African platform operator Gateway Broadcast Services (GTV) has begun carrying KidsCo, a children’s programming outlet co-owned by NBC Universal, DIC Ent. and Corus Ent. Leveraging NBC Universal’s state-of-the-art broadcast distribution facility in the U.S. and the company’s international network of affiliates, the channel made its debut in sub-Saharan African territories including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Botswana, Namibia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Malawi and Zimbabwe on April 2.
This latest deal builds on KidsCo’s aggressive roll-out strategy, which to date has seen launches in Romania, Hungary, Russia, Turkey, Poland, Singapore and the Philippines. The parties involved anticipate that the channel will be airing in as many as 40 territories, including Europe and Latin America, within the next 18 months.
KidsCo is a 24/7, multi-platform channel that offers animated and live-action television series and feature-length movies from DIC and Corus Ent.’s Nelvana, as well as other major children’s content suppliers including Entertainment Rights and TV-Loonland. DIC’s programming library features more than 3,000 half-hours of animation, including the hit shows Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Madeline, Dennis the Menace and Care Bears. Nelvana has a comparable catalog highlighted by such series as Babar, Franklin, The Adventures of Tintin and Rolie Polie Olie.
