Tag Archives: amazon

Just Play launches Early Learning Centre development platform on its Amazon Brand store

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The award-winning UK preschool brand, Early Learning Centre is embarking on a new initiative for the US market with the launch of a raft of new products and concepts exclusively through its Amazon brand store.

The project is being overseen by the brand’s US distributor and licensor, Just Play and will see new initiatives offering developmental content and experiences for families with children launch to the new Learning Activity Centre, part of Early Learning Centre’s Amazon brand store.

The platform will feature extensive resources for parents looking to support their child’s learning an development, including award-winning products, engaging curriculum-driven activities, and expert advice.

To design the Learning Activity Centre, Just Play has worked with specialists to produce a selection of activities that supplement children’s learning across core categories such as physical development, mathematics, personal, social, and emotional development, and communication, language, and literacy. The portal will feature development icons that will help parents navigate and choose products that best support their child.

The platform will draw on Early Learning Centre’s 50 year heritage in creating innovative preschool toys. The Early Learning Centre line, presented by Just Play on Amazon, has been designed to celebrate and expand that heritage with learning toys that tap into key developmental stages.

“Children are at the heart of everything we do,” said David Martin, CEO of Early Learning Centre. “Using our ‘knowledge of developmental play,’ we thoughtfully design unique and timeless preschool toys for all ages and stages that can be passed down from generation to generation.”

Geoffrey Greenberg, co-president of Just Play, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Early Learning Centre on the creation of the Learning Activity Centre on Amazon, which we expect will be a valuable tool for parents and caregivers as they search for products and activities that are the best fit for their children.”

Just Play aims to unveil an Ambassador Program this fall to coincide with the launch of several new Early Learning Centre preschool toys that encourage playful exploration of skills including counting, spelling and color recognition for children from 18 months to 5 years old.

Acamar Films launches Amazon Alexa Skill for its hit preschool IP, Bing

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Acamar Films is extending the reach of its multi-award-winning preschool series Bing with the launch of a new interactive Amazon Alexa Skill, Bing Time.

Developed in partnership with voice design agency Voxly Digital, Bing Time aims to bring together new script writing, high production values and technical innovation to deliver exclusive audio stories and play-along games, in addition to a selection of Bing music and songs.

The Skill has been designed to respond to the rhythm of a child’s day; encouraging movement and active play during the morning and afternoon, while offering calmer bedtime stories and soft music in the early evening.

Jodie Morris, chief content and audiences officer, Acamar Films, said: “We are thrilled to be able to launch Bing’s fantastic new Alexa Skill with Amazon’s Kids+, and can’t wait for Bingsters to start exploring our new digital innovation.

“As with everything we do, we have designed Bing Time to serve the needs of our treasured young audience, and – working alongside the wonderful team at Voxly Digital – I think we have succeeded in delivering something really quite exceptional; providing children with a brand new, immersive way to deepen their relationship with our stories and characters.”

In its 2020 research, Voxly Digital identified that families make up a big proportion of regular voice users in the UK, with two out of three of them actively using their voice-assistants together.

Ravi Lal, CEO of Voxly Digital said: “We wanted to design an experience which was fun and easy for the whole family, so we created a fluid and easily navigable voice app, which gives users what they want quickly: amazing Bing content.

“Behind the scenes, the team put a lot of thought into creating an incredible user experience. Working with Acamar Films, we’ve really pushed the capabilities of the Alexa platform; leveraging videos, animation and recorded audio to bring the world of Bing and his friends to life.”

The Bing Time Alexa Skill is a further extension of Acamar Films’ successful digital programme for their pre-school property, which also includes the mobile app Bing: Watch, Play, Learn. First launched in the UK in September 2019, the app has now exceeded 1 million downloads across the UK, Italy and Poland.

Bing Time will be exclusively launched via Amazon Kids+ from 21 July, with a general audience release scheduled for December 2021.

Amazon waste investigation sparks UK government call for ‘more re-use and recycling of products’

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An investigation into one of Amazon’s Scottish warehouses has compelled the UK government to call for ‘more re-use and recycling of products’ after it was discovered that the online giant is destroying millions of products a year.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said the government is ‘looking at regulations to increase recycling practices’ and to ‘make sure retailers take more responsibility for things like electrical goods.’

The call follows an investigation by ITV that found items including smart TVs, laptops, drones, hairdryers, and thousands of sealed face masks had been sorted into boxes marked ‘destroy’ at the Amazon Fulfilment Centre in Dunfermline, Fife.

