Zodiak Kids Adds Canada's TCG As New North American "Tickety Toc" Toy Partner; To Release Range Of Wooden Toys Based On Popular Preschool Show

The children's entertainment and media news website Kidscreen is reporting the Nick Jr. News in the following article that Zodiak Kids has secured a new licensing deal with TCG that will see the Toronto, Canada-based toy company produce, distribute and market a new line of wooden toys in North America based on Zodiak's hit preschool Intellectual property (IP) "Tickety Toc".

The line for preschoolers will include a Pufferty puppy train, the Tickety Toc clock, and main characters Tommy, Tallulah, McCoggins and Hopparoo. TCG's brand new line of "Tickety Toc" wooden toys are set to hit mass-market retail shelves across North America for Fall (Autumn) 2014. The deal was brokered by the US licensing agent Established Brands and Canada's Studio Licensing, on behalf of Zodiak Kids.

The latest deal follows Zodiak Kids' recent North American licensing deals for "Tickety Toc" in categories such as apparel, décor and games, and also comes on the heels of Scholastic being named as North American master publishing partner for the property.

A first round of consumer products from master toy partner Just Play and home entertainment licensee Anchor Bay Entertainment will reach North America this Fall (2013):

Tickety Toc adds North American toy partner

Zodiak Kids has secured a deal with TCG that will see the Toronto-based toyco produce, distribute and market a new line of wooden toys in North America based on Zodiak’s hit preschool IP Tickety Toc.

The line for preschoolers will include a Pufferty puppy train, the Tickety Toc clock, and main characters Tommy, Tallulah, McCoggins and Hopparoo.

Toys are set to hit mass-market retail shelves across North America for fall 2014.

US licensing agent Established Brands and Canada’s Studio Licensing, on behalf of Zodiak Kids, brokered the deal.

The latest deal follows recent North American licensing deals in categories such as apparel, décor and games, and also comes on the heels of Scholastic being named as North American master publishing partner for the property.

A first round of consumer products from master toy partner Just Play and home entertainment licensee Anchor Bay Entertainment will reach North America this fall.

Tags: Established Brands, North America, Studio Licensing, TCG, Tickety Toc, toys, Zodiak Kids

Comcast Completes Digital Migration To A Full Digital Delivery System In Santa Cruz County; Adds Nickelodeon HD

Comcast Corporation has announced in the following press release, from PRNewswire, the news that the American provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, has successfully completed its digital migration to a full digital delivery system in Santa Cruz County, and launched 139 new television networks to residential homes and businesses as part of its growing Xfinity TV lineup (see complete list of networks and channel numbers below). Comcast also increased Internet speeds in the area and launched new video packages, such as Family Tier, Digital Economy Video and MultiLatino, which give customers more choice and control over their TV viewing. Earlier this summer, Comcast began a digital initiative which converted channels 2 to 82 from analog to digital, and reclaimed analog bandwidth to allow the company to launch these new products and services to customers.

The new programming will be available to residential homes and businesses which are Comcast customers in the following areas: Aptos, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, La Selva Beach, Mount Herman, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel and Watsonville.

Among the dozens of new high-definition (HD) channels will be such popular networks as Nickelodeon HD, KICU, KQED Plus, Bravo, A&E, USA Network, Comedy Central, Food Network, Discovery, Travel, History Channel, Fox News Channel, CNBC, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, CNN HLN, MTV, msnbc, Turner Classic Movies, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, Showtime and the NFL Network.

In addition to these new HD Channels, Comcast continues to deliver more HD content via the company's video on demand (VoD) service Xfinity ON DEMAND, so customers can watch HD when they want to watch it. With more than 6,000 HD choices, Comcast is delivering the HD programming that aligns with what consumers want to watch and how they want to watch it.

