Tag Archives: Children’s TV

Nickelodeon picks up broadcast rights to Xilam’s Athleticus and Mr Magoo

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The Academy Award nominated French animation studio, Xilam Animation has secured two new broadcast deals with Nickelodeon for its short form CGI series Athleticus and the animated comedy Mr Magoo.

The new global deal will see Nickelodeon take exclusive pay-tv rights to two seasons of Athleticus for Asia Pacific, EMEA, and Latin America. It has also secured the rights for the series in Benelux, Italy, Vietnam, Philippines, and Argentina.

On top of this, Nickelodeon has picked up the exclusive pay-tv rights for Xilam’s hit comedy series Mr Magoo in the UK, where the series launches on Nicktoons this week.

“We’re very excited to be building upon our successful partnership with Nickelodeon and to see the broadcaster become home to two further shows from our slate,” said Morgann Favennec, EVP distribution at Xilam Animation. “With its charming characters and humorous stories, we know families all over the globe are going to love watching Athleticus and following the fantastic response to Mr Magoo in the UK, we’re very much looking forward to bringing the series’ hilarious hijinks to new audiences.”

 Targeting family audiences, Athleticus is produced by Xilam’s recently acquired CGI-studio Cube Creative and features wild animals taking part in competitive sports, ranging from table tennis to high bar, bobsleigh to curling. How successful the animals are at each of the sports entirely depends on their personality and anatomies resulting in very comical, and often poetic, results. The series is created and directed by the multi-award winning Nicolas Deveaux.

 

Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed returns to CBBC with second series this month

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Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed will be returning to television this month with a new, second series, courtesy of Beano Studios and its renewed broadcast deal with CBBC.

The new series is comprised of 52 episodes, each following the unpredictable and exciting adventures of Dennis and friends in Beanotown. it kicks off with episode one titled Beat the Bus that sees new teacher Miss Mistry taking Class Three on an outing to the Flumes ‘o’ Doom water theme park.

Last year Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed season one received nominations at Kidscreen, the British Animation awards and was nominated for an International Emmy. At launch it was the highest-rated animated show on CBBC for six to 12-year-olds and one of the top 10 shows for kids across all channels (including The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing).

Tim Searle, head of animation at Beano Studios, said: “Dennis and friends burst back onto our screens this summer, with loads more mayhem and mischief to look forward to in Beanotown. We’ve had a blast making the shows and hope that this new series will bring tons of laughs, inspire imaginations and encourage the everyday rebellion that’s been at the heart of Beano for over 80 years.”

Fans can find brand-new Dennis and Gnasher Unleased! games, quizzes and fun at beano.com/dennisandgnasher and to celebrate the series return Beano have launched a ‘family and friends’ discount if you subscribe to Beano comic

Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed returns to CBBC with second series this month

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Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed will be returning to television this month with a new, second series, courtesy of Beano Studios and its renewed broadcast deal with CBBC.

The new series is comprised of 52 episodes, each following the unpredictable and exciting adventures of Dennis and friends in Beanotown. it kicks off with episode one titled Beat the Bus that sees new teacher Miss Mistry taking Class Three on an outing to the Flumes ‘o’ Doom water theme park.

Last year Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed season one received nominations at Kidscreen, the British Animation awards and was nominated for an International Emmy. At launch it was the highest-rated animated show on CBBC for six to 12-year-olds and one of the top 10 shows for kids across all channels (including The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing).

Tim Searle, head of animation at Beano Studios, said: “Dennis and friends burst back onto our screens this summer, with loads more mayhem and mischief to look forward to in Beanotown. We’ve had a blast making the shows and hope that this new series will bring tons of laughs, inspire imaginations and encourage the everyday rebellion that’s been at the heart of Beano for over 80 years.”

Fans can find brand-new Dennis and Gnasher Unleased! games, quizzes and fun at beano.com/dennisandgnasher and to celebrate the series return Beano have launched a ‘family and friends’ discount if you subscribe to Beano comic

Rocket Licensing picks up CBeebies’ English language learning series Yakka Dee!

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Rocket Licensing has been appointed as the international licensing agent (territories excluding China) for the popular CBeebies show, Yakka Dee! Currently in its third series, the animation and live action programme is now in production for series four and five, which are due to air in 2021.

Yakka Dee! is focused on English language learning for pre-schoolers learning to talk, children with speech difficulties, and those learning English as a second language.

The series has been developed by the writer and director, Katie Simmons (Go Jetters, Show Me Show Me, and Mr Bloom’s Nursery) and director and producer, Lotte Elwell (Peppa Pig cinema experience, Teletubbies, My World Kitchen and more) alongside Steve Smith at Beakus animation studio (Olobob Top).

