Montreal: Canada’s children’s specialty channels, ytv and Canal Famille, are deepening their out-of-home profiles with the launch of their own toy lines, expected to hit the market by fall.

Canal Famille has announced a licensing agreement with Irwin Toys, while ytv is at the short-list stage of a master toy licensing deal.

Pierre Caron, vp and director of Les Reseau Premier Choix, Canal Famille’s operator, says the service is the first Canadian broadcaster to own a toy line, and have its trademark and mascot on children’s merchandise and packaging.

In Canada, broadcasters have not previously marketed their own toy lines, but millions of dollars worth of merchandise, including books and records, have been sold based on the popularity of kids’ tv shows, including shows broadcast by tvontario and Radio-Quebec.

Susan Ross, vp marketing, YTV Canada, says the toy licensee will be announced this spring.

ytv’s toy line will include a dozen items. The service already has a clothing line which it promotes via direct mail and special audience events, says Christopher Laprairie, ytv’s licensing manager.

The deal with Irwin calls for the toy company to manufacture and distribute, and take responsibility for advertising and promotions. Irwin pays Canal Famille a fee for every toy sold.

While the royalty payments to Canal Famille are expected to be modest, no estimates are available, says Caron. ‘The program’s perceived benefits include bringing the station home other than just on the screen. It’s a constant reminder of Canal Famille. On the other hand, there is also a source of revenues,’ he says.

Toys and clothing

The first Canal Famille series of six toys, including toys based on characters from its own shows, will be priced in the $10 range and are aimed at three- to nine-year-olds.

Retailers saw the prototype lineup at the Canadian Toy Fair in Toronto in late January.

The toys’ attributes include ‘playability, value and safety.’ The lineup includes time-tested toys, variations on existing items that are being modernized, plus new toys spun from Canal Famille programs.

Canal Famille already has a cd-rom and audio cassette merchandising program and is about to complete an agreement with a retailer for a clothing line, similar to the Warner Bros. and Disney lines, says Caron.

Ratings for both Canal Famille and ytv are on the rise.

Canal Famille has a weekly audience reach of 1.1 million. This fall, according to Sondages bbm, the service leads all specialty channels in Quebec with a 2.6% (2+) share, a 19 share of the two- to 11-year-old audience, and a 3.4 % share for kids 12 to 17.

ytv is Canada’s most-watched specialty channel, reaching an average of 10.3 million viewers (2+) each week. The service outperforms big guns like tsn, MuchMusic and CBC Newsworld. Among kids two to 11, its prime audience, ytv reaches an average of more than two million kids weekly. LRB