Speaking anonymously, an ex-employee at the site revealed that their target was to destroy 130,000 items a week.

“I used to gasp. There’s no rhyme or reason to what gets destroyed,” they said. “Dyson fans, Hoovers, the occasional MacBook and iPad; the other day, 20,000 Covid facemasks still in their wrappers. Overall 50 per cent of all items are unopened and still in their shrink wrap. The other half are returns and in good condition.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said that the business secretary has already been in conversation with Amazon on the issue, adding that “we absolutely want to see more re-use and recycling of products.

ITV also found a leaked document from Amazon that showed more than 124,000 items were marked ‘destroy’ during one week of April, compared to 28,000 items in the same period labelled ‘donate’.

Amazon has however, denied the claims, telling the PA news agency that no items are sent to landfill in the UK, but that, at last resort, it will send items to energy recovery; a means of stripping recyclable materials from products before the rest is reconverted into energy.

A statement from Amazon published in The Independent, said: “We are working towards a goal of zero product disposal and our priority is to resell, donate to charitable organisations, or recycle any unsold products.

“No items are sent to landfill in the UK. As a last resort, we will send items to energy recovery, but we’re working hard to drive the number of times this happens down to zero.

“We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and building a circular economy programme with the aim of reducing returns, reusing and reselling products, and reducing disposals.”

The Amazon spokesperson also denied that it was cheaper to dispose of the items instead of returning them to the domestic sellers.

Amazon reaches agreement to acquire MGM Studios in $8.45bn deal

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Amazon has reached a deal to acquire MGM Studios for $8.45 billion, the second largest acquisition ever for the online goliath and one that sees Amazon take up MGM’s vast catalogue of some 4,000 films and blockbuster franchises, including James Bond.

The deal represents a major milestone in the tech giant’s push into the entertainment space, significantly strengthening the company’s portfolio of films and content, adding to the library that Amazon has already built through its own movie studio.

It is the latest acquisition to take place amid the ongoing battle for eyeballs among streaming giants like Netflix,  Disney, and the resultant streaming platform to launch following WarnerMedia’s acquisition of Discovery’s earlier this month. Other tech giants such as Apple and Netflix had reportedly eyes an MGM takeover, but passed on the chance.

The $8.45 billion deal marks the second largest acquisition made by Amazon to date, behind its $13.7 billion Whole Foods deal. It now gives Amazon access to MGM’s vast catalog of classic Hollywood films like Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Rocky, Silence of the Lambs, and Pink Panther.

MGM also shares the film rights of the James Bond franchise with Eon Productions – a holding company owned by the Wilson/Broccoli family – which will retain creative control over the spy film series.

The announcement notes that the deal will be completed after “regulatory approvals.”

“MGM has a vast catalog with more than 4,000 films. . . that have collectively won more than 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmys,” said Mike Hopkins, Amazon’s senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. “The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team. It’s very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling.”

“It has been an honor to have been a part of the incredible transformation of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. To get here took immensely talented people with a true belief in one vision. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the MGM team who have helped us arrive at this historic day,” said Kevin Ulrich, chairman of the board of directors of MGM.

“I am very proud that MGM’s Lion, which has long evoked the Golden Age of Hollywood, will continue its storied history, and the idea born from the creation of United Artists lives on in a way the founders originally intended, driven by the talent and their vision. The opportunity to align MGM’s storied history with Amazon is an inspiring combination.”

Amazon’s decision to acquire MGM comes hot on the heels of another major Hollywood tie-up in which AT&T agreed to spin off its media division WarnerMedia and merge it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. That deal aims to create a global streaming giant to rival the likes of Amazon, Disney and Netflix.

Chancellor ‘considering tax on online giants’ to help payback Government’s Covid spending

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Amazon and other major online retailers could be facing a new online sales tax to help the UK pay its debts following extensive borrowing during the pandemic.

Treasury sources have confirmed that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering initiating a tax that will target companies who have done well out of the coronavirus crisis in order to help pay back UK government debts.

The new tax is being considered as part of a business rates review after a consultation was held last year. It also emerges following calls from business leaders of 18 companies, including Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Waterstones, and more, for a fundamental overhaul of how retailers are taxed in the UK.

Amazon saw sales in the UK increase by 51 per cent to nearly £20bn in 2020 as lockdown restrictions forced people to shop online. A report last week however, has suggested that the online behemoth paid just £71 million in business rates on its entire UK estate, including fulfilment centres, research and development centres, corporate offices in London, Amazon Lockers, Whole Foods Market stores, and delivery stations.

