EM.TV titles find takers

Kidvidder sells 'Hoobs,' pacts with Daekyo

By ED MEZA

CANNES -- German kidvidder EM.TV, facing collateral damage from Kirch Media's insolvency, has sold "The Hoobs," produced by the Jim Henson Co., to children's channel KI.KA and pubcaster ZDF, it announced at the Mip TV mart on Tuesday.

It also signed a three-year agreement with Daekyo for an hour a day of kids fare from its Junior library, which it co-owns with bankrupt Kirch Media. EM.TV's Junior label contains 22,000 hours of kiddie fare, including classics from Warner's Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera series.

Daekyo gets terrestrial TV rights to 468 half-hour shows, including "Dr. Seuss." The network operates tyke cable channel Kidsnet, which reaches 3.5 million households in South Korea.

Kirch bailed out Munich-based EM.TV when latter was facing tough financial times last year, in return for which Kirch gained a minority stake in EM.TV's Formula One motor racing shares. Kirch then used this to secure lofty loans.

Company sources said it's too early to determine whether Kirch creditor banks will come knocking, but if they do, EM.TV could be hit by a loss of more than $200 million.

In addition, EM.TV appears to have put the sale of the Jim Henson Co. on the back burner. "There's just too much going on at the moment," commented one company source.