LazyTown’s operations will move to the UK. Magnús Scheving will step down as CEO of the company.
For the past 20 years, Magnús Scheving has been the creator and CEO of LazyTown, but now it’s time to turn the page. Magnús’ contract is coming to an end and he has decided not to renew it and will therefore hand over the reins to LazyTown’s owner, the international media conglomerate Turner Broadcasting System. The announcement states that Magnús will therefore remain close to Turner as an advisor and special ambassador for LazyTown for the next 2-3 years at least.
“Since Turner bought the company in 2011, two new LazyTown television seasons have been produced. After the production of the last season, the significant milestone of having over 100 LazyTown episodes was reached – that is the amount needed to meet the demand of the youngest generation for the foreseeable future. Therefore, there will no longer be any need for the good ol’ studio in Iceland that has provided the company with this great treasure trove of television content. Turner’s entry has returned 5 billion ISK in foreign currency to the Icelandic economy and over 160 full-time jobs have been created annually over the past three years” the announcement says, among other things.
It also says that Turner will premiere the new television season on its television channels around the world this fall, 2014. At the same time, they plan to significantly increase investment in theaters and push LazyTown more vigorously into the online world. The project will be led by Turner’s office in London, where all of the group’s international brands are managed. In connection with this change, five permanent employees of LazyTown will leave.
Last October 2013, the last season wrapped up filming, and the majority of the 160 contractors who worked on the production left for other projects, while 40 worked on post-production and finished their jobs last April. In Iceland, there will be a 20th anniversary performance of LazyTown at the National Theatre, with around 70 people working on the production.
Magnús Scheving says that his role as an ambassador for a healthy lifestyle around the world has increased with the popularity of the series and the demand for him as a speaker as well, and he will continue to do so. “Then I also have plans to turn to exciting projects that I haven’t been able to do due to work in the last 20 years. I am proud and happy that LazyTown is in the hands of one of the largest entertainment companies in the world, Turner, which is part of the Time Warner group. A party that has everything it takes to make LazyTown grow and prosper for the foreseeable future. “I’m also really excited to see LazyTown at the National Theatre and it’s a good feeling that new generations can experience LazyTown on stage just like when the adventure began 20 years ago” says Magnús Scheving in the announcement.
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