Telescreen (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production and distribution |
| Predecessor | Telecable Benelux B.V. |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Dennis Livson, Jos Kaandorp |
| Fate | Acquired by Studio 100 Media via m4e |
| Successor | Studio 100 Media (parent company) |
| Headquarters | Netherlands , Netherlands |
Area served | International, with focus on Benelux market |
Key people | Tom van Waveren (former director of co-productions) |
| Products | Television programs, home entertainment releases, consumer product licensing, royalty management, artwork coordination |
| Owner | Studio 100 Media (since 2020) |
| Parent | Studio 100 Media |
Telescreen B.V. (originally known as Telecable Benelux B.V.) was a Netherlands-based company focused on television production and distribution, particularly within the children's and family entertainment sectors. Established in 1983 by Finnish businessman Dennis Livson alongside Jos Kaandorp, the firm was later acquired by Japanese corporation Mitsui before being sold to Dutch producer Palm Plus Multimedia in 1998. In 2008, German media enterprise Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) took ownership of Telescreen, which subsequently became part of Studio 100 Media following their full acquisition of m4e in 2020. Telescreen was responsible for producing and distributing well-known children’s programs such as Miffy, the 1990 adaptation of Moomin, and Alfred J Kwak.
The International Consumer Products branch of the company handled worldwide merchandising efforts for franchises including Frog & Friends and Lizzie McGuire. Acting as a licensing agent, Telescreen represented prominent entertainment firms like BBC Worldwide, Turner Broadcasting, Chapman Entertainment, and Aardman Animations within the Benelux market.
Telescreen’s portfolio of services encompassed animation production, television distribution, home entertainment releases, consumer product licensing, royalty management, and coordination of artwork.
History
Originally launched in 1983 under the name Telecable Benelux BV by founders Dennis Livson and Jos Kaandorp, the company rebranded as Telescreen B.V. in 1994. Soon after this change, Livson sold the business to Japanese conglomerate Mitsui through its subsidiary Pri-mation Media B.V. In 1998, Dutch production company Palm Plus Produkties purchased Telescreen from Mitsui, marking Palm Plus’ entry into children’s and family entertainment. By 2005, Palm Plus exited this segment through a management buyout that restored Telescreen’s independence while Palm Plus maintained a majority 51% shareholding.
In 2003, Telescreen together with Palm Plus acquired the Egmont Imagination catalog (excluding Nordic regions) and appointed former Egmont president Tom van Waveren as director of co-productions. Van Waveren departed in 2004 to establish his own production firm.
December 2008 saw German brand management company Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) purchase Telescreen, creating a Dutch-based international distribution division outside Germany. Early in 2009, m4e consolidated its distribution activities with those of Telescreen; subsequently, Telescreen assumed responsibility for international distribution of m4e’s television, new media, and home entertainment rights beyond Germany. The licensing department was rebranded as Telescreen Consumer Products.
In March 2009, both Telescreen and m4e secured global rights to the Pinkeltje franchise. Later in April 2011, m4e expanded its holdings by acquiring the back catalog from German brand management firm TV-Loonland AG; international distribution of this library was taken over by Telescreen.
Studio 100 Media acquired a controlling interest in m4e in 2017 before completing full ownership by 2020. As a result, Telescreen B.V. became a subsidiary under Studio 100 with an enlarged content portfolio.
Television
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ox Tales | 1987–1988 | VARA TV Tokyo (Japan) |
|
| Wowser | 1988–1989 | TV Tokyo (Japan) | co-produced with J.C.Staff |
| Alfred J. Kwak | 1989–1990 | VARA TV Tokyo (Japan) ZDF (Germany) TVE1 (Spain) |
co-produced alongside VARA, ZDF, Televisión Española, and TV Tokyo |
| Star Street | 1989–1990 | ||
| Moomin | 1990–1992 | VARA TV Tokyo (Japan) Yle TV1 (Finland) NRK (Norway) |
Also referred to as Tales from Moominvalley Currently owned by Moomin Characters Ltd |
| Miffy: The Classic Series | 1992–1993 | KRO | co-produced with Mercis BV, Kodansha, and Gene Deitch Studios |
| Bamboo Bears | 1995 | NPO 1 Canal J (France) Kids Station (Japan) ZDF (Germany) TVE2 (Spain) |
co-produced with Marina Productions, ZDF Enterprises, and Mitsui Currently distributed by Studio 100 International |
| The Famous Jett Jackson | 1998–2001 | Disney Channel | European distribution rights obtained from TV-Loonland AG Produced by Alliance Atlantis, Everyone Is JP Kids, and TV-Loonland AG (Season 3) Currently distributed by Studio 100 International and WildBrain |
| Lizzie McGuire | 2001–2004 | Disney Channel | Rights inherited from Egmont Imagination co-produced with Disney Channel and Stan Ragow Productions Currently owned by Studio 100 International and Disney Platform Distribution |
| Miffy and Friends | 2003–2005 | KRO | co-produced with Mercis BV |
| The Paz Show | 2003–2006 | CITV (UK) Discovery Kids (US) |
Rights inherited from Egmont Imagination co-produced with King Rollo Films for Discovery Kids |
| Frog & Friends | 2008 | KRO | co-produced with Rights at Work, Max Velthuijs Foundation, and A. Film Production |
| Miffy's Adventures Big and Small | 2015–2017 | KRO-NCRV Tiny Pop (UK) |
co-produced alongside Mercis BV and Blue Zoo Animation Studio |
| Plonsters | 1999 | TBA | Produced by Egmont Imagination and Anima Studio for Film & Grafik GmbH |
Films
| Title | Release date | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comet in Moominland | August 8, 1992 (Japan) April 2, 1993 (Netherlands) |
Shochiku (Japan) Finnkino (Finland) |
joint production with Telescreen Japan |
| Miffy the Movie | January 30, 2013 | Warner Bros Pictures Benelux 6 Sales (International) |
produced as Telescreen Filmproducties collaboration with Mercis BV, KRO, and A. Film Production |
| The Little Vampire 3D | October 4, 2017 October 26, 2017 (Germany) |
Entertainment One Benelux Universum Film (Germany) |
co-produced alongside First Look, Comet Film, A. Film Production, Cinema Management Group, Cool Beans, Rothkirch Cartoon-Film, and Ambient Entertainment |
- Bamboo Bears (1994)
- Flying Rhino Junior High (1998–2000)
- Pokémon (1999–2001) (Dutch language dub only; Seasons 1-3)
- Even Stevens (2000–2003)
- Anton (2001)
- Hans Christian Andersen – The Fairytaler (2003)
- Yellow Giraffe's Animal Stories (2003)
- Het Zandkasteel (2005–present)
- Rudolf – the most persistent door-to-door salesman worldwide (2010)
- Conni (2011–2015)
References