MUMBAI: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Hit Entertainment have entered into a multimillion dollar, multi-year agreement for the exclusive marketing, sales and distribution rights to Hit’s extensive portfolio of award-winning children’s programming in the US and Canada.
Fox will begin distributing Hit’s full slate of home entertainment releases for August 2006.
The upcoming release slate includes several new direct-to-video and catalog titles for Hit’s top-selling franchises: Bob the Builder, Barney, Angelina Ballerina and Thomas & Friends. Fox will also distribute all of The Jim Henson Company’s Henson Family Classics, including Fraggle Rock and Animal Jam, for which Hit Entertainment serves as US agent for home entertainment, as well as licensing and merchandising.
“The entire Hit catalogue as well as future releases will benefit greatly from Fox’s industry-leading distribution acumen and clout in the market. This will allow Hit to dramatically expand its distribution and presence at retail thereby reaching even more families with young children,” said Hit North America president Patricia Wyatt.
“The Hit Entertainment portfolio contains some of the true jewels of children’s home entertainment. This agreement will allow us to further our expertise in the kids’ category as well as build Hit’s business at retail to our mutual benefit,” added Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Worldwide president Mike Dunn.
Through the new partnership, each video release will benefit from the same type of comprehensive marketing that has enabled Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to become an industry-leading distributor. Fox will now perform all of the business functions previously handled by Hit Entertainment’s US home entertainment division.