Acamar Films continues Bing’s Italian adventure with Prénatal partnership for kids’ clothing

Italy’s leading mother, baby and children’s retailer, Prénatal has detailed the launch of an exclusive new clothing range inspired by the popular pre-school series, Bing. The launch marks the latest brand extension signing for Acamar Films across the region.

Brokered by Acamar’s Italian licensing agency, Maurizio Distefano Licensing in partnership with Sicem International, the partnership sees the launch of an extensive line of clothing aimed at children aged nine months to five years old. It includes Bing socks, pyjamas, t-shirts, tracksuits, hoodies, and more.

Bing has seen tremendous success in Italy since its launch in 2018. Currently rated number one on the Rai YoYo Raiplay app, young children across the country have embraced the programme that celebrates the joyful and messy realities of pre-school life. Audiences in Italy are enjoying new episodes of Bing on Rai Yoyo, which started this month.

Bing episodes (along with many educational games and activities) are also available to watch through the recently launched Bing app, ‘Bing: Guarda, Gioca, Impara’, and on the official Italian YouTube channel, which generates an average of 30 million views every month.

Bing will continue to be available on TIMVision’s on-demand platform (which is currently producing the first Bing version with sign language) and on DeA Junior where it is the #1 show on-air. Bing is also now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video Italy. 

Acamar Films taps IP protection experts Incopro as global demand for Bing products continues to surge

Acamar Films has partnered with the brand protection experts Incopro to ensure the safety of its Bing products and live events as well as safeguard the trust of its consumers as the global demand for the pre-school property continues to surge.

The London-based animation studio has seen a ‘significant acceleration’ of the Bing licensing programme over the last 18 months, and has taken the action to support its licensees and their own growth with the IP with the safeguarding of the sale of Bing products and associated activities.

Incopro will be expediently tackling counterfeit product and activity across marketplaces and platforms globally, using takedown and enforcement measures, including tracking the marketplace, identifying counterfeit goods being sold and then issuing take down notices to the respective sellers.

Sparked by the launch of a brand-new toy line by Bing’s Master Toy partner Golden Bear – whose award-winning AW19 Bing range was its fastest-selling in years – along with a rapid international growth strategy, the number of Bing licensees and available products has hugely increased in the last couple of years.

Currently there are some 5,500 Bing products available across more than 60,000 points of sale.

Meanwhile, established in 2012, Incopro and its Talisman platform uses what it calls ‘highly sophisticated techniques’ to stay one step ahead of brand and e-commerce abuse. Its mission is to discover and act on infringing content and products.

Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, chief commercial officer, Acamar Films, said: “At Acamar we are committed to protecting our brand and we take counterfeit and online threats very seriously. We want to support our licensees against copycats and infringers and ensure that our consumers can trust every online interaction with Bing.

“Teaming up with Incopro, with its vast global expertise and leading technology, enables us to give a much stronger guarantee of that.”

Piers Barclay, chief strategy officer, Incopro, added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Acamar Films to protect Bingsters from the risk of poor quality, unsafe counterfeits and the sadly growing number of threats to consumer trust online. We’re excited about the partnership ahead and that such a rapidly growing brand has joined our global community.”

Acamar Films lands major multi-year deal with Italian theme park Leolandia for hit pre-school IP Bing

Acamar Films has secured a major new partnership with Italy’s leading theme park destination, Leolandia, for its hit pre-school property Bing as the kids’ IP continues to go from strength to strength in the region. The new deal marks the first multi-year theme park agreement for Bing.

The new agreement will enable the theme park, which is located close to Milan, to become the first park in the world to host a dedicated Bing themed attraction. It grants exclusive rights in Italy to Leolandia for the development of a fully themed 9,500 sqm area, with the first phase due to open in 2023.

The attraction will feature interactive play areas, live show venue, restaurants and shops, and aims to create a fully immersive environment that brings the world of Bing to life.

The deal between Leolandia and Acamar Films was brokered in close collaboration with Maurizio Distefano Licensing, who represents the Bing brand in Italy and manages a highly successful licensing programme of over 40 licensees.

The plans for the theme park attraction follow the overwhelming success of a test Meet and Greet activity and an exclusive show with Bing and Flop at Leolandia in April 2019. Proving hugely popular thanks to Leolandia’s storytelling abilities, with a guest-rated experience of 9.5/10, the partnership was extended for a full year in 2020 as discussions began on a permanent area within the park.

