Following the success of Dickinson's Real Deal on ITV1, RDF Television West, part of the RDF Media Group, has signed a two-year deal with the channel to produce a further 120 x 60 episodes of the popular daytime show.

Adam MacDonald, ITV1 Controller of Daytime says: "Dickinson's Real Deal has now established itself as a core component of the ITV1's afternoon schedule and I'm hugely excited at the prospect of The Duke entertaining our daytime viewers in his own brilliant style for the next two years."

Dickinson's Real Deal grew in popularity throughout its second series in autumn 2007 and was the best performing individual programme in its slot last year for ITV1.

It is currently on air on ITV1 and the new episodes start filming in January at locations across the UK ahead of transmission later this year.

Amanda Lowe is the series producer, and has been recruited from Talkback Thames where she was responsible for Escape to the Country. Mark Hill Head of RDF Television West is the executive producer.

RDF Rights holds all international rights to the finished programming and format.

Press Contact:
Sally Skinner
ITV Press Office
084488 13026
sally.skinner@itv.com
www.itvpresscentre.com

Picture Contact:
John Manthorpe
ITV Press Office
084488 13045
John.manthorpe@itv.com
www.itvpictures.com

Sky One today (28th January, 2008) announces SHANE RICHIE as the host of new gameshow sensation DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS.

Richie, soon to be seen in the new series of Skins, will present the 12-part series where contestants attempt to win £250,000 by singing the missing lyrics from 10 songs. We all think we know the lyrics to the world's most popular songs, but when there's money at stake will the contestants keep on singing when the music stops? Or will they be at a loss for words?

Shane commented : “I managed to see the show when I was in the US with my family over the summer and was immediately addicted. It's a fantastic format, so I was really excited to be able to bring the show to a UK audience. I've been concentrating on my acting lately and have some fantastic TV dramas lined up. Whilst I've turned other entertainment projects down, this opportunity was too much fun to pass up and I cannot wait to get in front of a live studio audience again.”

Steve Jones, Commissioning Editor, Sky One, Two and Three added: “Shane's a born entertainer and the ideal presenter for this show - his enthusiasm and passion for music, combined with his rapport with people made him the natural - and only - choice. We're thrilled to have him on-board and look forward to 12 weeks of top class entertainment to count down to the summer on Sky One.”

The series, already a smash-hit in the US where broadcaster Fox have green-lit a third season of the show, sees contestants climb a cash prize ladder and after each correct answer the singer must decide whether to 'Stay and Play' or ' Take the Money and Run.' Along the way, three back-ups can help them out and if they sing nine tracks correctly, one final song and up to fifteen missing words stand in their way to the £250,000 jackpot. It's that simple … providing you DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS.

Shane Richie first came to public attention on the stand-up circuit winning an award at the inaugural British Comedy Awards. He made his TV debut on the BBC Sketch Show You Gotta Be Jokin' in 1991 and remained a household favourite presenting Caught In The Act, Win, Lose Or Draw and The Shane Richie Experience. Ritchie is best known for his role as Alfie Moon in EastEnders for which he won a Rose D'Or Festival Award and a National Television Award. He most recently starred in the drama What We Did On Holiday and as the voice of Sid in DreamWorks' CGI smash hit Flushed Away.

DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS will launch in late March on Sky One.

DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS will be Exec Produced by Steve Jones, Richard Woolfe, Director of Programming, Sky One, Two and Three and Peter Usher, RDF Television's Head of Entertainment. The series producer is John Ireland.

DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS is an original format from RDF USA and RDF Rights hold all international rights and merchandising rights to the finished programme and format.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Chris Aylott

RDF, a leading UK television production and distribution group, today issues the following trading update prior to entering its close period for the year ended 31st January 2008.

The Board is pleased to confirm that trading for the year ended 31st January 2008 was in line with its expectations, as set out in the announcement made on 20th December 2007. Healthy visibility in RDF's content production businesses and the prospect of continued growth in rights exploitation demonstrate the robustness and diversity of the Group going forward.

The Board is also pleased to confirm the lifting by the BBC of its commissioning pause on all RDF's production companies and divisions.

Highlights for the year ahead include:

• Key programmes Scrapheap Challenge (Channel 4), The Secret Millionaire (Channel 4), Rosemary Shrager's School for Cooks (ITV1), Wife Swap (Channel 4), Wife Swap: The Aftermath (E4), Relocation Relocation and Location Location Location (Channel 4) recommissioned for 2008.
• Dickinson's Real Deal (ITV1) recommissioned until 2009.
• 100 episodes of Way to Blue, a major pre-school children's series for the BBC, commissioned by CBeebies. Production will begin summer 2008 for transmission in 2009 and 2010.
• The Foundation has received orders for an additional six new or returning children's series for 2008/2009, including a two series commission for Mister Maker (CBeebies).
• RDF USA, which delivered significant revenue growth in the year ended 31st January 2008, is now in production with four Network shows, including Wife Swap which has been confirmed for a fifth season, and has secured several other new Cable commissions including a US version of the ITV1 hit Ladette to Lady.
• Don't Forget the Lyrics, originally made for Fox in the US and recently commissioned by Sky One in the UK, has become the first RDF USA originated format to be produced for a UK broadcaster.

The Group's preliminary results for the year ended 31st January 2008 are scheduled for release on 20th May 2008.

David Frank, CEO, commented:

“The second half of last year presented RDF with a number of significant challenges and difficulties. I believe we have now addressed these issues fully and can look forward to the future with confidence. Furthermore, healthy visibility in our content production businesses and the prospect of continued growth in rights exploitation demonstrate the robustness and diversity of the Group. I would like to thank the whole team for their outstanding commitment during an exceptional year.”

Enquiries

About RDF (http://www.rdfmedia.com/)

The RDF Media Group is a group of companies that creates, acquires and distributes compelling television content, mainly in the factual, entertainment, drama and children's programming genres. The Group seeks to maximise the worldwide commercial value of this intellectual property through its rights exploitation division. RDF was founded in 1993 and floated on AIM in May 2005. In the year to 31 January 2007, the Group earned revenues of almost £100m.

Through its group members RDF Television, RDF USA, IWC Media, Touchpaper Television, Presentable, Radar TV, The Foundation & The Comedy Unit the Group makes television programmes for all the UK terrestrial broadcasters, a number of secondary UK channels as well as several US Network and cable broadcasters. It also sells programmes and formats to broadcasters worldwide and exploits secondary rights such as DVDs and merchandising through RDF Rights & Pangea Management Group.

Key shows include: Wife Swap - Channel Four/ ABC (US); Location Location Location and Relocation Relocation - Channel 4; The Basil Brush Show - CBBC; Ladette to Lady - ITV1; Scrapheap Challenge - Channel 4; A Room with a View - ITV1; Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands - Channel 4; The Secret Millionaire - Channel 4; Mountain - BBC One; Dickinson's Real Deal - ITV1.

RDF has won numerous awards for its programming including a number of BAFTAs, RTS awards, the Rose d'Or at Montreux and an International Emmy. In 2003, 2004 and 2005 RDF was voted the most respected and admired independent producer by its peers and won Broadcast's Best Independent Production Company award in 2002, 2004 and 2006. IWC Media won the award in 2003 and RDF Rights won Broadcast's Distributor Peer Poll in September 2007.

RDF has offices in London, Glasgow, Bristol, Cardiff, Maidstone, Bristol, New York and Los Angeles and the Group employs about 600 people.

CONFIDENT OF OUTLOOK AFTER A CHALLENGING YEAR

RDF, a leading UK television production and distribution group, today announces preliminary unaudited results for the year ended 31 January 2008. Highlights include:

Financial highlights

• Group revenue up 21.5% to £120.6m (2007: £99.3m)
• Gross profit up 16.0% to £35.5m (2007: £30.6m)
• EBITDA* down 8.7% to £9.5m (2007: £10.4m)
• Profit before tax £2.0m (2007: £6.2m)
• Adjusted fully diluted earnings per share (see note 4) 14.8p (2007: 17.8p).

*EBITDA is stated before charging exceptional costs and share based payments

Operational highlights

• US Production growing strongly - gross profit increased by 104.4%
• Gross profits from exploitation of IP up by 99.5%
• 100 episodes of Way to Blue, a major pre-school children's series for the BBC, commissioned by CBeebies for broadcast in 2009
• ITV & BBC commission pauses ended 8 November 2007 and 4 March 2008 respectively.

Commenting on today's results David Frank, Chief Executive, said:

“2007 was a turbulent year for the Group but we are confident that we have emerged stronger and well prepared for growth. Our continuing strategy of diversification has served us well; our US productions now account for 25.1% of Group revenue, compared with 15.8% last year and during the period Intellectual Property (IP) gross profit almost doubled year on year.

“RDF's Content divisions have won important new commissions and re-commissions and our Rights division is actively representing more content in more genres, driven in part by the success of RDF USA in the second half of last year. Trading in the current year is in line with market expectations.”

An analyst presentation will be held today at 9.30am at Investec, 2 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7QP. Photographs are available on request.

For further information, please contact:

About RDF (www.rdfmedia.com)

The RDF Media Group is a group of companies that creates, acquires and distributes compelling television content, mainly in the factual, entertainment, drama and children's programming genres. The Group seeks to maximise the worldwide commercial value of this intellectual property through its rights exploitation division. RDF was founded in 1993 and floated on AIM in May 2005. In the year to 31 January 2008, the Group earned revenues of almost £121m.

Through its group members RDF Television, RDF USA, IWC Media, Touchpaper Television, Presentable, Radar TV, The Foundation and The Comedy Unit, the Group makes television programmes for all the UK terrestrial broadcasters, a number of secondary UK channels as well as several US Network and cable broadcasters. It also sells programmes and formats to broadcasters worldwide and exploits secondary rights such as DVDs and merchandising through RDF Rights & Pangea Management Group.

Key shows include: Wife Swap - Channel 4/ABC (US); Location Location Location and Relocation Relocation - Channel 4; Escape from Scorpion Island - CBBC; Ladette to Lady - ITV1; Scrapheap Challenge - Channel 4; A Room with a View - ITV1; Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands - Channel 4; The Secret Millionaire - Channel 4; Mountain - BBC One; Dickinson's Real Deal - ITV1; Oz & James's Big Wine Adventure - BBC Two.

RDF has won numerous awards for its programming including a number of BAFTAs, RTS awards, the Rose d'Or at Montreux and an International Emmy. In 2003, 2004 and 2005 RDF was voted the most respected and admired independent producer by its peers and won Broadcast's Best Independent Production Company award in 2002, 2004 and 2006. IWC Media won the award in 2003 and RDF Rights won Broadcast's Distributor Peer Poll in September 2007.

RDF has offices in London, Glasgow, Bristol, Cardiff, Maidstone, New York and Los Angeles and employs more than 500 people.

View the full RDF Media Group plc - full year results for the year ended 31 January 2008 (PDF - 148 KB).

The Detonators is a new series that takes us behind the scenes at some of the most difficult demolitions in the world. High speed cameras and computer graphics will show us that bringing down a structure is as much an engineering challenge as designing it.

Executive Producers are Rachel Bell for IWC, Charles Tremayne for RDF USA and Beth Dietrich for Discovery Channel.

Directed by IFTA Award Winning director, Anthony Byrne (Single Handed, How About You) and produced for RTÉ by Touchpaper Television with Irish Co-producer Octagon Films, the 90minute drama features a wealth of production talent including producer, Clare Alan, DOP, John Conroy, Production Designer, Derek Wallace and Costume Designer, Judith Williams.

The drama which began shooting in Bray, Co. Wicklow on Monday 10th November, tells the story of Michael Bugler (Ryan) who inherits his uncle's dilapidated mountainside farm in County Clare. His arrival re-ignites a centuries-old feud with his neighbour, Joseph Brennan (McDonnell) a feud over land, which even Bugler's love for Joseph's young sister Breege (Belmont) cannot heal.

Jane Gogan, Commissioning Editor, RTÉ TV Drama said, “I'm honoured to bring the work a one of Ireland's greatest writers to RTÉ's audiences. Edna O'Brien's television adaptation of her own novel is powerful piece of work that brings something quite exceptional to Irish drama. The impressive calibre of cast and crew makes this an exciting proposition for our viewers. At the heart of great drama is a great writer and RTÉ is lucky to have Edna O'Brien, Frank Deasy and Conor McPherson writing new drama that will appear in our schedule in the coming year”.

Rob Pursey, Executive Producer, Touchpaper Television said, “Following on from the success of Single-Handed, it's a real pleasure for us to be working again with RTÉ, and with an extremely talented Irish production team. We also feel privileged to be bringing Edna O'Brien's remarkable script to the screen.”

The creation of Zodiak Entertainment follows De Agostini’s recent raft of acquisitions to ramp up its media and communications division with some of the major and most experienced players in international television content, including Magnolia Productions, Marathon Group and Zodiak Television Group. 

At its launch Zodiak Entertainment already has an enviable number  of advantages over its competitors: a strong international footprint with a direct presence in more than twenty territories, a full range of scripted and unscripted programming, a group of award-winning, international creative teams and a highly successful distribution company. In terms of results, at the end of 2008 Zodiak Entertainment has forecast over 400 €MN as revenue and more than 70€ MN in terms of EBITDA.

The new company, headquartered in Paris, is made up of many of the most internationally renowned and respected brands in television and content production in the world today, including 5th Element, Adventure Line Productions, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse Production, Dixi Media, Jarowskij, Kanakna, KM Productions, Lucky Day, Magnolia, Marathon, Mastiff, Mastiff Media, Neo Network, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Social Club Productions, SOL, TeleAlliance Media Group, Télé Images, Yellow Bird, YS Films. 

All of these award-winning and highly successful companies are creators of diverse and popular shows from animation to documentary and drama to video clips. They are also well known for their expertise and experience in producing outstanding ratings winning local versions of third party entertainment formats on behalf of international broadcasters. Zodiak Entertainment will continue to build on these longstanding and beneficial relationships with its broadcast partners. 

Zodiak Entertainment programming includes a wide range of productions such as, Adiboo Adventures, Atomic Betty, Agathas’s Double Beat the Star, Anna e I 5, Beyond Boundaries, Bloody Mountains, Born Survivor - Bear Grylls, Born To Be Wild, Camera Caffè, Celebrity Survivor, Dolmen, Exit, Famous 5, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Hombres y Mujeres, Il Protagonista, Isola dei Famosi/Supervivientes, Italia next top model, Koh Lanta, La Ghigliottina, Land Rover G4 Challenge, L’ Eredità, Lyrics Board, Ma come ti vesti, Marsupilami, Millennium, Monster Buster Club, Nanny 911, Operatunity, Paris Stories, Peking Express, Saint Tropez, Ricomincio da qui, Ricominciare, Scacco Al Re, Sexarama, Sisterhood, SoS Tata, Stars on Stage, Strictly Come Dancing, Studio 24, Street Football, Summer Crush, Supernanny The Amazing Spies, The Great Savannah Race, The Queen and the Cardinal, The Star Parivaar Awards, Team Galaxy, Totally Spies!, Tribal Wives, Twist & Shout, X Factor and Wallander.

Lorenzo Pellicioli also announced names of the members of the Zodiak Entertainment Strategic Committee who will support him in strategy development and operational management. The highly regarded, dynamic and exceptionally experienced executives who will take the new company forward are Laurent Boissel, Chief Financial Officer; Pascal Breton Senior Vice President, Fiction; Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, Senior Vice President, Animation; Giorgio Gori, Senor Vice President, Light Entertainment and Patrick Svensk, Senior Vice President Mergers and Acquisitions/Business Development. 

Paolo Ceretti, General Manager of De Agostini Group, will also join the committee.

Lorenzo Pellicioli commented, “The creation of Zodiak Entertainment today confirms our commitment to create a worldwide leading brand, producing creative entertainment content for television and new media. Consolidating and building on the strong relationships with broadcasters, which we have inherited from these excellent businesses, gives us a huge advantage in a very competitive marketplace. We are also investing in new and exciting talent to create even better, dynamic and popular programming in the areas of both scripted and non-scripted. We also intend to significantly extend our reach in developing programming for new platforms, as well as growing our consumer products, licensing and publishing units into a substantial and lucrative global business utilising the advantages and synergies from collaboration between Zodiak Entertainment and De Agostini’s other fields of activity, particularly publishing (De Agostini Publisher) and the gaming sector (Lottomatica / Gtech)."

He added, “Our main focus going forward will be to combine organic growth with further acquisitions and strengthen our position both in the UK and US, as well as in high growth emerging markets. This strategy will support our ambition to become one of the key international players in the TV content market in the next three years by achieving our revenue target of 800-1000 €MN and EBITDA of 130-150 €MN and being ready to list the company on a stock exchange”

For further information contact:

Klara Halkjaer, Zodiak Entertainment Sas
Tel +44 781 804 8802 klara.halkjaer@zodiakinternational.com

Laura Saunders, The Lippin Company Ltd
Tel: +44 203 008 5407 laura@lippingroup.com

De Agostini Group is a financial conglomerate with international interests in publishing, gaming, finance and media and communication. A privately owned company created in 1901 by the De Agostini family, the Group is now operating on a global scale in a wide variety of industrial sectors with a large portfolio of financial investments. 

De Agostini Publishing, the sub-holding of the Group’s publishing activity, is active across 30 countries with publications available in 13 different languages. 

De Agostini Communications specialises in three different Media & Communication sectors: content production, spearheaded by the launch of Zodiak Entertainment which comprises some of the most successful companies in the industry, including Magnolia, Marathon and Zodiak Television; broadcasting via Antena 3 de Televisión (Spain); and distribution by Mikado Film (Italy). 

De Agostini also counts Lottomatica / Gtech, one of the leaders in the international market of games and lotteries, and DeA Capital, investors in private equity and alternative asset management, amongst its extended portfolio.

Addicted to Beauty is an irreverent office docu-series where an eclectic staff takes viewers behind-the-scenes and under the knife at one of the country's hottest medi-spa facilities in California. Told through the eyes of its quirky staff, the series will look at the off-kilter world of those who are attempting to stave off the clock or in some cases trying to prevent a wrinkle before their 21st birthday, and the staff who must cater to their every whim. From the young, attractive and broke who come in for a spray tan or a 'hit' of Botox, to the very wealthy looking for a tummy tuck, lip implants and boob jobs, there's something for everyone.

“For most, beauty is on the inside, but for our cast of characters it's the outside that counts - if you're not beautiful, you're going to hear about it!” said Mike Duffy, Senior Vice President of Development and Current for RDF USA.

Executive producers include Chris Coelen, Greg Goldman and Mike Duffy for RDF (Secret Millionaire, Wife Swap), Mechelle Collins and Kevin Dill (Millionaire Matchmaker, Sunset Tan), and Scott Dunlop (Real Housewives of Orange County). The order comes at a very busy time for RDF USA whose hit format Secret Millionaire premiered to over 10 million viewers on Fox last week. RDF USA's slate also includes Wife Swap (ABC), Don't Forget the Lyrics (Fox), Coolio's Rules (Oxygen), How to Look Good Naked (Lifetime), The Two Coreys (A&E) as well as the upcoming Ladette to Lady (MTV) and For Better or Worse (CW).

RDF Rights controls international rights to the finished program and format.

This latest agreement builds on the success of an earlier deal which saw comedydemon.com successfully license rights from BBC Worldwide for clips from a series of well-loved programmes including The Catherine Tate Show, Gimme Gimme Gimme, and Harry Enfield and Chums, plus a collection of paid for download-to-own episodes and BBC audio programmes.

 Managing Director Garret Keogh said “We are really excited to be able to add these key titles to our library of great content on Comedy Demon. With free clips and download to own full episodes, this ensures we have the best offering of UK comedy content around and puts us in a great place to continue to build in the New Year.”

Comedy Demon has gone from strength to strength since its launch in July 2008.The BBC Worldwide deal gives Comedy Demon over 20 hours of download to own content, and the site has recently gone into production with its own bespoke comedy review show.

Comedydemon.com is RDF's first direct-to-consumer content business, offering TV and online comedy as streamed short clips and full length programmes via download-to-own. It aims to be one of the UK's premiere comedy sites; featuring full-length episodes of the nations favourite comedy shows, blistering live nights from top stand ups, exclusive interviews, live comedy footage and blogs.

PRESS RELEASE - RDF's MBO CLOSES

Parts Bidco Limited, to be renamed RDF Media Group Holdings Limited, is delighted to announce the completion of its acquisition of RDF Media Group plc, the AIM-listed television production and distribution company.

As a result of the acquisition, shares in RDF Media Group plc have been de-listed from the London Stock Exchange.  RDF's management and staff and   Cyrte Investments now each indirectly own 50 percent of RDF.

Cyrte Investments is an investment management firm based in the Netherlands and invests both in listed and unlisted companies. During 2007, Delta Lloyd acquired a majority of the shares in Cyrte Investments.  Delta Lloyd is a leading Dutch financial service provider offering insurance, asset management and banking services.  Aviva plc currently owns 92 per cent. of the ordinary shares in Delta Lloyd.

A £36 million funding package including acquisition finance, working capital and production facilities was provided by a three bank club comprising The Royal Bank of Scotland (“RBS”), Bank of Ireland and Barclays.

RDF's Chief Executive, David Frank said: “I am delighted that we have been able to bring this transaction to a close despite the most difficult of credit markets. It's testament to the strength of the company that we've achieved this. I believe coming off the public market at this time provides us with a far more effective platform on which to continue our record of 15 years' unbroken growth as it affords us greater flexibility in meeting the challenges and exploiting the opportunities that we face.

With a wide range of production operations in the UK and US allied to a global distribution business, I am confident we can build value for all our new shareholders by keeping creativity at the heart of everything we do.

Cyrte's sector expertise and financial strength makes them the ideal partner to support RDF through this next stage in our evolution.  I very much look forward to working with them.”

Frank Botman, Chief Executive of Cyrte said "Cyrte Investments is delighted to be able to support David Frank and the rest of the management team with their plans for the business. We believe RDF is a strong company, with high-quality formats, experienced management and a complementary mix between content production and rights business. Cyrte is enthusiastic about contributing to the growth of RDF by leveraging its experience in the media and content sectors and by providing financial support."

The film is produced by the production company Yellow Bird (owned by Zodiak Entertainment, part of De Agostini Group) in cooperation with the broadcasters SVT in Sweden and ZDF in Germany, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Apart from the feature film, Yellow Bird has produced a 6 x 90 TV miniseries based on the entire Millennium trilogy.

Men Who Hate Women stars one of Sweden’s best known and loved actors Michael Nyqvist (As it is in Heaven), in the lead role as the disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Noomi Rapace (Daisy Diamond) plays the young tattooed and ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. The film is directed by Niels Arden Oplev who has directed a number of television series and films including World’s apart and We shall overcome. 

Apart from Denmark and Sweden, Men Who Hate Women will also be on general release on Finnish and Norwegian cinemas from March 2009 and will appear on French and Italian cinema screens in Spring/Summer 2009.

The success of the Millennium trilogy written by Stieg Larsson, who died suddenly in 2004 at the age of 50, is demonstrated by huge international book sales.  Named the best selling book in the European Union in 2008, with overwhelming popularity in Sweden, France, Germany and Italy, worldwide sales of his titles currently stand at 10 million copies. In Italy, the third book in the trilogy is currently number one in the bestseller charts.

Lorenzo Pellicioli at Zodiak Entertainment comments, “We are very excited that the premiere of this exciting Stieg Larsson adaptation will take place in Scandinavia.  Larsson has an enormous following throughout the world and we are certain that this film will be one of the major cinema success stories this year.  We are also looking forward to launching the television miniseries which will have huge appeal for international broadcasters.”

