Tag Archives: streaming

Disney’s Mulan will be landing on Disney+ with a UK date and price now confirmed

Posted on by

Disney’s live action remake of the animated hit Mulan will be streaming on Disney+ rather than hitting cinemas in the UK, and the studio has now revealed the premium price that subscribers will be paying in order to access it.

At the start of the month, Disney revealed its intentions to bypass the cinematic release of the movie in the US, taking it directly to its recently launched streaming platform Disney+. A move that was met with a fair amount of head-scratching by cinemas across the region, the question was posed as to whether the same roll-out plans would apply to the UK.

Originally due to be released in cinemas in March this year, Mulan suffered a number of delays at the hands of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown measures taken across the world. The live-action remake will now be made available exclusively for Disney+ customers to buy for a premium price, on top of the monthly £5.99 subscription fee.

Disney confirmed that the film would be available for UK customers from September 4 for the additional price of £19.99. It follows the news that it will be made available to US customers from September 4 for a cost of $29.99.

It will also be made available via in-app purchasing on streaming services such as Apple TV, Google and Roku.

The move means viewers who buy Mulan will be able to stream the film multiple times and watch it on a number of devices where Disney+ is available, as long as they have an active subscription to the streaming service.

Anime specialist Crunchyroll hits 3 million streaming subscribers

Posted on by

The anime specialist, Crunchyroll has hit a new milestone of 3 million subscribers to its global streaming service, highlighting both the growing audience for the animation genre and the platform’s own accelerating growth.

The WarnerMedia-owned business was founded in 2006 and had reached one million streaming subscribers in 2016. By the end of 2018 it had reached the 2 million subscribers mark. Having started out as a San Francisco-based online forum for uploaded anime clips and message boards, it has grown to over 70 million registered users in 200 countries.

The platform now proposes to be the world’s largest anime library with more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes. Last year, Crunchyroll found a new home under WarnerMedia as part of the entertainment giant’s launch plans for HBO Max and a hub of anime curated by Crunchyroll.

The anime platform also recently detailed a slate of summer licensing partnerships across a plethora of categories and series.

“We are excited to announce these new licensing partnerships that serve our fans with quality products based on the shows they are passionate about,” said John Leonhardt, head of consumer products.

Titles from across the Crunchyroll portfolio that will enjoy new licensing partnerships include Bananya, Black Clover, Food Wars, and Mobile Suit Gundam, which will see new apparel and accessory ranges launch via Bioworld and posters from Trends International; Given which has been granted to both Great Eastern and Bioworld for apparel and accessories; Welcome to Demon School! Iruma Kun, Haikyu, The Quintessential Quintuplets, Sarazanmai, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, which have each been granted to Great Eastern for apparel and accessories; and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Dr Stone, Mob Psycho 100, and Yuri!!! on Ice, which were granted to Trends International for posters.

On top of this, The Junji Ito Cat Diary: Yon & Mu was granted to Ripple Junction for apparel and accessories, and Radiant was granted to Bioworld for apparel and accessories.

Other titles available for license include the new Crunchyroll Originals Tower of God, a dark fantasy action series, and The God of High School, a high-energy tournament competition series, both based on Webtoon comics of the same name, as well as Onyx Equinox, the story of a young Aztec boy fighting for humanity in Mesoamerica.

Crunchyroll currently manages all-rights for more than 350 anime titles, working with more than 100 global licensees to provide anime fans with the best lifestyle, fashion, and home goods products from their favourite series.

Crunchyroll also operates a direct to consumer retail destination, which recently launched a Godzilla streetwear collection with Toho International, Inc. through the in house streetwear brand Crunchyroll Loves. This DTC fan connection is further strengthened by Crunchyroll’s robust online community, with more than 40 million followers across social media.

 

Apple TV+ to adapt Where the Wild Things Are and other works for kids’ series and specials

Posted on by

Apple TV+ to adapt Where the Wild Things Are and other works for kids’ series and specials

Posted on by

Aardman strikes major deal with Tencent for Shaun the Sheep streaming in China

Posted on by

The iconic British animation studio, Aardman has just struck up a new deal with Tencent Video in a new move to grow the audience for its hit Shaun the Sheep property in China.

Tencent Video is the leading online video streaming platform in China. Under the new deal, it will become the home of Shaun the Sheep’s library of 170 episodes, including series six which launched earlier this year. The placement with Tencent Video complements Aardman’s worldwide deal with Netflix for the entire Shaun the Sheep catalogue.

Robin Gladman, senior distribution and acquisitions manager, said: “Our new deal with Tencent Video is a truly exciting next step for our business in China and a great moment for the studio.

