– Nickelodeon has plans for Turkey

Nickelodeon is about to expand into Turkey.

The Viacom-owned children’s television service has worked out a multiyear deal with The Media Group to produce, distribute and operate a daily channel that will launch this fall.

The channel will be aired daily in Turkish from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. nationally to some 500,000 households via cable.

The Media Group’s sales arm, Elektromedia, will handle advertising sales.

-ZDF and Kirch Group talk movies

MUNICH: The German public station ZDF is negotiating with Munich-based Kirch Group for a movie deal. Kirch wants to sell several hundred movies and series for a reported 200 million German Marks (US $117 million).

‘We need to cover our demand of movies beyond the year 2000,’ says ZDF director of programming Oswald Rings, adding that the deal would include a number of children’s products, in particular those of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.

They include TV series such as Pippi Langstrumpf, Wir Kinder aus Bullerbü, Michel, Ronja, Räubertochter and Kalle Blomkvist.

-Varga keeps growing

Hungarian animation house Varga Studio is starting a career in France. Already well entrenched in the U.S. and Great Britain, the company is now looking to expand to other parts of Europe. Varga recently teamed up with BBC2 animation unit and French children’s channel Canal J to create a 30-minute animated family Christmas special entitled Nice to be Here, in which a group of seniors sneak out at night to create mischief, and is in discussions with Canal+ and France 2 for a special inspired by Italy’s Comedia Del’Arte.

According to Varga co-founder and senior director Adras Erkel, the company is planning to open new studios throughout Europe in an effort to lessen dependency on Asian animation studios and to help keep animation talent in Europe.

-Disney France

PARIS: The Disney empire continues to grow with the recent launch of Disney Channel France on the Canal Satellite digital platform and several cable networks. Headed by Philippe Iaco, the new service will offer the usual Disney fare, while paying heed to France’s broadcasting regulations requiring programming to consist of 60 percent European product, 40 percent of which must be French.