Fix&Foxi, the children’s and family channel which launched in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on December 1, 2014 heads towards the Americas.
The pay-TV channel operated by Munich-based media company Your Family Entertainment (YFE) will debut on the Alterna’TV platform in the USA and Latin America in early 2015. The subsidiary of Eutelsat Americas distributes TV channels via satellite to cable operators in 25 countries from Chile to Canada.
Fix&Foxi will be offered as a linear 24 hour TV channel, as a video-on-demand (VOD) service and as an app for mobile reception on smartphones and tablets. Both English and Spanish-language programming feeds will be provided.
“We are very excited that Your Family Entertainment, the rights holder to the iconic cartoon characters created by the legendary German artist and publisher Rolf Kauka, has selected Alterna’TV as its distribution partner for the Fix&Foxi children’s channel,” said Alterna’TV CEO Aymeric Genty. “For the past 40 years Fix&Foxi have amassed a very passionate and loyal fan base around the world – including Mexico, Argentina and other Latin American countries and we’re honored to introduce these captivating characters to audiences in the Americas.”
Dr Stefan Piëch, CEO of YFE, added: “We are very impressed with Alterna’TV’s approach to distribution, seeking myriad platform options which appear as natural extensions of the content and Fix&Foxi brand identity. The team at Alterna’TV shares our enthusiasm for these lovable and engaging characters and we’re confident in their ability to connect us with the most suitable distribution platforms to ensure the successful introduction of the channel in these important world markets.”
YFE’s executive vice president of international channels, Paul Robinson, formerly senior vice president and managing director of Walt Disney Television and founder and CEO of KidsCo, will aid Alterna’TV in the creation and rollout of the Fix&Foxi channel.
The Fix&Foxi characters were created by German comic artist and publisher Rolf Kauka, often referred to as the “German Walt Disney”. The channel will include other Kauka characters like Lupo and Lupinchen, Grandma Eusebia, Uncle Fax and Professor Knox.
Animated series such as Altair in Starland, RiC the Raven, Mission Odyssey (Misión Odisea), Urmel, Bob’s Beach and Shadow of the Elves will also be part of the lineup.