Giuseppe Ira, president at Leolandia, said: “The partnership between Leolandia and Acamar Films, both well-renowned in the kids’ entertainment industry, has produced great feedback and results from the 2019 season. The park has set many precedents with the most beloved characters, exclusive areas and dedicated shows, attracting millions of visitors over recent years.

“Innovation and vision are our driving forces; therefore, we are very pleased to have signed this agreement extending our collaboration with Acamar Films and Bing and strengthening the popularity of Leolandia among our core pre-school audience. We look forward to enriching our offer with the exciting development of a dedicated Bing area at Leolandia.”

Kirsty Southgate, director of promotions and partnerships at Acamar Films, added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Leolandia on such an exciting new development for Bing and their family focused and world-renowned theme park. It’s testimony to the growing success of Bing in Italy and a real step-change for Bing both there and globally, paving the way for the expansion of Bing’s international experiential entertainment footprint.”

Maurizio Distefano, president, MDL added: “The popularity of Bing in Italy has allowed us to secure deals in product categories that can only be activated with one-of-a-kind properties.

“Leolandia is proof of this and we strongly believe that this new theme park area will connect “Bingsters” with their favourite characters in an even deeper way, creating a world that existed only in their dreams.”

Since its launch on TV in February 2018, Bing has rapidly become a top pre-school property in Italy. A firm favourite on Rai Yoyo – and the number one show on its app – Bing is also available on pay TV channels DeA Junior (where it’s the number one show), TIMVision and soon Amazon Prime Video.

Bing’s Italian YouTube channel has amassed over 438 million channel views and more than 32.6 million watch time hours in just two years. A hit at retail, Bing was named Property of the Year 2019 at the Bologna Licensing Fair Awards.

Bing goes big in the Benelux as Acamar Films extends broadcast and licensing partnerships

Bing is becoming rather big in the Benelux region thanks to a raft of new licensing partnerships that follow the news that Acamar Films has landed a live stage production of the popular pre-school IP in the Netherlands and Belgium for the first time.

Detailed just this week, the hit pre-school series will now air on the region’s major broadcaster Ketnet, where the newest series of Bing – series four – will premiere in the coming months. The 26 episode will be in Flemish for local audiences. In the Netherlands, all 104 episodes of Bing series one to four are already available on NPO Zappelin.

Meanwhile, thanks to Acamar Films and its Benelux agent, License Connections, Bing is currently enjoying rapid growth and momentum in the region. Following the success of the core toy launch in AW 2019, Bing’s homeware, publishing, and toy and games ancillary categories have expanded with new and extended licensing deals.

New partners for the property include, John, Big Balloon and Mepal, with John’s toy range including Bing playing balls due to launch SS 2021 and Big Balloon launching Bing magazines in Q4 2020. Mepal is the number one brand and market leader in Benelux for melamine lunchboxes and drinking cups and will launch the Bing collection in AW 2020.

 Meanwhile, existing partner TM Essentials, with its number one brand Totum, has extended its current Bing range with new wooden toys, puzzles and car accessories launching AW 2020.

These deals are in addition to current partners Vadobag for bags and Aymax for bedding who have been on board since the beginning of the Bing licensing programme in the Benelux region.

Spectron, the local distributor for Golden Bear, has increased its listings to include Belgium following the success of the AW 2019 and SS 2020 launches in the Netherlands, where all toy products sold out within a few weeks. Spectron will be TV advertising to support the AW 2020 range.

John Boeyen, owner and managing director, Spectron, said: “For us, Bing is the fastest growing pre-school brand in the Benelux region. Our toy range was a huge hit in the Netherlands and we are excited to be bringing them to Bingsters in Belgium this autumn, where we are sure they will prove just as popular.”

Daphne Kellerman, founder of License Connection, added: “We are thrilled with the growing success of Bing in Benelux. Bing has really established itself in our local market and has been embraced by both retailers and consumers. We look forward to working very closely with the Acamar team and our local licensees over the coming months, with a particular interest to develop Health & Beauty, Electronic Learning and Wheeled products.”

Acamar Films will be exhibiting, with a virtual Bing booth, at the Festival of Licensing during the European-focused week, 6-8 October 2020. Search for “Acamar Films” or “Bing” in the exhibitor directory.