For further information contact:
Klara Halkjaer, Zodiak Entertainment Sas
Tel +44 781 804 8802 klara.halkjaer@zodiakinternational.com

Debbie Lawrence, The Lippin Company Ltd
Tel: +44 203 008 5406 laura@lippingroup.com

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is today one of the largest Scandinavian drama production companies. It has also recently entered the German market, by starting a subsidiary in Munich.

The company’s main focus is large international scripted co-productions, be it films for TV and cinema, or drama series. Typically, the productions are based on internationally successful books or characters from such books.

Yellow Bird is currently producing six TV films and one feature film based on Stieg Larsson’s critically acclaimed Millennium trilogy, as well as 13 new Swedish movies about Henning Mankell’s criminal inspector Wallander. The company has also recently finished the production of three English Wallander movies starring Kenneth Branagh, which were broadcasted on BBC 1 in November/December 2008.

Previous productions include the first Swedish series of 13 movies about Wallander as well as six TV movies about criminal inspector Irene Huss, based on the books by Helene Tursten.

Yellow Bird is part of Zodiak Entertainment.

Zodiak Entertainment coordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media. Formed by more than twenty successful international companies, the majority of which European; in 2008 its revenue totalled more than €400 million.

A leader in the media industry, Zodiak Entertainment has a number of subsidiaries:
- Magnolia, a leading Italian independent producer of light entertainment. Magnolia successfully launched operations in Spain during 2005 and France in 2007.

- Marathon Group, a leading TV production company in France, with its subsidiaries Marathon, Marathon Media, Tele Image, KM, and ALP (Adventure Line Productions). Marathon Group owns a broad portfolio of scripted programs, as well as animation and documentaries.

- Zodiak Television, based in Sweden, owns several production companies operating in Northern Europe, the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands and in Eastern Europe. Some of the most renowned include: Yellow Bird, Mastiff, Diverse Productions, Bullseye, Lucky Day, Kanakna. Palm Plus

De Agostini Group is a financial conglomerate with international interests in publishing, gaming, finance and media and communication. A privately owned company created in 1901 by the De Agostini family, the Group is now operating on a global scale in a wide variety of industrial sectors with a large portfolio of financial investments. 

De Agostini Publishing, the sub-holding of the Group’s publishing activity, is active across 30 countries with publications available in 13 different languages. 

De Agostini Communications specialises in three different Media & Communication sectors: content production, spearheaded by the launch of Zodiak Entertainment which comprises some of the most successful companies in the industry, including Magnolia, Marathon and Zodiak Television; broadcasting via Antena 3 de Televisión (Spain); and distribution by Mikado Film (Italy). 

De Agostini also counts Lottomatica / Gtech, one of the leaders in the international market of games and lotteries, and DeA Capital, investors in private equity and alternative asset management, amongst its extended portfolio.

BBC Three hit drama to return for an eight-part series

“Kinda Buffy meets This Life… it's sharp, dead funny and sexy” The Guardian

Being Human, the critically acclaimed hit BBC Three drama, chronicling the somewhat complicated lives of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost living in modern day Bristol, made by Touchpaper Television, part of the RDF Media Group has been re-commissioned for another eight-part series.

The eagerly awaited current series, which followed a much-loved pilot of the twenty-something drama, concludes this Sunday 1st March.  Starring Russell Tovey (Little Dorrit, Doctor Who, The History Boys) Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush, Doctor Who) and Aidan Turner (The Clinic), Being Human attracted a high of over one million viewers and rave reviews.  Being Human has also enjoyed multi platform success, being the most watched programme on BBC iPlayer for its first two episodes, as well becoming one of the best performing BBC websites.

Danny Cohen, Controller BBC Three says; “'I'm thrilled that we are re-commissioning Being Human. It's hugely popular with young viewers and earned great critical acclaim at the same time. It's also a very important staging-post in the successful development of home-grown young drama on BBC Three.”

Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning added:  “I am very excited Being Human is returning for a second series. It's a distinctive modern series that has captured the imagination of the BBC Three audience in terms of strong viewer loyalty and critical acclaim, signalling a real breakthrough for drama on the channel."

Rob Pursey, Executive Producer for Touchpaper Television says:  “'We already have some very exciting, very dark new stories up our sleeves, so we're delighted to have the opportunity to make a second series of Being Human.  BBC Three has been a brilliant platform for us to mount an unusual and ambitious drama.”

Being Human is written by Toby Whithouse (Being Human pilot, Torchwood, Doctor Who), produced by Matthew Bouch (The Sarah Jane Adventures, Being Human pilot), directed by Toby Haynes (M.I. High, Spooks Code 9), Alex Pillai (Wire in the Blood) and Colin Teague (Torchwood, Doctor Who), and executive produced by Rob Pursey, Touchpaper Television (City of Vice, Sold) and Julie Gardner, Head of Drama for BBC Wales.

RDF Rights, Part of the RDF Media Group, hold all international rights to series one and two of Being Human and will be launching it internationally at MIPTV next month.

Touchpaper Television's City of Vice has been recognised in the best drama series category whilst IWC Media's The Genius of Charles Darwin has been nominated in the Science and Natural History category.

City of Vice which broadcast on Channel 4 in January 2008, explores the vice-ridden world of Georgian London, entirely based on primary sources. John and Henry Fielding, Magistrates of Westminster - London's first 'cops' - investigate the lives and crimes of Prostitutes, Pimps, Gamblers and Villains.

The Genius of Charles Darwin aired on Channel in August last year and has recently won the Broadcast Award for Best Documentary Series earlier this year.

Winners of the RTS Awards will be announced on Tuesday 17th March at the Grosvenor House Hotel, hosted by Rory Bremner.

For a full list of nominees, visit:
http://www.rts.org.uk/doclib/Programme_Awards_2008_NominationsFV.doc


The RTS Programme Awards span all the genres of television programming, from soaps to history, children's fiction to comedy performance. They cover both national and regional output and recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams as well as the programmes themselves.

Giorgio Gori says, “We are delighted to appoint such a well-respected and charismatic creative leader to this important new position within Zodiak Entertainment.  The success of new Entertainment Central Creative Unit is fundamental to the growth of our business. With Saku’s arrival we will start to create innovative, original formats with strong international appeal.  The growth of our ground-breaking new programming portfolio will increase our presence in the UK and US markets in the coming months.”

Saku Tuominen says, “My goal is to build the most creative development unit in the tv-industry. Television will change a lot in the coming years. This means that the way to develop shows has to change as well. We are aiming for programming that is not only simple and smart but also bold, loud and fresh. And we are not only developing tv-formats but also looking for new ways to do business.”

Saku Tuominen was previously Chief Creative Officer of Zodiak Television Finland and a member of Zodiak’s creative unit The Distillery.  He founded, with Juha Tynkkynen, the leading Finnish production company Broadcasters in 1990 which was later acquired by Zodiak Television.

He has created shows which have been optioned in more than 25 countries and has produced more than 100 television shows including large international hits such as Survivor and Strictly Come Dancing. 

Saku has won numerous television awards including Finland’s “Format of the Year” four times and nine “Venla’s” - Finland’s equivalent to the Emmy.  He has also co-created an Interactive Emmy winner Staraoke.  Saku Tuominen  is one of the leading creativity consultants in Scandinavia and has written a number of successful books on the topic. 

Editorial contacts:
Zodiak Entertainment:
Klara Halkjaer
M: +44 (0)781 804 88 02
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com
                  
Debbie Lawrence
M: +44 7771 850580
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment coordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media. Formed by more than twenty successful international companies, the majority of which European; in 2008 its revenue totalled more than €400 million.

A leader in the media industry, Zodiak Entertainment owns  a number of production companies worldwide : Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media, ALP (Adventure Line Productions), Yellow Bird, Mastiff, Diverse, Bullseye, Lucky Day, Kanakn and Palm Plus.

ABC TV Australia has picked up Waybuloo and will go to air later this year.  RDF has also licensed the DVD rights for Australia and New Zealand to ABC Enterprises.

Canadian co-production partner DECODE Entertainment, a division of DHX Media, hold the Canadian distribution rights to Waybuloo and have licensed Waybuloo to Treehouse TV.

BBC Worldwide has already acquired Waybuloo for the international version of the CBeebies channel which currently reaches 8.9 million homes around the world.

Henrietta Hurford - Jones, Director, International Kids and Family said “We are delighted to be welcoming ABC, Treehouse TV & CBeebies international on board for Waybuloo and look forward to introducing the rest of the world to the Piplings this MIPTV'

RDF Kids & Family holds worldwide rights in all media in the property and are launching Waybuloo to the international market at an event in Cannes this evening, 31^st March, where buyers will get the chance to see footage from the new series for the first time.

Based in London but with an office also in Paris, Mitzi will supervise and manage all legal activities for the company’s scripted and unscripted sales and acquisitions arm and support negotiations for significant deals and major customers.

Marco Cordeddu Head of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, to whom Mitzi will report, comments, “We’re delighted to welcome someone with Mitzi’s extensive legal and business affairs knowledge and strong international television experience to this important role within Zodiak Entertainment.”

Artémis (Mitzi) Berberi joins Zodiak Enertainment Distribution from unscripted content specialist Distraction Formats in Montreal where she was Vice President Business and Legal Affairs for three years.  Prior to this she has Legal Counsel to international company Samfret based in Monaco and Montreal, and an attorney at law firm Campbell, Cohen, Léveillé in Montreal, Canada.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment:
Klara Halkjaer
M: +44 781 804 88 02    
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakinternational.com
 
Debbie Lawrence
M : +44 7771 850580
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
 

Notes for Editors

A leading company in the international media industry, Zodiak Entertainment co-ordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media.

Formed by more than twenty successful international companies including ALP, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse , Dixi Media, Jarowskji, Lucky Day , Kanakna, Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media  Mastiff,  Mast Media, Polska, NeoNetwork, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Sol, Telealliance, Tele-Images, T&T Broadcasters, Yellow Bird, YS Film.

In 2008 Zodiak Entertainment’s revenue totalled more than €400 million.

Danska joins an RDF USA team which has been growing at a very aggressive pace in recent months.  Already this year, RDF USA has hired heavy hitters Claire O'Donohoe and Lauren Gellert and locked in a groundbreaking content partnership with Omnicom and Full Circle Entertainment, bringing Robert Riesenberg and his team into the fold.

Prior to joining RDF, Danska served as Vice President of Talent, Development and Casting for E! Entertainment where she developed and helped launch Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, Candy Girls, and Taradise.  She joined E! and Style in 2004 and was responsible for bringing in Kimora Lee Simmons and helping to create Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.  Additionally, she was responsible for casting and pioneering the careers of popular on-air E! talent, including Sal Masekala (Daily 10) and Ben Lyons (E!'s resident movie critic) as well as booking celebrities, comedians and musical artists for E! programs such as Chelsea Lately, Fashion Police and Live from the Red Carpet.

In her new role at RDF, Danska will be responsible for creating and developing new and current non-scripted programming for both broadcast and cable networks.  Danska will be working as part of a team alongside Greg Goldman, Claire O'Donohoe, Mike Duffy and Sara Hansemann in the West Coast office as well as Lauren Gellert, Charles Tremayne, and Kevin Duncan in the New York office.  She will report to Chris Coelen, CEO of RDF Media USA.

Danska began her career at CAA before becoming a Creative Executive at Davis Entertainment (20th Century Fox) and then parlaying into a producer position at The Isaac Mizrahi Show.

“Jenn's skill set is very unique - she combines a keen eye for talent, deep relationships in the community, and incredible creative instincts all in a dynamic, entrepreneurial package” said Chris Coelen, CEO of RDF Media USA.

Earlier this year, Coelen hired Kevin Shinnick as Vice President of Production. In his role, Shinnick manages the Los Angeles production facilities, overseeing all aspects of RDF USA's west coast productions and running RDF's post-production facility.  Prior to joining RDF, Shinnick served as Vice President of Production at Painless Productions.  With over 14 years of production experience, Shinnick has managed productions for Fox, HBO, NBC, TLC, Discovery, Animal Planet and Fox Sports.  Shinnick reports to Tony Yates, COO of RDF Media USA.

In her new position as Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs, Wang supervises business and legal matters on all RDF USA television productions.  She advises RDF's Los Angeles and New York Offices on development, risk management and production matters on all shows in RDF's alternative and unscripted divisions, and in connection with general intellectual property matters across all of RDF's business operations.  Previously, Wang served as RDF's Director of Business and Legal Affairs.  Wang reports to Kirk Schenck, President and General Counsel for RDF Media USA.

In his new role as CFO, Lennon is responsible for the day to day financial operations of RDF Media USA and, along with US and UK senior management, strategizes the business's direction.  Previously, Lennon served as Executive Vice President of Finance.  Lennon reports to Coelen.

RDF USA recently celebrated its three-year anniversary.  Since its launch, RDF USA has sold and/or produced 30 series including Wife Swap (ABC), Don't Forget the Lyrics (Fox) Secret Millionaire (Fox), The Girls of Hedsor Hall (MTV), and the upcoming Hitched or Ditched (CW), Addicted to Beauty (Oxygen) and Fugitive Chronicles (A&E).

Undertaking the new role, Roth will be responsible for building a new central unit to support the implementation of the Group’s creative strategy directed by Tuominen. The acquisitions team will move along with Roth to the new central unit and several further recruits are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Giorgio Gori says, “Jorg’s passion and experience in the international television industry and his strong organisational skills make him the obvious candidate for this critical role. Jorg will be instrumental to achieving the company’s full potential in the genre of entertainment and we are very confident that we are putting this task into one of the most capable pairs of hands in the industry.”

Jorg Roth says, “I am very pleased to accept this exciting new position. I have watched the company grow internationally and am delighted to play a vital role as it moves on to its next frontier. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and performing to the best of my ability in order to capitalise on the talent and resources available within our company.”

Founder and Managing Director of Bullseye Television, Jorg Roth also became Managing Director of Zodiak International when Bullseye was acquired by the company in 2007. He is succeeded by Matthieu Porte who was appointed Head of Format Sales, Zodiak Entertainment in March this year and Ed Crick who is promoted to Managing Director at Bullseye Productions.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment:
Klara Halkjaer
M: +44 781 804 88 02    
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakinternational.com
 
Debbie Lawrence
M : +44 7771 850580
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

A leading company in the international media industry, Zodiak Entertainment co-ordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media.

Formed by more than twenty successful international companies including ALP, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse , Dixi Media, Jarowskji, Lucky Day , Kanakna, Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media  Mastiff,  Mast Media, Polska, NeoNetwork, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Sol, Telealliance, Tele-Images, T&T Broadcasters, Yellow Bird, YS Film.

In 2008 Zodiak Entertainment’s revenue totalled more than €400 million.

The UK’s Momentum and Australia’s Rialto have acquired rights along with Rosebud in Greece, Gussi in Mexico and Clardin in Argentina. UGC in France, Frenetic in Switzerland, Lumiere across Benelux, Bim in Italy, Vertigo in Spain, Alliance in French-speaking Canada and Monolith in Poland acquired rights to the film earlier in the year.

With a cast including Swedish star Michael Nyqvist and rising actress Noomi Rapace, the feature film directed by Niels Arden Oplev is creating remarkable excitement around the globe. It has been seen by an audience of 2.6 million people in Scandinavia alone grossing more than €27,000,000. In Spain the film became the second most watched in the country on its opening weekend and in France the "Millennium" is currently number four at the box office.

"Millennium" is produced by Yellow Bird, the award-winning Swedish production company owned by the leading European group, Zodiak Entertainment. Distribution of the film is being handled by Marathon, another Zodiak Entertainment company.

Yellow Bird is also producing two further films adapted from the Stieg Larsson trilogy, entitled "Millennium 2" ("The Girl Who Played With Fire") and "Millennium 3" ("The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest"). Rights to adapt the complete trilogy were bought by Yellow Bird before the books were published.
 
Pascal Breton, SVP Fiction, Zodiak Entertainment said: "We are delighted to announce these new sales. The hype surrounding ’Millennium’ is justified. It’s an outstanding accomplishment and we are pleased to see that this opinion is echoed among so many of the international buyers in Cannes."

Mikael Wallén, Managing Director of Yellow Bird added "It is very rare for a non English speaking film to obtain this kind of extensive international distribution. We are very pleased that our adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s fantastic books have so much appeal to buyers all over the world."

Zodiak Entertainment is responsible for all production and distribution activities in television, film and new media on behalf of the De Agostini Group. Zodiak Entertainment comprises more than 30 European companies and last year it generated more than €400 million. These highly successful, award-winning companies are the creators of diverse and popular shows across the genres of drama, entertainment, animation, and documentary.

For more information, please contact:

Press contacts:

Klara Halkjaer - Head of Communications, Zodiak Entertainment  
T: 0044 208 600 3787    
klara.halkjaer@zodiakentainment.com

Laura Saunders - The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Commercial contact:

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet - International Sales, Marathon
T : 0033 153 10 91 31
emmab@marathon.fr

Notes to editors

Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is today one of the largest Scandinavian drama production companies. It has also recently entered the German market, by starting a subsidiary in Munich.
 
The company’s main focus is large international scripted co-productions, be it films for TV and cinema, or drama series. Typically, the productions are based on internationally successful books or characters from such books.
 
Yellow Bird is currently producing six TV films and three feature films based on Stieg Larsson’s critically acclaimed Millennium trilogy (in co-production with ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, SVT and Nordisk Film), as well as 13 new Swedish movies about Henning Mankell’s criminal inspector Wallander and a German 2x90 minutes TV series based on Henning Mankell´s book Kennedy´s brain (together with Bavaria Pictures and ARD/Degeto)
 
Previous productions include the first Swedish series of 13 movies about Wallander as well as six TV movies about criminal inspector Irene Huss, based on the books by Helene Tursten.

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution is one of the major players in the international TV market sales. The company distributes worldwide both scripted products as fiction, drama, animation and documentary using the brand Marathon, than unscripted products like entertainment, quiz and game show though the brand Zodiak Entertainment. 
 
As leading company in the international media industry, Zodiak Entertainment is the company that co-ordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media.

Formed by more than twenty successful international companies including ALP, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse , Dixi Media, Jarowskji, Lucky Day , Kanakna,  Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media  Mastiff,  Mast Media, Polska, NeoNetwork, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Sol, Telealliance, Tele-Images, T&T Broadcasters, Yellow Bird, YS Film.

In 2008 Zodiak Entertainment’s revenue totalled more than €400 million.

MacDonald joins IWC from ITV where he has been Controller of Daytime and Digital Factual for the last two years.  He will join IWC later this month, reporting into IWC's Managing Director Hamish Barbour.

At ITV Macdonald has been responsible for the commissioning and scheduling of all ITV1 daytime output and executive produced a broad range of programmes such as Dickinson's Real Deal, Divided, This Morning, Loose Women, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Britain's Best Dish.  Prior to this he held the role of Head of Daytime at Channel 4 for three years and first commissioned now established hits such as Deal or No Deal, Come Dine With Me and The New Paul O'Grady Show.

MacDonald has worked in the television sector for over 20 years with previous roles in the Independent sector as Director of Development at Lion Television and several influential scheduling roles within the BBC including Head of Planning & Scheduling BBC One.

This appointment comes in the same week as RDF Media Group officially launches RDF Scotland. The new division comprises the production companies IWC Media, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation Scotland, Touchpaper Television Scotland and RDF Entertainment Scotland.

Hamish Barbour, Managing Director IWC & Group Director RDF Scotland, said:

“I'm absolutely thrilled that Adam is going to be joining us at IWC Media. His skills in spotting and honing successful formats are legendary, and his commissioning experience is invaluable. It's an exciting time for Scottish production companies and Adam couldn't be arriving at a better time.”          

Adam MacDonald said: 

“I'm hugely excited to be working with Hamish and all the other great talent at IWC Media. I've admired their programming for a long time now and the chance to work with them all at this important time for Scottish production was irresistible.”

CBeebies is currently premiering new Waybuloo episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will continue to run the series throughout 2009 and 2010. CBeebies viewers are also getting the chance to immerse themselves in the world of Nara on-line where they can interact with the Waybuloo Piplings (Yojojo, De Li, Lau Lau & Nok Tok), explore the world and play games in the same vein as the children ('Cheebies') who feature in the television series at www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/waybuloo

TV3 in Denmark, which aired 117 shows under the local name “Fangerne På Fortet”, from 1993 to 2000 has signed a brand new deal for the show. Mastiff Denmark is coproducing with Adventure Line Productions and shooting will begin on 10 new episodes in July.

In addition, Fort Boyard has aired or will air in seven further countries in 2009, including a fifth season for Star Channel in Greece, third series for BTV in Bulgaria and the second series for TVP2 in Poland, Fox in Turkey, Fox in Serbia, ENTV in Algeria and the first series for Armenia TV in Armenia.

Fort Boyard launched the concept of “line production” and has become the most successful adventure game show in the world. With 1345 episodes produced for 42 countries, including 237 for France, 100 episodes for the UK and 11 series for Sweden, it is, by far, the most exported French format in history.

Shooting is now underway on a 20th season of Fort Boyard for France 2, where the hugely successful celebrity edition regularly achieves an average market share of 21%, well above the channel’s average of 17%. More than 200 episodes have aired in France since 1990 and the new series, featuring celebrities such as Eva Longoria Parker and her husband, basketball player Tony Parker, will launch later this month. The season will consist of 10 prime time episodes on Saturday evenings, 52 short episodes to be aired four days a week and 15 one hour best-of shows in access prime time, as well as one special best of episode celebrating the history of the show and it’s popularity around the world.

The format also features a range of opportunities for merchandising/ancillary exploitation, for example more than 300,000 Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ video games sold in France alone in 2 years.

Matthieu Porte commented today, “Fort Boyard broke new ground when it launched in 1990, offering a totally fresh adventure game show experience for viewers and a unique production concept for international broadcasters. Twenty years on, the fact that we continue to sign up new channels throughout the world, is a testament to its relevance and timeless adaptability for a global audience.”

He continues, “In many cases we can shoot up to three episodes per day. Shooting back-to-back throughout the European summer allows us to offer the most affordable and cost effective adventure game show. Our aim is to build on the success it continuously enjoys and launch Fort Boyard in the US, one of the rare territories where they have not even heard of the format!”

Built in the Atlantic Ocean by Napoleon in the 19th century, the unique and mgical Fort Boyard underwent extensive restoration in the late 1980’s to create one of the world’s largest outdoor television studios. The show offers the ultimate in adventure as a team of contestants – either members of the public or from the world of celebrity – enter the Fort to attempt to win Boyard’s gold. The
team are accompanied by a cast of strange characters and tasked with completing a gamut of physical and endurance challenges, offering intense suspense, strong emotions, riddles to solve and a code to discover. All before contestants even reach the Fort Boyard Treasure Room – guarded by tigers!

Adventure Line Productions is part of Zodiak Entertainment, one of the world’s biggest distributors of adventure formats, whose catalogue also includes Peking Express, the exhilarating adventure format that sees couples competing against each other in a race across continents and Beyond Boundaries, the exceptional reality show in which a group of people with disabilities are challenged to
overcome them and complete the trek of a lifetime.

Editorial contacts:

Klara Halkjaer
M: +44 (0)781 804 88 02
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

Debbie Lawrence
M: +44 203 008 5408
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution is one of the major players in the international TV market sales. The company distributes worldwide both scripted products as fiction, drama, animation and documentary using the brand Marathon, than unscripted products like entertainment, quiz and game show though the brand Zodiak Entertainment.

