FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPROUT® WELCOMES THE WIGGLES TO NEW U.S. PRESCHOOL TELEVISION
HOME
World's #1 Preschool Entertainers to Debut Exclusively on Sprout
in the U.S.
on Monday, August 24, 2009
Philadelphia, PA - May 21, 2009 - Sprout, the first 24-hour
preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for
kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, announced today
that it will be the new exclusive U.S. television home to the most
beloved family entertainers in the world, The Wiggles. On
Monday, August 24, 2009, The Wiggles will debut on Sprout as hosts
of a new three-hour morning show block to be aired from 6:00 - 9:00
a.m. ET each morning. In addition to this brand new, original
programming that will be filmed at The Wiggles studio in Australia
next month, Sprout will be airing existing Wiggles episodes
throughout the day when they launch on the network in
August.
"We are over the moon that The Wiggles are joining Sprout," said
Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming at
Sprout. "The Wiggles are legendary in the preschool
world. We are excited to start developing new content with
them and establishing them as a vital brand on Sprout. The
Wiggles will be fully integrated into all three of Sprout's viewing
platforms - on-air, online and on demand - and we can't wait to get
started on introducing them to new audiences and continuing to
build upon their already amazing presence in the preschool
market."
"We couldn't be happier to be joining Sprout," said Mike Conway,
managing director, The Wiggles Pty Ltd. "Sprout has an
ongoing, 24-hour commitment to preschool programming and we share
their passion for creating fun and developmentally appropriate
programming for children and parents. Sprout's dynamic and
fast-growing brand coupled with The Wiggles powerhouse presence in
the world of preschool couldn't be a better match."
"We love The Wiggles just as much as kids and parents do," said
Sandy Wax, president of Sprout. "The Wiggles are preschool
rock stars and we are thrilled to have them join our family of
respected and beloved brands like Sesame Street and Barney.
Their new morning show block will fit perfectly into Sprout's
unique day part schedule that follows the day of the preschooler
from breakfast to bedtime."
The Wiggles are currently on a sold-out Australian tour before
heading to the UK for the month of June. They return to
Australia for a week of well deserved rest before returning to the
U.S. mid July bringing their Wiggles Go Bananas Live! for the first
leg of their North American tour, which begins on July 17 in
Everett, WA. For a complete list of tour dates and other
wiggly fun, go to www.thewiggles.com.
Wiggles games, videos, coloring pages and more will be available
on SproutOnline.com in mid July. For additional information
on Sprout programs or schedules, visit
SproutOnline.com/Wiggles. To find out where Sprout is
available in your area, call 1.866.9.SPROUT.
High-resolution images of The Wiggles are available now in the
photo gallery on SproutPR.com.
About The Wiggles
The Wiggles, the world's #1 preschool entertainers, performed over
300 shows to more than 1.5 million fans since 2005 in the United
States alone. The Wiggles perform over 200 shows annually
across four continents. The Wiggles are seen on TV in over
110 countries worldwide. Fans will be able to catch The
Wiggles on television exclusively in the U.S. on 24-hour preschool
network Sprout beginning August 24, 2009. The Wiggles have
sold more than 22.5 million videos and 7 million CDs in the United
States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
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 half
a billion views. 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 45 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™,
Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Dragon Tales™, Make Way For
Noddy™, The Hoobs™, Fifi and the Flowertots™ and more.
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Press Contacts:
Jenni Glenn
Sprout
215-286-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com
Alicia McAllister
amcallister@rbcpr.com
Alicia McAllister
201-760-0200, ext. 105