HIT Entertainment PLC was established in 1989, and was originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television. However, following the death of Jim Henson in 1990, the business was sold to several members of the company's management, led by Peter Orton, and renamed HIT Entertainment to prevent any future confusion between the two companies. HIT is privately held. Sunshine Acquisition, a company set up by Apax Partners’ Funds, closed acquisition of HIT Entertainment on May 26, 2005 £489.4 million. HIT's catalogue of characters include Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Barney, Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, Kipper, Angelina Ballerina, Rubbadubbers, Pingu, and The Wiggles. HIT also owns redistribution rights to several other shows (Wishbone, TUGS, Shining Time Station, etc.). HIT purchased Gullane Entertainment (the owners of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and Magic Adventures of Mumfie) in 2002, in the process becoming owner of the Guinness Book of Records and Lyrick Studios (who were the US distributors of The Wiggles and Bob the Builder and the owners of Barney & Friends and Wishbone) in 2002. Since the 2006 multimillion-dollar, multi-year agreement, exclusive home entertainment marketing, sales and distribution rights to HIT's children's programming are currently distributed in the United States and Canada by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. HIT Entertainment is a fully integrated studio, that incorporates production, world-wide distribution, UK home entertainment, publishing, licensing and merchandising and HIT Wildlife, the company's natural history arm. HIT currently sells programming to over 120 countries. The chairman of HIT Entertainment is Greg Dyke, the former Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the CEO is Bruce Steinberg, formerly the CEO of what was once known as Fox Kids Europe and is now known as Jetix Europe.
List of shows
- Angelina Ballerina (airs on PBS Kids, PBS Kids Sprout, Nickelodeon (UK) and ABC in Australia)
- Art Attack for SMG Productions (airs on CITV and ABC in Australia)
- Barney & Friends (airs on PBS Kids, Cartoonito and PBS Kids Sprout, ABC in Australia)
- Bob the Builder (airs on PBS Kids Sprout, CBeebies, and Nickelodeon(UK) and ABC in Australia, and Televisió de Catalunya in Catalunya, Spain)
- Fireman Sam (CBeebies UK, PBS Kids Sprout US ABC in Australia)
- Kipper (syndication/PBS Kids Sprout, and Nickelodeon UK; originally on Nickelodeon and Noggin in the USA)
- Pingu (PBS Kids Sprout In USA, CBeebies in UK, and Discovery Kids; originally on the BBC and ABC in Australia, and Televisió de Catalunya in Catalunya, Spain)
- Rubbadubbers (airs on CBeebies)
- Rainbow Magic
- Sooty (CITV in the UK and ABC in Australia)
- Thomas the Tank Engine (PBS Kids Sprout, Nickelodeon Australia on ABC in Australia, Nickelodeon UK, and Playhouse Disney)
- The Likeaballs
- The Wiggles (ABC in Australia, Nickelodeon UK and Playhouse Disney USA)
- Wishbone (airs on PBS Kids) Aired on GTV9 in Australia.
- Wobblyland (airs on Nickelodeon (UK))
