president of program strategy and acquisitions at the Game Show Network.
• Greg Heanue as vice president of marketing and promotions. He was vice president of consumer and ad sales marketing at The Weather Channel. Heanue also served as the senior director of marketing at Cartoon Network.
• Fred Poston as vice president of operations, where he will be responsible for the coordination, deployment and support of all operational processes and workflows used for the launch and ongoing operations for The Hub. He has served as an operations executive at various companies, including ReelzChannel, TV Guide, ABC Family and the WB Television Network.
• Michael Ross as vice president of production and post-production, where he will oversee the development and execution of production and post-production for The Hub’s programming. He was the head of production and executive producer for Baby Einstein and Disney Baby.

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The cookware collection, retailing from $19.99 to $34.99, features a cast-iron comal and reversible skillet, an aluminum paella pan, an 8-quart stock pot and 3.4-quart and 5.5-quart calderos.

“We are thrilled to partner with Ingrid on a line of cookware that captures her youthful attitude and colorful personality,” says Greg Cairo, division president, Groupe SEB USA, parent company of T-fal. “The Simply Delicioso collection brings Ingrid’s Latin passion for food and entertaining to a broader audience eager to introduce new flavor to their kitchens.”

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Product partners include:

• Victoria Classics for coverlets, comforters, bed spreads, duvets, sheets, shams, toss pillows, drapes and curtains, window panels, and sheers and valances
• Natura World for natural, antimicrobial and sustainable comforters, mattress toppers, mattress pads and pillows
• Ginsey Home Solutions for select bath accessories, including toilet seats and versatile mats for use in the bathroom and throughout the home

“By providing consumers with smart solutions backed by education and design inspiration, HGTV Home products will help deepen the loyal relationship HGTV has with its viewers,” says Ron Feinbaum, executive vice president of business development for Scripps Networks. “These strategic partnerships will help drive future growth for the HGTV brand in the home and garden space.”

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Syfy Kids, targeted to 2- to 17-year-olds, will feature content across multiple platforms in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, paranormal and action/adventure. Worldwide Biggies has signed on to launch the banner’s first mystery-adventure series “Dr. What.” The property will initially roll out through six animated shorts on the network and www.syfy.com. Meanwhile, THQ is collaborating with Syfy to create new concepts and IPs, as well as develop its video game franchises into multi-platform properties such as de Blob.

“The kids business is an important growth area for Syfy, enabling us to tap into a whole new generation of young consumer who are born with built-in digital DNA and highly-active imaginations that seek out the best in innovative, interactive story-telling experiences,” says David Howe, president of Syfy. “Under the new Syfy Kids’ banner, we’re committed to delivering the very latest in cutting-edge, immersive kids’ entertainment that’s designed and built from the get-go to live and breathe across multiple media platforms.”

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“CCTV and Nickelodeon have worked together to make ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ a smash hit on television and now we’re looking forward to building upon that success for Nickelodeon properties in the online environment,” says Mei Yan, managing director of MTV Networks China. “The co-branded site will allow on-demand access to a range of Nickelodeon content, including video streaming of our biggest hits, marking a historic first for an international broadcaster in China. As one of the world’s leading kid’s entertainment brands, we will work closely with CCTV.com to make this platform a fun and interactive way for Chinese audiences to engage with Nickelodeon.”

Currently, the site offers streaming video of “SpongeBob SquarePants” episodes, as well as games and wallpaper. Later this year, more content and videos will be added based on “Dora the Explorer” and “CatDog.”

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Programming on the network will include films, children’s entertainment, natural history, space, exploration, adventures, science and technology from Discovery, Sony Pictures, IMAX and third-party providers. All three partners, who share equal ownership, will later seek international distribution opportunities in selected markets. Sony will be responsible for exploring license TV rights to current and future 3-D feature films, music-related 3-D content and game-related 3-D content, as well as providing cross promotion at retail stores.

Additionally, IMAX will also license TV rights to future 3-D films and handle promotion through its owned-and-operated U.S. movie theaters.
“By partnering with Sony and IMAX on 3-D, Discovery will lead the way in revolutionizing the next-generation home viewing experience in the U.S. and around the world,” says David Zaslav, Discovery Communications’ president and chief executive officer. “Today’s announcement is the next step in fulfilling Discovery’s mission of providing groundbreaking content for our affiliate partners and enlightening viewers with the most immersive and realistic viewing experience available anywhere.”

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“Due to the fact that the company’s shareholders repeatedly refused approval of a share consolidation on Nov. 19, 2008, and Nov. 26, 2009, TV-Loonland was not able to raise cash through an equity injection,” reported the company in a statement. “Therefore the company cannot clear all debts on the respective due dates.”

Meanwhile, TV-Loonland has named Michael Briem as chief executive officer, replacing Simon Flamank. Briem will exit his role as supervisory board chairman.

TV-Loonland is the producer of TV series “Little Princess,” “Pat & Stan,” “The Owl” and “Penelope.”

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“We look forward to working with Infinity Headwear and Apparel to bring top-quality headwear, bags and accessories to Animal Planet fans of all ages,” says Elizabeth Bakacs, vice president of licensing for Animal Planet. “We’re thrilled to offer children and adults alike the opportunity to incorporate a little bit of Animal Planet and their love of all things animal into their everyday lives.”

A portion of the proceeds from the Animal Planet line will benefit the principal partners of R.O.A.R., a philanthropic organization that aids pets and wild animals.

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“Hearing the great buzz from adults and kids alike to our brand new Nickelodeon images at this year’s San Diego ComicCon was an absolute thrill for us,” says Todd Lunsford, president of Fathead. “Since debuting on our Web site last week, they are consistently in our top 10. We only expect sales to increase heading into the holiday season stretch.”

Meanwhile, New York-based fashion brand Nooka was recently tapped by Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products to create a line of limited-edition timepieces for MTV’s Streetmuse concept. The two Nooka wristwatches, ZUB ZENH 20 and ZOT leather, feature the cities of Berlin and Moscow, and are rolling out this month in key markets throughout Europe, Asia, southern Africa, the U.S. and Canada. The timepieces, retailing from $150 to $285, are available at mid- to high-tier department stores, specialty boutiques and online at www.nooka.com.

In international news, NVCP has extended its partnership for two additional years with Panini Verlags in Germany for a wide range of branded books and magazines, including a Dora the Explorer bi-monthly magazine, as well as a SpongeBob SquarePants storybook, comic, soft-cover coloring books, book of postcards, summer activity books and wall calendar. The publishing range will be available this winter across Austria, Germany and Switzerland at bookstores, department stores, stationery shops, kiosks, supermarkets and mail order.

MTVNI has also scooped up the following broadcast deals:

• “Avatar” to Hong Kong’s TVB
• “The Ren and Stimpy Show” to Portugal’s Fox
• “Dora the Explorer” to Norway’s NRK
• “Back at the Barnyard” to France’s Canal +
• “Tak & the Power of Juju” to France’s Television 3
• “iCarly” (seasons 1 and 2) to Brazil’s Globo TV
• “Back at the Barnyard,” “Fairly Odd Parents,” “Drake & Josh” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” to Ecuador’s Teleamazonas and Dominican Republic’s Antena Latina (renewal)
• “Ni Hai Kai-Lan” and “Mighty B!” to Costa Rica’s Teletica

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HMV and online retailers have been targeted as initial stockists, with partners planning to expand the range of outlets to include clothing stores in spring/summer 2010.

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Meanwhile, Bakugan offerings include New Vestoria Maxus Helios seven-in-one and Bakubelt, both from Spin Master; and Bakugan: Battle Brawlers video game from Activision. Apparel, consumer electronics and video games accessories are also featured.

And finally, the TRU in-store shops feature a full toy line for The Secret Saturdays from Mattel, including an action figure two-pack and the Cryptid assortment four-pack, as well as The Secret Saturdays Beasts of the 5th Sun video game from D3Publisher and books.

The boutique also touts nine episodic DVDs from Warner Home Video from all three Cartoon Network shows.

“Toys“R”Us continues to be a terrific, long-standing retail partner for us and our brands, and we are proud to showcase this chainwide Cartoon Network retail destination as we kick off the holiday shopping season,” says Christina Miller, senior vice president of Cartoon Network Enterprises. “The unique, multi-category shopping experience we have created is guaranteed to generate strong excitement around our brands and the must-have products from our licensing partners.”

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