Netflix steams off with Thomas and Friends in US Netflix has acquired the streaming rights for Mattel’s Thomas and Friends in the US. Season 23 will be available on the streamer in March, followed by season 24 later this year. The news was revealed during Mattel’s earnings call on Thursday. “Today, we are pleased to […]
Mattel has appointed ex-Maker Studios and Endemol Group boss, Ynon Kreiz, as CEO. The move will be effective from April 26, 2018. Margo Georgiadis, who has acted as CEO for just over a year, has stepped down to become CEO at Ancestry, the consumer genomics company. Georgiadis will serve in an advisory role at Mattel […]
Mattel chief content officer Catherine Balsam-Schwaber has moved to NBCUniversal (NBCU) in a move that appears to end Mattel’s ambitions in the original programming space. Last year, Mattel trumpeted its hire of Balsam-Schwaber to lead production division Mattel Creations at MIPTV, but she has now joined NBCU’s crafts-focused online portal Craftsy as general manager. “We […]
Mattel has announced a partnership with Fullscreen to launch Fullscreen Family, a “brand-safe video network”. The partners will also create a Hot Wheels-focused digital content innovation team, which will allow Fullscreen’s content creators to use Hot Wheels iconography. Through Fullscreen Family, the partners will focus on creating content that engages a generation of digital-first consumers […]
Canada’s Boat Rocker Media and toyco Fisher-Price are co-developing an original series based on a new property about fearless animals who fight to protect their community. Kingdom Force will be a coproduction of Mattel subsidiary Fisher-Price, Boat Rocker Studios and stablemate toon firm Industrial Brothers, and is part of what is described as “a unique […]
The Jim Henson Company has hired Sarah Maizes as vice president of children’s entertainment. In the newly-created role at the kids producer and distributor she will focus on the production of preschool and older kids content. She joins Henson having been a producer on Dot., the kids show Randi Zuckerberg created and produced for TV […]
American kids entertainment company Mattel has hired the president of Google’s Americas business to become its new CEO. Margo Georgiadis will succeed Christopher Sinclair, who has been the toyco’s CEO and chairman since early 2015. Mattel owns UK-based kids TV producer and distributor Hit Entertainment (Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder), and last year launched […]
Mattel’s distribution division has sold its WellieWishers series to Televisa in Mexico. The animated kids series launched on Amazon earlier this year and has now been picked up by the Mexican TV giant. Televisa has already bought several Mattel series including Barbie, Monster High, Max Steel, Thomas & Friends. The girl-skewed 2D show is based aimed at […]
The content arm of US toy giant Mattel has hired a former Warner Bros. business development exec to become its VP, global content distribution and strategy. Justin Richardson takes on the new post to oversee distribution of content related at Mattel Creations to Thomas & Friends, Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl, Ever After High and […]
Asking kids TV executives to name the most impressive show out there (not one of their own) produced a few surprises, and a surprising consensus. Adventure Time got numerous nods, as did another Cartoon network toon, The Amazing World of Gumball. Zodiak’s Michael Carrington, a former Cartoon Network UK and EMEA boss, was one of […]