Furthermore, and according to real estate advisor Altus Group, who conducted the research, this represented a tax to turnover ratio of just 0.37 per cent.

Tesco’s chief executive Ken Murphy has now pushed for a one per cent levy on online sales, a move which could drastically alter the UK’s retail landscape, and a move that is now being considered by the Chancellor as attention turns to plans to help the UK’s high streets survive the pandemic.

Leaked emails showed Treasury officials had summoned tech firms and retailers to a meeting this month to discuss the online sales tax. The Sunday Times reported that Downing Street is also looking at introducing an ‘excessive profits tax’ on companies that have seen profits surge due to Covid-19.

“We want to see thriving high streets, which is why we’ve spent tens of billions of pounds supporting shops throughout the pandemic and are supporting town centres through the changes online shopping brings,” said a Treasury spokesman.

“Our business rates review call for evidence included questions on whether we should shift the balance between online and physical shops by introducing an online sales tax. We’re considering responses now.”

The Centre for Retail Research said that high street retailers paid around 2.3 per cent of annual retail sales in business rates before the pandemic.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said that ministers should not prevent businesses’ ability to recover from the pandemic.

“The key to reviving our high streets is fundamental reform of the business rates system and we oppose any new taxes that increase the cost burden on the industry which is already too high,” she said. “Economic recovery after Covid will be powered by consumer demand – the Chancellor should ensure he doesn’t introduce any new taxes that stifle this.”

Amazon has said that it will not comment on the online sales tax reports.

Animaccord lands new Amazon Prime Video partnership for Masha and the Bear

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Animaccord has struck up a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to bring its flagship Masha and the Bear seasons one to three, as well as its spin-offs Masha’s Spooky Stories and Masha’s Tales to audiences across a number of territories.

In a multi-territory partnership, Prime Video has acquired the rights to seasons one and two in multiple languages to launch the show across Europe, including in Spain, Italy, and France.

An update to the deal will see Animaccord deliver Masha and the Bear seasons one to three – and its spin offs – with local dubbing to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The Masha’s Spooky Stories spin-off is available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, while the Masha’s Tales spin-off will be available in France, Italy, and Spain.

Masha and the Bear consumer products are widely represented on Amazon. The first official brand store was launched across the USA, UK, Germany, and India starting in 2018, selling Masha and the Bear themed t-shirts, hoodies, pop sockets and other items.

As of today, there are brand stores in eight countries: the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the USA, Mexico, and India.

Pre-school hit Sunny Bunnies celebrates UK retailer and broadcast commitment for 2021

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The popular pre-school IP Sunny Bunnies has secured further commitment to its feature plush range with major UK supermarket chains, department stores, and online retailers through 2021, including the likes of Argos, Tesco, Amazon, and other independent toy retailers.

The range, developed by the plush toy specialist, Posh Paws, launched only last year to a warm reception from retailers across the UK. Media IM Incorporated, the London content distribution company behind the pre-school series, is confident in the repeat success of the toy range for 2020 and 2021.

The commitment from the UK retail space follows news that Media IM has also signed three new UK broadcast deals for the hit series. Ketchup TV, the UK’s leading AVOD children’s channel has licensed seasons one and two for the UK and Eire, Channel 5’s Milkshake has secured a pre-sale agreement for season five, while Sky has signed for season three across its Sky Kids and Now TV channels, as well as the Sky Kids App.

Irina Nazarenko, co-founder of Media I.M. Incorporated, said: “Even in happier times, the UK kids’ market is one of the toughest in the world, which makes closing any UK deal cause for celebration.

“To have closed three broadcast deals and to have had our merchandise relationship renewed by two of the country’s leading retailers is a serious result. We’d love to take all the credit – but the real heroes are those unstoppable, irrepressible Bunnies…”

This latest round of UK sales follows on the heels of two landmark deals in late July, which launched Sunny Bunnies into several new Asian territories, as well as on to one of China’s biggest VOD platform.

A deal with Kidzone saw the first four seasons of Sunny Bunnies debut this summer on Pakistan’s leading children’s entertainment channel. The show is set to be extended to Kidzone’s pay-TV channels in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

In addition, Media I.M. Incorporated signed a non-exclusive two-year agreement with Chinese VOD giant Tencent for seasons one to three of Sunny Bunnies. The show is also on air on Youku, Mango TV and Huawei via a string of previous deals with major Chinese platforms.

