Produced by Ludo Studio and co-commissioned by BBC Studios and ABC Children’s, the much-loved global-hit animation Bluey will make its free-to-air debut on 27 December in Italy on Rai Yoyo, the public broadcast service’s preschool channel. The series will also air on ERT in Greece.
BBC Studios will also launch a new Italian language YouTube channel in January 2022 featuring clips and bonus content from the series.
Master toy partner Moose Toys will lead the product launch this coming Easter with their highly successful toy range via their distributor Giochi Preziosi. Other products from partners including global publishing partner Penguin Random House will follow. Maurizio Distefano Licensing was recently announced as BBC Studios’ licensing agent for Italy.
In Greece, Bluey will air on public broadcaster ERT, with transmission dates to be confirmed shortly. BBC Studios are in the process of finalizing the appointment of Partner Plus to act as licensing agent for Bluey in Greece and Cyprus. Giochi Preziosi will also handle distribution of Moose Toys in Greece and Turkey.
This marks further expansion in EMEA for the award-winning animation which has recently launched on free-to-air TV in Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and France. Bluey is also available on YouTube in French, Spanish and Danish and English with more than 950,000 subscribers.
The series follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog who loves to play and turn everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.
Bluey has won the hearts of kids and parents around the world since it first launched in Australia in October 2018, and has quickly become a global hit.
In Australia, Bluey is the number one kids show on broadcast television in 2020 and is the most-watched series ever on ABC iview. In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere Bluey in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China; it now screens in over 60 countries.
In the UK, it was the most viewed show on CBeebies in August and is also available on Disney+. In the US, across Disney Junior and Disney Channel in Q2 2021, the show was the #1 most watched TV series with kids ages 2-5.
Bluey has also won multiple awards, such as the International Emmy Kids Award in the prestigious Preschool Category in 2020, and its second AACTA Awards for Best Children’s Program that same year. The accolades continue in 2021, with Bluey winning four Kidscreen Awards in February.
Bluey is produced by multi-Emmy award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC Kids Australia, co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios, and distributed internationally by BBC Studios outside of Australia.
