Kids' WB! To Air Red-Hot “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Six Days A Week In Fall 2002

(June 24, 2002 – Burbank, CA) — Kids’ WB! will bring more mystical adventures to its schedule with 39 all-new episodes of the animé-adventure series “Yu-Gi-Oh!” from 4Kids Productions, Inc. The second season pick-up brings the series’ total commitment to 65 episodes to air both on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons in Fall 2002. This announcement was made today by Donna Friedman, Executive Vice President, Kids’ WB! “'Yu-Gi-Oh!’ is on a roll – most recently delivering Kids’ WB!’s highest rating and share in our target demographic of Boys 6-11 – and we’re thrilled to add 39 all-new exciting episodes to the schedule,” said Ms. Friedman. “This pick-up is another demonstration of Kids’ WB!’s commitment to giving kids more high quality, original programming six days a week.” Kids’ WB! led the 2001-2002 season as the #1 network among all Saturday morning competition in the key demographic of Boys 6-11 (5.3/22), taking seven of the top 10 program spots – and capturing the top five programs with “Yu-Gi-Oh!” (11:00 a.m. ET) in the #1 spot (6.6/26). Hot off its 9th consecutive sweeps victory as the #1 broadcast network among Kids 2-11, Kids’ WB! dominated the season among the broadcast competition in Kids 2-11 (3.2/13), Kids 6-11 (3.8/17), Boys 2-11 (4.3/18) and Tweens 9-14 (3.0/16). Among the broadcast competition, the network took the top eight programs in Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Boys 2-11. On Saturday, May 18, “Yu-Gi-Oh!” posted the network’s highest Boys 6-11 rating/share this season with a 9.5/34. The series also dominated the Saturday morning competition as the #1 program in Boys 2-11 (6.7/24) and the #2 broadcast program in Kids 6-11 (5.9/23), delivering its best numbers season-to-date. In its new 11:00 a.m. ET time period since March 23, 2002, “Yu-Gi-Oh!” ranks #1 overall among Boys 6-11 (6.6/26) and Tweens 9-14 (4.1/19). The animé-adventure series also is the #1 broadcast program in its time period among Kids 2-11 (3.5/15), Kids 6-11 (4.4/19), Boys 2-11 (5.1/20), Girls 2-11 (1.8/8) and Girls 6-11 (2.1/10). In addition, the series, which launched at 11:30 a.m. ET on September 29, 2002, ranks #1 among the time period broadcast competition in Kids 2-11 (2.5/11), Boys 2-11 (3.6/15), Kids 6-11 (3.2/14) and Tweens 9-14 (2.8/13). The adventures of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” continue this second season as Yugi and his friends compete in the Duel Monsters tournament against Maximillion Pegasus to stop him from obtaining the power of the mystical “Millennium Items.” Will Yugi’s belief in the heart of the cards prove strong enough to rescue his Grandpa and Kaiba from Pegasus’s clutches? And who is the mysterious new adversary even more powerful than Pegasus waiting in the shadows? “Yu-Gi-Oh!,” based on the Japanese comic book series, follows Yugi and his friends as they challenge their minds by playing Duel Monsters, using logic and strategy to pair up different mystical creatures with one another in wild, magical duels. This high-adventure series is packed with awesome monsters, fantastical settings and ancient Egyptian legends…it's time to duel! “Yu-Gi-Oh!” is produced in the U.S. by 4Kids Productions, Inc. under the creative supervision of Norman J. Grossfeld. The original production of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” is produced by Nihon Ad Systems, Inc. (NAS). The series is based on the original comic book created by Kazuki Takahashi and published by Shueisha Inc. Kids’ WB!, a leader in kids’ television, is the children’s programming service of The WB Network. The network has maintained its position as the #1 broadcast network since Spring of 1999, and continues to set precedent with its powerhouse 2001-2002 programming schedule. Kids can find more on Kids’ WB!’s web site at www.KidsWB.com. # # #