BBC Worldwide Ltd. and Hyper Entertainment Inc. have entered into a major new partnership to develop a WALKING WITH DINOSAURS theme park attraction. Currently in development, the proposed attraction (scalable from 27,000 square feet) will be licensed to theme park operators around the globe, ready for proposed openings in autumn 2002. BBC Worldwide and Hyper Entertainment are also actively seeking sponsorship partners around the world. The BBC/WALKING WITH DINOSAURS-branded attraction will be designed to give customers a "real-life" experience of dinosaurs with an interactive post-ride show. The theme of the ride is based on the BBC's award-winning, international hit TV series WALKING WITH DINOSAURS. Kevin Harrington, director of global marketing for BBC Worldwide, said: "This deal represents the first of its kind for the BBC and we are tremendously excited to be working with Hyper Entertainment. Their investment in the project and experience in the market, combined with our brand equity, will ensure the success of the new venture. The new deal takes us a step further towards establishing BBC Worldwide as a major player in the live entertainment business." WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, the world's first natural history of dinosaurs, is the most successful documentary series ever shown on the BBC. The landmark series has become a global hit with an estimated viewing audience of more than 360 million in more than 45 countries around the world and has generated more than 35m GBP at retail to date. BBC Worldwide holds all rights to the series and has produced a variety of products including books for both adults and children, home videos, a CD of the soundtrack, an Internet site, continuity publishing and a range of merchandise. Tim Haines, series producer, will be creatively involved in the new project. BBC Worldwide Ltd. is the main commercial arm, and a wholly owned subsidiary, of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC). The company was formed in 1994 to develop a coordinated approach to the BBC's commercial activities: television, publishing, product licensing, Internet and interactive. Hyper Entertainment Inc., formerly Sony Development Corp., creates, manages and markets intellectual properties through multiple distribution channels including location-based entertainment, licensed product and interactive multimedia. Hyper Entertainment holds rights to highly successful intellectual properties such as Jean "Moebius" Giraud's AIRTIGHT GARAGE, the Beatles' YELLOW SUBMARINE and Maurice Sendak's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.
In Walking With Dinosaurs, Eric Huelsman predicts that WALKING WITH DINOSAURS will be hailed as one of the most scientifically significant technological benchmarks in broadcast television for many years to come. Here's why...
