Studio 100 Media, Sony Music Entertainment Germany Extend Partnership

Studio 100 Media, an international independent studio for children’s and family entertainment, and Sony Music Entertainment Germany have extended their strategic partnership for audio entertainment products for the long term. 

The joint licensing agreement allows Sony Music to use audio play rights from Studio 100 Media under the kids and family label, Europa. The cooperation to date, in which Sony Music has successfully brought Studio 100 Media’s remarkable portfolio into the digital age, will be continued. 

With its Europa label, Sony Music Entertainment is the market leader in the German-language children’s audio play segment, with a market share of 53%. Audio plays, largely unknown outside of Western Europe, are typically 40 to 45 minutes long. They feature voice actors for every character, sound effects and music – features that distinguish them from audiobooks in which one narrator reads a story. 

The agreement will continue with a library of TV classics, modern CGI series and feature films from Studio 100 Media’s catalog. Over the last four years, Europa has released a program package of well-known brands such as “Maya the Bee,” “Heidi,” “Vic the Viking,” “Nils Holgersson,” “The House of Anubis” and “Pippi Longstocking.” In addition, Europa has also added new Studio 100 Media brands as audio plays, such as the adventure-comedy “100% Wolf.” The license contract includes physical and digital exploitation in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“Sony Music has successfully taken our brands, both classic and new, into the digital age,” says Martin Krieger, CEO of Studio 100 Media. “I am delighted that Maya, Vic, Pippi and many other of our wonderful characters are ever-present on all major digital platforms, providing great entertainment experiences for children and their families. The partnership between our two companies has already borne fruit, and we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver high-quality children’s entertainment.”  

“The Studio 100 catalog includes the great classics of yesterday and many strong brands of today,” says André Mühlhausen, senior vice president, commercial division, GSA, Sony Music. “I am convinced that together, we will continue to offer attractive content for the German-language audio play market in the years to come. Sony Music Entertainment is a leader in the children’s audio play segment and will remain so in the long term, thanks to strategic partnerships like this one with Studio 100 Media.” 

“Europa is a reliable partner, and our joint success is reflected in the number of releases and other key activities,” says Joachim Knödler, head, licensing, Studio 100 Media. “In addition to the existing catalog, Europa has also launched new, exciting themes and brands with a lot of love and creativity. We will continue on this course in the future.” 

“In the past four years, our team has launched more than 500 hours of 30-minute children’s entertainment from Studio 100 Media,” says Arndt Seelig, vice president, family and home entertainment, Sony Music. “With 132 releases so far, 89 of them right at the start, we have integrated Studio 100 Media’s extensive content into the Europa catalog in a very short time and brought it into the digital age. New additions include the cinema audio plays of ‘Vic the Viking’ and ‘Maya the Bee,’ and two new, exclusive audio play stories of Maya and her friends. With the most recently released ‘Heidi’ nostalgia box and the charmingly funny production about the title character Freddy Lupin, the werepoodle from ‘100% Wolf,’” we have also fulfilled our claim of telling high-quality and loving children’s stories 100%. I look forward to many new and exciting brands.”