As the incoming managing director in Australia and New Zealand for the kids channel ZooMoo, Catherine Nebauer will have a clear mandate: secure distribution for the channel in both markets.
Billed as the first kids channel fully dedicated to wildlife, ZooMoo is part of David Haslingden’s Racat group, which includes NHNZ, Singapore’s Beach House Pictures and Oz’s Northern Pictures.
Produced by Beach House Pictures and NHNZ, the channel launched in Brazil on Sky Brasil last September and on Singapore’s StarHub in April.
A former Fox Networks Group president, Haslingden recruited Nebauer from Screen Queensland, where she is production investment and business development executive. She takes up the newly created role in Sydney on September 1.
Haslingden has been trying to arrange distribution for the channel in Oz and New Zealand but tells IF, “I’m not getting very far with the traditional players in Foxtel and Sky TV.”
He finds that surprising, given much of the content- 3,000 animal stories programmed in one-hour blocks- is sourced from both countries.
ZooMoo debuts in Indonesia on Indovision on July 31 and in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and the Caribbean on August 21 via DirecTV, and deals in Hong Kong and Taiwan are pending. It’s customised in local languages in each region.
Nebauer will draw on her contacts and experience as a former senior VP and general manager for Nickelodeon Asia Pacific.
“Catherine’s mandate is to build our business in Australia and New Zealand,” he said, indicating that blocks of programming may be licensed to the free-to-air broadcasters if full carriage proves elusive.