| Corporate Timeline | |
| 1989 | HIT Entertainment is founded by Peter Orton as a third party program distributor specializing in young children's entertainment with headquarters in the UK |
| 1992 | HIT represents more than 1,000 episodes of programming for young children |
| 1996 | HIT Entertainment begins trading on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in the UK |
| 1997 | HIT receives a full listing on the London Stock Exchange The Company sets up its own state-of-the-art model animation studio, HOT Animation. HOT's first project is the development of a series based on a character called Bob the Builder™ based on an original idea by Keith Chapman |
| 1999 | HIT secures rights to famed publishing property, Angelina Ballerina™ and commissions Grand Slamm Children's Films to make an animated television pilot of Angelina Ballerina
Bob the Builder™ makes his worldwide television debut on CBBC in the UK on April 12 |
| 2001 | Bob the Builder premieres on television in the US
HIT acquires Dallas, Texas-based Lyrick Studios Inc., producers of the popular Barney & Friends™ television series which first aired on public television in the United States in April 1992, and the WISHBONE™ television series which first aired on public television in the United States in 1995. Angelina Ballerina makes her worldwide television debut on CITV in the UK in September HIT acquires the rights to classic animation series, Pingu™ |
| 2002 | HIT acquires family entertainment studio, Gullane Entertainment PLC, whose properties include Thomas & Friends™ and Guinness World Records; this deal expands HIT's operations, adding an office in Asia (Tokyo, Japan), and a second US office (New York, NY)
HOT Animation digitizes 104 existing Pingu episodes and begins work on new Pingu episodes Bob LIVE, an all-new stage show launches in the UK to packed arenas; the show then travels to Australia following its sold-out UK run Thomas the Tank Engine kicks off his first ever UK stage show on 26th December 2002 at the Birmingham NIA with 'Thomas & Friends - the Big Live Tour' (in partnership with DC Entertainment) Angelina Ballerina debuts on television in the US on PBS KIDS® |
| 2003 | Bob LIVE!, the Bob the Builder live arena show, launches in the US and kicks off a 90 city tour |
| 2004 | Angelina is named official children's spokescharacter of National Dance Week in the US |
| 2005 | APAX Partners/Sunshine Acquisition Limited acquires HIT Entertainment and appoints Greg Dyke Chairman and Bruce Steinberg CEO.
HIT partners with GCap Media to launch FUN radio, a digital radio station for children and families in the UK HIT launches PBS KIDS Sprout, the only 24-hour digital preschool channel and VOD service in the US, in partnership with Comcast, PBS and Sesame Workshop. PBS KIDS Sprout airs several HIT programs, including Barney & Friends™, Bob the Builder™, Pingu™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Thomas & Friends™; Sprout reaches 18 million US digital cable and satellite homes within 2 months Thomas & Friends celebrates its 60th anniversary with a year of activities, including the national Day Out With Thomas 2005: The Celebration Tour, a feature-length home entertainment release, new television episodes on PBS KIDS®, and limited edition toys and books in the US New series of Fireman Sam™ in CGI airs on the BBC and S4C in the UK. |
| 2006 | HIT enters into a distribution, sales and marketing deal with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for the Company's extensive portfolio of award-winning children's programming in the US and Canada
HIT establishes HIT ToyCo and opens an office in Hong Kong |
| 2007 | Thomas takes to the stage in his first worldwide touring stage show when Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage launches in the US (to be followed by runs in England, Australia and Asia)
Thomas & Friends launches its first permanent theme park attraction in the UK at Drusillas Park in Sussex Thomas Town the first US themepark attraction for the Thomas & Friends brand opens at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in San Francisco, and Six Flags New England "Angelina's Star Performance" launches with the English National Ballet and will tour for 13 weeks across 22 venues in England HIT acquires full rights to Fireman Sam from S4C TrackMaster, the first remote controlled train set for the Thomas & Friends brand, launches in the US from HIT ToyCo HIT acquires worldwide rights to publishing phenomenon, Rainbow Magic™ from UK-based Working Partners and begins development on animated series for girls 5-9 HIT and Chellomedia, the European content division of Liberty Global, Inc and its subsidiary ChelloZone, announced a joint venture to launch and distribute JimJam, an international preschool TV channel outside of the US, UK and China. |
| 2008 |
HIT Entertainment sells Guinness World Records.
HIT Entertainment announces plans to open the first Little Big Club, a branded attraction in DubaiLand. Thomas Land UK, the first of its kind in Europe and the second in the world, opens at Drayton Manor in Staffordshire, UK. HIT Entertainment launches the Rainbow Magic website, www.rainbowmagiconline.com. Jeff Dunn is named President and CEO of HIT Entertainment. LIONSGATE is appointed as HIT Entertainment’s North American Home Video partner, responsible for the distribution, sales and marketing of HIT’s extensive portfolio. HIT Entertainment, with co-production partners Nick Jr. UK and WNET/Thirteen, begin production on a new CGI animated series, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps. HIT Entertainment expands its strategic relationship with Aardman Animations, adding responsibility for the consumer products roll-out of Aardman’s new preschool show Timmy Time in North America and managing Aardman’s Themed Attractions business worldwide for Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time. |
