HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

HIT Entertainment and TV Azteca Partner for First Time to Launch an All-New Branded Preschool Television Block on Free TV in Mexico

"Niños Siete" To Feature Two Hours of HIT Entertainment Programming Packaged With New Interstitials and Original Hosted Material

New York, NY and Mexico City, Mexico

HIT Entertainment, a world-renowned provider of quality children's entertainment, and TV Azteca, a leading free TV channel in Mexico, have partnered for the very first time to bring a new, HIT-branded and hosted preschool television block to young children in Mexico. The block, entitled 'Niños Siete,' debuted on January 4, 2009 and will continue to air on Sundays from 7am to 9am. Hosted by three children - a 12-year-old girl, Ahichell, and her 10-year-old twin brothers, Alan and Gael Sanchez Valle - Niños Siete will feature a variety of favorite preschool programming from HIT's award-winning library, as well as new HIT properties, never-before seen in Mexico. The block will include more than 350 episodes of Barney & Friends™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™ and Pingu™ to name a few.

The hosted-interstitials serve to introduce the shows and link together the programming with learning-based activities, songs and arts and crafts, such as kite-making, maraca-making and seed planting. In addition, the program block, as well as its corresponding website, www.nsiete.tv, will showcase fan letters and original artwork, submitted by kid-viewers throughout Mexico.

"This all-new, branded program block is an unprecedented venture for HIT Entertainment and we're thrilled to be working with TV Azteca to bring our gold-standard and original content to kids throughout Mexico," said Rodrigo Piza, Vice President of Television for Canada, US Hispanic, and Latin America, HIT Entertainment. "HIT's characters and programming are already well-loved in the territory, with Barney being a favorite in the region for the past two decades. We're confident that kids - as well as parents - will embrace this safe, fun, engaging new preschool programming block, and make it their top choice on Sunday mornings."

In support of this new program block, TV Azteca is running promotional spots across its networks and HIT is promoting Niños Siete on www.barney.com. Niños Siete will also be featured on more than 170,000 HIT DVDs across more than eight titles to be released in 2009 in Mexico, as well as through Barney Magazine, Kena Magazine and other popular women's titles from Editorial Armonía. The total promotion for the block is expected to garner close to 35 million consumer impressions.

In addition, Barney and Aishel, the host of Niños Siete, made a variety of promotional appearances throughout December on major programs, such as Hechos, Venga la Alegria and Aquien Corresponda. On January 6th the duo appeared as part of TV Azteca's live annual charity concert Juguetón.

Artwork and video available upon request.

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment, owned by private equity investment group Apax Partners, is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment's Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America and Japan, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as a worldwide representative for The Jim Henson Company's library of classic family brands and as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS Sprout℠ , and international preschool channel JimJam, (outside of the US, UK and China). For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.