HIT Entertainment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since December 2006. |
HIT Entertainment PLC was established in 1989, and was originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television. However, following the death of Jim Henson in 1990, the business was sold to several members of the company's management and renamed HIT Entertainment to prevent any future confusion between the two companies.
HIT is privately held. Sunshine Acquisition, a company set up by Apax Partners’ Funds, closed acquisition of Hit Entertainment on May 26, 2005 £489.4 million.
HIT's catalogue of characters include Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Barney, Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, Kipper, Angelina Ballerina, Rubbadubbers, Pingu, and The Wiggles. HIT also owns redistribution rights to several other shows.
HIT purchased Gullane Entertainment in 2002, in the process becoming owner of the Guinness Book of Records and Lyrick Studios (who were the US distributors of The Wiggles and the owners of Barney) in 2001. For a short time, HIT Entertainment distributed Big Idea Productions' VeggieTales videos, until Big Idea's eventual sale to Classic Media in 2003.
Since the 2006 multimillion-dollar, multi-year agreement, exclusive home entertainment marketing, sales and distribution rights to HIT's children's programming are currently distributed in the United States and Canada by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
HIT Entertainment is a fully integrated studio, that incorporates production, world-wide distribution, UK home entertainment, publishing, licensing and merchandising and HIT Wildlife, the company's natural history arm.
HIT currently sells programming to over 120 countries. The chairman of HIT Entertainment is Greg Dyke, the former Chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the CEO is Bruce Steinberg, formerly the CEO of what was once known as Fox Kids Europe and is now known as Jetix Europe.
[edit] List of shows
|
This article or section may need a complete rewrite. Reason: Extreme doubt of shows in the list Please discuss this issue on the talk page. |
- Alvin and the Chipmunks
- Angelina Ballerina (airs on PBS Kids Sprout and Nick Jr. UK)
- Animal Stories (Cartoon network TOO In UK)
- Anthony Ant
- Art Attack
- Barney (airs on PBS Kids, Cartoon Network TOO and PBS Kids Sprout)
- Bob the Builder (airs on PBS Kids Sprout, CBeebies and Nick Jr. UK)
- Brambly Hedge
- Brum (Discovery Kids, CBeebies and TLC)
- Captain Zed and the Zee Zone
- Children's Favourites
- Faeries
- Fiddley Foodle Bird
- Fireman Sam (PBS Kids Sprout)
- The Greedysaurus Gang
- The Hoobs
- James the Cat
- Juniper Jungle
- Kipper (syndication/PBS Kids Sprout, and Nick Jr. UK))
- The Lampies
- Lavender Castle
- Lisa
- Magic Key
- Margaret the Bat
- Nellie the Elephant
- Oswald (syndication/Noggin)
- Percy the Park Keeper
- Pingu (PBS Kids Sprout In USA, CBeebies in UK, and Discovery Kids)
- Postman Pat (co-owned with Woodland Animations & Entertainment Rights)
- Rubbadubbers (airs on CBeebies)
- Sheeep
- Sooty (CITV in the UK)
- Thomas the Tank Engine (PBS Kids Sprout, Nick Jr. Australia, Nick Jr. UK and Playhouse Disney)
- The Three Friends and Jerry
- We All Have Tales
- William's Wish Wellingtons (in association with the BBC and Hibbert Ralph)
- Where's Waldo?
- Wind in the Willows (co-owned with Cosgrove Hall)
- Willows in Winter
- The Wiggles (Playhouse Disney and Nick Jr. UK)
- The Winjin' Pom
- Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!(No longer airs on TV airwaves)'
- Yucool,yalloe’ein and toot’toot (No for Long Time)
- ZZZap!