As leading company in the international media industry, Zodiak Entertainment is the company that co-ordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media.

Formed by more than twenty successful international companies including ALP, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse, Dixi Media, Jarowskji, Lucky Day , Kanakna, Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media Mastiff, Mast Media, Polska, NeoNetwork, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Sol, Telealliance, Tele-Images, T&T Broadcasters, Yellow Bird, YS Film..
In 2008 Zodiak Entertainment’s revenue totalled more than €400 million.

A rising star in the Zodiak Entertainment portfolio, Twist & Shout has been licensed by ATV in Turkey for 13 episodes and by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation in the Middle East for 8 episodes, where it will be produced Signature Productions. This is in addition to the two series currently in production in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Since its launch at MIPCOM 2008, this primetime singing show has been been optioned in 12 territories including Nine Network in Australia, Fremantle in Portugal, plus Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece and pan-regional SBS Broadcasting spanning Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The company is also in advanced negotiations with a partner in the USA which is currently presenting the show to the US networks.

Also from the company’s music entertainment portfolio is the celebrity based prime-time hit, Stars on Stage which has now been licensed to National TV Channel Kazakhstan. Furthermore, a third series (14 episodes) has been commissioned with Channel One in Russia where the show has been a runaway success attracting a staggering 27% audience share in its first episode. A longstanding
favourite around the world, Stars on Stage has also aired in Armenia, Brazil, Belarus, India, Indonesia, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and the Ukraine - achieving exceptional ratings for broadcasters in each country.

Matthieu Porte Head of Format Sales, Zodiak Entertainment, said “What great Zodiak Entertainment success stories these are. Twist & Shout is fast becoming Zodiak Entertainment’s next global hit. Similarly Stars on Stage is on fire, it seems audiences can’t get enough of its fusion of music and celebrities.”

Twist & Shout is the one hour musical talent-show with a difference, in each show eight acts go head to head in four musical duels. While they do their best to perform some of the world’s greatest hits everything is done to put them off.
From an ice water plunge to singing with animals or even upside down! Each contestant tries to sing or play their best for two minutes without stopping – whatever happens. A regular jury decides the winner of each duel but it is the studio audience which votes at the end to decide who will become this week’s Twist & Shout Champions. The format was developed by The Zodiak Distillery, a group development initiative, designed to create and exchange ideas and expertise.

Stars on Stage is the prime time glamour show where celebrities join well-known singers in daring duets. In just one week, three well-known singers teach three celebrities the dos and don’ts of how to sing, dance and act on stage.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment:
Klara Halkjaer
M: +44 (0)781 804 88 02
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

Debbie Lawrence
M: +44 203 008 5408
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution is one of the major players in the international TV market sales. The company distributes worldwide both scripted products as fiction, drama, animation and documentary using the brand Marathon, than unscripted products like entertainment, quiz and game show though the brand Zodiak Entertainment.

As leading company in the international media industry, Zodiak Entertainment is the company that co-ordinates all De Agostini’s activities in the production and distribution of content for television and new media.

Formed by more than twenty successful international companies including, ALP, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse, Dixi Media, Jarowskji, Lucky Day , Kanakna, Magnolia, Marathon, Marathon Media Mastiff, Mast Media, Polska, NeoNetwork, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House,Sol, Telealliance, Tele-Images, T&T Broadcasters, Yellow Bird, YS Film..
In 2008 Zodiak Entertainment’s revenue totalled more than €400 million.

The new VH1 docu-series will take Jessica all over the world to meet every day women.  She may also discover some local pop culture icons on their own quests for beauty along the way.  Jessica will study the local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes and even participate in some of the extreme practices she discovers. 

“When Chris approached me with his idea for a show about true beauty, I was immediately intrigued,” Jessica stated.  “I have always believed that beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful, but I know how much pressure some women put on themselves to look perfect.  I am really looking forward to discovering how beauty is perceived in different cultures and participating in some of the crazy things people do to feel beautiful.  I know we will all learn a lot on this journey and I am so excited that VH1 is coming along on what I'm sure will be a wild ride.”   

Chris Coelen, CEO of RDF Media USA, said: “In this series, Jessica will tackle a serious issue with her unique and relatable blend of humor and heart. We're thrilled to be in business with Jessica, Joe and VH1 on what we know will be an exciting and eye-opening show.”  

"Perhaps more than any other pop culture figure on the radar today, Jessica Simpson has been the target of our obsession with beauty on both sides of the equation.  She is a woman who can set trends and create firestorms with a single photo," said Jeff Olde, EVP, VH1 Original Programming & Production.  “We could not be more thrilled that Jessica now gets to take control of that conversation and take a look at the idea of beauty through her own unique, unfiltered lens.  And we at VH1 are excited to be in the passenger seat next to her as she begins this fantastic journey.”

The Price of Beauty is set to begin shooting in mid July. Executive Producers include Jessica and Joe Simpson as well as Chris Coelen, Claire O'Donohoe and Greg Goldman for RDF USA (Wife Swap, Secret Millionaire). The show will be produced by Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, Alex Demyanenko and Sean Boyle for VH1 to air in 2010.

Cloud Nine with the support of Pathe is to award a prize of a development deal worth up to £20,000. The prize will be awarded to one of the shortlisted or chosen writers or directors from the next season of 'Coming Up'  Channel 4's scheme for emerging talent, which goes into production in January 2010.

Cloud Nine, the new company launched this year by Christian Colson, producer of Slumdog Millionaire, recently signed a five year development, production sales and distribution deal with Pathe UK. Colson and Cloud Nine's Ivana Mackinnon recently produced the forthcoming film 'The Scouting Book For Boys', the first feature written by Jack Thorne and directed by Tom Harper, both graduates of 'Coming Up'

" In these tough times, Cloud Nine and Pathe's additional commitment to the new writing and directing talent we nurture through 'Coming Up' is especially welcome.

With similar sensibilities to our own, they are the perfect partners in this scheme, which uniquely and consistently launches exceptional talent into the television and film industries" Robert Wulff-Cochrane, Head of Development, Channel Four Drama

'Coming Up' is being Produced by Elinor Day and Executive Produced by Emma Burge through Touchpaper

Based on the Dutch format Lost Without a Trace and now a huge hit in Australia, Find My Family follows the stories of people desperate to find a long-lost friend or relative. Hosts include former NFL linebacker Tim Green, previously a correspondent for A Current Affair, and former KTTV and KCBS entertainment reporter Lisa Joyner. Both hosts come to the show with their own personal history as both were adopted and eventually reunited with their birth parents.

“It's one of those rare, feel-good shows that has cross-generational appeal - I guarantee there won't be a dry eye by the end of each episode,” said Tony Yates, COO of RDF Media USA.

Executive producers include Chris Coelen, Greg Goldman and Tony Yates for RDF USA (Wife Swap, Secret Millionaire), Tom Forman for RelativityReal (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), and Julie Laughlin-Jones.

RDF USA recently celebrated its three year anniversary and just announced a new series with Jessica Simpson entitled The Price of Beauty (VH1). RDF USA's slate also includes Wife Swap (ABC), Secret Millionaire (Fox), Don't Forget the Lyrics (Fox), Hitched or Ditched (CW), and the upcoming Addicted to Beauty (Oxygen).

Those named above follow in the footsteps of the UK’s Momentum, Australia’s Rialto, Rosebud in Greece, Gussi in Mexico and Clardin in Argentina whom acquired rights during the Cannes Film Festival. UGC in France, Frenetic in Switzerland, Lumiere across Benelux, Bim in Italy, Vertigo in Spain, Alliance in French-speaking Canada and Monolith in Poland acquired rights to the film earlier in the year*.

With a cast including Swedish star Michael Nyqvist and rising actress Noomi Rapace, the feature film directed by Niels Arden Oplev has created a huge buzz around the globe. It was seen by an audience of 2.8 million people in Scandinavia alone grossing more than €27,000,000. In France the film reached number two at the box office and has attracted a total of 1.2 million viewers. In Spain the film became the second most watched in the country on its opening weekend, its total admissions at week nine currently stand at 1.22 million. The film will be released in The Netherlands on Friday 7 August and Germany on 1 October.

“Millennium” is produced by Yellow Bird, the award-winning Swedish production company owned by the leading European group, Zodiak Entertainment. The film is distributed by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.

Yellow Bird is also producing two further films adapted from the Stieg Larsson trilogy, entitled “Millennium 2” (“The Girl Who Played With Fire”) and “Millennium 3” (“The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”).

Rights to adapt the complete trilogy were bought by Yellow Bird before the books were published.

Pascal Breton, SVP Fiction, Zodiak Entertainment said: “Millennium is arguably becoming the independent film of the year, now it has really proved itself to be a worldwide hit. These further sales demonstrate the continued interest as many countries’ appetite for the trilogy is yet to be satisfied.”

Mikael Wallén, Managing Director of Yellow Bird added “We are delighted with the continuous proliferation of “Men Who Hate Women” in new countries of and eagerly await the impending launches of the second film in the trilogy.”

As of July 2009 Zodiak Entertainment’s two successful sales teams in London and Paris are working together under the name of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution reporting Managing Director, Marco Cordeddu. Scripted sales are led by Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet in Paris and format sales by Matthieu Porte in London.

* A full list of countries the film has sold to is available on request.
For more information, please contact:

Press contacts:

Klara Halkjaer – Head of Communications, Zodiak Entertainment Distribution                  

T: 0044 208 600 3787

klara.halkjaer@zodiakentainment.com                                                                           

Laura Saunders – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment

T: 0044 203 008 5407

laura@lippingroup.com

Commercial contact

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment

T : 0033 153 10 91 31

emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes to editors
Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is today one of the largest Scandinavian drama production companies. It has also recently entered the German market, by starting a subsidiary in Munich.
 
The company’s main focus is large international scripted co-productions, be it films for TV and cinema, or drama series. Typically, the productions are based on internationally successful books or characters from such books.
 
Yellow Bird is currently producing six TV films and three feature films based on Stieg Larsson’s critically acclaimed Millennium trilogy, as well as 13 new Swedish movies about Henning Mankell’s criminal inspector Wallander; three new English Wallander films starring Kenneth Branagh (together with Left Bank Pictures) and a German 2x90 minutes TV series based on Henning Mankell´s book Kennedy´s brain (together with Bavaria Pictures and ARD/Degeto)
 
Previous productions include the first Swedish series of 13 movies about Wallander, the first English Wallander series of three films, as well as six TV movies about criminal inspector Irene Huss, based on the books by Helene Tursten.

www.yellowbird.se

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.  In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

The first episode of the new series was broadcast on TV3 Demark on Saturday night primetime.  With a rating of 10,2% and with an overall share of 31,9% (commercial 54,2%) Fort Boyard became the most watched entertainment show on TV3 since the 2003 season of Survivor, with TV3 winning the Saturday night slot against market leaders DR1 and TV2.

Entitled Fangerne på Fortet in Danish, Fort Boyard is co-produced by Mastiff AS and Adventure Line Productions, two highly successful productions companies which are both part of Zodiak Entertainment, the global content business of DeAgostini Group.

Morten Mogensen, programme director at TV3 Denmark says, “We are very proud to have gathered so many Danish viewers around TV3 and Fort Boyard on Saturday night.  The premiere exceeded our expectations considerably, and we can only pass on the audience’s opinion to our hosts, the contestants and the production company Mastiff A/S. They have created a unique series that will only continue to become more and more intense during the coming weeks.”

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment, adds, “Twenty years on Fort Boyard remains a ratings winner.  Its relevance and timeless adaptability for a global audience means we are attracting a great deal of attention from international broadcasters who are keen to become part of the Fort Boyard experience.”

Fort Boyard launched the concept of “line production” and has become the most successful adventure game show in the world.  With 1345 episodes produced for 42 countries, including 237 for France, 100 episodes for the UK and 11 series for Sweden, it is, by far, the most exported French format in history. 

The format also features a range of opportunities for merchandising/ancillary exploitation, with more than 300,000 Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ video games sold in France alone in two years.

Built in the Atlantic Ocean by Napoleon in the 19th century, the unique and magical Fort Boyard underwent extensive restoration in the late 1980’s to create one of the world’s largest outdoor television studios.  The show offers the ultimate in adventure as a team of contestants – either members of the public or from the world of celebrity – enter the Fort to attempt to win Boyard’s gold.  The team are accompanied by a cast of strange characters and tasked with completing a gamut of physical and endurance challenges, offering intense suspense, strong emotions, riddles to solve and a code to discover.  All before contestants even reach the Fort Boyard Treasure Room – guarded by tigers!

Adventure Line Productions is part of Zodiak Entertainment, one of the world’s biggest distributors of adventure formats, whose catalogue also includes Peking Express, the exhilarating adventure format that sees couples competing against each other in a race across continents and Beyond Boundaries, the exceptional reality show in which a group of people with disabilities are challenged to overcome them and complete the trek of a lifetime.

Mastiff produces more than 100 hours of primetime television in Denmark each year, including popular entertainment programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing, Paradise Hotel, Big in Japan, Lyrics Board and Big Class Reunion.

Editorial contacts:
Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
M: +44 (0)781 804 88 02
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com 
                  
Debbie Lawrence     
M: +44 203 008 5408     
dlawrence@lippingroup.com    

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.
Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.
In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Currently airing in Ireland as “Celebrity Bainisteoir” the series sees eight unlikely celebrities take the reigns of local amateur gaelic football teams for an all Ireland tournament. The show has been an indisputable hit in Ireland airing during Sunday night primetime on RTE 1 and winning an average audience share of 36%. As a result, the second series was re-commissioned mid-season and a third series will enter pre-production in November this year.

Celebrity Coach has been optioned by Studio Lambert in the UK and US (headed by Steven Lambert the creator of celebrated formats such as Wife Swap, Secret Millionaire and Faking It while at RDF Media), and to Screentime in Australia and New Zealand. A proven ratings winner, Celebrity Coach is expected to garner much interest at from international buyers at the forthcoming MIPCOM market in Cannes.

Flexible and versatile, the Celebrity Coach format may be applied to a range of sports, from European soccer to American football. Such ideas are already the subject of negotiation between Zodiak Entertainment and some of its international broadcast partners prior to the format’s official MIPCOM launch.

Matthieu Porte, Zodiak Entertainment Head of Format Sales says, “This format is fantastic, we’re delighted to have secured it against fierce competition. Uniquely, it manages to satisfy audiences thirst for celebrity reality whilst also providing a feel good narrative which will leave viewers feeling emotional and inspired. With the 2010 World Cup fast approaching, I am delighted to have such a topical format in the Zodiak line-up for MIPCOM."

Managing Director of Animo Television, Adrian Lynch and Managing Director of Kite Entertainment, Darren Smith said of the new relationship, "As producers it’s key that we place our formats with the right distributor and for this one it had to be Zodiak Entertainment, they simply ’get it’ and have a real passion for the show. Some distributors saw it as just yet another celebrity based football hybrid, but Zodiak Entertainment managed to see beyond that and realise it can be a really smart piece of feel-good, uplifting TV that is as much about community and pride as it is about hair and make up getting wet".

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

Animo Television

Leading shows from Animo Television include Anonymous, which aired on ITV1 in the UK, Class Clowns and I Dare Ya! Founded in 2003, Animo Television has established itself with several leading celebrity entertainment series, numerous primetime documentary series, big impactful single documentaries, formatted factual entertainment and a number of live entertainment shows. The company is driven by a strong senior team with extensive experience across factual and entertainment genres.

Animo Television is part of the Animo Group.

Kite Entertainment

Kite Entertainment is a small but perfectly formed Dublin based indie specialising in comedy and factual entertainment programming.  With a bunch of hit shows in Ireland that have travelled internationally as formats, Kite has established a reputation as a creator of quality entertainment formats that can speak to a global audience.

Along with Cartoon Network, US, who will begin broadcasting the series in October, Gormiti, the Lords of Nature Return will premiere in September on M6 followed by Canal J in France, RTL 2 in Germany, RTVE and Cartoon Network in Spain and Nickelodeon in the UK. The show will also launch a few months later on the Alter Channel in Greece, Digi Turk in Turkey, Noga in Israel, MBC in the Middle East, TV3 in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Nova TV in Bulgaria and Globo TV in Brazil.

Negotiations for further Latin American and south east Asia sales are also drawing to a close.

“The series should be on air worldwide in mid 2010, as planned,” said Vincent Chalvon Demersay CEO of Marathon Media.

Gormiti, the Lords of Nature Return has already been a huge ratings success on its primary broadcaster, Mediaset in Italy, where it attracted more than 1 million viewers per episode at the end of 2008.

The animated series produced by Marathon Media and Giochi Preziosi for Mediaset, M6, and Canal J was launched for international sale at MIPCOM 2008. It was adapted from a major Italian property. With more than 100 million toys sold, Gormiti is now the market leading toy brand for boys in many European countries and it is also growing rapidly on other continents.

A perfect blend of magic, epic tales and comedy, Gormiti, the Lords of Nature Return follows the everyday lives of four kids entering a magical dimension called Gorm, made famous by its legendary inhabitants: the Gormiti.

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution holds international TV and home entertainment rights to Gormiti, the Lords of Nature Return.  Licensing and merchandising for the brand is handled by Marathon Media in France and Giochi Preziosi in the rest of the world.

©2008 – GIOCHI PREZIOSI – MARATHON
A MARATHON MEDIA, GIOCHI PREZIOSI co-production, in association with M6, CANAL J and MEDIASET

Editorial contacts:
Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 208 600 3780
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com 
                  
Marathon Group
Valerie Tailland
T : +33 1 53 10 91 32
vtailland@marathon.fr

International Sales Contact / Scripted programs:
Emmanuelle Bouihaguet
emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@ zodiakentertainment.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

Zodiak Entertainment’s two successful sales teams – Marathon International in Paris and Zodiak International in London – are now working together under the name of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution. Scripted sales are led by Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet in Paris and format sales by Matthieu Porte in London.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Marathon Media

Part of the powerful international media group Zodiak Entertainment, Marathon Media is France’s biggest animation producer and one of the top studios in the world. Based in Paris, Marathon Media is run by Vincent Chalvon Demersay and David Michel. Its main successes include Monster Buster Club, Martin Mystery, Team Galaxy, Marsupilami, and of course the smash hit series Totally Spies!. The success of the latter on TV continues on the licensing market with a very wide range of toys, videos, multimedia, papermaking industry products, books, etc.

Marathon Media’s programs are distributed by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.

www.marathon.fr

Giochi Preziosi

Giochi Preziosi is a very successful European toy group founded by Enrico Preziosi.
The Group, run by Dario Berté and Oddone Pozzi, is the market leader in Italy and one of the four largest worldwide players in the toy industry. Its activities cover a wide range of toy products but also include back to school, snack foods, clothing and other consumer products aimed at the youth market. Giochi Preziosi is based in Italy with subsidiaries in France, Spain, Greece, Germany, Eastern Europe. The recent acquisition of the English distributor Flair and the establishment of Preziosi U.S.A. Inc.- a wholly owned subsidiary - in January 2008, will enable the Group to gain a leading role also in these markets, strategic for its development policies.
www.giochipreziosi.it

The Nation’s Ugliest is a 6 x 60 minute series where it is decided who has the nation’s ugliest…bathroom, kitchen, living room, or bedroom and who deserves a dramatic makeover.   

Produced by Zodiak Entertainment company Mastiff, the series has already successfully aired in Norway.  When the first series premiered on TV3 it was the best rating production for the channel in two years.

Anette Rømer, Head of Acquisitions and Formats at TV2 Denmark says, “We’re very excited to have acquired Denmark’s Ugliest – it is a new twist on the makeover show with a good deal of audience involvement.  In today’s economic downturn more and more people are looking to update and re-vitalise their homes rather than move, so as well as having some fun we will be able to pass on helpful advice which our viewers will also benefit from.”

Matthieu Porte, head of unscripted sales at Zodiak Entertainment in London, adds, “The Nation’s Ugliest has a great deal of potential as a brand – it’s a title that will travel around the world – as well as being great entertainment.   We are delighted that TV2 has come on board and we are looking forward to highlighting the show to broadcasters at MIPCOM next month.”

In The Nation’s Ugliest viewers nominate the ugliest rooms that will appear on each episode - either their own or on behalf of a neighbour or friend.    The audience then votes on the show’s website and the three worst candidates are then presented to a grand jury (consisting of the presenter, a designer and a builder). The three owners are all in their rooms – all excited to find out about the final result.  The team call or visit the week’s winner – the “proud” owner of the nation’s ugliest room.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contact:

Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

The nail-biting 8 x 52’ French police action thriller Braquo heads Zodiak Entertainment’s drama offering.   Created and co-directed by Oliver Marchal and starring eminent French actors Jean-Hugues Anglade (Leon, Nikita) and Nicolas Duvauchelle (Secret Defense) as part of a hands-on cop team, Braquo tracks the lives of Caplan, Morlighem, Vachewski and Roxane working close to Paris, in a contradictory mix of upper class residential areas and lawless enclaves and follows them as they “cross the line” to become criminals themselves.  Braquo was the most screened programme at LE RENDEZ-VOUS DE BIARRITZ this summer.

Braquo is co-director Oliver Marchal’s (36, MR 73) first production for television and is produced by major French drama producer, Capa Drama, for Canal +.

Also brand new from Zodiak Entertainment’s Diverse Production (in association with BBC and France 2) at MIPCOM is the 90’ drama Mrs Mandela starring Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) in the eponymous role.  This powerful film focuses on the desperate times Winnie Mandela survived during her husband’s 27 year incarceration.  Written and directed by Michael Samuels (The Falklands Play) and co-starring David Harewood (Blood Diamond) and David Morrissey (The Deal).

The Distant Echo is a 2 x 90’ captivating thriller mini-series adapted from the novel by Val McDermid.    Fifteen years to the day after young Rose was murdered, one of the students who found her dying is killed. His death plunges his friends back into the horror of that tragic night.

The highly-original 52 x 13’ children’s animated series Sally Bollywood will be available for international sale for the first time at MIPCOM Junior 2009 from Zodiak Entertainment.  From producer Philippe Alessandri (Tele Images Kids/Marathon Group), created by Pepper Sue and Elastik Jane and co-produced by Australia’s Three’s A Company, this colourful series depicts 12-year old Sally, an Indian girl of mixed origins living in a large Western city who is determined to follow her father’s footsteps and become an ace investigator.

Documentary highlights from Zodiak Entertainment include the high definition documentary Aliens of The Amazon.  Mini monsters of the Ecuadorian canopy are revealed for the first time.  Insects of the Membracidea family, from the Amazonian forest, are probably the most extraordinary creatures invented by Nature. With help of the latest imagery technologies one of the most hidden secrets of the insect kingdom is revealed for the first time.  Back Home Tomorrow is a striking documentary about Murtaza and Yacoub, two young victims of war equally though living in different countries. The film exposes the terrible sufferings endured by those wounded in war, and shows the men, women and children who are denied the right to be cured. Awarded the Prix Roberto Rossellini 2008 and the Cinereach Award 2009.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director, at Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, comments, “It is great to be arriving in Cannes with such a broad range of first class scripted content to offer to our many clients around the world.  Our programming features some of the best acting, writing and directing talent available today and this is a very exciting time for Zodiak Entertainment Distribution as the depth of our portfolio continues to grow across all genres.”

Zodiak Entertainment has more than 2800 hours of fiction in its catalogue, which delivers programming from many of its own companies including Marathon Images, GTV, Diverse Production and Yellow Bird.