Dee helps children learn language through play, visual representation and repetition. Each five-minute episode focuses on one word, with a mixture of live action and animated content and bright, bold colours. The branding is modern and vibrant, eye catching and idiosyncratic and hugely appealing to the young audience.

Yakka Dee! launched in 2017, with a peak audience of 474,000 viewers (8.9 per cent audience share) and is currently aired twice daily on CBeebies. BBC Studios has also signed for distribution in Ireland, Brazil, China, South Korea, Latin America and Turkey.

In 2019, a YouTube channel was launched, experiencing 5.3 million views in the first two months. The channel now has 161K subscribers and 46 million views, and is growing exponentially on a daily basis. ‘Aprende con Yakka Dee: Panza’, a Spanish episode via CBeebies Español, has had over 80 million views on the channel since launch, while ‘Yakka Dee: Banana’ has received 30 million views and ‘Can you Say Tummy?’ has reached 17 million in just three months.

Initially, Rocket’s core focus for the property will be on toy and publishing categories, as well as educational product and resources, followed by other preschool product categories including apparel, accessories, social stationery, and games. Consumer demand for licensed product is high, with weekly requests from parents via the brand’s social media pages for toys.

Rob Wijeratna, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “Yakka Dee! is a real gem in CBeebies’ programming, and combines all of the must-have attributes of a successful preschool property – fun, education and great characters – with contemporary, bright and instantly recognisable production.

“We are also proud to be representing an ethnically inclusive brand, with Dee as a non-white lead character having become an inspiring role model for many. The loyal fan-base is ready and waiting for consumer products and we’re excited to start talking to licensees.”

Yakka Dee producers Steve Smith, Lotte Elwell and Katie Simmons comment: “We are thrilled to partner with Rocket for Yakka Dee! licensing. We are so proud of our character, Dee, and have seen first-hand how she empowers children to speak with confidence, energising them and connecting deeply with them. We are looking forward to working with Rocket to create more touchpoints for our audience, and in so doing help more children.”

Gaumont appoints Michelle Sullivan to role of VP creative executive

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Gaumont, the film company and producer of the award-winning Narcos series and the upcoming animated series, Do, Re, & Mi, and High in the Clouds, is expanding its animation and family efforts with the appointment of Michelle Sullivan.

Sullivan most recently served as development executive for Amazon Studios, where she helped develop and oversee the production of Amazon Kids Originals scripted animated series, including Clifford The Big Red Dog, Click Clack Moo, and Bookaboo. Prior to that she led the National Geographic’s kids and family digital initiatives.

Sullivan will officially join the US team in August this year as VP, creative executive based in Gaumont’s Los Angeles offices. She will report to Terry Kalagian, SVP, creative development, animation and family and work alongside Kimberly Dennison, VP of creative development to source projects to be developed into animated and live action series.

“I am so excited to have Michelle Sullivan joining our team,” said Kalagian. “Her creative vision is aligned with Gaumont’s and the energy and expertise she brings to the group will further inspire us in our ongoing quest to develop meaningful stories and compelling characters.”

Among the upcoming series from Gaumont is the animated feature, High in the Clouds, developed together with Paul McCartney for Netflix.

Learning Resources partners with Numberblocks for new MathLink Cubes range

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Learning Resources has partnered with the BAFTA award-winning animated children’s TV series Numberblocks to launch a new Activity Set based on the firm’s top-selling MathLink Cubes brand. The new MathLink Cubes Numberblocks Activity Set will be available through major retailers later this year.

MathLink Cubes is a linkable construction toy developed for hands-on maths learning through play. The new licensed Numberblocks Activity Set will allow children to play along with episodes and engage in further learning opportunities.

“Many parents and teachers use our MathLink cubes to make Numberblocks activities for their children,” said Learning Resources’ MD, Dennis Blackmore. “This partnership means that we can bring together the imaginative power of Numberblocks with MathLink Cubes’ tried and tested quality to create exciting new products.

“Our new Activity Set is designed for use in the home or classroom, and with the power of the Numberblocks brand behind it, will be a popular product in all retail environments.”

Series creator Joe Elliot added: “It’s an absolute delight to be partnering with Learning Resources. MathLink Cubes have been an integral part of Numberblocks right from the beginning – we’ve used them to discover what every Numberblock character can do, plan stories and design intricate animation sequences.

“We have a large and dedicated following of young number fans, and the number one thing they ask for is real Numberblocks blocks so they can get hands-on and play with Numberblocks themselves. It’s been a whole new level of fun to work with the like-minded creative team at Learning Resources and we can’t wait to bring Numberblocks full circle and into the hands of our fans.”

