6 May 2008
ER ANNOUNCES MAJOR DIGITAL MULTI-PLATFORM PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES
ER to launch ‘Retro Heroes' Channel on YouTube, Joost And Babelgum
London - 06 May 2008, Entertainment Rights (ER) Plc today announces major digital multi-platform partnership launches featuring many of the company's key brands. This will allow fans around the world to engage online with video of their favourite Entertainment Rights content via leading digital platforms YouTube, Joost and Babelgum.
The launches will see Entertainment Rights provide all three platforms with a selection of retro programming. Such popular brands to be made available online will include He-Man®, She-Ra®, Trapdoor®, Felix the CatTM, Rocky & BullwinkleTM, The Archies®, Fat AlbertTM and Casper the Friendly Ghost®.
Laura Turner Laing, VP, Global Digital Media & Music, Entertainment Rights Plc commented: "These partnerships signal a significant step forward for the company delivering a multiplatform strategy which sees its brands successfully evolving outside of the linear TV platforms into the digital environment. Entertainment Rights wants to be where the audience is and online video enables the company to exploit its brands which have strong retro appeal."
The deal formed with YouTube, the leading online video community site which allows consumers to discover, watch and share original created videos, sees a brand new free-to-view channel launch - Retro Heroes. The channel will feature short form (2 and 5 minute webisodes) selected from the 1,000 hours of retro appealing content in ER's 3,600 hour strong catalogue of high quality children's and family programming. Fans who have grown up with these brands will now be able to engage with them in a new and exciting format by viewing and sharing content.
The partnerships formed with Interactive web video portals Babelgum and Joost also see the launch of ‘Retro Heroes' which is available on both platforms and will feature selected programming of long form retro appealing content from ER's rich catalogue.
-Ends-
Enquiries:
Simon Avis, Head of PR 02087626200
Nicola Duarte, Press Officer 02087626203
Editors Notes
About You Tube
YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.
About Babelgum
Babelgum is the next generation global Internet TV network. Babelgum uses peer-to-peer technology to provide the immersive viewing and high resolution of traditional TV with the interactive and personalisation capabilities of the Internet.
Babelgum allows users to enjoy free, on demand and personalised channels, using niche to mainstream content to satisfy their passionate need for tailored entertainment. Instead of user-generated clips, it features only professional video material spanning film, news, sports, documentaries, music videos, concerts, lifestyle and trends, animation and scripted programs.
Babelgum provides independent content owners with a protected platform on which to gain global visibility for their work and a unique model to monetize their content online. Babelgum has content deals with such suppliers as 3DD, the Associated Press, Shine Limited, BBC Motion Gallery, Reuters, Entertainment Rights, Gong Anime, IMG, ITN, Ministry of Sound TV, Zed and Off the Fence, among others.
Founded in 2005, Babelgum is a privately held company, with headquarters in Ireland and offices in the U.K., France, Italy and soon the U.S.
About Joost
JoostTM provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with the interactive and community benefits of the Internet to bring broadcast-quality video to viewers anytime, anywhere. Based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology, Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers video content to viewers for free. Joost features more than 250 channels with programming across all genres, including: cartoons and animation; entertainment and film; sports; comedy; lifestyle and documentaries; and sci-fi. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership.
To learn more about Joost, visit http://www.joost.com/
About Entertainment Rights:
- Entertainment Rights Plc ("ER") is the UK's leading global media group specialising in the ownership of high quality children's and family programming, characters and brands
- ER owns or controls the rights to many global characters including Basil Brush®, Postman Pat®, Jess the CatTM, Little Red Tractor®, Rupert Bear®, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe®, Fat Albert and the Cosby kidsTM, She-Ra®, Jim Jam & SunnyTM, Ghostbusters, The Lone Ranger, Lassie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Felix
- In January 2007, ER acquired Classic Media, the US-based owner of an extensive portfolio of children's and family characters and brands including Big Idea Productions Inc, producer and creator of the award-winning ‘Veggie Tales' series of programming which, to date, has sold over 50 million home entertainment units in the US
- Since 1999, when ER owned rights to just 39 episodes of programming, ER's library has grown to circa 9,000 episodes of high quality children's and family characters and brands. This includes certain rights to global brands such as Mattel's BarbieTM, Scholastic's CliffordTM and Hasbro's Transformers®
- ER has grown rapidly. Annual revenues have increased from £1.8m in 1999 to £68.1m in 2007, the last reported financial year
Visit http://www.entertainmentrights.com/
Related:
He-Man® and She-Ra ® - A Christmas Special, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ®, He-Man® and She-Ra® - A Christmas Special,