Disney nets Latin American channel and Pooh rights

Satellite broadcaster DirecTV Latin America has secured exclusive rights to Disney Channel Latin America, a DTH net that bows in Brazil this month. With this addition, Disney is now available to more than 1.3 million DTH homes. The company has also made a deal with Brazilian prodco RGB to produce a live daily show called The Zapping Zone for the Portuguese-language net.

And like a bear to honey, the Mouse House has snatched up the rights to Winnie the Pooh for US$350 million. Disney has been paying

royalties for the late A. A. Milne creation twice yearly since the `60s, but now takes the package in one lump until copyright expiry in 2026. The U.K.’s Royal Literary Society is the biggest beneficiary of the deal (US$132 million).

Cartoon makes tracks into Norway

At the beginning of March, Cartoon made inroads into the Nordic region by launching a TV service dubbed in Norwegian, a Norwegian version of its website and a Norwegian edition of its comic book. Published in the U.S. by DC Comics, the comic book is more mag-oriented abroad, with other editions in the U.K., Denmark, Spain and Poland. This is the latest step in the regionalization of Cartoon Network across Europe, stepping up its footprint to eight feeds in nine European languages.

RTV and Super RTL set to bow branded window

German prodco RTV Family Entertainment and caster Super RTL have signed an exclusive agreement to debut an RTV-branded kids window (featuring shows like Wicked) on June 3. The block will air weekdays and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., taking the place of general entertainment commercial programming that’s currently running.

Harvey sells classic characters to Classic Media

Harvey Entertainment has signed a US$16-million deal with Classic Media for the rights to its portfolio of classic characters like Casper, Richie Rich, Baby Huey and Little Audrey. The agreement was announced last month and should close 60 to 90 days after shareholder approval. The sale marks a move by Harvey to reduce its bank debt, and when the deal closes, the company plans to change its name and address strategic alternatives to production and distribution.