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MUMBAI: Following their recent purchase of Alliance Atlantis International Distribution, independent distribution company Echo Bridge Entertainment has finalised a slate of international licensing agreements for series in the library of programming, including teen series Degrassi and Instant Star, as well as the animated children’s series Lunar Jim, Dragon Booster and Adventures of Sinbad. |
The announcement was made by Echo Bridge Entertainment executive VP Dan March.
In the teen category, Echo Bridge Entertainment has secured a broadcast deal for Degrassi Season 7 (23 episodes) with France’s Virgin 17. 22 half-hour episodes of Season 8 of Degrassi: The Next Generation, starring Young Artist Award-winner Miriam McDonald, is currently in production. The company also signed licensing agreements with France’s Virgin 17 and Mediaset in Italy for Season 4 of the musical drama Instant Star.
Both series air in the US on MTV Networks’ The N. In its inaugural season, Instant Star became the network’s second-highest rated program, trailing only the network‘s hit signature series Degrassi: The Next Generation! says the company.
Echo Bridge Entertainment has concluded deals for the animated series, Lunar Jim, with broadcasters, including ZDF in Germany for season 2 (19 episodes), BBC Worldwide in Poland for seasons 1 (26 episodes) and 2 (19 episodes), and ABC Australia acquired season 2 (19 episodes) and re-licensed season 1 (26 episodes). Lunar Jim currently airs on several broadcasters, including CBeebies, Kika, Kids CBC, Radio Canada Television, Discovery Kids Latin America, Discovery Kids Brazil and ABC Kids.
Additionally, re-licence agreements were concluded for the CGI-animated show Dragon Booster for the first season with ABC Australia. TV2 in Norway re-licensed the second season of Adventures of Sinbad.
March says, “We are excited with the immediate response from broadcasters around the world to our diverse Alliance Atlantis International Distribution catalog of programming. We now have a breadth of programming that provides broadcasters a multitude of choices to fill all parts of their programming schedules.
"In addition to the library which includes primetime series , factual programming, children’s programming and reality, we continue to offer dynamic first run programming for series such as Degrassi, Jeff Ltd, Rich Bridge Poor Bride and more.”
The April 2008 acquisition of Alliance Atlantis International Distribution added approximately 7,500 titles and over 5,500 hours of programming to Echo Bridge Entertainment’s existing catalog of over 3,500 titles, creating one of the world’s largest independent catalogs consisting of over 11,000 titles. The portfolio of distribution rights features well-known international brands in categories including feature films, primetime television movies and series, children’s series, and lifestyle and factual programming, which Echo Bridge Entertainment intends to exploit across all media.