Sunny Bunnies brand diversification also continues apace branching into gifs and stickers through giphy.com with 130 million views in one year with 20 million views in two days on the launch of the ‘bye!’ gif.

Produced by Digital Light Studio, the Sunny Bunnies are five beaming balls that can appear anywhere there is a source of light, from sunshine to moonlight.

In each episode, the cheeky creatures bring their fun and games to a different location – a circus, a sports stadium, a park – embarking on mischievous adventures and spreading laughter and happiness. And at the end of every episode, the fun continues with a collection of bloopers.

Amazon launches dedicated eco-friendly shopping platform to the UK and Europe

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Amazon has launched a new dedicated ‘eco-friendly’ shopping platform to help consumers in the UK and Europe find household products that are driving the sustainability movement forward. The platform lists more than 40,000 items that will carry certificates from the likes of Fairtrade International and the Carbon Trust.

The move has been made as a means of enabling customers to pick products on their environmental merits. It follows Amazon’s recent step forwards in the sustainability drive, when it launched its Climate Pledge Friendly label in September this year.

The online goliath has come under fire for its use of excessive cardboard and other packaging materials, and last year faced burning criticism for using new-style packaging that could not be recycled. The new scheme has been billed as its own step to ‘lessen the company’s impact on the environment.’

The dedicated section of the website will house products badged with a special logo from any of the 18 independent certification schemes. These logos will be shown in shopping results, with extra sustainability information on the product page.

The platform was launched in the US in September and is being rolled out this week to the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It supports Amazon’s wider commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be at net zero carbon by 2040.

Universal Pictures celebrates 35 years of Back to the Future with major campaign

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From fan created content, Amazon exclusives, and a whole host of toys, games and more, this year, Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are taking fans of the Back to the Future franchise on an 88mph journey across the categories to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the iconic time-travelling series.

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads… but it may be time to upgrade your television as fans around the world can now look forward to more fan-created content, as well as the 4K Ultra HD release of the Back to the Future Trilogy, so you can watch the moment George McFly lands Biff that world-celebrated bop on the conk in the clearest of definitions.

On top of this, retail exclusives and new consumer products have all been rolling out across the retail space throughout the month, ahead of the fan created Back to the Future Day holiday today, Wednesday, October 21st 2020.

“Very few franchises in Hollywood history have shown the kind of staying power of Back to the Future,” said Bob Gale, co-writer and co-producer of the trilogy.

“To be celebrating 35 years of this iconic film series – through incredible product collections and fan-created content from around the world – is truly a testament to the heart of the film itself. Yes, it’s a sci-fi adventure, but it’s also about family and the fans’ emotional connection to the characters – which is something everyone can relate to, no matter what generation or time-traveling decade you’re from.”

As part of the 35th anniversary celebrations, Universal Brand Development partnered with content creation platform Tongal to invite animators and fans from around the world to recreate their favorite scenes from the original Back to the Future film.

Eight creators – from Uruguay to Ireland to Brazil – were greenlit to bring their ideas to life. The videos have been rolling out on the Back to the Future Facebook fan page over the last few days, with a final compilation video debuting today to coincide with the anniversary.

The fan creators attached to the eight videos (+ one edited compilation) represent a global and diverse fandom of this beloved time-traveling franchise:

  • “Marty’s Dream Amp” by Javier Benia O’Neill – Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
  • “The First Time Traveller” by Elliot Ruddy – Dublin, Ireland
  • “Alien in the Barn” by Crankub Animation Studio (Martí Montañola and Sara Esteban) – Barcelona, Spain
  • “Marty McFly and the Butterfly Effect” by Bethany Borg – Malta
  • “A Visitor in the Night” by Neto Rodrigues and Gabis Fromme – São Paulo, Brazil
  • “Race for Surviving” by Calaveres Animació (Javier Asensio, María Larín, Nicole Herrera and Felipe Armand) – Valencia, Spain
  • “Fateful Punch” by Eric Power – Austin, Tex.
  • “Cardboard Cute-Out” by Team Explainly (Max Naff, Alex Hagan, Derik Smith, Sam Naff, Elizabeth Abreu, Andy Toizer and Ben Jackson) – San Francisco, Calif.
  • Compilation video edited by Firman Machda – Bandung, Indonesia

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the 35th Anniversary of the groundbreaking first film with Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy available now on 4K Ultra HD for the first time. This collection includes all three movies in collectible discbook packaging.

