Nickelodeon to Develop New CG-Animated Television Series and Paramount Pictures to Develop Feature Film of Renowned Global Property
NEW YORK, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Furthering its mission to provide premium
content to its audiences, Nickelodeon--part of MTV Networks, a division of
Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B)--has acquired the global rights to the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.
(NYSE: KDE). The acquisition provides Nickelodeon, the world's number-one
entertainment brand for kids, global intellectual property rights to Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles, the hit television, film and video game property that
has delighted kids around the world for the last 25 years. The aggregate
purchase price for the transactions is approximately $60 million.
Nickelodeon also announced plans to develop a new CG-animated television
series based on the popular superhero franchise, anticipated to premiere in
2012. Additionally, in partnership with Viacom's Paramount Pictures, a new
release of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film is also planned for
2012. Nickelodeon has also acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, and will continue to work with its original and long-standing
toy partner, Playmates Toys, which has been the creative force behind the
successful TMNT master toy program over the last two decades.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shares a comedic sensibility with the
Nickelodeon DNA, with added layers of action and fantasy that have kept this
property an evergreen favorite with multiple generations of audiences," said
Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "We are
extremely happy to have the opportunity to be able to focus on this property
and creatively re-introduce it to a new generation of kids."
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that maintains a very passionate
global fan base, is rich with opportunity for a tentpole movie, and is exactly
the right property for us to work together with Nickelodeon," said Adam
Goodman, President, Paramount Pictures.
"Mirage has been the proud keeper of the Turtles' brand since 1984, and in
2009 we celebrated their 25th anniversary with our legions of fans," said Gary
Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios. "Nickelodeon is a powerhouse global brand,
and we are confident that the company will be a wonderful steward for
Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello and all the other TMNT characters
and take them in all kinds of exciting and new creative directions."
"We enjoyed our eight-year partnership with Mirage during which 4Kids and
Mirage re-launched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise for a new
generation of kids around the world," said Alfred Kahn, Chairman and CEO of
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. "We will also work with Mirage and Viacom so that
our Turtles' licensees can be assured of a seamless transition."
Considered one of the most popular kids' television programs of the 1980s,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book
series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television
series, and later spawned four blockbuster theatrical releases. The property
also has translated into a significant consumer products business--with DVDs,
video games, toys and more--that has generated billions of dollars at retail.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on four mutant turtles--trained in the
art of Ninjitsu--who battle evil from the New York sewers. The Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles animated television series--jointly produced by 4Kids
Entertainment and Mirage Studios--will continue to air on "TheCW4Kids"
Saturday morning programming block on The CW network through Aug. 31, 2010.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for
kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and production
in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online,
recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is
seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic
cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit
http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and
logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
About Mirage Studios
The Mirage Group is a group of companies, including Mirage Studios, Inc.,
located in Northampton, Massachusetts, that owned and managed the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles property from its creation in 1984 through 2009.