Corpus Resources PLC Regulatory News (COR)

24 Oct 2005 07:00

Chorion PLC24 October 2005 Chorion's Noddy brand to receive greater exposure on United States and United Kingdom television networks London, Monday, 24 October 2005 - Chorion (LSE: COR), the UK's leading owner andmanager of classic literary-based brands, today announced that it had securedincreased television exposure of its Noddy pre-school brand in two keyterritories. UNITED KINGDOM In the UK, Five, Britain's fastest-growing terrestrial television channel, hasagreed to extend its commitment to Chorion's pre-school TV programme Make Wayfor Noddy. Five has given Chorion a commitment that the channel will air the hit show for aminimum of 30 weeks per year until 2012. The programme is currently broadcastseven mornings a week in the top-rated pre-school programming bloc, Milkshake!,and this new agreement ensures that the programme will remain in the keybreakfast slot until 2012. UNITED STATES Make Way for Noddy has also been selected as a key programming component forSprout, the new American pre-school television network, jointly owned byComcast, PBS, Sesame Workshop and HIT Entertainment launched on the 28thSeptember 2005. The company's 100 original ten-minute episodes are airing four times a dayinitially to 20 million US television households via digital satellite platformDirecTV and Comcast's and Insight Communications' digital cable networks. The Sprout carriage deal is in addition to Make Way for Noddy's exposure onpublic broadcaster PBS KIDS. Welcoming the new deals, Chorion chief executive Nicholas James said: "These new deals are a huge boost for the Noddy brand. Noddy is now assured of asustained high profile TV presence in its two largest markets, which is apre-requisite for generating growth in licensing and merchandising revenues. Itis particularly significant that Noddy has been chosen to be one of the leadprogrammes for Sprout, the new US pre-school channel" - ends - For enquiries or imagery please call: Tim Allan or Andrew ShollPortland, for Chorion020 7404 5344andrew.sholl@portlandpr.co.uk About Chorion Chorion (LSE: COR) is the UK's leading owner and manager of classicliterary-based brands. Its foremost properties include Enid Blyton's Noddy,Roger Hargreaves's Mr. Men and Little Miss series, Agatha Christie's HerculePoirot and Miss Marple, Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret and RaymondChandler's Philip Marlowe. Visit www.chorion.co.uk. 'Make Way for Noddy' airs in more than 100 markets around the world and ranks asone of the UK's biggest television exports. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange