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EM.Entertainment GmbH and Studio100 Media N.V. & Co. KG, Munich, a 100 percent subsidiary of Belgian Studio100 Holding, have agreed an extensive co-operation running until the end of 2008 and covering international distribution of the wide-ranging EM.Entertainment rights portfolio within the TV, home entertainment and video on demand (VOD) sectors. The distribution partnership that EM.Entertainment agreed March 2007 with London-based media house Sparrowhawk Distribution Ltd. expires March 31, 2008 due to the takeover of the company by NBC Universal and its subsequent organizational restructuring. As of March 1, 2008, a joint distribution team drawn from both EM.Entertainment and Studio100 Media will immediately market classics from EM.Entertainment such as Maya the Bee, Tabaluga, Vicky the Viking and the Astrid Lindgren portfolio, as well as new productions like Staines Down Drains, Dogstar or Life Rules and Master Raindrop or Enyo. The distribution units of both companies will be managed by Patrick Elmendorff, who is General Manager of Studio100 Media and, until the end of 2006, served as Managing Director of EM.Entertainment GmbH and Junior.TV GmbH & Co. KG. The agreement covers distribution worldwide, with the exception of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Werner E. Klatten, CEO of EM.Sport Media AG: “Aside from the divestment process, we will continue to drive forward not only development and production activities at EM.Entertainment, but also its distribution activities. In view of the increasing shift away from classic free and pay TV distribution platforms over to VOD and mobile devices, we must also continue to optimize our distribution structures and expertise. With Patrick Elmendorff, we are pleased to welcome back an internationally renowned name within the children’s and youth entertainment sector, whose knowledge of the distribution potential of our library will be hugely beneficial to this initiative.” Patrick Elmendorff, General Manager of Studio100 Media N.V. & Co. KG: “This cooperation with EM.Entertainment is hugely promising both for Studio100 Media and for me personally, due to my lengthy experience with the distribution of this extensive and attractive program library. Both parties can look forward to significant opportunities. One key factor is that, alongside the library’s well-known titles, the high quality new formats have a great deal of potential for excellent international placement across all media platforms.” |