Original Comcast Corporation Press Release:

Comcast Finishes Digital Conversion and Launches 139 New TV Networks in Santa Cruz and Surrounding Areas

69 New HD Networks, 17 SD Channels and 53 Multicultural Networks Come to Santa Cruz County After Comcast Successfully Converts to All-Digital Delivery System

Comcast Also Increases Internet Speeds and Launches New Video Packages

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast's California Region today announced that it has completed its digital migration to a full digital delivery system in Santa Cruz County, and launched 139 new television networks to residential homes and businesses as part of its growing Xfinity TV lineup (see complete list of networks and channel numbers below). Comcast also increased Internet speeds in the area and launched new video packages, such as Family Tier, Digital Economy Video and MultiLatino, which give customers more choice and control over their TV viewing. Earlier this summer, Comcast began a digital initiative which converted channels 2 to 82 from analog to digital, and reclaimed analog bandwidth to allow the company to launch these new products and services to customers.

The new programming will be available to residential homes and businesses which are Comcast customers in the following areas: Aptos, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, La Selva Beach, Mount Herman, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel and Watsonville.

Among the dozens of new high-definition (HD) channels will be such popular networks as KICU, KQED Plus, Bravo, A&E, USA Network, Comedy Central, Food Network, Discovery, Travel, History Channel, Fox News Channel, CNBC, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, CNN HLN, MTV, msnbc, Turner Classic Movies, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, Showtime and the NFL Network.

In addition to these new HD Channels, Comcast continues to deliver more HD content via Xfinity ON DEMAND, so customers can watch HD when they want to watch it. With more than 6,000 HD choices, Comcast is delivering the HD programming that aligns with what consumers want to watch and how they want to watch it.

Customers who do not receive HD channels will have new programming options as well. 17 new standard definition (SD) networks are launching, including Oxygen, Fox Business Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Hallmark Movie Channel, Ovation, NFL Redzone, Nuvo TV and GAC.
In addition to the new networks, Comcast has also increased Internet speeds in Santa Cruz County for two of its most popular XFINITY Internet speed plans. The Performance plan is increasing download speeds from up to 8 Mbps to speeds up to 15 Mbps. The Blast! plan is increasing download speeds from up to 16 Mbps to speeds up to 25 Mbps, and upload speeds from up to 2 Mbps to up to 4 Mbps. To activate the new speeds, customers may need to re-start their cable modems.

69 NEW HIGH DEFINITION (HD) NETWORKS

Network New Channel #

KQED Plus HD* 710
KICU HD 713
HSN HD 718
QVC HD 719
NBA TV HD 727
ESPNews HD 730
Speed HD 731
Bravo HD 733
A&E HD 734
Syfy HD 736
USA Network HD 738
Universal HD 739
FX HD 741
Style HD 742
Spike HD 743
G4 HD 744
Comedy Central HD 745
Food Network HD 747
truTV HD 748
Discovery HD 750
Animal Planet HD 751
TLC HD 752
E! HD 753
Travel HD 755
Science HD 756
History Channel HD 758
Fox News HD 760
Fox Business HD 761
CNBC HD 762
Disney XD HD 763
Cartoon Network HD 766
Nickelodeon HD 767
ABC Family Channel HD 768
Disney Channel HD 769
Sprout HD 770
Destination America HD 771
Biography HD 772
Oxygen HD 773
CNN HLN HD 774
TWC HD 776
BET HD 777
CMT HD 778
CSN Plus HD 780
VH1 HD 781
MTV HD 782
msnbc HD 787
Turner Classic Movies HD 789
Hallmark HD 793
Hallmark Movie Channel HD 794
Lifetime HD 795
Lifetime Movie Network HD 796
Nat Geo Wild HD 806
HBO Latino HD 808
Encore HD 809
BBC America HD 810
The Hub HD 813
Galavision HD 815
GSN HD 822
Starz HD 816
Showtime HD 825
Cinemax HD 838
TMC HD 847
NFL Network HD 730
NFL Redzone HD* 785
Fox Soccer Channel HD 803
iN Demand Team HD 450
iN Demand Game HD 459
iN Demand Game 2 HD 460
iN Demand HD PPV 870

* Launches 7/25/13

17 NEW STANDARD DEFINITION (SD) NETWORKS

Network New Channel [number]

Oxygen 73
Jewelry TV 116
Fox Business 130
Nat Geo Wild 159
Shop NBC 164
Ovation 270
tvK, TVK-24 332
ESPN Game Plan 1 421
ESPN Game Plan 2 422
ESPN Game Plan 3 423
ESPN Game Plan 4 424
ESPN Game Plan 5 425
ESPN Game Plan 6 426
NFL Redzone* 427
Nuvo TV 477
GAC 484
Hallmark Movie Channel 500

18 NEW INTERNATIONAL PREMIUM NETWORKS

For programming information visit www.comcast.com/internationaltv

Network New Channel #

TV Globo (Portuguese/Brazilian) 305
PFC (Portuguese/Brazilian) 306
Band Internacional (Portuguese/Brazilian) 307
RTPi (Portuguese) 310
Deutsche Welle (German + English) 315
Channel One Russia (Russian) 325
TV Japan (Japanese) 330
SBTN (Vietnamese) 331
Zee TV (South Asian - Hindi) 336
TVAsi (South Asian - Hindi) 337
ABP News (South Asian - Hindi) 341
Life OK (South Asian - Hindi) 342
STAR India GOLD (South Asian - Hindi) 343
CTI-Zhong Tian (Chinese) 354
CCTV 4 (Chinese-Mandarin) 355
The Filipino Channel (TFC) 367
GMA Pinoy (English + Tagalog) 369
GMA Life (English + Tagalog) 370

35 NEW HISPANIC NETWORKS

Network New Channel #

Xfinity Latino 599
Canal 52 MX 603
CentroAmerica 616
LAS 626
Ecuavisa 628
TVE 629
WAPA America 630
Mexicanal 631
Multimedios 632
Caracol 633
TV Colombia 634
Discovery Familia 635
Nuvo TV 636
TV Chile 637
Vme Kids 638
BFTV 639
SUR Peru 644
Pasiones 645
Utilisima 646
Telefe 647
TV Dominicana 649
TV Venezuela 650
BEIN Sports 651
HTV Musica 652
Telehit 653
Ritmoson Latino 654
Bandamax 656
TBN Enlace 658
EWTN Espanol 659
La Familia Cosmo 660
De Pelicula 664
De Pelicula Clasico 665
Univision (East) 668
UniMas (East) 669
HITN 671

About Comcast Cable:
Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

SOURCE Comcast

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Nickelodeon Australia And New Zealand Unveils Official "Sanjay and Craig" Website

The official website of Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand, nickelodeon.com.au, has unveiled the channels brand new official "Sanjay and Craig" show website, which may indicate that Nick AU & NZ, and Nickelodeon channels and networks around the world (Planet Nickelodeon / Planet Orange), including Nickelodeon UK, may start to premiere and show Nickelodeon's latest all-new original animated series (Nicktoon) "Sanjay and Craig" quite soon! Nick Australia and New Zealand, the Australian and Kiwi version of the popular children's channel, have also recently launched the networks' official "Sam & Cat" and "Monsters Vs. Aliens" show pages.

Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand's official "Sanjay & Craig" website features a Meet The Characters section featuring bios for each of the characters in "Sanjay and Craig" - Sanjay Patel, Craig, Megan Sparkles, Hector Flanagan, and Remington Tufflips - and a show info page featuring information about Nick's brand new animated comedy series "Sanjay and Craig".

"Sanjay and Craig" (20 episodes x 30 minutes) follows the adventures of Sanjay, an excitable and irreverent 12-year-old boy (Maulik Pancholy, "30 Rock") and Craig, a smooth-talking snake and master of disguise (Chris Hardwick, "Nerdist", "The Talking Dead"). Together, they embark on epic kid-inspired quests that are at times totally ridiculous, absolutely gross and weirdly sweet. From perfecting the ultimate bike skid, tightroping across a pool of garbage on a dare or Craig manipulating a contest to win his best buddy one hundred dogs, their routine hijinks often cross into the land of the fantastical and the absurd. Only Sanjay and his closest friends can hear Craig's warped words of wisdom. The only thing that stands in their way is their unhinged, snake-phobic neighbor, Mr. Noodman (Tony Hale, "Veep", "Arrested Development"), who's always on the verge of figuring out that Craig can talk.

