Chellomedia and HIT launch kids' channel

Chellomedia and HIT Entertainment are to launch an international pre-school TV channel.

The launch across cable and satellite platforms in Western and Eastern Europe is scheduled for later this year, with launches in Africa and the Middle East planned for early 2008.

The move follows Chellomedia's acquisition of JimJam, an Italian pre-school channel, with HIT and Chellomedia's subsidiary Zonemedia now launching and distributing JimJam internationally.

Additional roll-out of the channel worldwide - excluding the US and the UK - will follow.

Shane O'Neill, president of Chellomedia, said JimJam is: "A joint venture between one of the world's most influential producers of pre-school children's programming with a world-class portfolio of children's properties, and our own international channel management experience, backed by Liberty Global, is a great combination and will produce exciting opportunities in children's programming."

Bruce Steinberg, chief executive HIT Entertainment, added: "JimJam, our new venture with Chellomedia, underpins our goal, as the leading global independent children's entertainment producer, to deliver high-quality programming around the world helping our world-class properties to become an everyday part of children's lives."

JimJam is the 24th in Chellomedia's portfolio of channels and the third European acquisition in the current year.