Nelvana Partners With Turner To Bring The Zhuzhus ‘zhuniverse’ To Viewers Across Europe

Nelvana_Turner Broadcast Deal ZZP_FINAL
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June 13, 2017

Nelvana Partners with Turner to Bring The ZhuZhus ‘Zhuniverse’ to Viewers Across Europe

Nelvana Extends The Zhuzhus Brand with New Broadcast Partner and Signs New Licensing Agents Around the World

Toronto, Canada – Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has inked a broadcast deal with Turner to bring the delightful adventures of The ZhuZhus to viewers across Europe. Nelvana negotiated the long-term broadcast deal for the show with Turner for Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Boing, and Cartoonito across the U.K., France, and the Nordics. Episodes began rolling out in the U.K. and France this month with another set of new episodes slated for November. The series will debut in the Nordic regions beginning in October.

“The fur-raising adventures of The ZhuZhus has tickled the funny bone of viewers all around the world,” said Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana. “We’re very excited to be adding to our broadcast schedule with exemplary partners that will bring the laugh-out-loud show to viewers throughout the region.”

Additionally, Nelvana has signed on six new licensing agents for the furry animated series around the world. Partners and territories include:

  • Discovery Italia in Italy
  • License Connection in The Benelux Union (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg)
  • Licensing Dynamics International in Israel
  • Megalicense in Russia and CIS territories
  • Popcorn Brand Activity in Portugal
  • 20too Licensing in the Middle East

The ZhuZhus is based on the hugely-popular ZhuZhu Pets toy line from St. Louis, MO-based Cepia, LLC, the mastermind behind the irresistible and always-entertaining lifelike robotic hamsters that became a phenomenon when they were first introduced.

About Nelvana
Nelvana is Canada’s premier animation company and a world-leading producer and distributor of children’s content. Nelvana has delighted audiences around the globe for more than 40 years with a vast library of more than 4,000 episodes from original, award-winning series like Babar and Franklin. Nelvana’s content is distributed in more than 160 countries worldwide and broadcast across Corus Entertainment’s suite of leading kids networks. Nelvana Enterprises, the global licensing and merchandising arm of Nelvana, manages the organization’s portfolio of in-house and third party brands with offices in Toronto and Paris. Nelvana Studio, with offices in Toronto and Montreal employs more than 300 Canadian artists working with local and international producers to create premium children’s content for a global stage.  For more information, visit www.nelvana.com

About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 45 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children’s book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic Channel, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

About Turner International
Turner International operates versions of core Turner brands, including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and TCM Turner Classic Movies, as well as country- and region-specific networks and businesses in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It manages the business of Pay- and Free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and oversees commercial partnerships with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner’s global reach. Turner operates more than 175 channels showcasing 38 brands in 33 languages in over 200 countries. Turner International is a Time Warner company.

About Cepia
Headquartered in St Louis, Mo., Cepia LLC is a privately held company that manufactures toys and games for children of all ages. The company was founded on the premise that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Ingenuity, creativity, playfulness and passion are the heart of Cepia and everything it creates. Cepia’s toy building enterprises include: ZhuZhu Pets®, The Amazing Zhus™, The Happy’s™, Cute Patooties™ and Glo-E™. ZhuZhu Pets has received top honor Toy of the Year recognition nine times in seven countries, including 2010 “Toy of the Year,” “Most Innovative Toy” and “Best Girls Toy” at the 2010 TOTY Awards in the U.S.  All toys from Cepia LLC are sold globally through national chain retail outlets and independent toy stores. For more information, please visit www.cepiallc.com.

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Follow Corus PR on Twitter @CorusPR

Press contacts:

Corus Entertainment
Laura Berkenblit
Senior Publicist
416.860.4225
laura.berkenblit@corusent.com

Michelle McTeague
Publicity Manager
416.860.4226
michelle.mcteague@corusent.com

ChizComm Ltd. on behalf of Nelvana
Jessica Pirraglia, Sr. Communications and Marketing Manager
416.551.0822 x330; jessica@chizcomm.com