Jetix & BBC To Launch Italian Kids Brand
Children’s broadcaster Jetix and BBC Magazines have joined forces to launch the W.I.T.C.H. brand in the UK, comprising a monthly ‘tween’ magazine and an exclusive TV series, bringing the magazine’s characters to life.
The Witch magazine, currently the fourth biggest magazine globally, will be introduced to the UK by the BBC on 6 April, while Jetix will exclusively unveil the animated TV adaptation of the series, following craze three days later. The UK will be the 62nd country to publish W.I.T.C.H., which was founded in 2001 in Italy, the creative home of Disney Publishing. With European sales exceeding one million copies every month, W.I.T.C.H. is the most successful tween magazine launch ever and distributed in over 29 languages worldwide. The UK version of W.I.T.C.H. (£1.85) will be a magical read for 8 to 12 year olds, with every issue offering an unmissable chapter in the lives of five school-girl friends with extraordinary powers – Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin. Together, the girls are tasked with guarding ‘The Veil’, a frontier between two universes that separates the forces of good and evil. In addition to a 32-page comic-strip, every issue will carry ‘mystical’ lifestyle content – from quirky quizzes to fashion and friendship features. Editorial Director Samantha McEvoy and Editor Vincent Vincent will ensure the 52-page read covers everything tweens love. The exclusive TV series will bring these dynamic characters to life, with Jetix showcasing 30-minutes packed with of friendship, humour, villains, magic and adventure every weekend at 4.30pm, from 9 April. Designed to appeal to kids aged 6 to 12, the 26 episode-series has already smashed records in the U.S., attracting average audiences of nearly half a million on both Toon Disney and ABC, with ratings gains of over 200% amongst kids 2-11*. Toni Round, Publishing Director, BBC Magazines says, “W.I.T.C.H. will bring something completely fresh to the UK market, and we’re extremely confident it will fly off the newsstands. It’s a phenomenal brand with an already unrivalled reputation, and the magazine encompasses all that pre-teens love – with a mystical, mischievous twist. ” Ian Finnegan, Managing Director, Jetix UK says, “We’re proud to be working with Disney to bring this global phenomenon to Jetix UK viewers. These dynamic girl heroes will excite and engage both girls and boys and we’re looking forward to repeating the impressive ratings success in the U.S. with such a unique and visually impactful series.”
Associated Newspapers: 020 7938 6000 www.associatednewspapers.com Northern & Shell: 020 7308 5090 Transport for London: 020 7941 4500 www.tfl.gov.uk
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