“Tencent Video will become a fabulous new home for our biggest global brand ‘Shaun the Sheep’ and help us reach millions of families across the territory.”

The studio continues to build its Chinese licensing programme for the brand alongside its agents UYoung, securing prestigious partnership and building a strong and loyal fan base. Most recently Shaun the Sheep has collaborated in a creative promotional partnership in China with a line of children’s clothing with Italian high fashion sportswear brand FILA.

The Shaun the Sheep x FILA Kids ‘Shake it with Shaun’ themed campaign was announced with a vibrant teaser video on Children’s Day (China), which achieved an impressive 11M views in just 24 hours. The new product range consists of a complete range of apparel, footwear and accessories for children and the launch will be supported by in-store activities featuring Shaun the Sheep character costumes and interactive dance machines for shoppers to enjoy, as well as a Tik Tok online Dancing Challenge followed the Shake it with Shaun video expected to attract millions of fans to participate.

With its increasing global appeal for families, the team at Aardman continues to develop its portfolio of Shaun the Sheep attractions and live experiences in the territory, including the national touring stage show Shaun the Sheep – The Alien Visitor in partnership with Hand in Hand Theatre Company and Shaun the Sheep Go To Sanya, launching at the Mangrove Tree Resort World, Hainan in summer 2020.

Surge in Disney+ subscribers amid global lockdown boosts demand for Hasbro’s ‘Baby Yoda’

Posted on by

The surge in subscribers to Disney+ amid global coronavirus lockdown measures has already provided a boost to Hasbro’s licensed toy sales, particularly, the global toymaker has stated, to the popularity of the ‘Baby Yoda’ character from the Disney original TV series, The Mandalorian.

Demand for the character – officially called The Child – was already high when Disney+ first launched to US audiences in November last year, but, according to Hasbro’s CEO Brian Goldner in conversation with Yahoo Finance, the recent spike in Disney+ subscribers looking for entertainment while in self isolation, has drive the demand further.

“We clearly have seen that streaming has become more of a force in making connections with consumers and driving merchandising,” Goldner said earlier this week. “That’s always been a question: Could streamed content drive merchandising? And clearly Baby Yoda has done that. We saw that in the fourth quarter with some of our product directly related to The Mandalorian.

“Our pre-sales around Baby Yoda have been incredibly robust and we’re very excited to ship Baby Yoda late spring.”

Available for pre-order for the past few months, Hasbro newest Star Wars The Mandalorian toy range – including the Baby Yoda product line – will be landing on shelves this spring.

On top of this, Goldner has revealed that it’s not just Star Wars merchandise that has received a boost recently, but so too has Frozen, other Disney Princess lines, and Marvel toys.

“We’re seeing that overall Star Wars sales are performing well year-to-date, because the movie [‘Rise of Skywalker’] was incredibly popular, and then the home entertainment window has come more quickly, as has ‘Frozen 2.’ Disney has advanced those windows and made those home entertainment windows available to consumers more quickly on Disney+. We clearly see Disney+ as a major advantage to Disney and also to licensees of Disney like Hasbro,” said a representative from Disney.

Netflix acquires streaming rights for Studio Ghibli catalogue in landmark deal for the Japanese animation studio

Posted on by

Netflix has picked up the exclusive streaming rights to the full film library from the popular Japanese animation house, Studio Ghibli for everywhere in the world outside of the US and Japan.

The deal is a landmark partnership for the distribution of Japanese animation and animé to the world’s audiences, marking the first time that all 21 Ghibli films will be made available via streaming on a global scale.

The deal was detailed by the French distribution partner Wild Bunch International this week. 

Netflix will now roll out the Ghibli catalogue across its service in monthly segments, beginning with an initial launch on February 1st. The catalogue includes modern classics such as Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle.

“This is a dream come true for Netflix and millions of our members,” said Aram Yacoubian, Netflix’s director of original animation. “Studio Ghibli’s animated films are legendary and have enthralled fans around the world for over 35 years.

“We’re excited to make them available in more languages across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia – so that more people can enjoy this whimsical and wonderful world of animation.”

Launched in 1985 by animation directors Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli’s films have received six Oscar nominations in the animated feature category, winning one in 2003 for Spirited Away.

Until now, Ghibli has guarded its tiles from digital platforms.

“In this day and age, there are various great ways a film can reach audiences,” said Studio Ghibli producer, Toshio Suzuki. “We have listened to our fans and have made the definitive decision to stream our film catalogue. 

“We hope people around the world will discover the world of Studio Ghibli through this experience.”