"Sanjay and Craig" is a brand-new, creator-driven animated series that blends a comedic and stylistic sensibility with a distinctive mix of unusual, wonderful and random humor. The series features the additional voice talents of Linda Cardellini ("Mad Men", "Freaks and Geeks") as Megan; Matt Jones ("Breaking Bad") as Hector; Kunal Nayyar ("The Big Bang Theory") as Vijay; Grey DeLisle ("The Fairly OddParents") as Darlene and Sandy Dickson; and "Remington Tufflips" as himself.

Sanjay and Craig is created and co-executive produced by first-generation Nickelodeon viewers Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell and Andreas Trolf, who were influenced by the cartoons from their childhoods to create content for today’s post-millennial kids. These first-time creators were paired with award-winning writers and producers Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi (The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Alvin and the Chipmunks) to develop this original animated series.

Nickelodeon Star Kendall Schmidt Talks About What's Next For "Big Time Rush"; Hints Of A New BTR Movie

In a recent exclusive interview with the teen-entertainment magazine Popstar!, Nickelodeon Star and musician Kendall Schmidt, who plays Kendall Knight in the hit Nickelodeon musical comedy series "Big Time Rush", talked about what's next Big Time Rush!

In the interview, Kendall hints that, even though the shooting for BTR season four, speculated to be the final season of the popular sitcom, has wrapped, the BTR boys will keep on filming, and that Nickelodeon could also be planning to make a brand new second "Big Time Rush" movie in the future! Kendall also reveals in the interview that Nick still has the "Big Time Rush" studio sets in storage.

Kendall also talks about wrapping production on the fourth season of "Big Time Rush", the props and momentos he took from the set to remember the great time he had filming and making the show, Big Time Rush's current tour, "Summer Break Tour", and BTR's brand new album, "24/seven", which you can read below! A photograph of Popstar! Magazine's article featuring their exclusive interview with Kendall Schmidt has been provided by Twitter user @TheChris1775:

What's Next For BTR?

The guys may be on a Big Time Tour right now, but Kendall spilled some secrets about their last day on set - and what's next for the boys!

With Season 4 of the hit show complete, Rushers can't help but wonder what's next for James, Carlos, Kendall, and Logan. A four-season run is a huge success for any TV show, but now that the guys are getting older and pursuing different projects, everyone's wondering what their next move will be, As Carlos pursues his dream of directing and Kendall works on new music with his band Heffron Drive, fans are concerned that it might be the end:
But not to worry! "We're doing the tour and we have our album out," Kendall tells Popstar! exclusively. "It's all kind of happening right now, nothing is going away. Especially with this new album, who knows what song might just take off on its own."
Plus, Kendall spills on a big time rumour that Rushers are hoping becomes a reality! "I even heard that we're going to come back and do a movie or something, so we're going to keep filming," he spills. "They didn't get rid of the sets."

However, there are a few props from the set that are long gone! "There's this blue microphone," smiles Kendall. "We wrapped [filming] in the booth and there were all four of the mics and I just put it in my pocket. And then one of the gold records they had on the wall, I took the Boys in the Attic platinum record." But Kendall quickly learned that not everything you see on TV works in real life.

"I got to a rehearsal and plugged the mic in and it was a fake microphone," he explains. "I should have known the microphones would be fake too!"
All jokes aside, the last day of filming was an emotional one for the guys. "Carlos always gets sentimental first," he says. But things didn't get too sentimental because Kendall isn't ready to let go yet! "I'm still holding onto that its not over until somebody says it is, and the filming isn't over," he says. So what was it like on the last day of shooting season four? "We wrapped and the first person I went to was Scott obviously because he created the whole thing. I couldn't say much because if I talked at all I would have been choked up. Someone would be like, 'It was a great four years.' And I'd just be like, 'Yep' and that's all I could get out." Aww! With a huge tour and a hot new album, BTR is in no rush to say goodbye!

Nicktoons USA And NFL Network To Premiere "NFL Rush Zone" Season 3, "NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed", In Fall 2013

Nickelodeon USA's animation and action channel, Nicktoons USA, and the National Football League have announced in the following press release, from The Futon Critic.com, the exciting Nicktoons TV News that Nicktoons USA and the NFL Network will start to premiere and show the brand new 20-episode third season of the popular animated series "NFL Rush Zone", titled "NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed", from Fall (Autumn) 2013! The third installment of the Emmy nominated series, co-produced by Nickelodeon and the NFL, is based on NFLRUSH ZONE, the NFL's online world for kids.

