| Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment and Hit Entertainment have entered
into a multimillion dollar, multi-year agreement for the exclusive
marketing, sales and distribution rights to Hit’s extensive
portfolio of award-winning children’s programming in the US
and Canada.
Fox
will begin distributing Hit’s full slate of home entertainment
releases for August 2006.
The
upcoming release slate includes several new direct-to-video
and catalog titles for Hit’s top-selling franchises: Bob the
Builder, Barney, Angelina Ballerina and Thomas & Friends.
Fox will also distribute all of The Jim Henson Company’s Henson
Family Classics, including Fraggle Rock and Animal Jam, for
which Hit Entertainment serves as US agent for home entertainment,
as well as licensing and merchandising.
“The
entire Hit catalogue as well as future releases will benefit
greatly from Fox’s industry-leading distribution acumen and
clout in the market. This will allow Hit to dramatically expand
its distribution and presence at retail thereby reaching even
more families with young children,” said Hit North America
president Patricia Wyatt.
“The
Hit Entertainment portfolio contains some of the true jewels
of children’s home entertainment. This agreement will allow
us to further our expertise in the kids’ category as well
as build Hit’s business at retail to our mutual benefit,”
added Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Worldwide president
Mike Dunn.
Through
the new partnership, each video release will benefit from
the same type of comprehensive marketing that has enabled
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to become an industry-leading
distributor. Fox will now perform all of the business functions
previously handled by Hit Entertainment’s US home entertainment
division.
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