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, led by Marco Cordeddu, is responsible for selling a wide and diverse range of scripted and unscripted content produced by Zodiak Entertainment production companies and acquired programming from third parties.  As well as new scripted shows the company will launch a number of brand new formats at MIPCOM including That’s My Kid, The Best Singer and Celebrity Coach.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 208 600 3780   email: klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

PR Agency:
Deb Lawrence
T: +44 20 3008 5406  email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

International Sales Contact / Scripted programs:
Emmanuelle Bouihaguet - emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

Merchantwise will be speaking to key partners in the territory to secure licensing opportunities for Waybuloo to compliment the existing partners, Fisher Price (Master Toy), Egmont (Master publishing) and ABC Video for DVD rights whilst reflecting the Waybuloo values through innovative products.

RDFR is also pleased to announce that Exim Licensing has been appointed as the Latin American Licensing agent for Waybuloo.

Diego Barassi, SVP Marketing for Exim said: “Waybuloo will become one of the most important preschool properties across Latin America in the next few years with high potential of becoming an evergreen property”

In addition, Kidz Entertainment is appointed to work with RDFR in the Nordic, Eastern Europe and Russia. Kidz Entertainment's expertise in these countries will ensure RDFR builds long term programmes for the brands.  

Angeles Blanco - Head of International Licensing at RDFR said: 

“We are delighted to have all three agents on board and look forward to developing exciting and innovative licensing programmes with them. In Australia and Latin America we already successfully work together on Yo Gabba Gabba and Mister Maker. The agent's local knowledge, relationships and contacts are unrivalled.”

Mercator, a Kanakna Production, premiered with great ratings on EEN Belgium this summer and will be launched to international buyers at MIPCOM ’09 renamed as Destination Unknown. 10 contestants board a yacht that will take them on a mysterious journey to an unknown destination. Who will unravel the the clues to the location and who will go home richer?

Zodiak Entertainment has also licensed Diverse Productions’ Beyond Boundaries to NRK in Norway, building on its popularity in Belgium and the UK. Beyond Boundaries is an exceptional reality show in which a group of people with disabilities are challenged to overcome them and complete the trek of a lifetime.

These two licenses follow recent success stories such as the premier of the pioneering adventure game show Fort Boyard on TV3 Denmark, where it is achieving exceptional ratings, and the licensing of this same format to eight other territories in 2009

The Peking Express format has now sold to eight territories including Spain, where it was an unprecedented success for Cuatro, and France. The show has performed extremely well in its Friday night primetime slot on M6 in France.. M6 has commissioned a fifth series of the show.
 
Originally produced by Kanakna Productions Peking Express is an exhilarating elimination game in which eight couples race across continents with a budget of just one dollar a day to win a substantial cash prize.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales, Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, said, “Adventure reality is not only utterly addictive for viewers. It is also a “must have” for big stations targeting the entire family. Zodiak Entertainment is one of the best creators and producers in the world of this popular entertainment genre.   We are currently in advanced negotiations with European for a couple of brand new innovative properties which we will unveil in the coming weeks.”

Brand new formats from Zodiak Entertainment launching at MIPCOM include That’s My Kid, SOS Builders, The Best Singer, Guillotine, Celebrity Coach, China for Beginners, Destination Unknown, Devil’s Advocate, Enjoy Your Meal, Foreign Love, Groovriderz, Just in Time, Murder on the Dancefloor, Operation Surgery Live, Out of Money but Still Yummy, Premier Comedy League, Shit Happens, The Black Cat, The Confidential, Tough Customers, Wedding Angels and Would Like to Work.

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, led by Marco Cordeddu, is responsible for selling a wide and diverse range of scripted and unscripted content produced by Zodiak Entertainment production companies and acquired programming from third parties.  As well as new formats the company will launch a number of new dramas at MIPCOM including Mrs Mandela, Braquo and children’s animated series Sally Bollywood.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contacts:
Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 208 600 3780
Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

PR Agency
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 37 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting.

Already in his new position Benoit Runel will attend Mipcom and be available on the Zodiak Entertainment stand (LR4.02, Lerins Hall).

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 208 600 3780   email: Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

Valérie Tailland
T:  +33 (1) 53 10 91 32 email: vtailland@marathon.fr

PR Agency:
Deb Lawrence
+44 7771 850580 email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

 The classic returning series features real-life cases of unsolved crimes, missing persons and unexplained paranormal phenomena. Unsolved Mysteries is one of the longest running series in the genre, and has helped apprehend countless criminals and solve many mysteries over the years. Almost half of the cases featured have now been solved and more than 100 families reunited with their missing relatives.

 Cosgrove Meurer has updated the entire series of 175 episodes and the new series is top-and-tail hosted and voiced by Law and Order star Dennis Farina.

 RDFR holds international rights, and will be launching the series at MIPCOM 2009.

 Jane Millichip, COO RDFR said: “It's rare to find such a high quality documentary series with great brand recognition in this sort of volume. Executive Producers John Cosgrove and Terry Meurer have done a fantastic job updating and re-mastering the series. The transformation is amazing. We are delighted to be launching it at MIPCOM.”

 John Cosgrove, CEO of CMP: “After considering interest from multiple distributors, we are delighted to be working with RDF Rights. They are highly professional and have an unparalleled understanding of the international marketplace, and of Unsolved Mysteries.”

Under the new agreement Dangerous will become one of the companies within the Zodiak Entertainment group and will continue to produce its own unique brand of factual, documentary and drama programming to be distributed by Zodiak Entertainment.

Key Dangerous executives Mike Kemp, Managing Director Richard Dale, Director of Creative Content along with Dangerous co-founders Producer Tim Goodchild confirmed that they will remain with the company.

In order to fund its high-end programming, much of which is filmed in High Definition, Dangerous has made a series of landmark international co-production deals with blue-chip broadcasters including Discovery Channel, BBC, Pro Sieben, TF1, The History Channel and ITV 1.

Since its launch in 2003, niche producer Dangerous has produced many high-quality television event hits including Moon Shot, a drama about the Apollo 11 moon landings; Dino Body, a thrilling factual series using ground-breaking CGI to go inside the body of a dinosaur and The End of the Universe: Hubble’s Final Chapter which takes a detailed look at the telescope and those who service it in space.  As well as other factual titles including When We Left The Earth, 9/11 The Twin Towers, Diana – The Last Days of A Princess, D-Day 6.6.44 and Human Body Pushing the Limits.

Pellicioli comments, “Since its launch, less than a year ago, Zodiak Entertainment has become a major force in content production and distribution. We are very pleased to welcome Dangerous our growing company and become part of its continued success. With this new entry our group increases the value of its wide range of products in a high- quality and ever more competitive market.”

Mike Kemp at Dangerous adds, “We’re delighted to be joining Zodiak Entertainment at this exciting time.  Becoming part of a large, global group will give us the opportunity to work on bigger projects with group synergies, larger budgets and also to get the most out of our current portfolio of programming through the group distribution network.”

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 208 600 3780   email: Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

PR Agency:
Deb Lawrence
+44 7771 850580 email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

Edward Arentz, Managing Director at Music Box says, “We are extremely pleased to offer US audiences the opportunity to see the riveting The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, one of the most talked about international films of the year.”
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Director of Scripted Sales, Zodiak Entertainment adds, “The US sale means that “Millennium” has truly reached a global audience and we are delighted to be part of its on-going success.”

Slated for release in the US in March 2010, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has now sold more than 30 countries in total* and has grossed almost $100million at the box office – making it the world’s third biggest earning foreign language film of 2009. 
 
With a cast including Swedish star Michael Nyqvist and rising actress Noomi Rapace, the feature film directed by Niels Arden Oplev has created a huge buzz around the globe.

Recently nominated for the People’s Choice Award by the European Film Academy, “Millennium” is produced by Yellow Bird, the award-winning Swedish production company owned by the leading European group, Zodiak Entertainment.

Yellow Bird has recently announced the Scandinavian premiere of the next film adapted from the Stieg Larsson trilogy - “Millennium 2” The Girl Who Played With Fire which even outperformed the launch of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Sören Staermose, Producer of the Millennium series says, “The reception by Scandinavian audiences to “Millennium 2” has been staggering and it has been one of the biggest cinema launches in the region ever.  We are delighted that the “Millennium” phenomenon keeps on growing.”

The third film “Millennium 3” The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is currently in post-production and will launched later this year.

* A full list of countries the film has sold to is available on request.

For more information, please contact:
Klara Halkjaer – Head of Communications, Zodiak Entertainment Distribution  
T: 0044 208 600 3787     
klara.halkjaer@zodiakentainment.com       

Laura Saunders – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407 laura@lippingroup.com

Commercial contact
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment
T : 0033 153 10 91 31
emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes to editors

Founded in 2007, Music Box Films serves the viewing interests of sophisticated US movie audiences in cinemas nationwide, on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as VOD and TV. With a focus on foreign-language cinema, Music Box’s release of Guillaume Canet’s TELL NO ONE was the most popular foreign-language film of 2008 while this year’s releases include the multi-Cesar winning SERAPHINE by Martin Provost. Music Box Films is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation which also owns and operates The Music Box Theatre, Chicago’s premiere venue for independent and foreign films.

www.musicboxfilms.com

Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is today one of the largest Scandinavian drama production companies. It has also recently entered the German market, by starting a subsidiary in Munich.

The company’s main focus is large international scripted co-productions, be it films for TV and cinema, or drama series. Typically, the productions are based on internationally successful books or characters from such books.

Yellow Bird is currently producing three feature films and six TV films based on Stieg Larsson’s critically acclaimed Millennium trilogy; 13 new Swedish movies about Henning Mankell’s criminal inspector Wallander; three new English Wallander movies with Kenneth Branagh (with Left Bank Pictures), and a German 2x90 TV series based on Henning Mankell’s book Kennedy’s Brain (with Bavaria Pictures and ARD/Degeto).

The first three English Wallander movies starring Kenneth Branagh, in co-production with Left Bank Pictures, premiered on BBC 1 in November/December 2008 with a total number of viewers between 5.3-6.2 million and were very well received in British press.

Other previous productions include the first Swedish series of 13 movies about Wallander as well as six TV movies about criminal inspector Irene Huss, based on the books by Helene Tursten (in co-production with Illusion Film).

Yellow Bird is part of Zodiak Entertainment.

www.yellowbird.se

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

The Codex Atlanticus, owned by the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, one of the most ancient and comprehensive historical libraries in Europe, contains engineering drawings, weapons designs, artistic drafts, botanical sketches and architectural plans alongside da Vinci’s detailed notes; some dating back more than five hundred years.   In a painstaking process an army of restorers, mostly Benedictine nuns from the Abbey of Viboldone, have recently unbound the twelve massive volumes of The Codex in order to preserve them for future generations.  This unbinding and the subsequent digitisation with the most enhanced scanning technologies, will give both television viewers and da Vinci scholars fresh insights into documents that have rarely been seen close up.

De Agostini Group, through a global agreement with the Ambrosiana, owns exclusive rights to exploit more than two thousand images and artefacts within the Da Vinci archive through its publishing interests.

Lorenzo Pellicioli, CEO of Zodiak Entertainment and CEO of De Agostini Group, commented in Cannes today, “We are very pleased to be involved with such a high profile project.  This exceptional, and rareley seen, material will make an incredible television series and it is a clear examples of how different our companies’ relationships across all media can now work together to create new, previously unexploited opportunities which are fruitful for us all.”

Paul Sowerbutts, CEO of Diverse, the company that will produce the television series added, “For a television company to have access to this amount of material, created by such a world renowned artist and genius, is unheard of.  We have a variety of ideas as to how we can make the most of this unparalleled opportunity and are talking to a number of broadcasters regarding co-production options in Cannes.  This really will be “must see” event television and we can’t wait to get started.”

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 208 600 3780   email: Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406 email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.
In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

RM 5to Elemento will be based in Miami and will sell and produce Zodiak Entertainment’s extensive range of products to the Latin American and US Hispanic markets.  RM 5to Elemento will also create and produce original formats for global sale by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.

Ricky Martin Entertainment Group CEO Bruno Del Granado will head the new company.

Del Granado possesses an extensive history in the media/entertainment industry.  Prior to managing Ricky Martin, Del Granado was President of Maverick Musica, the Latin Division of Madonna’s Maverick Recording Company.  He has also held senior executive positions at MTV, EMI Music Publishing and CBS/Sony.  Del Granado’s resume also includes numerous television production credits for outlets such as CNN, ABC News, VH1 and PolyGram TV.

RM 5to Elemento’s creative operation will be overseen by partner and CCO Harris Whitbeck, an award-winning journalist with significant credentials in news broadcasting.  Having started as a network writer in Atlanta, Whitbeck forged a nearly two-decade career at cable news channel CNN. Harris was instrumental in establishing CNN’s Latin America production centre in Mexico City and has reported from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Whitbeck is a DuPont-Columbia Silver Baton Award winner for his coverage of the Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka and his reports have garnered a Special Emmy Recognition and two National Headliner Awards for CNN.  

In announcing the formation of RM 5to Elemento, Ricky Martin explains, “I have always been fascinated by the possibilities that television offers.  This venture opens the door to an exciting new venue for us to entertain a region that always welcomes high quality productions”

Bruno del Granado echoes that belief and adds, “This new endeavor holds tremendous potential.  We are honored to be working with Zodiak Entertainment and I look forward to spearheading this new creative programming force in the region”

Patrick Svensk, SVP Mergers and Acquisitions/Business Development at Zodiak Entertainment, concludes, “This exciting deal widens our global reach into Latin America and the important US Hispanic market.  Working with Ricky, Bruno and Harris we can combine our creative and business strengths and exceptional knowledge of the region’s needs and tastes to develop programming that will work for broadcasters and audiences in all parts of the world.”

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPCOM, 5 – 9 October 2009.

For further information, please contact:

For Zodiak Entertainment
Deb Lawrence
The Lippin Company (PR Agency)
+44 7771 850580
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

For RM 5to Elemento
John Reilly
Rogers & Cowan
212.445.8440
Email: jreilly@rogersandcowan.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshow.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

RDF Rights has already secured a deal with a network broadcaster in Australia for the format and series one (3 x 60') has also been acquired. Series one has also sold to Inflight Productions, New Zealand. The format has also been optioned in several key territories including Spain, Holland, Belgium and Denmark & Sweden. RDFR will be launching the format and finished programming at MIPCOM 2009. RDF Rights hold all international rights to the format and finished programming.

Originally a highly successful element of the Italian gameshow “L’Eredità” produced by Zodiak Entertainment’s Magnolia for Rai Uno, The Guillotine was revised and enhanced ahead of the market when executives saw its potential to become a substantial international standalone hit.

Mastiff Poland, a Zodiak Entertainment company, is handling production of the show for TVP2 where it will air as a daily show. Zodiak Entertainment has also piloted a 30-minute English version of the show and a one-hour Spanish version. 

Furthermore, Zodiak Entertainment has signed a deal with The Gurin Company which will pitch the show to U.S. broadcasters in the coming weeks.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment commented, “The Guillotine is a perfect example of the new Zodiak Entertainment strategy.  Our wide network of leading production companies and partners around the world are superbly positioned to create formats while the London office has the leverage, creativity and financial strength to help adapt and finance them so they can travel globally.”

Porte adds, “We’re very pleased to have secured the deal with TVP2 in Poland and eagerly await feedback on the show from U.S. broadcasters”.

“We think The Guillotine has great potential in the U.S.,” said Phil Gurin. “It’s an addictive and challenging format that could be a big draw for American audiences.”

The Gurin Company is a globally focused, full-service independent production company that produces and develops television properties with worldwide appeal.  The Gurin Company’s current projects include “Miss Universe,” “Singing Bee” and the upcoming “First & Last.”

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Jessica Wolf
mPRm Public Relations for The Gurin Company
323-933-3399
Email: jwolf@mprm.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshows.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

Virgin 17 in France is to air six primetime episodes of the show (Chante Si Tu Peux) which will be produced locally by Adventure Line Productions, a Zodiak Entertainment company. Antena 1 will bring Twist & Shout to viewers in Romania.  Studio Hamburg will produce the format for Germany where it is in negotiations with several local broadcasters.

Launched at MIPCOM 2008, Twist & Shout has been a rising star in the Zodiak Entertainment portfolio, garnering licenses in Indonesia, Middle East, Turkey and the Philippines and has been optioned in 12 territories including Channel 9 in Australia.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment explains, “Twist & Shout has been popular in Asia from its launch and now its appeal is spreading steadily into Europe. The show is fun and outrageous and each broadcaster is pushing its boundaries a little further. In addition to these licenses, we have strong interest in Southern Europe and expect to close further deals very soon.”

Twist & Shout is the one hour musical talent-show with a difference, in each show eight acts go head to head in four musical duels.  While they do their best to perform some of the world’s greatest hits, everything is done to put them off. From an ice water plunge to singing with animals or even upside down! Each contestant tries to sing or play their best for two minutes without stopping – whatever happens.  A regular jury decides the winner of each duel but it is the studio audience who vote at the end to decide who will become this week’s Twist & Shout Champions. 

Editorial contact:

Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. This content includes programming as diverse as Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Lifestyle, Factual, Entertainment, Gameshow, Reality, Kids and Talkshows.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.
In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

New drama based on UK series to premiere in 2010

Syfy has ordered 13 episodes of Being Human from RDF Media USA, it was announced today by Dave Howe, President, Syfy, and Chris Coelen, CEO of RDF Media USA. Being Human will premiere on Syfy in Summer 2010.

THE CORNER SHOP is based in Bristol alongside the regional arm of Zodiak Entertainment’s Diverse Productions. 

Creative Director Mob Dar is an award-winning former Head of BBC New Comedy.  He has worked on and overseen some of the UK’s most successful comedy and entertainment programmes. Most recently he led BBC1’s Prix Italia winning Comic Relief’s Kilimanjaro Big Red Nose Climb which drew an audience of more than 10 million viewers and was the BBC’s biggest multi-platform event to date. Previously he has overseen shows such as Little Britain and Have I Got News For You, whilst as a Programme Maker he Produced many shows including Channel 4 comedy My New Best Friend – Which won a Comedy Award and The Rose D’or.

Dar’s first appointment is former Head of Development at Vera, Will Knott who joins as Executive Producer. Knott boasts an expansive track record of comedy and entertainment shows such as Russell Brand’s Re: Brand and Channel 4’s Banzai, and Union Jack.

Mob Dar says, “This opportunity has huge appeal - as a brand new indie we can be creative, innovative, and quick to respond to market needs and, as part of Zodiak Entertainment group, we can benefit from their pilot funding schemes, extensive group intelligence and take advantage of backroom synergies.”

Paul Sowerbutts, Managing Director - Diverse Production & Vice President West - Zodiak Entertainment comments, “I am delighted to welcome Mob and Will to the Zodiak Entertainment Group.  The Corner Shop brings the exciting addition of high-end comedy and scripted entertainment programming to our line up.  Mob has a fantastic record of working with the very best writers and talent available today and, with him at the helm, we have high hopes for The Corner Shop’s growth.”
Mob Dar adds, “This is a great time for us to launch The Corner Shop. Comedy and Entertainment values are seeping into all types of programmes both on TV in the UK and internationally.  Some of the UK’s best comedies continue to work in all parts of the world and we’re setting out to create our own global hits.”

Editorial contacts:

Zodiak Entertainment: 
Klara Halkjaer
T: +44 20 3189 3189   email: Klara.halkjaer@zodiakentertainment.com

PR Agency:
Deb Lawrence, The Lippin Company,
+44 203 008 5406 email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

Unlimited (www.facebook.com/unlimited), which goes live later this week, will highlight interesting stories, features and trends on Facebook as well as driving debate about current issues and news topics.

Run as a 24/7 entertainment source, Unlimited will deliver updates, links, images and videos throughout the week as well as encouraging interaction and user submissions from the Facebook community. 

Unlimited will be funded by brand integration, with RDF currently seeking new partnerships for the project.

O2 have come on board as the launch partner and will promote their free SIM products in a deal that was negotiated by Zenith Optimedia.

Jenni Convey, Head of Online Marketing, O2 said:

'We know that an increasing number of our customers are choosing to live their lives online, watching a wide range of video and entertainment content. We are excited to be a part of this initiative and welcome the opportunity to communicate the benefits of being an O2 customer to this new audience.”

Charlie Leahy, Creative and Commercial Executive, RDF Contact said:

'Creating a channel on the biggest social network in the world is incredibly exciting for us. As well as delivering great content to our Facebook fans, Unlimited offers brands an easy and creative way to reach the audience. It's fantastic to be launching the project with a brand such as O2 and we're looking forward to announcing more partnerships in the near future.”

The finished UK version of Best House on The Street, which is due to premiere in the on broadcaster Five in 2010, has sold to five countries. Broadcasters Odyssee in France, TV3 New Zealand and pan-regional TV Paprika Zrt in Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia have each opted for the 6 x 1 hour popular factual  entertainment show, in which property expert Charlie Luxton helps people make their homes bigger, better, and more valuable.

Norway’s Ugliest Room, the show in search of the worst room, garden or façade in the country to be rewarded with an expert emergency make-over, sold to TV Paprika Zrt Hungary and the Spanish version of French Kiss, the show which challenges hot young men to kiss as many girls at the beach as they can over three days, has sold back into its country and broadcaster of origin, NRJ 12 in France. Additionally, more than 80 hours of the finished version of Fort Boyard has sold to TET TV in the Ukraine and Lider TV in Azerbaijan.

Zodiak Entertainment’s Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales said “We have a deliberate new focus on the distribution of finished entertainment and factual programming. We have been exploiting our expertise in format distribution for many years and now we are utilising our full potential to increase revenue from finished programming.”

Marco Cordeddu, Managing Director of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, adds, “The expansion of Zodiak Entertainment’s international production capability means that our wide portfolio of programming across all genres, including scripted shows such as and Wallander and Gormiti, continues to appeal to broadcasters around the world.”

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Best House on the Street
Originally produced by Red House for the UK’s channel Five, Best House on The Street will premiere in 2010 and is presented by Charlie Luxton, a well-known architectural designer who has written and presented more than ten TV series including Not All Bricks and Mortar and Not All Houses are Square for the UK’s Channel 4 and Designer of the Year for BBC4.

Best House on The Street follows families who receive expert help from Charlie Luxton on making their properties bigger and better, and raising their value into the bargain. Being the best house on the street is all about making the most of your space, and making the presentation stand out from the crowd. So the first job is to check out the competition and see just how other home owners have improved their houses and then it’s down to business. With the help of Charlie, the familes soon learn how to have their property enlarged and revamped to its maximum potential. The estate agents then arrive to pass their verdict - is their property the best in the street?

About Norway’s Ugliest Room
In this tongue in cheek format the search is on for the worst room, garden or façade in the country. No one is safe! You can nominate your neighbour, your mother, your best friend or yourself, as long as the room is ugly. With a little help from the audience, along with a panel of experts, a builder, a designer and the presenter, the vote is cast to decide which property is the Ugliest. The winner proudly receives an emergency makeover. Sometimes being ugly is not such a bad thing. Produced by Mastiff Norway for TV3.

About French Kiss
Take 5 hot young men to glamorous Miami Beach and challenge them to snog as many girls as they can over three hot and steamy days. Although the guys are in this players paradise for two nights, they’ve got no money, no accommodation and they don’t know the area. French Kiss is a fun and sexy show, packed with challenges that make every episode tense and funny in equal measures. A big hit in it’s debut season, series 2 and 3 have already been commissioned and the action promises to get even hotter in Cancun and the incomparable Rio de Janeiro. Produced by Le Grosse Equipe for NRJ12.

About Fort Boyard
Shot on a fort built by Napoleon off the west coast of France, Adventure Line Production’s format Fort Boyard is the most successful adventure game show in the world. Intense suspense, strong emotions, physical challenges, strange characters, animals to confront, riddles to solve and a code to discover... that’s the way in store for contestants attempting to reach Fort Boyard’s Treasure Room guarded by tigers!

Since 1990,  almost 1400 programmes have been produced in over 30 countries which makes it by far the most exported French TV format. Fort Boyard recently hits the screens in Denmark after a 10 year break and instantly became the most watched entertainment show on TV3 since the 2003 season of Survivor.

About Zodiak Entertainment

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

In 2008, Zodiak Entertainment produced more than 200 shows, totalling 5,225 hours of broadcasting and boasted revenues in excess of €400 million.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Following the Spanish commission, Twist & Shout will be airing in a total of six countries. It has recently premiered in France as Chante Si Tu Peux on Virgin 17, and gave the channel its best ever performance for an original production. It is produced locally in France by Zodiak Entertainment’s ALP. 

The factual reality series Rehab, created by Zodiak Entertainment’s Palm Plus, has been commissioned by Cuatro for seven episodes. This much talked about series follows the lives of eight young addicts aged between 16 and 30 years old. Brought together in a recreated rehab clinic for one month, they try to sober up and get clean from their varying addictions including drugs, alcohol, medication, sex, gambling and computer games.

Rehab has also aired in The Netherlands and Germany. During its two series on air in The Netherlands, Rehab more than doubled the average target audience share of 20-34 year olds for broadcaster NED 3 between 7 and 12 PM, drawing a 12% share. YLE in Finland has also recently commissioned six episodes.

Zodiak Entertainment’s Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales said “We are delighted to introduce Twist & Shout and Rehab in Spain. 2009 has been a great year for us, our achievements have really put Zodiak Entertainment on the map as one of the leading distributors of formats in the world.”

Marco Cordeddu, Managing Director of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, adds, “The on-going expansion of Zodiak Entertainment means that our wide portfolio of programming across all genres, including scripted shows such as Wallander and Gormiti, continues to appeal to broadcasters around the world.”

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

About Twist & Shout
Twist & Shout is a high-impact musical talent-show with a difference.  While the talent do their best to perform, everything is done to put them off - from an ice water plunge to singing with animals, or even upside down. A jury decides the winner of each duel but it is the studio audience which votes to decide who should become the week’s Twist & Shout Champions. 

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Mansfield, who will be based in LA, will be assuming his new responsibilities in January 2010, overseeing all RDF production and operations in the United States. Mansfield's presence in the US is designed to lead to even greater collaboration between RDF's creative teams in the UK and the US. Mansfield will remain as Group Director Factual, Entertainment and Comedy, maintaining existing relationships with UK broadcasters in this role.

Mansfield joined RDF as Managing Director of RDF TV in 2002 from Granada where he was Director of Programmes and oversaw shows such as Coronation Street, Cold Feet and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Prior to this he was responsible for commissioning all factual programmes on the ITV network. Mansfield started his career and spent 18 years at the BBC working in Documentaries and Features.

Earlier this year, Mansfield was promoted to Group Director Factual, Entertainment and Comedy. Jim Allen joined RDF in October this year from ITV Studios as Managing Director, RDF Television following Mansfield's promotion.

David Frank, CEO RDF Media Group said 'Grant brings an immense amount of experience to our US business at a very important time. The US remains a top priority for us as a group and I believe this appointment will help us build on the considerable successes we've had to date in the world's most valuable TV market.'

Grant Mansfield, CEO, RDF USA said 'I'm looking forward to working with colleagues in the US and the UK to expand an already strong slate of programmes at RDFUSA.  It's a hugely exciting time for our business in the States and by further strengthening the ties between our production operations on both sides of the Atlantic I believe there is significant opportunity for further growth.'

RDF Rights (RDFR), part of the RDF Media Group is delighted to announce the continued success of its flagship pre-school brand Waybuloo. Since its successful launch on CBeebies in May 2009 and retail launch thereafter, the pre-school brand has performed phenomenally across all platforms.
Fisher-Price, master toy licence holder, report that Waybuloo is the number one plush licence since the range launched (*NPD Q4 Plush (£)) with their Waybuloo Small Plush also scooping the top licensed plush item (NPD Q4 Plush (Units); the Waybuloo DVD, released by 2 Entertain, is the number three new pre-school brand launched in 2009; the BBC's Waybuloo magazine is the number five pre-school title and Egmont UK, master publisher, were delighted with the outstanding performance of the brand, which significantly outperformed all other new pre-school properties in the first six months of publication.

Waybuloo premiered on CBeebies, the BBC's UK Children's digital channel, in May 2009. It quickly became a hit with pre-schoolers ranking as one of the highest rating show launches of 2009, and resulted in the BBC commissioning another 50 episodes, bringing the total number to 150. The series went into the popular CBeebies Bedtime Hour slot in September 2009, where it consistently rates well.     

Since its launch, across 448 broadcasts, Waybuloo reached over 10 million individuals (20% of the UK population) in 2009.  Three quarters of the target audience tuned into at least one episode of Waybuloo last year (3.5m)**

Viewing figures for 2010 are looking just as positive, with episodes peaking at over half a million viewers already.

Waybuloo has now been scheduled to air on BBC Two in the weekday pre-school slot airing at 10.10am. These broadcasts are in addition to its three daily CBeebies weekday airings (11.30/15.00/18.00) and two airings at the weekend (13.00 and 18.00).

Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies said, “Waybuloo is one of CBeebies top rated shows, given its brilliant success since launch, moving it to our children's slot on BBC Two was a natural move to make. We are delighted with how the series has captured the imagination of our audiences and look forward to airing the new episodes later in the year”.

Maria Sze, Brand Director, RDFR “Waybuloo has been a phenomenal hit both on screen and at retail. We are absolutely thrilled to be in a position to report such exceptional success given we first aired in May with most products launching late September. The scheduling of it to air on BBC Two, confirms how well the series has been received by children. Retail response has exceeded all expectations and we are excited to be working with new licensees this year to launch more products to build on the success to date.”
 
Erica Zubriski, Marketing Director, Mattel UK: "We are delighted with the performance of the Fisher-price range of Waybuloo toys, they really captured the essence of the exciting world of Waybuloo, and the positive results pay testament to the love preschoolers and their parents clearly have for this break frame show and its characters.”

RDF Rights continues to secure new licensing partners with over 25 in place to date.  Other licensees to roll out for Spring /Summer 2010 include: - Martin Yaffe, Golden Bear, Mondo, Inspiration Works and Worlds Apart.  Other categories launching this year include apparel, footwear, dress-up, bedding, confectionery, celebration cakes, social expressions, melamine and lighting.

Internationally, Waybuloo has also had phenomenal success; it has been sold to seven broadcasters, outside of the UK, and is currently airing in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Poland, Africa, Asia, India, Finland and in the Middle East. 

Online fans can log onto the dedicated website Waybuloo.com, recently launched by RDF Rights.

RDFR holds worldwide rights in all media in the property.

Notes to editors:

* From the Top 10 new properties 2009 - NPD EPOS retail tracking

** Source: BARB

Waybuloo

Waybuloo, a unique mix of animation and live action, is a highly innovative approach to pre-school programming focussing on children's emotions.  It transports children to Nara, a live-action world inhabited by adorable animated characters called Piplings who embody a range of emotions such as Love, Wisdom, Happiness and Harmony. 

There are four Piplings. Lau Lau is rabbit-like and her key characteristic is her imagination. She loves to paint and sculpt, especially if she can make presents for her friends. Yojojo is monkey-like and represents happiness. He is clumsy, funny and cheeky. Just as Lau Lau loves to paint, Yojojo loves music and dancing. He even has a little stage carved from a tree stump on which to perform. De Li is kitten-like and represents love. She's a bit shy but is nurturing and loves nature, be it gardening, flowers or gathering food for the group. Nok Tok is bear-like and represents wisdom. He solves problems and comes up with creative, inventive solutions for fixing and mending things. He has a very colourful toolbox and a special Anything Machine which can solve a multitude of problems.

Waybuloo was commissioned by Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies.  The Executive Producer for the BBC for the series is Sarah Colclough, and Rebecca Shallcross for the website. The production's Executive Producers are Nigel Pickard, Vanessa Hill, Angus Fletcher, Steven DeNure and Beth Stevenson. The series originated from an original idea created by Dan Good (Absolutely Cuckoo) who is a creative consultant on the series.

Waybuloo is produced by The Foundation, part of the RDF Media Group for CBeebies.

For further details please contact:

RDF Media Group Press Office
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7013 4479
publicity@rdfmedia.com

The deal means that Shine will produce all of RDFR's formats in Australia. The Shine Australian office officially opened for business on 11th January.

Jane Millichip, COO, RDFR said: 'Mark Fennessy's production experience is unrivalled, so we are delighted to be working with him. We hope this collaboration will accelerate our formats business in Australia'.

Mark Fennessy said 'RDF is simply one of the finest content companies in the world today. We're truly excited to be representing their formats in Australia'.

The Spanish sale adds another key territory to the show’s portfolio and follows the recent license of 52 episodes by TVP2 in Poland, produced by Mastiff, also Zodiak Entertainment company. Ratings for The Guillotine on primary broadcaster Rai Uno have made it the highest rated game show in Italy for 5 consecutive years.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales Zodiak Entertainment said “The Guillotine’s long running success in Italy makes it an extremely hot property on the international stage. We look forward to seeing the results of the show on Telecinco.”
The Guillotine is a nail-biting game show that viewers can’t help but play at home. Contestants face a series of word connection challenges, they need to answer fast, or their money will face the chop.

Packed with twists in fortune, the contestant that keeps winning will make it to the iconic Guillotine end game, where simply guessing one word could win them a massive cash prize.

Marco Cordeddu, Managing Director of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, adds, “The on-going expansion of Zodiak Entertainment means that our wide portfolio of programming across all genres, including scripted shows such as Wallander and Gormiti, continues to appeal to broadcasters around the world.”

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.  www.zodiakentertainment.com

Marco will lead a team based in London within Zodiak Entertainment’s creative unit, Grand Zentral, charged with the development and execution of the Group-wide digital strategy. He will be responsible for assessing the potential of new and existing Zodiak Entertainment brands in the digital arena and rolling out best practices across the Group. Marco will also offer counsel to local managing directors of companies within the Group and to senior management on viable new areas worthy of investment.

Performing a dual role, Marco will retain his current position as President and Managing Director of Neo Network, the leading digital arm of the Zodiak Entertainment Group, in addition to his new responsibilities.

Giorgio Gori, Senior Vice President Entertainment, said “I’m very happy that Marco has agreed to take on this challenging role. I’m sure that with his leadership and strong support, the Grand Zentral team will very quickly be able to achieve the high levels of creativity and innovation in the digital space that the market expects from Zodiak Entertainment.”

Marco Ferrari said “The television industry will change a lot in the coming years as the digital revolution accelerates every day. This means the way we develop shows has to change as well, looking for new ways to interact with viewers and build new revenue streams. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and building a Group Digital Unit which will inform, stimulate and assist the companies within the Group to capitalise on the exciting opportunities that the digital era opens to us.”

During his time at Neo Network he has steered the development of the company from a small start-up to one of the top players in the European digital entertainment market, with a 2009 turnover of almost €25 million. 

37 years old, prior to founding Neo Network in September 2000, Marco began his career as a television author for Mediaset Group, after obtaining a Law Degree in 1994.
A professional journalist since 1996 he also worked for leading Italian newspapers and magazines. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Magnolia Spa and Parma FC Spa.

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Marco Ferrari
+39 34 8451 1343
Email: marco.ferrari@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes for Editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

Produced by Marathon Media and Giochi Preziosi for M6 and Canal J in France and Mediaset in Italy where it has been a smash hit since 2008, Gormiti, the Lords of Nature Return, has become a massive success attracting consistently high ratings for each of its international broadcasters since the Fall of 2009: France (M6 and Canal J), the USA (Cartoon Network), Spain (Cartoon Network and RTVE), Germany (RTL II) and the United Kingdom (Nickelodeon).

These latest TV sales of seasons one and two follow those already completed in Greece (Alter Channel), the Middle East (MBC), Israel (Noga), Turkey (Digi Turk), ex-Yugoslavia (One2Play) and several northern and Eastern European countries (Viasat).
Negotiations are also underway with broadcasters in Mexico, Morocco, Poland and the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the video rights have been transferred in Spain (Manga Films), Greece (Alter Channel), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Ritka Video), Bulgaria (Pro Filmo), and to all the republics of ex-Yugoslavia (One2Play). The In-flight rights have been purchased by IFE Services in France and Spafax Airline Network in the Middle East.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment said of the sales ”Gormiti is a star in our animation portfolio. The brand’s strength in the international market place is evident from its outstanding consumer products sales record. These new TV sales demonstrate another step towards further exploiting Gormiti’s huge potential.”

Adapted from the famous Italian toy brand created and developed by Giochi Preziosi, the show is a perfect blend of magic, epic legend and comedy. With sales of more than 200 million units, Gormiti is now the best selling toy action figure in Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal and France (source: NPD Dec. 2009) as well as one of the top sellers in UK, Greece and in most European countries and continues to enjoy spectacular growth rates.

International TV & Video sales are managed by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution. Giochi Preziosi  is in charge of international merchandising and licensing, in coordination with Marathon Media, responsible for the brand’s merchandising and licensing in France

Zodiak Entertainment
A major player on the international market, Zodiak Entertainment is present in all areas of content production and distribution for TV, cinema and new media. Its programs cover all aspects of the TV scene: fiction, animation, documentaries, flux, formats, adventure games, magazines and features, etc. 

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

Marathon Media
One of the mainstays of the powerful international media group Zodiak Entertainment, Marathon Media is France’s number one animation producer and one of the top studios in the world. Based in Paris, Marathon Media is run by Vincent Chalvon Demersay and David Michel. Its main successes include Monster Buster Club, Martin Mystery, Famous 5, Marsupilami, Gormiti and of course the smash hit series Totally Spies!. Its extraordinary track record on TV has carried over into merchandising, offering a wide range of toys, video, multimedia, papermaking industry products, publishing, etc.

Now in the UK, Brazil and Portugal: Gormiti, The Lords of Nature Return continues its worldwide conquest!

Marathon Media’s programs are distributed by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.
www.marathon.fr

Giochi Preziosi
The Giochi Preziosi Group is a very successful European Toy Group founded by Enrico Preziosi in 1978.  It is now 30 years old and is the confirmed market leader in Italy and one of the four largest worldwide players in the toy industry. In addition to an extensive toy range, the Group has implemented a diversification strategy that led it to operate profitably and efficiently in various commodity markets including food, clothing, general retail, childcare and other consumer products intended for youth.

Giochi Preziosi headquarter is based in Italy but has settled foreign subsidiaries in US, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Greece and Turkey.

Giochi Preziosi turnover on fiscal year 2009 was 865 million euro. The company employs more than 2.500 people.
www.giochipreziosi.com

Press contacts:
Valérie Tailland – Head of communications, Marathon Group
T : 0033 1 53 10 91 32
vtailland@marathon.fr

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Alberto Picotti – Giochi Preziosi Group
 T: 0039 02 964 751
picotti@giochipreziosi.it
                                                            
International sales contact:
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment
T : 0033 153 10 91 31
emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Edko Films in Hong Kong, Encore Films in Singapore, Filmware in Taiwan, Conquest Films in Brazil, Independenta Films in Romania, AS Tallinfilm in Estonia and Ablo in Hungary and the Czech and Slovak Republics, have each acquired local distribution rights to the runaway international success. 

Men Who Hate Women has now sold to more than 50 countries and grossed a total of €61m (US$84m). 

In total, the Millennium trilogy has taken in excess of €110m at the worldwide box office, a figure set to continue to rise with the films about to launch in several key territories in the first quarter 2010. Lumiere in Benelux, Frenetic in Switzerland and Alliance in Canada, have signed deals for the complete trilogy, joining Italy, Spain, Belgium and Germany.

In its opening week (release date: 5 Feb 2010), Millennium 2 (The Girl who Played with Fire) has grossed an impressive €1,019,000 in Germany, reinstating the recent success of the second opus in Benelux and Canada

Millennium is produced by Yellow Bird (a Zodiak Entertainment company) a Sweden-based production company which acquired the rights to adapt the complete Stieg Larsson book trilogy before it was published. Worldwide distribution is handled by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director at Zodiak Entertainment Distribution said “We are extremely proud to include the staggeringly successful Millennium trilogy among our scripted portfolio. We are delighted to be part of its incredible international success”

Marco Cordeddu, Managing Director of Zodiak Entertainment Distribution, adds, “The expansion of Zodiak Entertainment’s international production capability means our wide range of programming across all genres, including unscripted shows such as Fort Boyard and The Guillotine, continues to appeal to broadcasters around the world.”

For more information, please contact:

Press contacts:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Commercial contact
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0033 153 10 91 31
emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes to editors

A full list of sales of the Millennium trilogy is available on request.

Following four nominations at the Guldbagge Awards in Sweden earlier this month, Men Who Hate Women took home the prizes for best feature, the audience award for best feature and best leading actress. The film was also awarded the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival’s (PSIFF) audience award for best narrative feature earlier this month.
 
Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is currently one of Scandinavia’s biggest companies in the development and production of drama for TV and cinema. A German subsidiary has also been established in Munich.

Yellow Bird focuses primarily on international co-productions based on successful books or on characters from such books. Apart from the adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, Yellow Bird has also been behind the Swedish and English Wallander series (the latter together with UK company Left Bank Pictures).
www.yellowbird.se

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, digital and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment has more than 30 production companies in 18 territories and boasts an international distribution network based in London and Paris.

For further information please go to www.zodiakentertainment.com.

Created by renowned author Henning Mankell, Wallander has already won the hearts of millions of viewers through an acclaimed first season in Sweden and a gripping 6 x 90’ series for the BBC starring Kenneth Branagh.

The Swedish Wallander is distributed worldwide by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution and produced by Swedish production company Yellow Bird, owned by Zodiak Entertainment. Yellow Bird is internationally renowned for turning best-selling Scandinavian thriller books into TV and theatre blockbusters, the finest example being the hugely successful recent adaptation of the famous Millennium trilogy.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director at Zodiak Entertainment said, “This new Swedish film series is Scandinavian crime at its best – realistic, gripping and illuminating the dark corners of modern society. We’re delighted with these sales, as the series was only launched at MIPCOM in October. We will be announcing further sales to major territories in the coming months”.

For more information, please contact:
Press contacts:
Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Commercial contact
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0033 153 10 91 31
emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes to editors

Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is currently one of Scandinavia’s biggest companies in the development and production of drama for TV and cinema. A German subsidiary has also been established in Munich.
Yellow Bird focuses primarily on international co-productions based on successful books or characters from such books. Apart from the Swedish and English Wallander series, Yellow Bird is also behind the smash hit Millennium trilogy, adapted from the 26 million copies bestselling thriller saga by Stieg Larsson.
www.yellowbird.se

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

In Escape from Scorpion Island 10 children from the UK and Australia aged between 11 and 13 are marooned on an exotic island and compete to be the first team to conquer the island and learn how to escape from it. The games are devised by experts from the world of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, Mission Implausible, Fear Factor and Dog Eat Dog.

The executive producer for CBBC will be Alison Gregory and Carla De Jong for ABC TV.  The executive producers for The Foundation will be Nigel Pickard and Rebecca DeYoung.

Nigel Pickard, Group Director, Family Entertainment and Drama at RDF said 'we're delighted to be producing another two series of Escape from Scorpion Island for both the UK and Australia and look forward to creating amazing new challenges that the children taking part and the viewers at home will love.'

Damian Kavanagh, controller of CBBC said. “Scorpion Island is an ambitious and adrenalin fuelled brand that we are proud to have in our schedule. The scale and production value of the setting and the games make it a must-see series for our audience. In Series 4 and 5 the stakes are raised again on this mysterious island, and Scorpion will continue to be an exhilarating addition to our output."

Tim Brooke-Hunt, ABC TV's Executive Head of Children's TV said “Following on from the great on-air and on-line success of Escape From Scorpion Island last year, we are thrilled this award-winning program will be back on ABC TV in 2010. We are also delighted that the series will be once again be filmed in Australia, featuring Australian and British kids, and co-produced by Freehand and The Foundation.”

RDF Rights has secured international sales for the first three series of Escape from Scorpion Island to several key territories. YTV in Canada has picked up series 2 & 3 whilst Al Jazeera has bought series 2 & 3 for the Middle East.

Escape from Scorpion Island was also recently awarded Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series at the 2010 Kidscreen Awards.

Escape from Scorpion Island is a The Foundation/Freehand Productions series for CBBC and ABC TV. RDF Rights holds global rights in all media in the property.

The feature film also known as Men Who Hate Women has now sold to more than 50 countries and has grossed a total of more than €62.7m internationally. 

The third film in the trilogy The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, also opened in Spanish cinemas on 12 March to similar success.  Distributed across Spain by Vertigo, the movie took more than €260,000 in its opening weekend. Box office receipts for all three films in the Millennium trilogy have so far reaped in excess of €117.5m worldwide.

Millennium is produced by Yellow Bird (a Zodiak Entertainment company) a Sweden-based production company which acquired the rights to adapt the complete Stieg Larsson book trilogy before it was published. Worldwide distribution is handled by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director at Zodiak Entertainment Distribution said “Yet again Millennium has delivered to brand new cinema audiences. The success of the film in the UK, historically a very tough market for foreign films to crack, makes us all the more proud of this amazing product in the Zodiak Entertainment Distribution portfolio. We are extremely pleased that our international movie phenomenon continues to appeal throughout Europe and beyond.”

For more information, please contact:

Press contacts:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Commercial contact
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director, Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0033 153 10 91 31
emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Notes to editors

A full list of sales of the Millennium trilogy is available on request.

Following four nominations at the Guldbagge Awards in Sweden earlier this month, Men Who Hate Women took home the prizes for best feature, the audience award for best feature and best leading actress. The film was also awarded the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival’s (PSIFF) audience award for best narrative feature earlier this month.

Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is currently one of Scandinavia’s biggest companies in the development and production of drama for TV and cinema. A German subsidiary has also been established in Munich.

Yellow Bird focuses primarily on international co-productions based on successful books or on characters from such books. Apart from the adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, Yellow Bird has also been behind the Swedish and English Wallander series (the latter together with UK company Left Bank Pictures). 

www.yellowbird.se

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

For further information please go to www.zodiakentertainment.com

Who Killed Maggie?, winner of the Fipa d’Argent award for Best Documentary 2009, is the incisive study by documentary maker William Karel about the political assassination of Margaret Thatcher. It has been acquired by VRT and RTBF in Belgium, SBS in Australia, Radio Canada, ERT 3 in Greece, IETV Israel, Bulgarian National TV, RTE in Ireland, NHK in Japan, TSR in Switzerland, RTP in Portugal, RAI in Italy and Historic Channel in Russia. Who Killed Maggie? was produced by Cinétévé 2009 for primary broadcaster France 2.

Millennium: The Story, the one-hour documentary examining the extraordinary success of the famous Swedish literary trilogy by Stieg Larsson, has been sold to TSR Switzerland, Be TV Belgium, and Canal+ in Spain and Poland. Millennium: The Story was produced by Impact Press for Canal+ France, it is directed by Laurence Lowenthal.