Acamar Films signs slate of new UK partners for its hit pre-school series Bing

Acamar Films has signed up a slate of new UK partners for its hit pre-school show, Bing, including the likes of Beautiful Game and Kennedy Publishing, as well as further line extensions with Moonpig and a renewed partnership with CBeebies Land at Alton Towers Resort.

Beautiful Game launched Bing wall stickers in late August this year, which are now available direct to customers from its web shop (www.beautifulgame.co.uk) and on Amazon Prime. Founded in 2014, the platform is recognised as a leading official and exclusive home of sports and entertainment wall art.

Sebastian Mather, managing director of Beautiful Game, said: “We are delighted to partner with Acamar for these brand-new wall stickers. Bing is a visual treat, colourful and fun, and will make wonderful wall art for nurseries or play areas. We are sure that Bingsters will love the chance to be surrounded by their favourite character and his friends.”

Meanwhile, Kennedy Publishing launched its Box of … Bing! on 13 August. The deal is for an innovative branded carry box containing a 16-page craft magazine, a 16-page colouring magazine, two fold-out sticker sheets, a fold-out poster, giant sticker story and lots of creative gifts, from paint pots and crayons to cookie cutters and craft supplies.

Priced at £3.99, the newly themed box will go on sale across news-stands every six weeks. Bing will also feature in Kennedy Publishing’s compilation titles, Busy Time and Get Busy.

Moonpig launched first with personalised Bing cards in January 2020 and then expanded the collection to the addition of e-cards from April 2020. The Bing launch has been a great success and Acamar Films is developing more product with Moonpig.

Bing has been resident in CBeebies Land at Alton Towers Resort since 2017 and due to the ongoing popularity of the brand the partnership is confirmed to continue into 2021 with 2 mini shows and Bing and Flop meet and greets. The popularity of Bing is also reflected in merchandise sales with Bing continuing to be the top-selling brand in the retail stores within the CBeebies Land and CBeebies Land Hotel.

Louise Simmonds, head of UK licensing and merchandising at Acamar Films, said: “We are thrilled to announce we are teaming up with these respected partners to offer Bing fans a selection of wonderful new quality products. We are excited to be expanding our Bing licensing programme thanks to our dedicated focus and carefully considered strategy, which has seen strong growth over the past year.”

These deals follow hot on the heels of new toy partnerships with 8th Wonder and MV Sports, with recent NPD data listing Bing among the top 10 fastest growing toy licenses from January to June 2020 in the UK. Acamar Films will be exhibiting at the Festival of Licensing 6-8 October.

Acamar Films sees ‘huge growth for Bing toy sales’ as MV Sports and 8th Wonder join the roster

Acamar Films’ hit pre-school series Bing has seen toy sales achieve huge growth at UK retail over the past year, with the NPD Group listing it within the top ten fastest growing toy licenses for the period of January to June 2020. The surge follows the launch the Golden Bear master toy line in 2019.

Acamar Films is confident that the trend for toys will continue to prove the property as popular at retail as it is on the screen, as two new toy licensees in 8th WOnder and MV Sports launch their ranges this year.

Golden Bear’s initial toy line for Autumn/Winter 2019 was an instant success with pre-schoolers with the award-winning soft toys, figurines and wooden puzzle proving to be the company’s fastest-selling range in years. Last year’s success has resulted in Golden Bear doubling their number of lines, while key retailers have doubled their listings going into Autumn/Winter 2020.

With innovative new lines including a Bing Lights and Sounds Train, new mini play-sets, new plush, figurines and role play items, Golden Bear and Bing look well set for further growth in the second half of 2020.

Acamar Films continues to build out its toy programme with the addition of two new licensees: 8th Wonder for wooden toys and MV Sports for wheeled toys. These new categories further strengthen Bing’s offering at retail.

8th Wonder’s first range launched in Spring/Summer 2020 with 11 lines including games, puzzles, shape sorters and pull-along stacking toys. A soft launch with Very and Next proved very positive, while all three lines included in Aldi’s special buy toy event in March sold out. Expanding again for Autumn/Winter, lines will be available from Amazon, Asda, Argos, Very, Aldi and B&M.

MV Sports, the UK’s leading designer and supplier of wheeled and outdoor toys, are set to launch with three lines in Autumn/Winter 2020. Their colourful Bing Balance Bike, Tri Scooter and 12’ Bike will be available from B&M, Very and Aldi.

Louise Simmonds, head of UK licensing and merchandising at Acamar Films, said: “We are thrilled with the success of Golden Bear’s fabulous toy range, which reflects the ever-growing demand for all things Bing, and are very excited about their new range which we are sure will be another huge hit.

