Decode Ent. is going public by teaming with independent Canadian entertainment company The Halifax Film Co. to launch DHX Media. While both companies will retain their individual identities and brands, DHX Media will merge their respective catalogs of children’s and family programming. Shares of the new entity will begin trading on both AIM in London and the Toronto stock exchange (TSX) on 19 May 2006.
Decode will handle international sales of the combined libraries, which represent more than 1,150 half hours of programming, including Decode’s animated series Franny’s Feet, Planet Sketch, Angela Anaconda and Naturally Sadie, and Halifax’s Poko, Bo on the Go and Mighty Jungle. Halifax also co-produces the stop-motion preschool show Lunar Jim with Canadian producer Alliance Atlantis.
Halifax’s Michael Donovan will serve as chairman and CEO of DHX, and will be a key shareholder along with Charles Bishop and Decode’s Neil Court, Steven DeNure, Beth Stevenson and John Delmage. Bishop, Court and DeNure will also sit on the DHX Media board.
‘This is an exciting time for us to go public under the DHX Media banner,’ says Court, president of Decode Ent. ‘The Decode and Halifax businesses are highly complementary and our combined program catalogues create a strong proposition for television sales, licensing and new media. We are looking forward to taking both our new and existing properties to the international marketplace, and to pursuing new business opportunities.’