Hunting Down Paedophiles: Citizens on the Watch, available in 52’ and 90’ versions, is a powerful film about citizens in Cambodia who take it upon themselves to combat on paedophilia due to failings of the national judicial system. It has been sold to pan Asia broadcaster All Asia Networks, VRT and RTBF in Belgium, TSR and RSI in Switzerland, DR-TV in Denmark, SF Austria, RTE Ireland, TV4 Sweden, TVN Poland, TVI Portugal and Foxtel Australia. Hunting Down Paedophiles: Citizens on the Watch was produced by Premières Lignes TV/Amip France for Canal +, it is directed by Paul Moreira.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director at Zodiak Entertainment said, “Zodiak Entertainment continues to offer the international market exceptional non-fiction programs that fit global broadcaster’s needs. We are delighted that our recent focus on current affairs programming has been a hit with our clients and is confirmed by these significant sales.”

RDF Rights (RDFR), part of the RDF Media Group, will launch Circus, a landmark documentary series at MIPTV. This spectacular 6 x 60' series, produced by Show of Force for PBS (USA), combines breath-taking HD action with intimate portraits of circus life to chart a year in the life of the world-renowned Big Apple Circus.

Circus is created, executive produced and directed by Emmy and Sundance award-winning film-makers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre.

Chermayeff and Dupre spent 11 months at work, rest and play with the 165 international performers, organizers, and support staff of the Big Apple Circus, who inhabit this 'city without a zip code'.  It is a world unto itself - with its own rules, social structure and lingo.

High-wire, trapeze, and acrobatic performances were filmed at 400 frames per second on the-state-of-the-art Phantom HD camera; resulting in stunning close-up and slow-motion action sequences that capture both the dramatic tension and the unrivalled skills of the performers. Meanwhile, Stedicams were used inside the ring to give the performers' POV.

Emily Elisha, Head of Factual Acquisitions, RDFR said 'this stunning series provides an intimate view of an extraordinary travelling and performing community, which is truly international. World-class acts come together from the corners of the globe; Russia, Brazil, China, Germany and Belgium to create a show which simply takes your breath away. ”

 “After their intimate, immersive work for PBS on Icon/Carrier Project, Inc.'s CARRIER, award-winning filmmakers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre pull back the curtains on yet another intriguing world for viewers to explore,” said John F. Wilson, PBS senior vice president and chief TV programming executive. “CIRCUS vividly reveals the intersections of art, performance and ordinary life as the cameras go beyond the glitz and glamour to see what circus existence is really like for those who live it 24-7. Maro and Jeff take the art of the documentary and the art of capturing performance and culture to an entirely new level. PBS is proud to include CIRCUS in our distinguished and expansive line-up of content on arts and culture.”

Circus will feature at the heart of the PBS schedule later this year.

RDFR holds international rights, and will be showcasing the series at MIPTV 2010.

 Notes to Editors:

Show of Force

The series is created, directed and executive produced by Show of Force partners, Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre.

Chermayeff's credits include; Co-Creator, an Executive Producer, and Director of CARRIER, and a Producer and Director of the critically acclaimed PBS/Channel 4 UK reality series FRONTIER HOUSE.

Dupre is a Producer of CARRIER and of the multiple Emmy Award-winning PBS series BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL. He is also the Director and Producer of OUT OF THE PAST, which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and aired on PBS

Marathon Media is now one of the leading providers of animation to American channels and the N°1 European producer on the US market.

Only Connect is the increasingly popular 'intelligent' quiz series hosted by Victoria Coren, in which two teams are required to spot connections between clues that at first sight may appear to have nothing in common at all.

The series was commissioned by Controller of Entertainment, Mark Linsey and BBC Four Controller, Richard Klein. The Executive Producer for the BBC is Gilly Hall and the Executive Producer for Presentable is Chris Stuart.

Chris Stuart said: 'It's excellent news that we'll be making series four so hot on the heels of series three and a real tribute to the production team that works on the show. We're thrilled the Only Connect audience seems to be growing steadily and spawning communities of bloggers and tweeters.'

Gilly Hall said: 'I am delighted that we are commissioning a fourth series of Only Connect, it is a testament to its loyal and discerning audience who like a tough challenge. It is becoming appointment to view on BBC Four, gaining a cult-like status with Victoria Coren very much at the helm, cracking the whip.'

This news follows the recent launch of the online version of the show at www.bbc.co.uk/onlyconnect. The dedicated webpage gives viewers the chance to try their hand at some complex question-solving in the comfort of their own homes. The site replicates both the difficulty and the high pressure of the television original.

Only Connect is produced by Presentable, part of the RDF Media Group, for BBC Four. RDF Rights hold international rights to the finished programmes and format.

Hired (format and 20 x 30’ finished show) is the brand new MTV US reality series that tags along as recent college grads go on their first big job interview. Due to premiere in the US in May 2010, each episode will feature job seekers vying for a different gig in a unique industry, ranging from a junior designer to an assistant stylist to a talent booker for LA’s trendiest and hottest companies. Viewers follow along as these applicants navigate their way through the nerve-wracking interview process, complete with expert coaching from professional recruiter Ryan Kahn, leading up to the climactic finish where one person will get Hired and land a dream job while the rest will be forced to dust off their resumes and try again.

Mock The Week, is the long running, hilarious satirical panel show produced by Angst productions for the UK BBC2. It is the channel’s top rated comedy programme and one of the most popular downloads from BBC iplayer. Despite its long-established success, Mock The Week will debut at MIPTV this year. Featuring two teams of three comedians and a razor sharp host, it is the edgiest arena on television. A typical episode contains four or five games. In perhaps the most popular, Headliners, the teams are shown a photo of a famous person and the initials from a recent newspaper headline. The panelists make amusing suggestions as to what the letters could represent. Pushing the envelope without being gratuitous, Mock The Week is the everyman viewers’ choice for incisive wit.

Completing the trio is the 4 x 60’ finished programme and format Tower Block Of Commons. Produced by Love Productions for Channel 4 in the UK it attracted impressive audience figures in its primetime slot, peaking at 2 million viewers as well as making headlines in local newspapers. Tower Block of Commons is a poignant new format which has relevance in a large number of international territories. The factual reality show selects willing Members of Parliament from each of the major political parties to leave behind the splendour of the Palace of Westminster and their comfortable existence for eight days and nights. Instead they must live in council tower blocks in some of Britain’s most deprived neighbourhoods. During the process, they come face-to-face with the real issues affecting the residents’ lives, including gangs, immigration, drug addiction, poverty, crime and unemployment.

Ilan Astrug, Head of Format acquisitions at Zodiak Entertainment said, “These new third party acquisitions will fortify and compliment our strong group line up. We are delighted to partner with such respected, established companies.”

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment said “The variety of our line up is such that every broadcaster in the world has a reason to meet Zodiak Entertainment. With these new format acquisitions we continue to complete and reinforce the value of our catalogue”

Images of each show are available on request.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPTV, 12 – 16 April 2010.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution has acquired international rights to distribute three hotly anticipated shows from the UK and US. It will launch the MTV reality format and finished show Hired, BBC2’s hugely popular and long-running comedy panel Mock the Week and Channel 4’s incisive factual format Tower Block of Commons to international buyers at MIPTV 2010.

Hired (format and 20 x 30’ finished show) is the brand new MTV US reality series that tags along as recent college grads go on their first big job interview. Due to premiere in the US in May 2010, each episode will feature job seekers vying for a different gig in a unique industry, ranging from a junior designer to an assistant stylist to a talent booker for LA’s trendiest and hottest companies. Viewers follow along as these applicants navigate their way through the nerve-wracking interview process, complete with expert coaching from professional recruiter Ryan Kahn, leading up to the climactic finish where one person will get Hired and land a dream job while the rest will be forced to dust off their resumes and try again.

Mock The Week, is the long running, hilarious satirical panel show produced by Angst productions for the UK BBC2. It is the channel’s top rated comedy programme and one of the most popular downloads from BBC iplayer. Despite its long-established success, Mock The Week will debut at MIPTV this year. Featuring two teams of three comedians and a razor sharp host, it is the edgiest arena on television. A typical episode contains four or five games. In perhaps the most popular, Headliners, the teams are shown a photo of a famous person and the initials from a recent newspaper headline. The panelists make amusing suggestions as to what the letters could represent. Pushing the envelope without being gratuitous, Mock The Week is the everyman viewers’ choice for incisive wit.

Completing the trio is the 4 x 60’ finished programme and format Tower Block Of Commons. Produced by Love Productions for Channel 4 in the UK it attracted impressive audience figures in its primetime slot, peaking at 2 million viewers as well as making headlines in local newspapers. Tower Block of Commons is a poignant new format which has relevance in a large number of international territories. The factual reality show selects willing Members of Parliament from each of the major political parties to leave behind the splendour of the Palace of Westminster and their comfortable existence for eight days and nights. Instead they must live in council tower blocks in some of Britain’s most deprived neighbourhoods. During the process, they come face-to-face with the real issues affecting the residents’ lives, including gangs, immigration, drug addiction, poverty, crime and unemployment.

Ilan Astrug, Head of Format acquisitions at Zodiak Entertainment said, “These new third party acquisitions will fortify and compliment our strong group line up. We are delighted to partner with such respected, established companies.”

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment said “The variety of our line up is such that every broadcaster in the world has a reason to meet Zodiak Entertainment. With these new format acquisitions we continue to complete and reinforce the value of our catalogue”

Images of each show are available on request.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPTV, 12 – 16 April 2010.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Yo Gabba Gabba! has been licensed to two new broadcasters - EBS in Korea and TV5 in the Philippines. Both broadcasters have taken all three series of the hit kids show.

While, Nickelodeon Australia, ABC Australia, Vision Media (Kuwait), Disney Latin America, Hop! TV (Israel) and True Spark (Thailand) have all recently acquired series 3 of the show having successfully aired the first two series.

Yo Gabba Gabba! has been sold to several key broadcasters internationally and now airs in 29 territories.

RDF Rights assigned Merchantwise as the agent to represent Yo Gabba Gabba! in Australia in 2009 who has successfully signed a raft of deals with over 22 leading licensees in the territory.  In addition to this, a second Yo Gabba Gabba! Live show hosted by DJ Lance opens on June 5 in Sydney moving on to Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne.  YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE'S A PARTY IN MY CITY kicked-off in the U.S. in 2009 to sold-out shows.  The tour continues its run in the U.S. and internationally. 

In Latin America Exim Licensing has successfully secured 10 key licensees through the territories and will launch the very first Yo Gabba Gabba! Live experience in Argentina in June 2010. While Empire Multimedia, the appointed agent in Asia, are appointing local licensees in the territories where the show now currently broadcasts with a view to bringing the live experience to key Asian territories.

-Ends-

For further details please contact:

RDF Media Group Press Office

Tel: 0207 013 4479

Email: Publicity@rdfmedia.com

Notes to editors:

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Yo Gabba Gabba! won a BAFTA award in 2008.  The series infuses retro-style and beat-driven music to teach simple life lessons through a vibrant world of characters who play and dance as soon as they hear the magic words, “Yo Gabba Gabba!”   Yo Gabba Gabba! stars DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) and a cast of colourful characters including: Brobee, the little green one, Foofa, the pink flower bubble, Muno, the red Cyclops, Toodee, the blue cat-dragon and Plex, the yellow robot. 

Yo Gabba Gabba!, created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, is executive produced by Jon Berrett and Michael Polis, CEO of W!LDBRAIN Entertainment. 

Chef, Beat My Dish! is a weekly Saturday night primetime “cook off” format currently airing on leading private broadcaster M6 France (Mon Invitation à Manger). This is the show that asks whose is better, your Mum’s Spaghetti Bolognese or a top restaurant’s recipe? Pitting an amateur against a professional celebrity chef in a cooking duel, Chef, Beat My Dish! has viewers on the edge of their seat as they wonder who will win, the under dog or the expert? Along the way, an expert chef shares their top tips and provides simple advice on cooking for kids before three lucky viewers sample end result to decide which meal wins. Produced by Kitchen Factory Productions, the 30’ format and 22 x 30’ finished show will be available to lifestyle buyers.

Created by FTV Productions BV for Netherlands public broadcaster TROS, Hit It is an intense daily gameshow of geographical knowledge and skill. Using Microsoft Bing! virtual maps, two teams of two players must try to pin point a stated destination. Testing the pair’s ability to communicate quickly and effectively, one blindfolded team member controls the steering ball while his teammate gives instructions as to where to “land”. The map image starts high in the sky and when contestants think they are over the target they say: “Go!” to zoom in. After six rounds, the team with the least accumulated kilometres from the targets is the winner.

When Love Takes Over is an innovative new dating format, brave single men and women rely on a friend or relative to choose their perfect partner. These helpers know their loved-one always goes for exactly the wrong type, and they are not about to make the same mistakes. Entrusted with this important task, they select three potential soul mates and the single must pick one to invite on an adventure. For 24 hours they will live like a real couple, spending the evening and night together. In a dramatic ending, the following day they each write a letter saying whether they want to meet again. Will love take over? When Love Takes Over is produced by La Grosse Equipe for channel NRJ12 France where it is soon to air in a primetime slot having performed consistently well in access primetime.

Ilan Astrug, Head of Format acquisitions at Zodiak Entertainment said, “These formats are a really valuable addition to our MIPTV portfolio and consolidate Zodiak Entertainment’s business relationship with forward-thinking companies such as FTV and La Grosse Equipe. We believe that these formats will travel to many countries.”

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment said “With these final additions to our portfolio, we have again increased the value of our catalogue to offer a full variety of entertainment formats which are sure to prove appealing to every broadcaster in the world.”

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPTV, 12 – 16 April 2010.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.

www.zodiakentertainment.com

One of the most high profile documentary launches is Circus, a spectacular 6 x 60' series produced by Show of Force for PBS (USA) that combines breath-taking HD action with intimate portraits of circus life following a year in the life of the world-renowned Big Apple Circus. This fascinating series is created, executive produced and directed by Emmy and Sundance award-winning film-makers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre.

Two documentaries that show the human side of war are at the heart of the RDFR slate. Inside the Iraq War is a two-hour documentary produced by Towers Productions for the National Geographic Channel in the US, that tells the gripping story of the Iraq War through the first person testimony of the soldiers themselves, using the soldiers' own footage that has never been revealed before. War Torn Warriors (2 x 60') from Uppercut Films is the remarkable story of three Royal Marine Commandos injured in Afghanistan as they embark on an epic journey to the Everest region of the Himalayas. 

Another exclusive access documentary Golden Girl (working title) (1 x 60') from new RDFR client RISE Films charts the story of Caster Semenya, the South African athlete, who was banned from competing as a woman after her gender status was questioned.

RDFR also launches Halcyon River Diaries (4 x 60') this spring; a brand new type of programme featuring a unique mix of wildlife and lifestyle, narrated by Hugh Dennis. Filmed over 12 months by wildlife cameraman Charlie Hamilton-James for BBC One, Halcyon River Diaries is an intimate look at the wildlife of a typical English river, as seen through the eyes of Charlie and his family who live beside it. From beautifully shot sequences of kingfishers battling in mating season, to tracking otters all night with five year old son Gus, this spectacular new series is everything one has come to expect from BBC Natural History and more. Produced by Halcyon Media, Charlie Hamilton-James and Philippa Forrester. Preface has published a book to accompany the series which takes the reader behind the scenes as Philippa and Charlie keep a stunningly illustrated diary of their year.

RDFR also presents Gladiators: Back from the Dead; a one hour documentary from October Films for Channel 4 and the National Geographic US. Using the latest forensic anthropology and stunning full combat reconstructions, this film delivers dramatic new revelations about the life and death of the Roman Gladiator.

RDFR is proud to be bringing The Great Football Giveaway to MIPTV 2010. The 1 x 60' documentary, co produced by Tape 13 Productions and RDFR is a truly uplifting film which follows an inspirational campaign to deliver footballs to the disadvantaged children of Africa.

Jane Millichip, COO of RDFR said: “This is one of the strongest factual slates we've ever had, and very varied - human interest, history, science and wildlife through to some first rate returning factual entertainment series. It's also great to be introducing new producer clients to the international market such as Show of Force, Towers Productions, Halcyon Media, RISE Films and Uppercut, as well as our valued long-standing clients.” 

Both applications will act as forerunners to a new primetime television show, The Age Guessing Game, recently launched by Zodiak Entertainment’s award-winning format house, Mast Media.

It is the first time Zodiak Entertainment has developed a cross-platform entertainment package to generate buzz around a new TV concept, as it looks to leverage the power of its brands across a variety of different content platforms.

Developed by Zodiak Entertainment’s digital content specialists Neo Network, Mast Media and the group’s internal creative and business development unit Grand Zentral, both Apps will be available from the beginning of May.

Andrea Campana, Director of Business Development at Neo Network said, “The digital space allows us to get great new ideas out into the world incredibly quickly. It enables us to build entertainment brands, and communities, where the TV show is the end, rather than the starting point.”

Mark Baker, Managing Director of Mast Media said, “Historically, winning commissions has been about pilots and Powerpoints, we wanted to rip up the rulebook and build an online game that demonstrated the power of the space and helped give commissioners the confidence to go with the TV idea.”
The announcement marks a further strategic step for the Zodiak Entertainment Group, as it increasingly moves from a traditional TV producer to a truly 360° content producer, delivering entertainment across TV, web and mobile. 

In the style of hit website ‘Hot or Not’, the Facebook Application will enable users to find out how old other Facebook users think you really are.

It will also give them the option to play an addictive online game where they have to guess the ages of six random people (in line with the TV proposition) from Facebook in order to win virtual currency and rewards.

Mast Media’s Steve Havers adds “Age Guessing isn’t a game show construct, it’s drawn from real life, it’s something we all do every day whether we like it or not. Try offering someone £5 to guess your age and instantly you’ve got comedy, entertainment and game, it’s a fantastic entertainment space for us to be in.”

The iPhone application will feature the Facebook game and also enable users to ‘Age’ their face, customising how many years younger or older they’d like to make themselves, offering (an often scary) glimpse into how they might look in 10, 20 or even 50 years time.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPTV, 12 – 16 April 2010.

For more information, please contact:
Debbie Lawrence – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 7771 850 580
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors
Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

Zodiak Entertainment and its Miami-based company RM 5to Elemento today announced the widening of their interests in Latin America through the launch of a production centre in Bogota, Colombia. Juan Maldonado, one of Colombia’s most experienced and prolific producers will head the operation as Managing Director.

Maldonado was previously Managing Director of Endemol Andino for four years, producing and selling formats such as Big Brother and Deal or No Deal as well as interactive programming throughout Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama and Colombia. He has also held senior positions at many of Colombia’s top television channels including Grupo Planeta, RTI Television, Canal Caracol, Canal RCN, Cenpro Television, Teleset and Cinevision. More recently, he has produced the Talpa Content format Dating in the Dark for RCN which will premiere on the channel this spring.

Simon Junker, Vice President Latin America Zodiak Entertainment and CEO RM 5to Elemento comments, “Opening an office in Bogota was a natural next step for us after entering the Latin American TV market last year. Colombia has a thriving television industry with some very strong drivers including the imminent implementation of digitalization and the awarding of a new broadcast license in the coming months. I am delighted to welcome Juan – his exceptional knowledge of the market and contacts within the region will help our business gain a solid foothold from the start.”

Juan Maldonado adds, “I am very pleased to be joining the growing Zodiak Entertainment Group. The opportunity to build Colombia into an effective and cost efficient production hub, not only for the Latin American division but for all the Zodiak Entertainment companies, is an exciting challenge.“

Patrick Svensk, SVP Mergers and Acquisitions/Business Development at Zodiak Entertainment said, “The expansion of our Latin American operation further extends our international network and affirms our plans to cross fertilize and build our production and development expertise globally.”

Editorial contact:
Deb Lawrence
+44 20 3008 5406
email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes for Editors
Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.  Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard, Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.  Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

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Several international territories have picked up the rights to produce local versions of the show, including NDTV Image and Colosceum productions in India, SIC and Endemol Productions (Portugal), Nelonen in Finland and Viasat in Lithuania. All are due to launch later this year.

RDFR has also signed renewal deals with TVN and Mastiff in Poland for a 5^th series, SABC and Rapid Blue in South Africa (2^nd series) and a co-production deal between VTM in Belgium and RTL5 in Holland produced by Kanakna, also for a second series.

Barnaby Shingleton, RDFR Head of Light Entertainment Acquisitions, said 'The ever increasing footprint of So You Think You Can Dance shows how the format remains at the top of the pile when it comes to dance reality competitions. While other shows celebrate celebrity or ephemeral talent, So You Think You Can Dance is unashamedly elitist, attracting the very best dancers a territory has to offer. '

So You Think You Can Dance continues to go from strength to strength internationally, with local versions airing in the UK, Australia, Germany, Poland, Malaysia, Israel, Greece and Turkey, among others.

So You Think You Can Dance in the US is produced by 19 Entertainment & dick clark productions for The Fox Network.

Produced by RDF's in-house production company, The Foundation, Tricky TV (20x25') presented by Stephen Mulhern (Britain's Got More Talent, Animals Do The Funniest Things, Ministry Of Mayhem, Quick Trick Show) showcases some of the coolest magic tricks around.

Series 3 will retain many of the much-loved strands but with a new twist. Instead of performing all of the tricks himself, Stephen will be joined by a crack selection of fellow tricksters aged 8-15 to boggle the brains of the viewing public. Each young member of this unique, hand-picked group will showcase their own brand of magic from locations all over the UK.

Fans of the series can look forward to all of the usual segments showcased in the last two series such as: the popular 'Wicked Wind Ups' which uses hidden cameras to hilarious effect; 'The Secret Circle' which reveals the secret behind an incredible trick and how it can be replicated at home and the 'Big Trick' where the Tricky team perform world class illusions, guaranteed to astonish the audience.

Vanessa Hill, Executive Producer, the Foundation comments: “We are delighted to be producing a third series of Tricky TV for CITV. We have scoured the length and breadth of the country to find some amazing young magicians who will feature alongside Stephen, who, as always, brings his own inimitable style to the show.  In this new series, viewers can look forward to picking up some more tricks of the magic trade, but we still have a few tricks up our sleeve that will leave the audience guessing!”

Emma Tennant, Controller, CITV comments: “We are thrilled to have a new series of Tricky TV on CITV and are excited to be moving the format of the show forward by introducing new young aspiring magicians.  Magic is something that has a universal appeal and fascination and Tricky TV is a hugely entertaining series which really resonates with our audience.”

Tricky TV launched on CITV in 2005 and soon became a hit with its target audience, finishing its first series with a total audience of 680,000 viewers, a 16% share of all kids, and 23% share of 7-15 year olds. The news series will start in the autumn.

Internationally Tricky TV has already been picked up by a number of broadcasters including; Norwegian broadcaster NRK, MBC in the Middle East, Teletoon in France, Super RTL in Germany, Disney Japan, Nick India, Mediacorp in Singapore for Okto Channel and Cartoon Network in Korea, South East Asia , Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand.

Tricky TV is produced by The Foundation, part of the RDF Media Group. The executive producer for the series is Vanessa Hill for The Foundation and

Jamila Metran for CITV.

RDF Rights, part of the RDF Media Group owns all rights to the series.

For further details please contact:

RDF Media Group Press Office

Tel: 0207 013 4479

Email: Publicity@rdfmedia.com

Notes to editors:

Stephen Mulhern

Stephen is firmly established as one of the most popular young presenters in the business. He started his career in children's television hosting top programmes, including Ministry of Mayhem, Tricky, Freaky and the BAFTA winning Quick Trick Show where he first showed off his amazing magic skills. Stephen then made the transition into making his name in family entertainment, forging a great relationship with ITV.

He has just finished filming the audition process of the fourth series of Britain's Got More Talent and is currently working on the 9^th series of Do The Funniest Things for ITV1.

The summer will see Stephen host his first Saturday night prime time show for ITV1, Magic Numbers. It's a brand new fast pace live entertainment show where viewer's phones could win them a fortune.

That’s My Kid is created by the Zodiak Entertainment Group’s in-house creative unit, Zodiak Distillery, and launched to the international marketplace at MIPCOM 2009.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment said, “We are delighted to begin a long and fruitful relationship with Egyptian Radio & Television and are already working on the next products we will launch together! This proves once more that Zodiak Entertainment’s strategy to release shows both created by its local companies and by its Central Creative Unit is the right one”

Ahmad Latief, Acquisition Manager at Egyptian Radio & Television said, “That’s My Kid is a fantastic family format and we can’t wait to introduce it to the Egyptian audience. We are excited to be collaborating with world leading Group like Zodiak Entertainment on this project.”

In addition to Egyptian Radio & Television, Russian entertainment network CTC has also snapped up rights to the format, where the show will be produced by Zodiak Entertainment Russia.

So you think you know what’s going on in your kid’s head? This entertaining family programme challenges parents to prove it, with hilarious and often surprising results. First we meet the four stars of the show – the kids – via short films of them talking about home life and their hopes and dreams. Then we meet the parents, who are invited to win points for picking out their child from a line-up of dressed-up characters, predicting their children’s reactions to set-up scenarios filmed by hidden cameras, or guessing what they will think of professional dance routines or magic acts (as well as simply guessing what their kids are talking about!). The parents who prove that they know their kid best will win a fabulous family holiday.

Visit the Zodiak Entertainment stand: LR4 02 during MIPTV, 12 – 16 April 2010.

For more information, please contact:
Debbie Lawrence – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 7771 850 580
dlawrence@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

Handford joins IWC having previously worked at Talkback Thames as a Producer on both the last and the forthcoming series of BBC One's prime time series The Apprentice. She has previously worked in both producer and development roles for various independents and broadcasters including Channel 4, BBC, Wag TV, ITN and Cicada.  

In this new position, Clare will be responsible for leading the Factual and Specialist Factual development teams in Glasgow.

Rachel Bell, Head of Specialist Factual said 'we are delighted to have someone with such a wide range of experience and such an enthusiasm for popular specialist factual television.'

Clare Handford said 'IWC has an exemplary track record in factual and specialist factual television and I am thrilled to be joining such a vibrant and diverse company.'

Since its premiere on CBeebies (UK) in May 2009 and retail launch soon after, the pre-school property has performed incredibly well across all platforms.

On screen, Waybuloo quickly became a hit with pre-schoolers ranking as one of CBeebies'  highest rating show launches of 2009 with three quarters of the target audience tuning into at least one episode of Waybuloo last year (3.5m)*. Viewing figures in 2010 have been just as positive with episodes peaking at over half a million viewers on CBeebies.

The BBC re-commissioned another 50 episodes of the pre school series which goes into production this summer and new episodes are set to premiere on CBeebies later this year.

Waybuloo continues to enjoy international success airing in 78 countries worldwide having been acquired by broadcasters in Ireland (RTE), Australia (ABC), New Zealand (TV NZ), Canada (Treehouse TV), Finland (YLE), Portugal (RTP), Middle East (Al Jazeera's Children Channel) and the CBeebies channel in Poland, Africa, Asia and India.

At retail Waybuloo has had a phenomenal first year in the UK. According to NPD EPOS retail tracking, Waybuloo was the number one new pre-school property in 2009** and RDF Rights continues to secure new licensing partners with 34 in place to date. New Waybuloo products for 2010 include new ranges in outdoor play, party wear, furniture, footwear and houseware and lighting.

Internationally, RDF Rights has appointed Fisher Price as the global master toy partner and Egmont as the global publisher (excluding North America and Canada). ABC DVD and Egmont books have launched into the ABC shops across Australia and Merchantwise, RDFR's licensing agent in the territory, are actively discussing potential deals with other partners.

Maria Sze, Brand Director, RDFR: “We are delighted to be marking Waybuloo's birthday with such a success story, one year on from launch the property is as strong as ever and it doesn't show any sign of slowing down. We look forward to building on this success to date to expand the brand further both in the UK and internationally.”

Waybuloo is produced by The Foundation, part of the RDF Media Group, and Decode Entertainment for CBeebies.

RDF Rights holds worldwide rights in all media in the property, with the exception of Canada where Decode Enterprises handles broadcast and home entertainment rights, and DHX Licensing represents consumer products rights. Both Decode Enterprises and DHX Licensing are subsidiaries of DHX Media.

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

* Source: BARB

** From the Top 10 new properties 2009 - NPD EPOS retail tracking

For the first time in its 20 year history, Zodiak Entertainment Distribution’s hit adventure game show format Fort Boyard has been commissioned by a broadcaster in Finland.  In its largest single commission to date, innovative Finnish television channel SuomiTV, which launched in 2009, has ordered ten episodes to air in primetime later this year.  This flagship series for the channel will be co-produced by Zodiak Entertainment Finland Oy and Adventure Line Productions, both Zodiak Entertainment companies.

The news follows a wave of new commissions across Scandinavia, with locally produced versions of Fort Boyard already set to air in Norway, Denmark and Sweden in the coming months.  In an extremely exciting year for the world’s most famous adventure gameshow, seven new series of Fort Boyard will be produced for different territories in just the first six months of 2010.  

Since its launch twenty years ago, more than 1,400 episodes of Fort Boyard have been produced for thirty countries* with the finished series being sold on to broadcasters in more than 20 countries**.

Jarmo Kalliola, Managing Director at SuomiTV comments, “This is the biggest solo investment in an entertainment format that we have made at SuomiTV and we’re extremely excited by the prospect of bringing Fort Boyard to our family focused audience.   Fort Boyard’s track record speaks for itself and we know the series will attract viewers and bring great entertainment and fun to our screens this autumn.”

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment adds, “Fort Boyard is definitely the flavour of the moment and we’re delighted.  As a new channel, SuomiTV needs big shows to define its brand identity and which will guarantee audience ratings.  Fort Boyard delivers all of this as well as being great value for money.”

Built in the Atlantic Ocean by Napoleon in the 19th century, the unique and magical Fort Boyard underwent extensive restoration to create one of the world’s largest outdoor television studios.  The show offers the ultimate in adventure as teams of contestants – either members of the public or from the world of celebrity – enter the Fort to attempt to win Boyard’s gold.  The team are accompanied by a cast of strange characters and tasked with completing a gamut of physical and endurance challenges, offering intense suspense, strong emotions, riddles to solve and a code to discover.  All before contestants even reach the Fort Boyard Treasure Room – guarded by tigers!

For more information, please contact:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

*Fort Boyard has been produced in France (France 2), UK (Five and Challenge TV), Sweden (TV4 and TV3), Russia (NTV and RTR), Germany (Sat. 1 and Pro7), Denmark (TV3), Canada (TVA), Greece (Star), Argentina (Canal 13) as well as Algeria, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and USA.

** A total of 1,115 episodes of ready made versions of Fort Boyard have been broadcast in countries as diverse as Japan, Venezuela, Thailand, Portugal, Poland, France, Canada, China and many more.

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, Mastiff, Marathon, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Sol, RM 5to Elemento and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Fort Boyard,  Peking Express, Stars on Stage, Wallander, St Tropez, Totally Spies!, Gormiti and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. 

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Zodiak Entertainment (Zodiak) has today announced the acquisition of the RDF Media Group (RDF), one of the UK’s largest independent production and distribution companies with operations in the UK and US.

Zodiak has simultaneously announced the appointment of David Frank to the role of CEO of Zodiak Entertainment. Previously David Frank was CEO of RDF. Lorenzo Pellicioli, CEO of De Agostini Group and Chairman & CEO of Zodiak will continue to serve as Chairman of the new enlarged group.

The deal consolidates Zodiak’s position as a global force in the production and distribution of content for multi-media platforms (the most significant of which is television). The new group has annual sales exceeding €500 million.

The deal brings together award-winning and internationally renowned companies from across Europe, the US and South America. Zodiak now has a significant presence in more than 20 countries, among which include the UK, the US, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and Russia.

Headquartered in Paris, Zodiak was originally created by De Agostini through the acquisition of the Magnolia Group in Italy/Spain (2007), the Marathon Group in France (2007) and Zodiak Television in territories including Scandinavia, Benelux, Poland, Russia, India and Latin America (2008). De Agostini, a family-owned private Group, is an international financial conglomerate with a holding, De Agostini S.p.A, that coordinates the strategic operating companies - De Agostini Editore (Publishing), Antena 3, jointly with Planeta Corporation, and Zodiak Entertainment (Media & Communications), Lottomatica Group (Gaming) and DeA Capital (Finance).

RDF was founded by David Frank in 1993, floated on the London Stock Market (AIM) in 2005 and was subsequently acquired in 2009 by a consortium of the RDF management team and funds managed by Cyrte Investments BV.

As a result of this deal, Zodiak is about 71% owned by De Agostini with the remaining 29% of Zodiak capital owned by Zodiak Managers (including RDF managers) and funds managed by Cyrte Investments BV.

Lorenzo Pellicioli, CEO of De Agostini Group, said: “With the acquisition of RDF Media Group the consolidation process of Zodiak is completed. Zodiak, with its strong international footprint and its presence in all entertainment formats, is today one of the main content producers in the world. We are particularly glad to welcome David Frank as the new future CEO of Zodiak and we are sure that his experience and his deep expertise will lead Zodiak towards important goals”.

David Frank, CEO RDF and CEO designate of Zodiak said: “The content business is both changing rapidly and becoming more global by the day and this is a huge opportunity to be at the very heart of this revolution. In my opinion to succeed you need two things – brilliant creative executives and scale. This deal delivers both and I am confident that the Zodiak management team can build a world-beating company.”

For further details please contact:

The Press Office:

Hayley Bushell +44 (0) 207 013 4479

Rachel Davidson +44 (0) 207 013 4259

Zodiak has simultaneously announced the appointment of David Frank to the role of CEO of Zodiak Entertainment. Previously David Frank was CEO of RDF. Lorenzo Pellicioli, CEO of De Agostini Group and Chairman & CEO of Zodiak will continue to serve as Chairman of the new enlarged group.

The deal consolidates Zodiak's position as a global force in the production and distribution of content for multi-media platforms (the most significant of which is television). The new group has annual sales exceeding €500 million.

The deal brings together award-winning and internationally renowned companies from across Europe, the US and South America. Zodiak now has a significant presence in more than 20 countries, among which include the UK, the US, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and Russia.

Headquartered in Paris, Zodiak was originally created by De Agostini through the acquisition of the Magnolia Group in Italy/Spain (2007), the Marathon Group in France (2007) and Zodiak Television in territories including Scandinavia, Benelux, Poland, Russia, India and Latin America (2008). De Agostini, a family-owned private Group, is an international financial conglomerate with a holding, De Agostini S.p.A, that coordinates the strategic operating companies - De Agostini Editore (Publishing), Antena 3, jointly with Planeta Corporation, and Zodiak Entertainment (Media & Communications), Lottomatica Group (Gaming) and DeA Capital (Finance).

RDF was founded by David Frank in 1993, floated on the London Stock Market (AIM) in 2005 and was subsequently acquired in 2009 by a consortium of the RDF management team and funds managed by Cyrte Investments BV.

As a result of this deal, Zodiak is about 71% owned by De Agostini with the remaining 29% of Zodiak capital owned by Zodiak Managers (including RDF managers) and funds managed by Cyrte Investments BV.

Lorenzo Pellicioli, CEO of De Agostini Group, said: “With the acquisition of RDF Media Group the consolidation process of Zodiak is completed. Zodiak, with its strong international footprint and its presence in all entertainment formats, is today one of the main content producers in the world. We are particularly glad to welcome David Frank as the new future CEO of Zodiak and we are sure that his experience and his deep expertise will lead Zodiak towards important goals”.

David Frank, CEO RDF and CEO designate of Zodiak said: “The content business is both changing rapidly and becoming more global by the day and this is a huge opportunity to be at the very heart of this revolution. In my opinion to succeed you need two things - brilliant creative executives and scale. This deal delivers both and I am confident that the Zodiak management team can build a world-beating company.” 

Zodiak Entertainment today announces its first US Hispanic production, Back In Wedding Shape for the leading Spanish-language cable channel in the US, Galavisión. Zodiak Entertainment Group’s Latin American production company RM 5to Elemento will produce 13 episodes of the Zodiak Entertainment / Sparks Network distributed format “Back In Wedding Shape” out of their Miami offices with the Spanish title “El Peso Del Matrimonio”

Simon Junker, Vice President Latin America, at Zodiak Entertainment and CEO, RM 5to Elemento said “We are very pleased to announce this first RM 5to Elemento production for Galavisión. The US Hispanic market is growing at an incredible pace and will continue to do so in the years to come. As a result, it is increasingly important to advertisers. Being a global content producer, Zodiak Entertainment will keep focusing on this exciting and vibrant market and use its extensive catalogue and production facilities to deliver high end quality content to the broadcasters targeting the US Hispanic market.”

RM 5to Elemento is also finalising negotiations with a number of other broadcasters in the region, for which related deals are to be announced in the coming weeks.

Back In Wedding Shape was originally produced by Kanakna, a Zodiak Entertainment company, for VTM in Belgium. It asks, whatever happened to that slim, fantastic looking couple in the wedding photographs? Did they really look that great? When did they start taking each other for granted? When did contentment turn into kilos and when did passion become a fading memory? With the help of health and fitness experts, couples are set the ultimate challenge - to regain their prenuptial figure in just eight weeks. But these couples aren’t putting themselves under pressure for nothing. They’re shedding those extra kilos just in time to renew their vows and hopefully relight the fires of passion.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment

T: 0044 203 008 5407

laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. 

www.zodiakentertainment.com 

Zodiak Entertainment announces new sales in Spain and Portugal. Â Super RTL acquires the license mandate for German-speaking Europe.

Just six months after her debut on the global stage at MIPCOM 2009, Sally Bollywood is forging ahead with her international career.

Sally Bollywood has conquered Spain where she will air on Cartoon Network/Telecinco and Portugal when she’ll appear on Aquarius. These new sales are added to those already signed with Super RTL in Germany, Disney Channel in France, Germany, Italy and French-speaking Africa, VRT and RTBF in Belgium, Noga in Israel and Atlantic Pictures in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Deals are also being finalised in the Netherlands and the Middle East.

Currently broadcasting on Disney Germany, the series will air from October 2011 on Super RTL. The channel has just acquired a license mandate for German-speaking Europe.

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Scripted Sales Director at Zodiak Entertainment who brokered the deal said, “Sally Bollywood is a lovable and exciting children’s character who is steadily charming her way around the globe. We are delighted to announce these new sales in Spain and Portugal and hope to see them taking advantage of the cross-media opportunities this brand has in their territories.”Â

Sally Bollywood is a 52 x 13’ animated series follows the investigations led by Sally, a young private detective whose inquiries are followed up around her school and the local neighborhood. Sally’s adventures are full of humor with a touch of spice and unfold against a colorful musical backdrop.Â

As with all the series developed by Télé Images Kids, Sally Bollywood has a strong cross-media presence. Four novels have already been published by Nathan and a stationery range has been released by Ercé, which will be followed in September 2010 by a comic strip from Jungle, DVDs from France Télévisions Distribution and a luggage and textile range from Sahinler. The video of Nâdiya, who performs the title music for the series, has been multibroadcast on the France 3 TV channel and Sony Music has released it on CD.

www.mon-ludo.fr/sally-bollywood

Produced by Télé Images Kids (Philippe Alessandri and Giorgio Welter) and Three’s a Company for France 3 and Network 7, Sally Bollywood is a Franco-Australian coproduction created in 2D digital animation between Paris, Annecy and Sydney. It is distributed internationally by Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.

Notes for editors:

About Sally Bollywood

12-year old Sally holds an unflinching admiration for her brilliant detective father, Harry Bollywood. So it’s no surprise that she’s determined to follow in his footsteps and become an ace investigator. It’s genetic!

With the help of her friend Dowee, Sally sets up a sub-department in her father’s detective agency – “Sally Bollywood Investigation” (SBI) – open only on weekends and vacations. And just to avoid competition with her father’s business, Sally’s agency provides services exclusively to kids. Homework gone missing? Close friends or pets mysteriously vanished? Arguments or alibis needed to settle disputes? “Sally Bollywood Investigation” can save the day! Results guaranteed within 24 hours! Payments in sweets or candy eagerly accepted! 52 x 13 min.A series produced by Philippe Alessandri and Giorgio Welter, created by Pepper Sue et Elastik Jane, and directed by Jérémie Hoarau and Alexis Ducord. © Télé Images Kids – Three’s a company – francetelevisions - 2010

Â

About Télé Images Kids

Founded and run by Philippe Alessandri, Tele Images Kids, a daughter company of the Marathon Group, is one of Europe’s leading producers of youth programmes, with animated hit shows such as “Street Football” (78 half-hours) or “Atomic Betty” (78 half-hours) and the live action series “Studio 24” (78 half-hours).

Â

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile. Â Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 30 highly successful production companies including Diverse, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird. Â Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium. Â Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.Â

www.zodiakentertainment.comÂ

Â

Press contact:

Valérie Tailland – 01 53 10 91 32 / vtailland@marathon.fr

Â

International Sales contact:

Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet – Scripted Sales Director

Tel: +33 1 53 10 91 31

emmanuelle.bouilhaguet@zodiakentertainment.com

Â

The initiative will be funded by the producers of the series IWC Media and distributors RDF Rights and will roll out from June 2010.

Executive producer for IWC Media Rachel Bell said:
'We wanted to make sure that teenagers - particularly at the age when they are choosing their GCSE/Standard grade subjects - had access to the series. Behind Genius of Britain is a desire to show a generation that many of the greatest scientists didn't go to the best schools or even come top of the class - they were just smart people who asked questions and didn't stop until they'd found an answer.'

The Genius of Britain book is published by Harper Collins and the DVD by 4DVD. Originally aired over five consecutive nights on Channel4, Genius of Britain received rave reviews in the national press:

'This is a superb programme that makes you feel smarter for just having watched it…'
The Times

'This was a serious attempt to do scientific history justice, an intelligent but accessible account of the lives of men and women who had shaped the course of history, presented by men and women who had spent their lives studying them.'
The Guardian

Waybuloo goes to Italy!

Pre school series Waybuloo now airs in 79 countries worldwide.

RDF Rights, part of the RDF Media Group, is delighted to announce the continued international success of Waybuloo having just struck a deal with two Italian broadcasters. Rai Yoyo and DeAKids have both acquired 100 episodes of the hit preschool series.

These recent sales deals bring the total number of countries that Waybuloo airs in to 79 worldwide. In addition to Italy, the series has also been acquired by broadcasters in Ireland (RTE), Australia (ABC), New Zealand (TV NZ), Canada (Treehouse TV), Finland (YLE), Portugal (RTP), Middle East (Al Jazeera's Children Channel) and the CBeebies channel in Poland, Africa, Asia and India.

Nigel Pickard, Group Director, Family Entertainment and Drama at RDF said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to report these recent deals and the continued success of Waybuloo after just one year in the international market. The series has really exceeded all our expectations in such a short period of time and we look forward to seeing the property continue to grow internationally.”

Waybuloo is produced by The Foundation, part of the RDF Media Group, and Decode Entertainment for CBeebies.

RDF Rights holds worldwide rights in all media in the property, with the exception of Canada where Decode Enterprises handles broadcast and home entertainment rights, and DHX Licensing represents consumer products rights. Both Decode Enterprises and DHX Licensing are subsidiaries of DHX Media.

Mastiff Russia, a Zodiak Entertainment company, today announces the appointment of Anton Goreslavsky as Managing Director and Head Producer. Goreslavsky will focus on bringing Zodiak Entertainment’s in-house developed formats to the Russian market.  

Prior to his new role, Anton was Producer and Managing Director of Belaya Studia, part of Russia’s largest independent production company Krasny Kvadrat (also known as Red Square).

Previously Anton has produced the Russian versions of Survivor, Wipeout, Russia’s Got Talent, Heart of Africa and more, as well as holding the role of Deputy Executive Director of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 which was hosted in Moscow.

Anton Goreslavsky said “It’s really great to be part of the Zodiak family. It’s a rapidly growing international company with great ambitions and a strong team spirit. I already feel infected by it. I hope that having this international support and with the experience of our local team we should achieve significant results in the Russian TV market.” 

Patrick Svensk, Senior Vice President Mergers & Acquisitions/Business Development of Zodiak Entertainment, added “With Anton on board, Zodiak Entertainment now employs three of Russia’s most renowned producers. In an industry where creative talent is everything, this is quite an achievement.” 

As the first nation to adopt up and coming family format That’s My Kid!, created in house by Zodiak Distillery, the initiative is already off to a promising start. The show premiered on channel CTC during May 2010 drawing excellent ratings for its time slot. That’s My Kid! has since gone on to be produced in China, Indonesia and Egypt. 

Along with Dixi TV, Ritm-TV, DocuDrama, TeleFormat and TeleRoman, Mastiff is one of six Russia based Zodiak Entertainment subsidiaries. 

Press contact:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. 

www.zodiakentertainment.com

Recently launched Finnish broadcaster, SuomiTV, has acquired a raft of Zodiak Entertainment finished content to feature heavily in its forthcoming schedules. Sales include home improvement show Best House on the Street (6 x 60’), mother and daughter lifestyle series Mom’s Cooking (20 x 30’), career crash course Would Like to Work (12 x 30’), and the eye-opening reality project Young Black Farmers (5 x 60’).

Elsewhere, talent-led lifestyle programmes from the UK’s Red House have been a success with international buyers looking for the next big hit for their home improvement hungry audiences, along side some unique game and factual entertainment shows whose innovative concepts have caught the attention of the global marketplace.

Help My House is Falling Down (6 x 60’), presented by property expert Sarah Beeny, has sold to TV4 in Sweden, XYZ Networks in Australia and RTL in the Netherlands. Yet to air in the UK on Channel 4, the idea of the show which is a life line for families whose homes are afflicted with serious structural problems, has been picked up internationally on the strength of its universal appeal.

Also from Red House, another newcomer to the international market place Landscape Man (6 x60) has sold to TV3 in New Zealand, XYZ Networks in Australia, Direct 8 in France, and RTL Netherlands. Recently aired on the UK’s Channel 4, Landscape Man is presented by hot new talent Matthew Wilson whose knowledge and passion for landscape projects sees him advising and following amateurs as they attempt to create their own breath-taking outside space.

Other recent deals include the acquisition of Codex, Oblivious and Fort Boyard by Brunei TV and the sale of Keep the Faith to Phoenix/ZDF in Germany. Additionally, finished French adventure entertainment show Peking Express has been sold to Canal Evasion in French speaking Canada.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment commented, “Over recent months Zodiak Entertainment Distribution has become a major player in the ready mades market. As well as capitalising on the great content at our fingertips, we are also active in acquiring and distributing third party shows. The result is being able to offer broadcasters truly high quality international programming packages for their channels.”

Headlining Zodiak Entertainment’s line up for DISCOP 2010 is One World, the format which merges the current trend of flash mobs and street art with big scale studio entertainment, alongside established favourites such as That’s My Kid, The Guillotine and Sing If You Can. Zodiak Entertainment will also present some of its newest third party acquired ready made content such as MTV’s Hired!, long-standing BBC show Mock the Week and Channel 4’s Tower Block of Commons.
Images are available on request.

Press contact:
Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
www.zodiakentertainment.com

The first film in the Swedish Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, has grossed $ 103 million* at the box office worldwide making it one of the most successful European non-English speaking films of all time. 