“We are also delighted to welcome our new partners 8th Wonder and MV Sports, allowing us to offer an ever-expanding variety of toys which capture the essence and values of Bing and give Bingsters fun new ways to engage.”

Louise Tyrer, sales director at 8th Wonder, added: “We are greatly encouraged by the initial success of our new range of innovative wooden Bing toys and the overwhelming response from retailers and customers alike. We are set to welcome additional key retailers on board throughout Autumn/Winter 2020 and early indications for next year are showing even further growth.”

Phil Ratcliffe, sales and marketing director at MV Sports, said: “Were excited to include Bing in our preschool portfolio. As the UK’s leading supplier of wheeled and outdoor toys we recognise that Bing’s affinity with play, the outdoors and nature is a great fit for our product.

“MV Sports see Bing going from strength to strength in the UK and are delighted to be on this journey with Acamar Films.”

Acamar Films launches its Bing: Watch, Play, Learn app to Italy and Poland

Acamar Films has now successfully launched its all-in-one freemium app, Bing: Watch, Play, Learn to the Italian and Polish markets. It follows the initial launch of the app to the UK last year and highlights the growing might of the IP across the European region.

The app offers child-friendly on-demand viewing of Bing episodes alongside a suite of learning games and activities all designed to help Bingsters develop their creativity, imagination and motor skills. Bing: Watch, Play, Learn has – to date – been downloaded over 400,000 times in the UK.

At its launch in September 2019, the UK app exclusively premiered the latest Bing series, ahead of its BBC broadcast – helping to drive over 100,000 downloads in the first eight weeks alone. Every single episode of Bing (104 in total) is now available to paid subscribers of the app – with a handful of episodes and games offered to free users.

In Italy, Bing: Guarda, Gioca, Impara launched on June 24, while Bing: Oglądaj, baw się i ucz’s official reveal is today. Ad-free, safe and secure for little ones, these localised apps each feature a free version including the top episodes chosen by fans in their country via Bing Facebook, plus complimentary learning games.

Over 80 videos including full episodes and 20 games are available for an annual fee (€4.99 pa / PL21.99 pa), with more content set to be added post-launch. Both free-to-download apps are available from Apple and Google Play app stores, plus the Amazon app store for Italy.

Claire Brossard, Acamar’s director of digital product, said: “We have been thrilled with the exceptional response to Bing: Watch, Play, Learn since it launched in the UK, and are delighted to kick-start our international roll-out with launches in Italy and Poland.

“These territories are incredibly successful for us, with strong broadcast ratings, high levels of affinity for Bing, rapidly growing social and digital communities, and hugely popular YouTube channels. Now, with the app – which sits at the centre of our multi-platform approach to building audiences – Bingsters and their families can take Bing with them wherever they go.”

Acamar Films brings all episodes of Bing to Amazon Prime Video in the UK

Acamar Films has signed a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to bring the most recent episodes of Bing to UK  streaming audiences, while extending its licence of the original 78 episodes for a further two years. The deal means that families can now watch all 104 episodes of Bing on Prime Video on the UK.

The latest series sees Bing, Flop and their friends joined by new characters Nicky and Dr Molly. Adapted for television from the much-loved original books by author Ted Dewan, Bing uses the power of story to explore strategies for both children and grown-ups to overcome obstacles and when things don’t go to plan.

 Acamar’s new deal with Amazon Prime Video also brings the first 26 x 7-minute episodes of the award-winning Bing to Prime Video audiences in Italy and Spain, where the series has already enjoyed huge linear and catch-up success.

“We’re thrilled to have extended our relationship with Amazon Prime Video in the UK, and to be able to introduce Bing to yet more viewers in both Italy and Spain,” said Eroulla Constantine, director of sales and distribution at Acamar Films. “It’s a testament to the success so far of Bing on Prime Video and we look forward to delighting yet more Bingsters with our stories.”

Prime Video offers customers a vast collection of TV shows, movies and more, all available to watch on practically any device.

Bing can now be enjoyed across multiple TV and SVOD services in 130 territories worldwide and via the ‘Bing: Watch, Play, Learn’ app (available now in the UK, Italy and Poland). The property goes from strength to strength with Bing recently, in May, winning ‘Best Property for the Year’ in Italy for 2019 activity.

