Genius Products LLC and The Weinstein Company LLC (TWC) have joined forces with Entertainment Rights Plc (ER) and its soon-to-be-acquired Classic Media Holdings Inc. to co-finance, co-produce and distribute a slate of animated home video titles and video games. Under the long-term agreements, Genius Products LLC, which is co-owned by TWC, will exclusively handle North American distribution of home video and certain digital media releases of Classic’s and ER’s catalogs, which include children’s and faith-based animated films.
Collectively, ER’s and Classic’s libraries consist of more than 4,000 programs, including the animated series Fat Albert, Postman Pat and Rupert Bear, as well as the best-selling holiday specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. Classic also owns the CG-animated VeggieTales property, which has sold more than 50 million copies on home video.
Genius will also have North American home video and digital distribution rights to new animated productions and will also distribute 12 new video games to be produced and financed by Genius, based on titles in the ER and Filmation catalogs. The deals are expected to yield approximately $75 million in annual gross for Genius.
“These agreements offer an unprecedented opportunity to distribute the characters and brands of ER and Classic throughout North America, creating one of the leading portfolios of contemporary classic and new children’s DVD’s and digital rights in the world,” says Mike Heap, CEO of Entertainment Rights Plc. “We will be introducing North America to some of our leading characters for the first time and will, once Classic becomes part of the ER Group, be exploiting Classic’s content to ensure the best placement possible in the world’s largest media market’the U.S.’and will expand our brand recognition as we sell merchandise through American retailers.”
“Bob and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the business that ER and Classic created and believe that their content is unmatched internationally in the children and family category,” adds Harvey Weinstein. “We are excited to begin working on co-production opportunities and look forward to many projects going forward.”
ER, Classic and TWC will be co-producing and co-financing new animated children’s productions based on the Gumby, Kung Fu Magoo, Lone Ranger, Rupert Bear, Postman Pat and She-Ra properties. Distributed internationally by ER, the productions will be managed by Eric Robinson, VP of production and development for TWC.
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