Re Contract
Published: 24/10/2005, 07:00
Chorion PLC 24 October 2005 Chorion's Noddy brand to receive greater exposure on United States and United Kingdom television networks London, Monday, 24 October 2005 - Chorion (LSE: COR), the UK's leading owner and manager of classic literary-based brands, today announced that it had secured increased television exposure of its Noddy pre-school brand in two key territories. UNITED KINGDOM In the UK, Five, Britain's fastest-growing terrestrial television channel, has agreed to extend its commitment to Chorion's pre-school TV programme Make Way for Noddy. Five has given Chorion a commitment that the channel will air the hit show for a minimum of 30 weeks per year until 2012. The programme is currently broadcast seven mornings a week in the top-rated pre-school programming bloc, Milkshake!, and this new agreement ensures that the programme will remain in the key breakfast slot until 2012. UNITED STATES Make Way for Noddy has also been selected as a key programming component for Sprout, the new American pre-school television network, jointly owned by Comcast, PBS, Sesame Workshop and HIT Entertainment launched on the 28th September 2005. The company's 100 original ten-minute episodes are airing four times a day initially to 20 million US television households via digital satellite platform DirecTV and Comcast's and Insight Communications' digital cable networks. The Sprout carriage deal is in addition to Make Way for Noddy's exposure on public broadcaster PBS KIDS. Welcoming the new deals, Chorion chief executive Nicholas James said: "These new deals are a huge boost for the Noddy brand. Noddy is now assured of a sustained high profile TV presence in its two largest markets, which is a pre-requisite for generating growth in licensing and merchandising revenues. It is particularly significant that Noddy has been chosen to be one of the lead programmes for Sprout, the new US pre-school channel" - ends - For enquiries or imagery please call: Tim Allan or Andrew Sholl Portland, for Chorion 020 7404 5344 andrew.sholl@portlandpr.co.uk About Chorion Chorion (LSE: COR) is the UK's leading owner and manager of classic literary-based brands. Its foremost properties include Enid Blyton's Noddy, Roger Hargreaves's Mr. Men and Little Miss series, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. Visit www.chorion.co.uk. 'Make Way for Noddy' airs in more than 100 markets around the world and ranks as one of the UK's biggest television exports. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange