Burbank-based animation studio DIC Entertainment Inc., has signed an agreement with ad agency Universal McCann and Cereal Partners Worldwide, a global partnership between General Mills Inc. and Nestle S.A., to give European broadcasters the opportunity to trade advertising time for DIC shows. Under the deal, advertisers will get free air time during DIC shows that air in Europe in exchange for paying DIC licensing fees. DIC CEO Andy Heyward said the joint venture will mean better access for the company’s shows in the European market. European broadcasters have limited budgets for programming. The arrangement will help subsidize DIC’s programming, allowing it to air its shows in the overseas market. “Europe is ready to do business this way and it won’t be long before DIC’s cartoons and our clients’ products are airing in Europe,” Heyward said. Under the plan, DIC will provide broadcasters with 2,500 half hours of programming. In exchange the broadcaster will provide commercial time for General Mills and Nestle products free of charge during the show’s airing, Heyward said. “Bartering has been around a long time in television and we’ve been successful at it before. ‘Inspector Gadget,’ is one example,” Heyward said, of DIC’s 1983 cartoon series. Already, the company has begun producing “Mary-Kate & Ashley in Action,” a live action show with twins Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen; “Super Duper Sumos,” and “Liberty’s Kids,” for the current season and possible European distribution. Heyward said European broadcasters pay cash for programming, making it difficult to acquire a variety of different shows. “Everyone wins in this scenario,” he said. “Broadcasters will be able to afford to program children’s shows and the advertisers will have more outlets for their products.” Universal McCann will oversee the joint venture from its London office. ‘Thing’ to Become a Video Game John Carpenter’s 1993 box-office bomb “The Thing” is making a comeback of sorts, say the folks at Universal Interactive. It will be a full-fledged video game set for release next fall for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox platform. The game will have the look and feel of the movie, which deals with an extraterrestrial monster who terrorizes scientists in Antarctica, said Jim Wilson, Universal Interactive president. “We’re very excited about this game and possibilities for future games for Xbox,” said Wilson, who said other characters from Universal Studios’ films are being considered for future game titles. ‘Powerpuff’ DVD Recalled Warner Home Video said last week that it plans to recall the a DVD featuring the Powerpuff Girls cartoon characters, titled “Meet the Beat Alls,” because it carries a computer virus. The DVD was released on Oct. 23, but the company said it only recently became aware of the problem. Warner says it’s offering all who bought the title a full refund. Warner said the virus only affects PCs and not DVD players. The company would not say how many copies of the title have been sold. Three computer programs and the intrinsic installer in the disk carry the virus, known as “Fun Love.” Alera Launches DVD Recorder Van Nuys-based DVD and CD recording equipment manufacturer, Alera Technologies LLC, is launching its new DVD+RW Cruiser, a device that can rewrite DVDs at speeds faster than the company had previously offered. The company says the new device is offered with FireWire IEEE 1394 interface ports and connected to other devices via connect kits that are now available. The DVD+RW Cruiser also allows video professionals to create DVDs and CDs with high-quality video production and data management software, like other more expensive devices, the company said. It is also useful for archiving and storing data. The Cruiser retails for $699. Fiberspace Receives Financing Fiberspace Inc., a Woodland Hills-based optical communications products maker, has received $1.5 million in equipment financing from Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division. Fiberspace said the financing was needed to continue to develop its Optical Phase Locked Loop technology, which would increase the efficiency in the use of the optical spectrum on existing fiber optic lines. The company said the technology will increase fiber optic capacity and improve its stability and accuracy, making it an attractive tunable laser platform. Hawker Feels Pinch of Travel Downturn The drop in air travel isn’t just hurting the airline business, but the entire aerospace industry said Jim Bennett, CFO of Sun Valley-based aircraft parts reseller Hawker Pacific Aerospace Inc. “It’s affecting all aspects of the industry,” said Bennett, whose company has been adversely impacted by the reduction in air travel. The company has seen business slow to a crawl in the weeks following the Sept. 11 attacks, but the drop did little to dampen Bennett’s enthusiasm for the 22 percent revenue increase for the quarter ending Sept. 30. The company lost $977,000 on revenues of $22.5 million, compared to an $11.1 million loss on revenue of $18.5 million last year during the same period. The company’s third quarter numbers showed the impact of cost-cutting that streamlined its operations, both here and at its England facility, Bennett said. Hawker officials, however, are bracing for further cuts in the airline industry that could adversely impact operations. Already, a number of airlines have announced plans to retire many of their aircraft, thus eliminating potential repair work or parts sales for Hawker. But the company is moving forward with plans to bolster its sales through a partnership with its majority shareholder, Germany-based Lufthansa Technik AG. The deal allows the companies to cooperate and support each other by providing aircraft component services to their combined customers. The deal, Bennett said, is worth an estimated $22 million in additional revenue over the next three years. But Bennett cautioned that the company would likely post lower revenues for the fourth quarter, compared to a year ago. Last year, the company posted a loss of $19.3 million on $77.1 million in revenue, compared to a $2.3 million loss on $82.3 million in revenue. Staff reporter Carlos Martinez can be reached at (818) 676-1750 ext. 17 or by e-mail at [email protected]