“This is beyond what we ever expected. For a film shot in a language spoken by merely nine million people, this kind of success is absolutely remarkable.” said Mikael Wallén, President of the production company Yellow Bird, part of the Zodiak Entertainment Group.

During the 2000s only five other non-English European films have grossed above $100 million. All of them are French and include Amélie ($174 million) and the recent hit Welcome to the Sticks ($245 million)*.

Outside Scandinavia, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) has been particularly successful in Spain ($14 million), France ($10 million) and the US ($8.7 million). The film is yet to be released in several major markets such as Russia and Mexico.

David Frank, CEO of Zodiak Entertainment, which also handles international sales of the trilogy said, “The Millennium trilogy is currently one of our most important assets. Around 50 territories have bought the first film and already some 30 countries have picked up the second and third.”

The second film in the trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, opens in the US and the UK on July 2 and August 27 respectively. The final part, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, will also get US and UK releases during the autumn. Taken together, the three films have so far grossed around $173 million worldwide. 

Swedish company Yellow Bird has produced the trilogy, based on Stieg Larsson’s immensely popular books and together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. The Zodiak Entertainment group consists of more than 40 production companies in 18 territories and boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. 

Yellow Bird is currently developing several new films based on Scandinavian bestsellers. The shooting of a Norwegian feature film adaptation of Jo Nesbö’s thriller novel Headhunters will begin in September, starring Aksel Hennie. The film will be produced together with Friland. In Sweden, the company is developing a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s books featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. Shooting is expected to start early next year. 

For more information, please contact:

Mikael Wallén, President of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15

*Box Office Mojo reports a total worldwide gross for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo of $100,385,404. This figure however excludes box office in Canada of around $2.6 million. Gross figures for Amelie and Welcome to the Sticks are taken from Box Office Mojo. The foreign figures included therein do not necessarily add up to the foreign totals.

Notes to editors:

Yellow Bird was founded in 2003 and is currently one of Scandinavia’s biggest companies in the development and production of drama for TV and cinema. A German subsidiary has also been established in Munich.

Yellow Bird focuses primarily on international co-productions based on successful books or on characters from such books. Apart from the adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, Yellow Bird has also been behind productions such as the Swedish and English Wallander series (the latter together with UK company Left Bank Pictures). www.yellowbird.se

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.

Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location, Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and the international feature film sensation Millennium. Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. www.zodiakentertainment.com

Jedward: Home Alone (working title) is an access-all-areas pass to their private lives as, following their success on the X Factor, the duo leave the room they share at their family home.  The series will film their trial run at cutting their aprons strings and attempting to set up home by themselves for a week.   And in their new flat, in the heart of a hip part of Dublin, they will live in separate rooms for the first time in their lives.

The cameras will capture an intimate look at Jedward's lives as they try to fend for themselves and cope with simple tasks that come with living on their own.    Without any help from their mum, the duo will have to get stuck into to decorating, DIY, dining and maybe even dating.  Will they cope or decide to run back home to their mum? 

Viewers will meet their family and get the inside track on the hype and hysteria surrounding the nation's favourite twins.    The series will also follow them as they prepare for the launch of their new album, perform onstage, and deal with their fame whilst trying to adapt to their new surroundings and independence.  

Jedward said: "We are so excited that we have our own show. People find it hard to define us and hopefully the show will give viewers and our fans an insight into our world during a really exciting point in our lives launching our debut album."

Jedward: Home Alone (working title) is an RDF Television production for ITV2.  The series was ordered by Zai Bennett, Director of Digital Channels and Acquisitions at ITV and commissioned by Katy Thorogood, ITV's Commissioning Editor Factual and Daytime.  The executive producer is Jim Allen, RDF Television.

Katy Thorogoood said: "Ever since the X Factor, people have been fascinated by Jedward.  Now's our chance to find out what goes on in their unique world.  We're looking forward to working with RDF on this brand new ITV2 series which will give our viewers exclusive access to their lives."

Zodiak Entertainment today announces its first Mexican production, Beyond Boundaries. Fundación Teleton Mexico has picked up the rights to the successful format to be broadcasted by leading Mexican broadcaster, Televisa. Fundación Teleton Mexico has contracted Zodiak Entertainment Group’s Latin American production company RM 5to Elemento to produce eight episodes of the Zodiak Entertainment distributed format.

Simon Junker, Vice President Latin America, at Zodiak Entertainment and CEO, RM 5to Elemento said “We are very pleased to announce this first RM 5to Elemento production in Mexico. Mexico has historically been a very special and difficult market for international companies like ours to enter. Our first production in this interesting, vibrant territory proves once again the diversity and power of the Zodiak Entertainment catalogue, and reinforces our strategy to focus on shows that demand our rare production expertise. The Mexican TV market is a mature one with great production talent and we are looking forward to further exploiting our extensive catalogue here to build a firm presence in the country.”

RM 5to Elemento is also finalising negotiations with a number of other broadcasters in the region, for which related deals are to be announced in the coming weeks.

Beyond Boundaries is created by the UK’s Diverse Production for the BBC, it has also been produced locally by Mastiff Norway and Kanaka in Belgium, all Zodiak Entertainment Group production companies. A ground-breaking reality series, Beyond Boundaries sees a group of disabled people face the challenge of an extraordinary expedition across the wilderness. The series, filmed in high definition, records a 500 km journey across some of the world’s most difficult terrain.

Beyond Boundaries has become the most successful launch of a reality show in Norway to date, attracting a consistent audience share of 51% across the whole first series on primary broadcaster NRK where it aired in a Sunday night prime time slot. The format has also scooped two awards at the Norwegian TV industries annual award ceremony, the Gullruten Awards. Locally titled Ingen Grenser, the show won the Best Reality Show and their host Lars Monsen won the People’s Favourite Award. The show also won the local ’Media Rose’ – the prize awarded to the person or show that has promoted positive values in the Media. VRT in Belgium has acquired the rights to re-run the first series of seven episodes due to its popularity from the original run and I Productions have optioned the format for the Middle East.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse Production, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. 

www.zodiakentertainment.com 

TV4 Sweden is to adapt Zodiak Entertainment’s musical extravaganza format The Best Singers for local audiences. The original FTV Productions format is currently an unstoppable hit on primary broadcaster TROS in the Netherlands and is set to take Sweden by storm.

Mastiff Sweden, a Zodiak Entertainment company, will produce eight episodes, set to air during Autumn this year on TV4. The second season of the Dutch show, which features well-established national singing stars, is smashing TROS’ average market share of 4%, drawing an audience high of 733,000 viewers or an 11.4% market share - almost triple the average. In recognition of the show’s outstanding success it has been nominated in the “Best Entertainment” category at the Dutch TV Awards.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales, Zodiak Entertainment Distribution said “This innovative format combines variety entertainment with celeb reality and is the first time well known artists have been brought together in such a way. We’re very pleased to see The Best Singers travelling to Sweden and are sure it will continue to build on The Netherlands success. Our strategy to represent both third party and in house created formats on the world stage continues to help us offer the best possible portfolio for our clients.”

The Best Singers takes established singing stars from a particular country and gets them to perform each other’s best-selling hits. Travelling to a glamorous location, they eat, sleep and sing together for the duration of the series. These national singing sensations are all famous in their own right, but can they belt out their colleagues’ songs just as well as their own? In each episode, one of the stars takes the role of main guest, and they sit in judgment as the other group members perform rousing versions of songs from their repertoire. The main guest must then decide which of The Best Singers did their classic tracks justice.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse Production, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. 

www.zodiakentertainment.com 

Zodiak Entertainment Distribution’s hit adventure game show Fort Boyard is to air in Germany after a ten year break.  A brand new German version of the timeless reality format will be co-produced by format creators ALP in France and Tresor TV for the ProSiebenSat.1 Group.  The nine episode series is scheduled to air on kabel eins in primetime.

This news comes hot on the heels of Fort Boyard’s incredible success on TV4 Sweden where is it co-produced by ALP and Jarowskij, another Zodiak Entertainment company. Returning to air in the territory this week after a six year break, episodes one and two of the show had an average share of 51,5% (12-59) compared to a channel average of around 19%. Each episode has drawn an audience of 1.7m viewers (equal to 18.4% of the Swedish population) easily winning its time slot and making Fort Boyard the fourth most successful show for TV4 in 2010 to date.

Germany is the seventh country to commission an international edition Fort Boyard in 2010.

Axel Stegmaier, Vice President Scripted Reality & Real Life Show at kabel eins in Germany comments, “There are few formats that can stand the test of time - but Fort Boyard is one that we’re certain will have strong appeal.  Both to those viewers who know the show well, and also to those that are completely new to the incredible roller coaster of emotions it delivers.”

Maria Mowbray, Deputy Head of Commissioning at TV4 said “Fort Boyard is a format which has always been close to Sweden’s heart. When it launched on TV4 some 20 years ago it was our flagship show and ran for seven consecutive years from 1990 – 1997 (as well as two series in 2003-4). We are thrilled to have it back on air, with the same host, the same standard of first class entertainment and drawing the same incredible ratings.”

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment adds, “The international resurgence of Fort Boyard continues.  It’s now Sweden’s turn to prove its love for this great adventure game show.  TV4 has been overwhelmed with the ratings and we’re extremely pleased that the world’s best known adventure format is now heading back to such a significant territory as Germany.  We’re sure that the series will work hard for kabel eins in its forthcoming primetime slot.”

Since its launch twenty years ago, almost 1,500 episodes of Fort Boyard have been produced for thirty countries* with the finished series being sold on to broadcasters in more than 20 countries**. Because of its incredible location, filming on Fort Boyard can only take place in spring and summer each year.  In order to get a prime spot next year’s shooting season, brand new deals with broadcasters in Brazil and Tunisia have already been signed for production in 2011.

Built in the Atlantic Ocean by Napoleon in the 19th century, the unique and magical Fort Boyard underwent extensive restoration to create one of the world’s largest outdoor television studios.  The show offers the ultimate in adventure as teams of contestants – either members of the public or from the world of celebrity – enter the Fort to attempt to win Boyard’s gold.  The team are accompanied by a cast of strange characters and tasked with completing a gamut of physical and endurance challenges, offering intense suspense, strong emotions, riddles to solve and a code to discover.  All before contestants even reach the Fort Boyard Treasure Room – guarded by tigers!

For more information, please contact:

Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

*Fort Boyard has been produced in France (France 2), UK (Five and Challenge TV), Sweden (TV4 and TV3), Russia (NTV and RTR), Germany (Sat. 1 and Pro7), Denmark (TV3), Canada (TVA), Greece (Star), Argentina (Canal 13) as well as Algeria, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and USA.

** A total of 1,115 episodes of ready made versions of Fort Boyard have been broadcast in countries as diverse as Japan, Venezuela, Thailand, Portugal, Poland, France, Canada, China and many more.

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse Production, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. www.zodiakentertainment.com 

Straight-talking style gurus Trinny & Susannah will embark on a series of “makeover missions” beginning with The Netherlands and Australia thanks to Zodiak Entertainment Distribution. Trinny & Susannah’s Makeover Mission, a format created by Kanakna, a Zodiak Entertainment company, has sold to RTL in the Netherlands and XYZ in Australia. 

Trinny & Susannah: Missie Holland, will make its debut tonight on Dutch commercial broadcaster RTL4 during prime time. The 7 x 60’ series is being produced locally by Palm Plus, a Zodiak Entertainment company. This is the series second international commission following the recent sale to XYZ in Australia which commissioned six episodes of the series to be produced by Detour Productions for its LifeStyle You channel. The show will see the renowned fashion duo traveling from city to city, transforming 20 unsuspecting women in just 12 hours.

Matthieu Porte, Head of Format Sales at Zodiak Entertainment commented “This format is really gathering momentum since its launch at MIPTV. Primary broadcaster Vitaya couldn’t wait to commission its second series and these sales are just the tip of the iceberg as far as international interest is concerned.”

In Trinny & Susannah’s Makeover Mission, Trinny Woodall & Susannah Constantine (What Not To Wear) identify women who could be beautiful and confident, but aren’t. With the help of their professional makeover team – a hairdresser, make-up artist, two seamstresses and a photographer – they bring about dramatic transformations. These once dowdy women are suddenly ready to strut their stuff. Their lives will never be the same, and Trinny & Susannah fly on to the next challenge.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Saldanha – The Lippin Group on behalf of Zodiak Entertainment
T: 0044 203 008 5407
laura@lippingroup.com

Notes to editors

Zodiak Entertainment is a leading creator, producer and distributor of multi-genre content for TV, cinema, internet and mobile.  Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Entertainment is comprised of more than 40 highly successful production companies including Diverse Production, IWC Media, Jarowskij, Magnolia, Mastiff, Marathon, Presentable, RDF Television, RDF USA, RM 5to Elemento, Sol, The Comedy Unit, The Foundation, Touchpaper Television, and Yellow Bird.   Operating in over 18 countries around the world, Zodiak Entertainment companies produce hit programmes such as Being Human, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Location Location Location,Peking Express, St Tropez, Stars on Stage, Wallander, The Secret Millionaire, Totally Spies!, Waybuloo and international feature film sensation, Millennium.   Zodiak Entertainment boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris. www.zodiakentertainment.com

The new company brings together award-winning and internationally renowned production and rights companies from across Europe, the US, South America and Asia.

David Frank, CEO Zodiak Media Group is also planning to discontinue the group brands that previously made up the group in favour of Zodiak-designated regional and operational divisions while retaining all the local production brand names. Hence RDF Media Group, Marathon Group, Magnolia Group and Zodiak Television Group will cease to exist. However such famous brand names as Marathon Media, Magnolia, RDF Television and Marathon Images will live on as local and international production companies. Further details of the new divisional structure will be released soon.

In further moves, RDF USA has merged with Zodiak Entertainment US to become Zodiak USA, and the former rights divisions of RDF and Zodiak are merging to become Zodiak Rights, with operations continuing in London and Paris. Grant Mansfield becomes CEO Zodiak USA and Matthew Frank becomes CEO Zodiak Rights.

David Frank, CEO, Zodiak Media Group said:
 “The re-branding of the group and the move to a new divisional structure based on the Zodiak name will enable us to operate more effectively as a group and leverage greater value from the scale of our combined businesses and our geographical spread. A strong Zodiak brand will assist our local companies. We want to think globally and deliver locally.”

Zodiak Rights, part of Zodiak Media Group, will unveil a number of properties in Cannes next month which will reflect the groups diverse global output including animation, children’s, scripted, comedy; documentary, factual entertainment, digital, and branded content titles.

Press Enquiries:
Rachel Davidson
Zodiak Media Group
(t) +44 (0)20 7013 4259
(e) rachel.davidson@zodiakmedia.com

Under the leadership of divisional CEO Marco Ferrari (formerly CEO Neo Network) and Chairman, Giorgio Gori (CEO Zodiak Southern Europe) the division occupies a unique position in the entertainment production sector as a digital and branded content division with truly global scale, reach and breadth of offer. With revenues exceeding €30m and more than 160 employees, Zodiak Active strives to become the pre-eminent business in this rapidly evolving sector.

Marco Ferrari, CEO Zodiak Active, said:
“Digital and media convergence continues to accelerate, so it follows that content producers, brands and media owners need to evolve the way we engage with audiences and build commercial value. An exciting challenge lies ahead and, with the talented international team we have at Zodiak Active, we are well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities of this new era.”

David Frank, CEO of Zodiak Media Group, commented:
“The formation of Zodiak Active is an important step for the Group as we build on our successes in digital and branded content to date. The creation of a distinct division consolidates the strengths of the very talented and experienced senior executives already working within Zodiak in this sector. This team has a crucial role to play in the future evolution of Zodiak and we are excited to be able to support and invest in them.”

For general press enquiries please contact:
Tel:  + 44 (0)20 7013 4428 / 4368
Email:  press@zodiakrights.com

Zodiak Active:
Tiziana Ruberto, PR & Corporate Communication Manager
Tel :  +39 024 550 7222 Mobile:  +39 348 3881340
Email: tiziana.ruberto@zodiakactive.com

Notes to editors:

About Zodiak Media Group

Zodiak Media Group is one of the world’s leading creators, producers and distributors of content for TV, radio, new media and cinema. The Group is active in multiple genres including Factual, Entertainment, Reality, Game-show, Lifestyle, Documentary, Talk-show, Drama, Animation, Comedy, Children’s and Film.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Media consists of 45 production companies with presence in 18 countries including the US, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and Russia. The Group also incorporates an international distribution business Zodiak Rights based in London and Paris whose catalogue boasts over 10,000 hours of content.

Headquartered in London and Paris, Zodiak Media was created in June 2010 following the acquisition of the RDF Media Group, one of the UK’s largest independent production and distribution companies with operations in the UK and the US. Combined with former acquisitions Magnolia, the Marathon Group and Zodiak Television, the acquisition of RDF consolidated the Group’s position as a global force in the production and distribution of content for multi-media platforms (the most significant of which is television). The new group has annual sales exceeding €500 million.

Some of the Group’s most successful titles worldwide include: Wife Swap; Fort Boyard; Location Location Location; Wallander; Le Grand Journal; Saint Tropez; Don’t Forget The Lyrics; Totally Spies!; Born Survivor – Bear Grylls; Waybuloo; Born To Be Wild; Being Human; the Millennium trilogy; Gormiti; The Secret Millionaire; Tribal Wives and Beyond Boundaries. The Group also produces a number of other formats including The X Factor, Survivor, Peking Express, Paradise Hotel, So You Think You Can Dance and Strictly Come Dancing in a number of different territories. Zodiak Media produced approximately 5,300 hours of content in 2009 and is in business with in excess of 250 broadcasters worldwide.

Zodiak Media Group is delighted to announce a brand new division – Zodiak Kids, which will see all of the Zodiak Media Group’s kids production and distribution entities combine under one united banner.

The formation of Zodiak Kids will create one of the largest independent children’s television entities in the world incorporating Zodiak Media Group’s dedicated kid’s production companies: Marathon Media; Tele-images Productions; Zodiak Active Kids Entertainment Division and The Foundation as well as Zodiak Rights’ Kids & Family TV sales division.

The newly formed Zodiak Kids production companies had a combined yearly (2010) output of over 350 episodes of brand new programming. Key titles from the division include: Totally Spies; Gormiti; Street Football; Sally Bollywood; Waybuloo; Dani’s House; Mister Maker and The Qpiz. 

All Zodiak Kids TV sales will be carried out from London by the Zodiak Kids sales team headed up by Karen Vermeulen, SVP Global TV Sales and Co-production, while consumer products and licensing will be carried out by each production companies own licensing teams. 

Zodiak Kids’ companies have offices in London, Maidstone, Paris and Milan. They will continue to work closely together to co-produce and create kids content for a wide variety of broadcasters around the globe.

In a joint statement Nigel Pickard Chairman, The Foundation and CEO Zodiak MEAA/UK Kids & Family; Vincent Chalvon Demersay, President, & David Michel General Manager Marathon Media, Philippe Alessandri, President, Tele-images Productions and Marco Ferrari, CEO Zodiak Active commented: “We are incredibly excited that Zodiak Kids will bring together all of our kids brands under one stable and reinforces our commitment to the kids industry as a whole.” 

Matthew Frank, CEO of Zodiak Rights said: “Combining all of our TV sales under one dedicated kids sales team in London will give us strength and breadth in the very competitive kids market.”    

For more information please contact:

Tel:  + 44 (0)20 7013 4428 / 4368 

Email:  press@zodiakrights.com

Notes to editors:

About Zodiak Media Group

Zodiak Media Group is one of the world’s leading creators, producers and distributors of content for TV, radio, new media and cinema. The Group is active in multiple genres including Factual, Entertainment, Reality, Game-show, Lifestyle, Documentary, Talk-show, Drama, Animation, Comedy, Children’s and Film.

Part of the De Agostini Group, Zodiak Media consists of 45 production companies with presence in 18 countries including the US, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and Russia. The Group also incorporates an international distribution business Zodiak Rights based in London and Paris whose catalogue boasts over 10,000 hours of content.

Headquartered in London and Paris, Zodiak Media was created in June 2010 following the acquisition of the RDF Media Group, one of the UK’s largest independent production and distribution companies with operations in the UK and the US. Combined with former acquisitions Magnolia, the Marathon Group and Zodiak Television, the acquisition of RDF consolidated the Group’s position as a global force in the production and distribution of content for multi-media platforms (the most significant of which is television). The new group has annual sales exceeding €500 million.

Some of the Group’s most successful titles worldwide include: Wife Swap; Fort Boyard; Location Location Location; Wallander; Le Grand Journal; Saint Tropez; Don’t Forget The Lyrics; Totally Spies!; Born Survivor – Bear Grylls; Waybuloo; Born To Be Wild; Being Human; the Millennium trilogy; Gormiti; The Secret Millionaire; Tribal Wives and Beyond Boundaries. The Group also produces a number of other formats including The X Factor, Survivor, Peking Express, Paradise Hotel, So You Think You Can Dance and Strictly Come Dancing in a number of different territories. Zodiak Media produced approximately 5,300 hours of content in 2009 and is in business with in excess of 250 broadcasters worldwide.

About The Foundation

The Foundation is one of the UK’s leading independent producers of children’s television. It is based in Maidstone, Kent and was established by Vanessa Hill and Ged Allen in 1994. In August 2006 The Foundation joined the RDF Media Group and Nigel Pickard, founding controller of CBBC and CBeebies became its Chairman. In 2010 RDF Media Group merged with Zodiak Entertainment and The Foundation is now part of the Zodiak Media Group.

The Foundation has an expertise in pre-school, drama, comedy, factual and family entertainment and has produced content for a variety of broadcasters. Shows include the landmark CBeebies series Waybuloo, Mister Maker Comes to Town, Mister Maker, Tricky tv, Basil & Barney’s Swap Shop, Skillicious, Finger Tips, Big Barn Farm, Planet Ajay, Dani’s House, Summer in Transylvania and Escape from Scorpion Island.  Programmes in pre production include The Buzzer and Tic Toc House. 

About Marathon Media

Marathon Media is one of France’s biggest animation producers, and one of the world’s leading cartoon studios. Based in Paris, the company is managed by Vincent Chalvon Demersay and David Michel since 1999. Amongst its portfolio of international successes are  Rekkit Rabbit, Gormiti, Spiez, Monster Buster Club, Martin Mystery, Team Galaxy, Marsupilami, and of course the smash hit series Totally Spies! 

Each brand’s extraordinary track record in TV extends into merchandising, with activity across categories such as toys, home entertainment, multimedia, stationery, publishing and many more.

About Tele-images Productions

Founded and headed by Philippe Alessandri in 2002, Tele Images Productions (formerly Tele Images Kids) is one of the leading French producers of youth programming, with hits including the cartoon series Foot2Rue and Atomic Betty, and the drama series Studio 24. The company is today moving into drama series aimed at family audiences.

Tele Images Productions’ series picture ordinary kids in extraordinary stories, and make the most of a specific, universal kids passion: sports (Street Football, Baskup...), investigations (Sally Bollywood), horse riding (Mistral), science-fiction (Atomic Betty), discovery (Adiboo), etc. The series produced by Philippe Alessandri, President, and Giorgio Welter, VP Animation, are designed to come up to the expectations of French audience as much as to those of the international market, and for innovative multi-media extensions.

About Zodiak Active 

Zodiak Active is the new global division of Zodiak Media Group dedicated to the creation, development and production of digital and branded content across all platforms and incorporates a Kids Entertainment Division for multi-platform content aimed at kids and teen targets. Created by the integration of