Philadelphia, PA - April 7, 2008 - PBS KIDS Sprout, the first
24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online
for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, is making
viewers the stars of its new original afternoon block, The Sprout
Sharing Show. Launching on May 5, 2008 in the 3:00 - 6:00
p.m. ET timeslot previously occupied by The Let's Go Show (which is
moving to weekend afternoons), The Sprout Sharing Show will be
hosted by a group of fun and loveable hand puppets who will
showcase viewer-submitted videos featuring preschoolers showing off
their talents and 'Look what I can do!' moments. Debuting in
this new block as a Sprout linear channel exclusive will be the
innovative new show PICME, licensed by HIT Entertainment, a leading
provider of quality preschool entertainment, and conceived by Irish
production company Jam Media.
Set inside a homemade cardboard puppet theater, The Sprout
Sharing Show will feature the Sprout House Band - Patty, a loveable
and positive pig emcee who encourages everyone to let their talents
shine; Ricky, a colorful rabbit showman on keyboards; and Curtis E.
Owl, a beatnik owl who plays the stand-up bass. The band will
perform songs and introduce videos submitted by viewers.
These original shorts, which promote sharing, imagination and
family interaction, will air between Sprout viewer favorites such
as Fifi and the Flowertots™, Jay Jay the Jet Plane®, Pingu™, Dragon
Tales™, Fireman Sam™ and the new interactive PICME.
Additionally, the Sprout House Band will be sharing artwork sent in
by viewers which has been transformed into animated shorts by the
Little Director company using a unique technology that allows
children's drawings on paper to become animated stories.
"Sprout is the only preschool network 'made for you, by you,'"
said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming for
Sprout. "Whether it's showcasing a child's homemade birthday
card on the live Sunny Side Up Show, sharing a viewer-submitted
craft on The Good Night Show or airing kids' homemade videos on The
Sprout Sharing Show, Sprout's linear channel is taking
user-generated content to the next level by completely integrating
it into our unique 24-hour format that follows the day of
preschooler from breakfast to bedtime."
PICME, debuting in The Sprout Sharing Show on May 5, 2008, puts
children directly into the story alongside animal friends Juno,
Gerty, Banjo, Umi, Clarence and Neville. Using proprietary
software called Head-hunter, PICME's 2-D Flash animation was
developed in-house by Jam Media and enables parents to superimpose
a digital image of their child onto an animated body to give them a
chance at a "starring role" in the show. Sprout will choose a
new child's photo every weekday at random to appear in
PICME.
In 2005, PICME was awarded the Best Digital Storytelling
Category at the Digital Media Awards and received first at the
Kidscreen Pitch It Summit. PICME also picked up the award for Best
Youth Programme at the Irish Film and Television Awards.
For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules,
visit SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available
in your area, call 1.866.9.SPROUT.
About Sprout®
PBS KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available
on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and
caregivers, was created as a partnership among Comcast Corporation,
HIT Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop. Since debuting
its video on demand (VOD) service in April 2005, Sprout has become
the #1 On Demand service for younger children, generating over 380
million orders. The 24-hour digital channel, which launched
in September 2005 along with the website (SproutOnline.com), is the
only channel that follows the day of child from breakfast to
bedtime with its distinctive programming. Currently, Sprout
is available in 37 million unique households.
The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based
children's shows includes: Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™,
Barney & Friends™, Thomas & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™,
Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese Cat™, Caillou®, The Berenstain
Bears™, Jay Jay the Jet Plane®, Teletubbies™, Dragon Tales™,
Pingu™, Make Way For Noddy™, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley
Winks™ and more.
###
CONTACT:
Jenni Glenn
PBS KIDS Sprout
215-286-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com