Andy Bird, senior vp and managing director for Turner Entertainment Networks International, says he’d be happy to go home from mip with two or three new series for The Cartoon Network, a satellite service launched by Turner in 1993 which plays to 28 million households in 33 European countries.

Since Cartoon Network viewers span a diverse language pool, the availability of the English, Swedish, Spanish and French rights is a priority, says Bird.

Bird is scouting for animation that provides contrast to the Hanna Barbera library, 8,500 cartoons, that makes up the bulk of the network’s supplies. ‘We don’t need similar stuff. We need a product that travels well, that complements our bedrock service, and that is free of any type of culturally specific humor, which tends not to translate well over multiple countries and languages.’

Bird is heading into mip with an idea about one or two undisclosed projects, but says his mind is open to anyone pitching a credible product. Acquisitions since The Cartoon Network’s inception have come completely from France, with the exception of one from Spain. ‘But if the price is right, the program is right and program rights are available, we’re prepared to look at any project,’ he says.

The Cartoon Network skews slightly male, and ‘there is a need for quality productions appealing to 10 to 12 year olds. If there was some good preschool product, we’d acquire it as well.’

According to Bird, he’s open to seeing Canadian animation.

‘Canadian animators have a good reputation and we know Canada produces quality animation work. We’re also aware of the (stylistic) ties between France and Canada and I think both have a high standard of awareness of the kinds of issues particular to children’s programming, especially violence. The north of Europe, the Scandinavian market in particular, is very sensitive to violence,’ says Bird.

At mip, The Cartoon Network will announce that Dexter’s Laboratory is the first of the seven-minute cartoon shorts produced for its World Premiere Toons project that will be expanded into a series to air internationally on the network in 1996.

The Premier Toons project, launched earlier this year, is a $20 million joint venture between Hanna Barbera and The Cartoon Network. Animators worldwide are invited to pitch storyboards. Projects chosen are fully funded on a case-by-case basis. Sixteen projects will be produced by the end of 1995, says Bird. ‘We’re still in the market for ideas.’

In addition, The Cartoon Network is expected to announce its first original preschool programming venture, 13 one-hour episodes of big bag, a coproduction with the Children’s Television Workshop. AV