HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

HIT Entertainment Launches All-New Episodes Of Classic Preschool Favorites Barney & Friends™, Bob The Builder™ And Thomas & Friends

Top-Rated Series Return To PBS KIDS® This September Introducing New Characters, New Music And Exciting New Adventures

06/20/2006

New York, NY

HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality preschool entertainment, announces the return of three popular and award-winning series on PBS KIDS this fall. Barney & Friends, Bob the Builder and Thomas & Friends will premiere new episodes, featuring new characters, new music and new adventures; these continue to promote the cognitive and social/emotional skills, creative problem-solving and timeless life lessons that make them Mom-favorites.

Barney & Friends
Barney & Friends, a core series in PBS' children's line-up for nearly 20 years, returns on September 18th with 20 new episodes and introduces the first new dino friend in 13 years: RIFF™! Riff, who is BJ™ and Baby Bop™'s cousin, is all about music - music is in his voice, his heart and his every move and he can make music out of anything, anytime, anywhere! With Riff's arrival, Barney & Friends launches new music that draws from diverse styles and influences from around the world and reflects a preschool music curriculum. The new vision of the series is infused by Karen Barnes, an industry veteran and new Executive Producer of Barney & Friends with more than 20 years experience in television and broadcast. Karen oversees the programs development and production along with all the Barney™ home entertainment releases. Since joining HIT in February of 2005 she has brought a new vision to Barney & Friends, adding a new dino friend and expanding the shows musical styling and curriculum. This refreshed series will stay true to the brand's roots, continuing to address important qualities, such as sharing, caring, imagining, dancing and learning that are defining characteristics of the Barney experience.

Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder and his can-do crew hammer out 12 new episodes of Bob the Builder - Project: Build It, starting Labor Day weekend on PBS KIDS, demonstrating the power of positive thinking, problem-solving and teamwork. The first-ever serialized program for preschoolers, Bob the Builder - Project: Build It, features sequential mini-adventures, aired in succession, that follow Bob the Builder and the can-do crew as they build a town from the ground up. In the new episodes, Bob the Builder welcomes a brand-new vehicle to the team, PACKER, a determined and enthusiastic delivery truck who always keeps his cool under pressure. Bob, Wendy, Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Lofty, Roley, Benny, Scrambler, Sumsy, along with Packer, tackle new projects, build new locations and always demonstrate that The Fun Is In Getting It Done!

Thomas & Friends
Thomas & Friends pulls into the station with 14 new episodes beginning Labor Day weekend on PBS KIDS. These new episodes track Thomas and his railway friends on the fantastic Island of Sodor, and welcome new characters including JEREMY, a small aircraft who has a slightly inflated view of himself and his importance; ROSIE, a tank engine who idolizes Thomas; ROCKY, a crane who wants to be everyone's best friend; and FEARLESS FREDDIE, a warhorse engine who, in his youth, was the daredevil of the hills. Together, these Island of Sodor friends invite children into their world and demonstrate timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation.

About Barney™
As a helping hand for growing children, Barney (along with special pals Baby Bop™, BJ™ and Riff™) helps parents give their children the range of skills they need to grow - and he always does it with lots of fun, music and laughs. Barney & Friends™ episodes are always filled with Sharing, Caring, Imagining, Dancing and Learning and can be seen on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS Sprout. For more information about Barney and all his friends, please visit www.barney.com

About Bob the Builder™
Bob the Builder and his machine team are ready to tackle any project. As they hammer out the solutions that lead to a job well done, Bob and the can-do crew demonstrate the power of positive-thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and follow-through. Most importantly, from start to finish, the team always shows that The Fun Is In Getting It Done! Bob the Builder is produced by HOT Animation and can be seen building, digging and hauling on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS Sprout. For more information about Bob the Builder, and the can-do crew please visit www.bobthebuilder.com.

About Thomas & Friends
Created by a father for his son, Thomas & Friends invites children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Today, families in more than 100 countries enjoy fun and adventure with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation. Thomas & Friends is making tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS Sprout For more information about the world of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, please visit www.thomasandfriends.com.

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment, owned by private equity investment group Apax Partners since June 2005, is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes internationally renowned children's properties, such as Bob the Builder™, Barney™, Thomas & Friends, Pingu™, Rubbadubbers™ and Angelina Ballerina™ and HIT acts as a representative for The Wiggles® in the UK, US and Canada. HIT also owns the Guinness World Records™ publishing and television property and Fireman Sam™, a joint venture with S4C. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production (including studios in the US and the UK), publishing, consumer products licensing and live events. With a catalog of over 1,000 hours of young children's programming, HIT sells its shows to over 240 countries worldwide, in more than 40 different languages and has operations in the UK, US, Japan and Canada. In 2005, the Company joined Comcast Corporation, PBS and Sesame Workshop to launch PBS KIDS Sprout℠, a 24-hour digital cable channel and VOD service for preschoolers. For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.

About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS is committed to providing the highest-quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS' programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS has earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (www.pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! (www.pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (www.pbsparents.org), PBS TeacherSource (www.pbsteachersource.org), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS KIDS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 348 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.