WildBrain Inks New Content Distribution Deals in China

WildBrain is growing the profile of its brands, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake and Caillou, in China with a varied slate of content distribution deals in the region.

As part of the expanding presence of the Teletubbies in the Chinese market, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po were invited to perform on China’s national broadcaster, CCTV’s, International Children’s Day gala on June 1. Broadcast nationwide, the gala celebrated childhood and saw the Teletubbies delight kids and families with a performance of their song, “Let’s Play,” from their series, “Teletubbies Let’s Go!,” dancing and singing alongside a group of exuberant young fans.

 “These partnerships across our portfolio highlight the continued demand in China for our known IP and the enduring popularity of these recognizable brands,” says Max Tang, senior manager, content partnership, Asia Pacific, WildBrain. “At WildBrain, we are committed to growing our presence in China and Asia Pacific across both content and licensing, forging new audiences and fans for our IP. These broadcast partners are a key component in that growth, and we are thrilled they are bringing such a wide range of WildBrain content to their viewers.”

In deals driven by WildBrain’s strong franchise portfolio, multiple iterations of globally recognized Teletubbies have been picked up by partners in China. Youku, bilibili and iQIYI are all set to air the refreshed, live-action “Teletubbies” (13x30’) narrated by Emmy-nominated actor, Tituss Burgess, which originally launched last year in international markets on Netflix. Distributor, Senyu, has also picked up the series for various VOD platforms, including Xiaomi and Hisense.

In addition, the original classic live-action “Teletubbies” series (365x26’) has been acquired by iQIYI, Huashi, bilibili, Senyu, Youku and Dreamers Tech. Huashi has also picked up “Teletubbies – Nursery Rhymes,” a collection of 11 2D digital animated 2-minute shorts. In further deals showcasing the appeal of the colorful quartet, CG-animated series, “Teletubbies Let’s Go!” (52×5’) has sold to iQIYI, Youku and bilibili.

Strawberry Shortcake is also bolstering its presence in China with sales of the brand’s new CG-animated seasonal family specials (4x45’, edited into 11-minute episodes) to Youku and JY, with the latter also taking the 2D-animated “Strawberry Shortcake Berry in the Big City” (120x4’), “Berry Bitty Adventures” (65x22’) and the classic “Strawberry Shortcake” series (44x22’).

Deals have also been inked for a variety of iterations of much-loved family content, “Caillou.” Adored by preschool kids ages 2 to 5, “Caillou” is one of the world’s most popular animated kids’ shows, having been viewed in over 140 countries. Originally created in Canada in 1997 and based on a series of bestselling children’s books inspired by the work of French child psychiatrist, Dr. Françoise Dolto, “Caillou” is rooted in fostering healthy childhood development, imagination, curiosity and emotional growth.

iQIYI and Senyu have picked up the most recent CG-animated “Caillou” series (52x11’), five new CG-animated family specials (45 minutes each) and Seasons 3-5 of the digital-first series, “Caillou’s New Adventures” (90x5’).