Original Nicktoons Press Release:

"NFL RUSH ZONE: GUARDIANS UNLEASHED," SEASON THREE OF NICKELODEON, NFL ANIMATED SERIES, TO PREMIERE THIS FALL

NFL Coaches, Players to Voice Animated Personas in 20-Episode Original, Half-Hour Nicktoons Series

NEW YORK - July 11, 2013 - NFL Rush Zone, co-produced by Nickelodeon and the NFL, will air a 20-episode third season, NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed, the two entities jointly announced today. The third installment of the Emmy nominated series based on NFLRUSH ZONE, the NFL's online world for kids, debuts this fall on Nicktoons and NFL Network.

In season three, Ishmael (Ish), and his hero friends, the "Guardians," develop enhanced powers to protect the NFL and the world from new and familiar villains. The Guardians are aided by NFL coaches and players who voice their animated personas, including San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forté, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

New weekly episodes from season two of NFL Rush Zone: Season of the Guardians, the first-ever original half-hour animated series jointly developed by a cable network and major U.S sports league, return to Nicktoons Sunday, July 14, at 11:00a.m. (ET) and will re-air on NFL Network Saturday, July 20 at 8:00a.m. (ET). Viewers will watch Ish and his friends fend off Wild Card and his wingman, Drop Kick, who are attempting to destroy the NFL and ultimately the world by harnessing the power of the 32 teams' Megacores that preserve the essence of each team, its fans and its community. All 32 NFL teams will be showcased throughout the series, which continues to feature NFL Films game footage.

When season two returns on Sunday with "Mystery Solved," viewers will hear Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson voice his animated persona. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster, San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden, among other NFL personnel, will appear in season two.

NFL Rush Zone is available on Nicktoons.com and NFLRUSH.com following each episode's on-air premiere. Full-length episodes will also be available on the Nick App the day after premieres. Episodes also re-air on NFL Network and are produced in high definition for availability on video boards in NFL stadiums across the country.

NFL Rush Zone is produced by Rollman Entertainment, Inc. The team is led by veteran kids TV producer and Rollman Entertainment CEO Eric S. Rollman, who previously served as president of Marvel Animation; Saban Productions and Fox Family Productions working on thousands of animated and live action kids TV series, including The Avengers: World's Greatest Heroes, Super Hero Squad, Iron Man Armored Adventure and Power Rangers.

Nickelodeon and the NFL initiated their partnership in 2010 with Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core, a short-form series. The 22-chapter micro-series followed 10-year-old unlikely kid hero Ish on his destiny to protect shards of a power source that were fortified in NFL stadiums across the country. Ish's powerful enemy, Sudden Death, used an army of Blitz Botz in a plan to hunt down the shards and destroy the NFL in an attempt to take over the world. However, with a secret avatar, known as "The Sub," Ish ultimately defeated Sudden Death in the season finale at Cowboys Stadium during Super bowl XLV.

The NFLRUSH ZONE, a role playing game on NFLRUSH.com, was launched in December 2007 and today has more than 2.5 million registered users. The NFLRUSH ZONE is an immersive virtual world where kids are able to create avatars, join their favorite team, play games, chat and compete with friends in a safe and fun environment. All 32 teams are represented within the NFLRUSH ZONE with distinct team lands and team Rusherz and Avatars.

NFLRUSH ZONE is accessible on mobile devices and will feature exclusive content associated with the animated TV series, including achievements and games linked to the show. Users will become NFLRUSH Zone Guardians, immersing themselves in the world as they "Enter the RUSH ZONE" with Ish and his fellow Guardians.

About Nicktoons

Nicktoons has the highest concentration of B2 - 11 across all television and offers programming such as the NFL Rush Zone franchise, Rob Dyrdek's Wild Grinders, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Alien Dawn, the Dragon Ball franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Voltron Force, Monsuno, and the Power Rangers franchise as well as a roster of hits that have defined kids' and animation lovers' TV, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. Nicktoons currently reaches almost 68 million homes via cable, digital cable and satellite. Nicktoons and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

[via press release from Nicktoons]