BBC Magazines Prepares Hi-5 For Pre-Schoolers

BBC Magazines will expand its pre-school portfolio later this month with the launch of a new title called Hi-5 targeting children aged between three and six.

The magazine launches on 22 September with a coverprice of £1.99 and is based on the critically acclaimed Australian television programme, which has been showing on Channel Five’s Milkshake slot since January 2003.

BBC Worldwide claims the title will be the first pre-school magazine to carry an interactive music CD cover-mounted with every other issue. It will include 24 pages of songs, rhymes, games and musical instruments to make, as well as dance moves to follow.

Commenting on the launch, publisher Pauline Cooke said: “Hi-5 Magazine is the perfect addition to our pre-school education portfolio – an energy-packed must-have for young fans of the Hi-5 gang that’s bursting with fun without compromising on educational value.”

News of the new launch follows a week of wide-spread speculation over the future of the BBC’s commercial arm, which includes its magazine division. Director general, Mark Thompson, has played down rumours that some non-core assets are to be sold off, but talks have already taken place with some of the world’s biggest media companies, including Bertelsmann, Time Warner and Disney (see Global Media Giants Line Up For BBC Worldwide).

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk

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