Can Field Fisher Waterhouse fix it….? Firm advises on leading pre-school children’s TV deal
07 January 2008
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP has advised
international broadcaster and distributor of thematic television
channels Chello Zone on its 10 year corporate joint-venture with
HIT Entertainment.
HIT Entertainment owns popular children’s
programmes such as Bob the Builder™, Thomas and Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Pingu™,
Barney™ and Fireman Sam™. The joint-venture will see Chello Zone
and HIT Entertainment distribute these programmes internationally
via a newly-acquired pre-school children’s TV channel, JimJam. The
channel, previously only broadcast in Italy, will launch across
European cable and satellite platforms this month, with Africa and
the Middle East to follow in 2008.
Chellomedia is the European content division
of one of the world’s largest cable operators, Liberty Global, Inc.
Chello Zone, previously known as Zonemedia and Zone Vision, was
acquired by Chellomedia in 2005. Chellomedia and Chello Zone became
clients of the firm in 2006, following the arrival of corporate
partner Neil Foster.
The team advising on the joint-venture with
HIT Entertainment, and also on the acquisition of JimJam, consisted
of Chello Zone’s head of legal, Justin Wolfe, and a Field Fisher
Waterhouse team comprising client partner Neil Foster, media partner Jeremy Miles, and corporate solicitor Tim
Davison.
These deals reflect the firm’s corporate media
expertise. Earlier this year, the team advised Hammer Film
Holdings on its US$50 million leveraged fund-raising associated
with the acquisition of Hammer Film
Production Limited, the company responsible for the classic movie
series of Dracula, Frankenstein and Quatermass. The firm also
recently advised on BBC Worldwide’s investment in Left Bank
Productions, a new independent production vehicle set up by “The
Queen” producer Andy Harries.
Other high profile media clients of the firm
include the BBC, MTV, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios, and
a number of Hollywood majors. The firm’s media group was recently
boosted further by the arrival of partner Hamish Porter from Addleshaw Goddard in
September.
Neil
Foster said: “Having worked with Chello Zone for some
years, it was great to be able to bring them with me to Field
Fisher Waterhouse - a firm with such breadth of media sector
expertise. We are delighted to have worked on this joint venture
between Chello Zone and HIT Entertainment, which involves the
distribution of some of the world’s leading children’s content. And
it’s fun to close a deal that, for the first time, my small
children have some interest in!”
For further press information please
contact:
Louise Eckersley, PR Manager,
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP on +44 (0)20 7861 4120
Scarlett Yianni, PR Assistant,
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP on +44 (0)20 7861 4795