Nickelodeon and Rainbow forge global Winx Club partnership

In a new partnership with Italian prodco Rainbow, Nickelodeon has snapped up broadcast rights to the first four seasons of Winx Club for the US and pay-TV rights for Latin America, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Benelux. Nick will also co-develop and co-produce seasons five and six of the animated girl-skewing action/fantasy series and rep the property's L&M biz in those territories. continue

Genevieve Dexter sells shares in Cake Entertainment

Co-founder Genevieve Dexter has sold her majority share in London-based Cake Entertainment to the company's co-director Tom van Waveren in an amicable end to their three-year partnership. continue

Kmart and Alloy team for retail-integrated web series

US retailer Kmart is teaming with youth-oriented media marketer Alloy Media + Marketing to create original web series, First Day, which integrates the retailer's branding with content. continue

Glee-inspired jewelry pops up in Claire's stores

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Claire's are teaming to launch an exclusive Glee-inspired jewelry collection and accessory line for tweens and teens. continue

BOING set to launch September 1 in Spain

BOING, the new 24-hour channel devoted to kids and teens, will hit the Spanish broadcasting scene on September 1. continue

Ki.Ka acquires new Babar series

German pubcaster Ki.Ka, the children's arm of ARD and ZDF, has snapped up the first 26 episodes of Nelvana's new CGI series Babar and the Adventures of Badou. continue

Universal Music's Uki set to hit CBeebies

Universal Music UK, a division of Universal Music Group, marks its move into animation with new preschool animated series Uki, which has been snapped up by CBeebies. continue

Dinosaur King L&M program roars ahead

Five new licensees have joined the licensing lineup across the UK and Europe for 4Kids Entertainment International's Dinosaur King. continue

NPD finds social gaming adoption, spending on the rise

Market research company The NPD Group has released a report entitled Social Network Gaming, which has found that 20% of the US population ages six and older (or 56.8 million people) have played a game on a social network in the past three months. continue

Ipsos looks into the consumption patterns of affluent US mothers

New York City-based media and marketing consultancy Ipsos Mendelsohn has released a new report on the TV-viewing and shopping habits of well-off US moms whose household incomes total US$100,000 or more. continue

Gormiti flexes its muscles this fall

Konami Digital Entertainment is bundling its forthcoming Gormiti: The Lords of Nature! title for Wii and Nintendo DS with an exclusive figurine from the toy collection. continue

Saban Brands acquires Paul Frank Industries

Saban Brands, the affiliate of Saban Capital Group, has acquired lifestyle company Paul Frank Industries (PFI) along with the company's extensive portfolio of more than 150 characters, including the iconic Julius the monkey. continue

4Kids posts Q2 results

New York City-based global children's entertainment and merchandise licensing company 4Kids Entertainment has released its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010, with revenues across business segments coming in below expectations. continue

Cartoon Network to launch US$22,000 development initiative in Oz

The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) will be introducing Snaptoons, an original content development initiative from Cartoon Network that aims to connect Cartoon Network with new creative talent across its key markets in Asia, at the SPAA Conference being held from November 16 to 19 in Sydney. continue

K.I.D.S. targets Time Square, mobile phones

To help celebrate Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.)'s 25th anniversary, a 15-second Public Service Announcement will air on the Times Square 42nd Street CBS jumbo screen in New York City, encouraging people to make a US$25 donation to the charity that puts new merchandise into the hands of underprivileged and disaster-struck children. continue

Cartoon Network names bullying prevention campaign

Cartoon Network has released further details surrounding its multi-platform bullying prevention campaign initially announced in May. Stop Bullying: Speak Up will educate and empower young bystanders to take action to reduce and prevent bullying. continue

Hot Topic heats up Canadian market

US retail chain Hot Topic will head north of the border with three new locations set to open this year in Canada. continue

KidScreen Awards 2011 opens up, expands into broadcaster categories

Building on the inaugural effort that culminated in the celebration of 21 top kids shows at KidScreen Summit this past February, the industry's global awards for excellence in children's TV is opening up the first phase of its 2011 call for entries. continue

More Clues on The Hub's new programming

The Hub, the new children's multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, is continuing to unveil details of its programming slate with the announcement of a series based on the mystery board game Clue. continue

NPD finds European toy revenues on the rise

Market research company The NPD Group has found that traditional toy sales in the US remained largely unchanged during the first half of 2010, while revenues in Europe's five largest toy markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK) were up 5%. continue