Additionally, it is loaded with bonus material including an extra disc that comes with over an hour of new content, such as rare audition footage from Hollywood stars Ben Stiller, Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Cryer, Billy Zane, Peter DeLuise and C. Thomas Howell; a tour of the film’s props and memorabilia hosted by co-writer/producer Bob Gale; a sneak peek at the new musical show; a special episode of the popular YouTube Series “Could You Survive The Movies?;” and more.

In celebration of Back to the Future Day today, Amazon will be hosting a dedicated Back to the Future storefront, where fans of all ages can find something that will take them back in time. If fans checkout using smile.amazon.com/backtothefuture and select the “Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research” as your charity choice, a portion of sales will be donated to that charity.

It’s your kids Marty, something has to be done about your kids… and indeed, Universal has that demographic covered. First up, Playmobil has gone back to the future with a model of the iconic DeLorean that features folding wheels for hover mode, doors which open upwards, an illuminated flux capacitor inside and illuminated exterior.

Also included is plutonium, which can be inserted at the back of the vehicle. The play-set is complete with Marty Mcfly and Doc Brown in their outfits from 1985 plus a plutonium case, skateboard, remote control and Einstein, the dog.

Fans can also countdown to the holidays at 88MPH with this the Playmobil Advent Calendar: Back to the Future that includes Marty McFly, Emmett “Doc” Brown, Jennifer Parker, and Biff Tannen, along with a highly detailed model of the Hill Valley courthouse with its iconic clock tower, plus lots of accessories from the classic cult film, all with great attention to detail.

Meanwhile, Hasbro has launched the Transformers Back to the Future Gigawatt figure and IDW Comic Series, bringing together two iconic brands both in figure and comic book form for the first time.

Hasbro is in good company in the toy aisle which also features Funko’s commemorative range of character collectibles, JADA with Back to the Future vehicles and remote- control toys, puzzles from Ravensburger, Rainbow for plush and Rubber Road for adult gifting and toys.

GB Eye and Pyramid are on board for stationery and gifting and GB Eye has also taken the license for posters whilst RMS has pocket money purchases and stocking fillers covered this Christmas.

In soft lines, the HYPE Back to the Future collection nods at the franchise era, the 1980s, with expressive designs in a monochrome and neon colour palette. The HYPE. stamp features enlarged graphics, all-over prints, contrasting flames, and illusion checkerboard with a cyberpunk aesthetic, whilst embracing the ’80s grunge trend.

YouTube skateboarding channel Braille turns to footwear after successful toy range debut

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The leading skateboarding YouTube Channel, Braille Skateboarding, is building on the international success of its officially licensed range of toy fingerboards and skate ramps with a leap into the world of footwear. In a partnership brokered by Semaphore Licensing, the skate brand has teamed with R&R Footwear to develop a new range of functional skate shoes.

Braille Skateboarding launched onto the consumer products scene in July this year when it brought its first collection of toy fingerboard and skate ramps to the international market. The range – which also comprised mystery surprise sets – became a hit with retail giants Amazon and Target, as fans ‘went wild for the toys’ inspired by the channel’s popular Skate Everything series.

Skate Everything features a collection of videos that showcase Braille Skateboarding’s founder, Aaron Kyro, creating skateboards from anything other than what you would think to use, such as computer keyboards, ironing boards, electric guitars, and even gummy bears.

The toy range was quickly met with ‘huge demand from skate fans from across the globe’ and soon after retailers and stockists were reportedly placing reorders to meet the elevated consumer demand. According to Semaphore Licensing, this demand was fuelled by the brand’s YouTube Channel and its more than 5.6 million subscribers.

Braille Skateboarding has also secured its first international retailer in Smyths Toys, who has brought the brand to the UK market. Projections currently show that by the end of 2020, close to one million finger boards will have been shipped to retailers.

Following the initial success, Braille is now positioned to expand its licensing efforts into new categories. The company has since partnered with R&R Footwear in a move to develop and roll out a ‘stylish and functional skate shoe’ that would appeal to skaters and non-skaters alike.

Braille Skateboarding now plans to chronicle the development journey of the new shoe in partnership with R&R Footwear as it aims to launch the product to retailers in summer 2021.

“We are ramping up to bring unique products to shelves globally on behalf of Braille Skateboarding,” said Michael Bienstock, founder and CEO, Semaphore Licensing. “We join Aaron in his mission to ensure the entire world knows what a Braille board is.”