Telescreen B.V. (formerly known as Telecable Benelux B.V.) was a Dutch television production and distribution company, formerly an animation studio. It was specialised in producing and distributing kids and family entertainment. It was established in 1983 by Finnish entrepreneur and producer Dennis Livson and Jos Kaandorp as an independent production and distribution company. It was acquired in turn by Japanese firm Mitsui, Dutch production company Palm Plus Multimedia who handled Telescreen until 2005 before being sold to German company Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) in 2008. It has produced and distributed children's TV series such as Miffy, Moomin and Alfred J Kwak.
The international Consumer Products department managed and developed the merchandising programs of animated properties worldwide, such as Frog & Friends and Lizzie McGuire.
As a licensing agent, they also represented some of the world's major entertainment companies in the Benelux territory, such as BBC Worldwide, Turner Broadcasting, Chapman Entertainment and Aardman Animations.
The company serviced children's entertainment production from animation production, TV distribution, home entertainment, consumer products and royalty administration to artwork coordination and creation.
History Telescreen B.V. was founded in 1983 under the name Telecable Benelux BV by Dennis Livson and Jos Kaandorp. In 1994, the name Telecable Benelux B.V. was changed into Telescreen B.V. Soon thereafter, Livson sold the company to the giant Japanese entertainment firm Mitsui & Company, which acquired the company through a spin-off subsidiary, Pri-mation Media B.V.
In December 1998, Mitsui sold Pri-Mation Media and Telescreen to Dutch producer and distributor Palm Plus Produkties, marking Palm Plus' entry into the kids and family entertainment market. In March 2003, Telescreen and Palm Plus Produkties acquired the Egmont Imagination catalog outside the Nordic territories from Danish publishing company Egmont Group. Former Egmont Imagination president Tom van Waveren was appointed as Telescreen's director of co-productions. He left at the start of November 2004 to form his own production company, Hoek, Line and Thinker, taking over Telescreen's upcoming production Skunk Fu.
On February 25, 2005, Palm Plus Multimedia sold 49% of Telescreen to its management, after Telescreen's CEO Ruud Van Breugel had stepped down. Tom van Waveren returned to the former as its CCO. In September 2006, Telescreen formed a partnership with Los Angeles-based entertainment studio Suppertime Entertainment to co-produce and distribute an animated series based on the H.B. Homzie book series Alien Clones From Outer Space.
In December 2008, the German brand management and media company Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) acquired Telescreen. Telescreen retained their properties. One year later, Telescreen took over international distribution of m4e's TV, new media and home entertainment rights outside of Germany. Telescreen's licensing division Telescreen Licensing & Merchandising was renamed to Telescreen Consumer Products following the restructure. On March 31, Telescreen and m4e acquired the worldwide rights to the Pinkeltje franchise.
On April 5, 2011, m4e's television division bought the back catalogue of German brand management company TV-Loonland AG. Telescreen took over international distribution of the TV Loonland library.
In late-February 2017, Belgian production group Studio 100, via its global distribution division Studio 100 Media (now Studio 100 International), acquired a 68% stake in m4e, including Telescreen and the Egmont Imagination and TV-Loonland libraries.
List of productions Television Title Years Network Notes Ox Tales 1987–1988 VARATV Tokyo (Japan) Wowser 1988–1989 TV Tokyo (Japan) co-production with J.C.Staff Alfred J. Kwak 1989–1990 VARATV Tokyo (Japan)ZDF (Germany)TVE1 (Spain) co-production with VARA, ZDF, Televisión Española, and TV Tokyo Star Street 1989–1990 Veronica Moomin 1990–1992 VARATV Tokyo (Japan)Yle TV1 (Finland)La 2 (Spain) co-production with TV Tokyo, Yle, Marina Productions, and Televisión EspañolaAlso known as Tales from MoominvalleyCurrently owned by Moomin Characters Ltd Miffy: The Classic Series 1992–1993 KRO co-production with Mercis BV, Kodansha and Gene Deitch Studios Lizzie McGuire 2001–2004 Disney Channel Inherited from Egmont Imaginationco-production with Disney Channel and Stan Ragow ProductionsCurrently owned by Studio 100 International and Disney Platform Distribution Miffy and Friends 2003–2005 KRO co-production with Mercis BV The Paz Show 2003–2006 CITV (United Kingdom)Discovery Kids (United States) Inheritated from Egmont Imaginationco-production with King Rollo Films Frog & Friends 2008 KRO co-production with Rights at Work, Max Velthuijs Foundation and A. Film Production Miffy's Adventures Big and Small 2015–2017 KRO-NCRVTiny Pop (United Kingdom) co-production with Mercis BV and Blue Zoo Animation Studio Plonsters 1999 TBA Produced by Egmont Imagination and Anima Studio for Film & Grafik GmbH
Films Title Release date Distributor Notes Comet in Moominland August 8, 1992 (Japan)April 2, 1993 (Netherlands) Shochiku (Japan)Finnkino (Finland) co-production with Telescreen Japan Miffy the Movie January 30, 2013 Warner Bros Pictures Benelux6 Sales (International) as Telescreen Filmproductiesco-production with Mercis BV, KRO and A. Film Production The Little Vampire 3D October 4, 2017October 26, 2017 (Germany) Entertainment One BeneluxUniversum Film (Germany) co-production with First Look, Comet Film, A. Film Production, Cinema Management Group, Cool Beans, Rothkirch Cartoon-Film and Ambient Entertainment
Flying Rhino Junior High (1998–2000) Pokémon (1999–2001) (Dutch dub only; Seasons 1-3 only) Even Stevens (2000–2003) Anton (2001) Hans Christian Andersen – The Fairytaler (2003) Yellow Giraffe's Animal Stories (2003) Het Zandkasteel (2005–present) Rudolf – the world's most determined door-to-door salesman (2010) Conni (2011–2015)
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