Baby Shark lands new animated TV series on Nickelodeon

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Perpetual earworm, Baby Shark – the global property that began life as a viral YouTube music video – has landed its own animated pre-school series to broadcast on Nickelodeon this December.

With a working title of Baby Shark’s Big Show, the series will make its debut with a half-hour Christmas special this December. This will be followed up with a 26 episode series that will run across Nickelodeon platforms in 2021.

The new series will be the work of Nickelodeon Animation Studio and SmartStudy, and will follow the adventures of Baby Shark and his best friend as they explore their community of Carnivore Cove. Launched five years ago to YouTube, Baby Shark has amassed some 5.7 billion views worldwide and has become the second most watched video in YouTube history.

Baby Shark’s Big Show is executive produced by Gary DiRafflaele and Tommy Sica, both of Breadwinners, with Whitney Ralls (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls) serving as co-executive producer. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, with production overseen by Eryk Casemiro, SVP at Nickelodeon Preschool.

It joins a roster of popular pre-school series on Nickelodeon, including Ryan’s Mystery PLaydat, Bubble Guppies, and Blaze and the Monster Machines.

True and the Rainbow Kingdom to grow UK licensing roll-out with bRAND-WARD

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The children’s entertainment unit, Guru Studio, has tapped bRAND-WARD as its exclusive licensing agent for the hit pre-school series, True and the Rainbow Kingdom.

Under the new deal, bRAND-WARD will represent the property across the UK and Ireland as it looks to build a licensing programme spanning toys and games, apparel, publishing, housewares, accessories, food and drink, and live events.

“We’re seeing tremendous demand for True and the Rainbow Kingdom products from boys and girls all over the world,” said Jonathan Abraham, VP of sales and business development at Guru Studio. “We’re excited to have the experienced team at bRAND-WARD lead the charge for our consumer products program in the UK & Ireland, and continue to build upon the love people have for the show.”

Trudi Hayward, co-founder of bRAND-WARD, added: “True and The Rainbow Kingdom is a brand with great appeal, which has inspired award winning and top-rated content, widely available on many platforms, including pay TV, FTA, SVOD and digital media. Securing multiple platforms is a prerequisite nowadays if you want to achieve the necessary exposure. We are delighted to be working with Guru on this stunning property.”

True and the Rainbow Kingdom’s message aims to empower children to be mindful, compassionate and respectful of all living things. The series first launched on Netflix in 2017, and is now launching on linear TV around the world. Following the successful launch on Tiny Pop in the UK earlier this year, the demand for the hit preschool series continues to grow.

On AVOD platforms such as YouTube and YouTube Kids, the series has amassed a sizeable audience with over 300 million views. The show’s GIPHY page now boasts over 2 billion shares. The series recently received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Program.

Consumer products for True and the Rainbow Kingdom already include a line of plush, Halloween costumes, activity books and storybooks across North America. New True and the Rainbow Kingdom content is continuing to roll out on Netflix throughout 2020.

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

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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

CITV picks up Jetpack’s animated comedy Buck and Buddy in newest broadcasting slate

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The independent kids and family distributor, Jetpack Distribution, has secured a string of new broadcast deals for its portfolio of children’s shows, including Daisy & Ollie, Emmy & Gooroo, Buck & Buddy, and Talking Tom and Friends.

The Jetpack shows will be airing this year across a series of international networks.

Discovery Kids (Middle East and North Africa)has boosted its pre-school offering with the acquisition of the pay TV rights for season three of Daisy & Ollie and season two of Emmy & Gooroo. It has also bought non-dialogue comedy animation Bucky & Buddy.

Meanwhile, AMC Networks International – Central and Northern Europe has acquired pay TV and video on demand (VOD) rights for five seasons of comedy animation Talking Tom and Friends, shorts from the same series and Talking Angela videos for its Minimax channels in Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.

WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks channels including Boomerang and Cartoon Network in SoutheastAsia, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand has extended its offer to include series four and five of Talking Tom and Friends. The deal also includes Talking Tom Heroes.

Super RTL has acquired the SVOD rights for Talking Tom Heroes, while the UK’s CITV has bought the free-to-air rights for Buck & Buddy.

German channel KIKAhas acquired the free-to-air rights for animated show Wolf, and finally, United Media has bought the rights for Emmy & Gooroo and seasons one to four of pre-school live action Our Family for Pikaboo and seasons one to three of The Cul De Sac and seasons one and two of comedy animation Barefoot Bandits for Vavoom.

The deal covers Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

Jetpack’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner, said: “These are challenging and uncertain times for the TV industry as we face unchartered territory. These deals are testament to the enduring appeal of good quality kids and family content. Long may that continue.”

“We are really pleased to be working with such brilliant production and IP owners and doing business with prestigious international networks who remain as committed as ever to delivering great experiences for young audiences.”