Press Release
New York, NY (1/28/99) - The
animated phenomenon "Pokemon" will join Kids' WB!'s Saturday
morning line-up with twelve brand new episodes of the hit half-hour series
beginning February 1999. Then, in Fall 1999, the series will expand to six
days a week adding Monday through Friday afternoon airings to the
continuing Saturday morning broadcasts with an additional all-new 52
episodes, it was announced today by Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO 4Kids
Entertainment, Inc., Jean MacCurdy, President, Warner Bros. Television
Animation and Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment, The WB Television
Network and head of Kids' WB!
Warner
Bros. Television Animation has acquired the rights to the series from
4Kids Entertainment, which distributes the show that is based on the
extremely popular Game Boy game of the same name from Nintendo of America.
Kids' WB! has in turn licensed the series from its sister division, Warner
Bros. Television Animation, for shared broadcast rights until Fall 1999,
at which time Kids' WB! becomes the exclusive television home for the
"Pokemon" franchise.
While the
series completes its first season in first-run syndication, Kids' WB! will
premiere the twelve all-new episodes of "Pokemon" beginning in
February 1999. Following the Kids' WB! debut, the twelve episodes will
join the "Pokemon" syndication package of 52 episodes for the
completion of the 1998-1999 season. Then, in Fall 1999,
"Pokemon" will join the Kids' WB! line-up exclusively with 52
all-new episodes to air Monday through Saturday.
"The
success of the 'Pokemon' franchise has been overwhelming here in the
U.S.," said MacCurdy. "I'm absolutely thrilled that Warner Bros.
Television Animation and Kids' WB! have come together to offer a network
television life to this highly entertaining and unique series."
In its
debut season, "Pokemon" is already the #1 rated kids show in
syndication. The series more than doubles its lead-in rating across all
key kid demographics and ranks number one with Kids 6-11 in 66% of its
broadcasts.
"Our
partnering with Kids WB! is great news for Pokemon fans across the USA,
" said Alfred Kahn, Chairman of 4Kids Entertainment. "Kids WB!'s
powerful promotional abilities and superior distribution, combined with
the overwhelming appeal of Pokemon, guarantees unprecedented success for
this amazing TV series." "We're thrilled with the incredible
response Pokemon has received, not only from the video-gaming public and
TV viewers, but from the entertainment industry as well. " said Gail
Tilden, Vice President of Product Acquisition and Development for Nintendo
of America Inc. "This recognition by WB Kids! confirms what we've
known all along: Pokemon is truly something special."
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