Acamar Films expands its licensing and marketing units to meet global demand for Bing

Acamar Films has created a dedicated UK team and strengthened key global roles within the outfit to better service the growing demand for its flagship property, Bing, on the world stage.

As pre-school property’s popularity continues to increase in the UK, Louise Simmonds has joined Acamar as head of UK licensing and merchandising, reporting into executive director of sales, Natalie Harvey. Her experience includes 15 years with 20th Century Fox, where she led the UK CP Business and most recently was the vice president for EMEA across the Fox portfolio, working across brands such as The Simpsons, Family Guy and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

The dedicated UK licensing team also includes Claire Shaw and Janna Kirkby, who has recently been promoted to UK associate licensing manager.

Caroline Payne has also joined the team as UK marketing manager, covering both consumer and trade, and reporting into head of marketing Ruedilyn Schwegler. Most recently marketing manager at CinemaLive, Caroline was also at StudioCanal and Simon & Schuster and has worked on popular family entertainment brands including Paddington, Shaun the Sheep and Octonauts.

Laura Clarke has been promoted to head up licensing and merchandising in EMEA following successful CP launches, strong YouTube performance, optimum broadcast placement and the expansion of Acamar Films’ agent network in the last 12 months. Clarke joined Acamar Films four years ago from Mattel, where she was group director EMEA, and her wealth of experience working across all categories in the pre-school sector with major licensees also includes stints at HIT Entertainment and BBC Worldwide. She reports into executive director of sales, Harvey.

With an increasing appetite for Bing publications worldwide, Etta Saunders Bingham has joined Acamar Films in a global role as senior publishing manager, bringing an in-depth understanding and impressive track record of managing children’s brands from her work in licensed publishing and product development for a variety of successful companies including Half Moon Bay where she was head of licensing and publishing, and Parragon Publishing where she worked on an assortment of publishing titles.

Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, chief commercial officer, Acamar Films, said: “We are delighted to welcome such experienced new talent to Acamar Films, and also to recognise with these promotions the fantastic work our teams are doing to move and delight our audience, who are at the heart of everything we do.

“This new structure will enable us to strengthen our engagement with them via a multitude of touch points and expand that audience even further internationally.”

Acamar Films grows live events for Bing with new Trend Media partnership for the Netherlands

Acamar Films has teamed up with leading Dutch theatre production company Trend Media to bring its hit pre-school series Bing to life on stage across the Netherlands and Belgium for the first time. The partnership is the latest move in Acamar’s ongoing plans to expand its international live events footprint.

The four-year deal will see a new live theatre show launch in autumn 2021. The first season will run through to spring 2022, with two further seasons to follow. Co-produced by Acamar Films and Trend Media, the hour-long, interactive musical adventure is designed to appeal to children aged two to five, immersing them in the world of Bing.

Specialists in TV and theatre productions for children, Utrecht-based Trend Media has a track record of delivering successful shows in the Benelux region, including the creation of its own leading children’s programme, Ernst Bobbie en de Rest.

Meanwhile, Emmy Award-winning Bing has seen extraordinary success since its launch in the UK in 2014. Its stories of everyday pre-school dramas have struck a chord with young children and grown-ups across the globe, acquiring a growing fanbase of Bingsters in 130 territories worldwide.

Kirsty Southgate, director promotions and partnerships at Acamar Films, said: “Bing is going from strength to strength in the Netherlands and Belgium, both in consumer products and in building an established loyal audience, so it’s the perfect time to deepen viewers’ engagement through an enthralling live experience.

“We are delighted to team up with Trend Media, who are real experts in designing joyful performances for children, and look forward to creating something truly special for Bingsters and their families to enjoy.”

Erik van Trommel, CEO of Trend Media, added: “We have long been a fan of Bing and we saw very good opportunities for a Bing theatre show in the Netherlands and Belgium. In recent months we have had many conversations with Acamar Films about how a collaboration and a theatre tour would look in these two countries.

“We are very happy with the result and it is wonderful that both companies share a love for children’s entertainment. We look forward to working with Acamar Films to produce a successful theatre tour in the Netherlands and Belgium.”

In Benelux, Bing is a rating hit on Dutch and Flemish linear channels Zappelin and Ketnet. Bing’s Dutch YouTube channel has amassed more than 143 million channel views and 20 million-plus watch time hours since its launch in October 2018.

Confirmed dates and venues for the new live Bing show across the Netherlands and Belgium will be announced later in the year