· New content added across HIT and Mattel portfolio, including all-new Bob the Builder and Little People series
· New global content distribution team structure announcedBig year for Thomas & Friends in 2015 as the brand celebrates 70th anniversary
ALL-NEW BOB THE BUILDER
HIT Entertainment, one of the world's leading pre-school entertainment companies and a subsidiary of Mattel Inc, has unveiled the all-new look for Bob the Builder who will bring construction to life for millions of children in the upcoming CG-animated series of the show.
The new series – which will be delivered in late 2015 – will see Bob the Builder continuing to bring the world of construction to life for kids, with exciting characters, new relatable locations and an aspirational hero.
All of the show’s core characters return for the new series, including Wendy, Roley and Dizzy, plus popular vehicles Lofty, Muck and Scoop. There will be new faces for viewers to meet, including apprentice Leo, Mayor Maria Madison, young sports club members ‘The Spring City Rockets’ and two new machines: a heavy-lifting low-loader truck ‘Two Tonne’ and a tower crane named ‘Tiny’.
The all-new series of Bob the Builder will air on Channel’s 5’s Milkshake! in the UK, PBS KIDS in the US and Super RTL in Germany, beginning next year.
LITTLE PEOPLE
HIT Entertainment has announced global entertainment company DHX Media as its animation partner on a brand new CG animated series of Little People.
Based on the iconic Fisher-Price® Little People® brand, the new series is being produced out of HIT’s UK content hub and will feature imaginative and energetic characters that are contemporary and relatable to today’s young children.
The animated pre-school series of 52 x 11’ episodes, planned for release in late 2015, showcases a unique format and emphasizes the power that imagination and group play can have on discovery and critical thinking skills.
PORTFOLIO UPDATE
With a focus on exceptional storytelling, HIT Entertainment (Stand R7.B2), arrives at MIPCOM 2014 with its largest portfolio to date.
In 2015, the HIT and Mattel portfolio will add new content across its premier, iconic and globally renowned portfolio of brands including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Monster High®, Thomas & Friends®, Bob the Builder, and Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®. Content formats include new movie specials, new series, and new short-form content.
In 2015, Barbie will continue to delight girls of all ages with three new CG animated feature-length movies. Thomas & Friends DVD “Dinos & Discoveries” will launch Q1 2015 and DVD feature-length special “Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure” in the autumn. Series 19 will also launch on air introducing all-new characters.
Edward Catchpole, Senior Vice President and General Manager, HIT Entertainment, said: “As the business evolves from producing shows for traditional TV to include digital distribution outlets and in readiness for new emerging platforms, our capabilities in this space will provide us breadth and depth of content critical to global production and the business across the Mattel portfolio.”
NEW REMIT FOR HIT
The updated content portfolio coincides with an all new global content distribution team structure.. Consolidated under Mattel’s HIT Entertainment division, led by veteran industry experts across broadcast distribution, home entertainment, and emerging media, the team will be responsible for distribution of content across all of Mattel’s leading brands including, Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Monster High®, Thomas & Friends®, Bob the Builder®, and Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®. The new structure has been designed to maximise the impact of the strategic, global distribution of its content and leverage its leading pre-school, girls, and boys portfolio of brands and will be led by Edward Catchpole.
The combined Mattel portfolio currently has more than 600 hours of content, with additional content being green lit for production every year. Across all its brands, Mattel content is viewed by more than one billion households more than 185 global territories and 40 languages.
