MUMBAI: It was champagne popping time on the French Riviera at MipTV earlier this month for India?s leading animation studio DQ Entertainment. The company announced that it had struck several deals and notched up healthy business in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes where MipTV is held.

Among the deals that DQ Entertainment (which is also into gaming, entertainment production and distribution) signed include:

• A strategic partnership with Rollman Entertainment, US for the co-production, distribution, licensing and merchandising of animated and live action TV series, feature films and new media content targeted for the global marketplace. The two companies are targeting five television series by 2016 with budgets totaling approximately $35m and a slate of animated features.
• A co-production agreement with ZDF Enterprises, for a new HD TV series to be called The Jungle Book Safari. The 26x12 minute series will include live action documentary footage together with animated sequences from The Jungle Book.
• Its licensing deals are expected to notch up $2 million in revenues over the next three years, the company says.
   

The first one is for Italy with with De Agostini, which has acquired the broadcast, video, licensing and merchandising rights for Italy for the first season (26x22 episodes) of The New Adventures of Peter Pan, an HD CGI animated TV series. The show is to be broadcast on Sky Italia and RAI Television.

Then DQ Entertainment concluded an agreement with Nick for the broadcast of three of animated TV series - The Jungle Book (2 seasons), Galactik Football and Suraj - The Rising Star for the Indian market.

Israel is another country where DQ Entertainment is leaving its footprint with leading independent TV content provider Noga Communications acquiring the broadcast rights of The Jungle Book Season 2 and The Jungle Book TV special, Robin Hood and 5 & IT.

For the Thai market, Thailand?s Work Point has acquired free TV and home video rights of The Jungle Book TV series, and Season 2 of The Jungle Book Safari. Finally, DQ Entertainment has given the free TV rights of Season 1 of The Jungle Book to RTM (Escalada), Malaysia.

MUMBAI: The contract of German media company ZDF Enterprises‘ commercial COO Stephan Adrian is being renewed for five years. He, thus,continues to head the firm alongside the company‘s president, CEO of programme and sales Alexander Coridass.

ZDF GM Thomas Bellut, who is also chairman of the supervisory board of ZDF Enterprises, explains the renewal saying, ?Stephan Adrian has accomplished outstanding work and made substantial contributions to the firm?s positive development. The renewal of his contract thus stands for continuity and progress."

Adrian said, "I am very grateful for the trust placed in me by the supervisory board, and am very confident that, together with Alexander Coridass and our team, we will continue writing the success story of ZDF Enterprises in the coming years as well."

Adrian came to ZDF in July 1988 as adviser in the Tax, Insurance and Social Insurance Department, which he took over in 1993.