Discovery Kids takes 'Louie' in U.S.

European animation targets Latino market

By JOHN HOPEWELL

MADRID -— Underscoring the emergence of U.S. Hispanic TV as a fertile niche market for Euro TV toon series, Discovery Kids en Espanol has taken U.S. Spanish-language rights to all seasons of “Louie,” produced by France’s Millimages.

Series is sold by Barcelona-based Imira Ent., one of Spain’s top toon production-distribution houses. Imira has also licensed the pre-school skein “Bali,” from France’s Planet Nemo, to U.S. Hispanic channel Sorpresa!

“With the launch, or re-launch of Spanish-language TV nets over the last years — PBS channel V-me, Sorpresa! and Quio — the U.S. market has opened up for European animation,” said Christophe Goldenberger, Imira head of distribution and marketing.

The “Louie” Hispanic market deal, inked just before Christmas, comes as Discovery Kids Latin America has re-upped on “Louie,” while Disney Latin America inked for the first time to distribute pre-school toon “64 Zoo Lane,” a short-form series also sold by Imira.

In further Stateside business for Imira, Film Ideas has taken “Vitaminix” for non-commercial distribution, such as to schools.

The series, based of nutritional sketches for kids, already airs on Spanish-language pay TV channel Somos TV, while Mega TV has taken Spanish-language U.S. rights on a non-exclusive basis for free TV, cable and satellite.

Imira has grown to prominence targeting sales in the Spanish-speaking world and repping the sales slates there of Millimages and Germany’s ZDF Enterprises, from which it has just picked up the youth toon series, “Elephant Princess.”

Already rolling off Euro co-production to produce its own series, such as “Lola & Virginia,” Imira is now expanding its distribution activities in Europe, Goldenberger added.