Entertainment Rights, the UK based company that specialises in worldwide media, has put out a press release about the broadcasters who are going to show the new series. ER have also distributed Armada, Energon and Cybertron in recent years.

The series will be appearing on Nickelodeon in the UK, Gulli in France and Super RTL in Germany. Deals for other territories are currently being finalised and should be announced soon.

ENTERTAINMENT RIGHTS SECURES MAJOR EUROPEAN BROADCAST AGREEMENTS FOR TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

London January 14^th 2008 – Entertainment Rights Plc (“ER”) the UK’s leading global media group specialising in the ownership of children’s and family programming, characters and brands today announced it has sealed significant broadcast agreements for the new TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED series (26 x 22 minute) plus a 70 minute special episode. ER secured the worldwide television distribution rights (excluding North America) covering television distribution across both free and pay tv platforms for the series.

Further to the hugely successful premiere of TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED in the US on Cartoon Network (highest rated kids cable programme in its time slot), ER is delighted to announce the following key European TV broadcasters have been secured including Nickelodeon in the UK, Gulli (France) and Super RTL (Germany). ER has sold TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED to over 24 territories, with a number of other key deals in negotiation.

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED is the next generation of the globally popular saga of the struggle between the AUTOBOTS and the DECEPTICONS and is being developed by Cartoon Network Studios in Los Angeles. The best and brightest talent are working on the all-new animated TV series including: Sam Register, Executive Producer (Ben 10, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, Teen Titans); Matt Youngberg, Supervising Director (Teen Titans, Batman); Vincent Aniceto, Line Producer (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Power Puff Girls); Marty Isenberg, Head Writer (Danny Phantom, A.T.O.M, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Derrick Wyatt, character designer for the smash hit, Teen Titans will take the role of Lead Designer.

The bold new 2-D style that will be this new show’s trademark presents a new twist on the original “Generation 1” animated series that launched the TRANSFORMERS phenomenon in 1984. Developed for a new generation of TRANSFORMERS fans, the series will also introduce new characters alongside legendary favorites such as OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON.

Chloe van den Berg, Director of International, Entertainment Rights Plc, commented: “We have had an overwhelming interest from international broadcasters post MIPCOM for the new TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED series. We recently extended distribution rights to include Latin America, where broadcasters are also showing great demand for the series and we expect to announce new agreements in due course. The recent agreements with European broadcasters demonstrate ER’s success at securing premier television platforms for the franchise around the world.”

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 Cat™, Little Red Tractor™, Rupert Bear®, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe®, Fat Albert and the Cosby kids™, She-Ra®, Jim Jam & Sunny™, Ghostbusters, , The Lone Ranger, Lassie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Felix the Cat and the award-winning Veggie Tales

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 45 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 8,700 episodes of high quality children’s and family characters and brands. This includes certain rights to global brands such as Mattel’s Barbie™, Scholastic’s CliffordTM and Hasbro’s Transformers™

ER’s wholly owned subsidiary Tell-Tale Productions, created and produced The Tweenies, one of the UK’s most successful pre-school brands

ER has grown rapidly. Annual revenues have increased from £1.8m in 1999 to £29.7m in 2006, the last reported financial year

 Cartoon Network has put out a press release with the ratings for the Transformers: Animated premiere episode, “Transform and roll out”, which was shown on 26th December in the USA.

The show seemed to do very well, with the episode being #1 for its time period on all TV for boys aged 2-11 and 6-11.

Here is the full press release:

Transformers Animated Premieres #1 on All Television Among Boys and Boosts Kids 6-11 and 2-11 Delivery by Powerful Double-Digits

January 08, 2008 – Cartoon Network launched into 2008 with the half-hour original series premiere of Transformers Animated (Saturday, Jan. 5, 10:30 a.m.), charting impressive double-digit delivery and ratings gains among key kid demos and ranking #1 in its time period versus all broadcast and cable competition with boys 6-11 and boys 2-11, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. Coupled with a new episode of Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.) the new animated series propelled the network’s three-hour Saturday morning franchise Dynamite Action Squad (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) to across-the-board double-digit growth. Transformers Animated is jointly developed by Cartoon Network and Hasbro, Inc. and is co-produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

Highlights of Transformers Animated’s premiere performance, as well as Dynamite Action Squad’s overall presentation vs. the same time period last year include the following:

Transformers Animated Premiere (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.) vs. the same 2007 time period

• Kids 6-11 delivery (657,000) grew by 14%, and ratings (2.7) by 13%
• Kids 2-11 delivery (956,000) improved by 29%, and ratings (2.4) by 33%
• Boys 6-11 delivery (528,000) expanded by 28%, and ratings (4.2) by 27%—#1 in its time period on all TV
• Boys 2-11 delivery (762,000) catapulted by 55%, and ratings (3.7) by 54%—#1 in its time period on all TV

Dynamite Action Squad Franchise (Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.) vs. the same 2007 time period

• Kids 6-11 delivery (533,000) increased by 18%, and ratings (2.2) by 16%
• Kids 2-11 delivery (717,000) rose by 11%, and ratings (1.8) by 13%
• Boys 6-11 delivery (392,000) jumped by 20%, and ratings (3.2) by 23%
• Boys 2-11 delivery (538,000) raced ahead by 21%, and ratings (2.6) by 18%

About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in nearly 91 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service offering the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Overnight from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

About Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.