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Zinkia Ent. inks several licensing deals

 

Zinkia Entertainment, producer of the show POCOYO, has introduced a new female character by the name of Nina. She leads Zinkia’s strong commitment with entertainment industry in 2017.

Nina is a tiny girl who lives in the wilderness among plants and flowers, always accompanied by her loyal pet robot, Roberto.

The Spanish company has already closed major licensing deals for this new character whose first products will be available in the upcoming months.

The entitities with who licensing deals have been made are Bandai and Comansi for the toy sector, El Corte Inglés for apparel, and Planeta in the publishing branch are the highlights among the first partners.

 

Not To Scale launches domestic violence campaign

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International production company Not To Scale along with directors Ralph Karam, Gustavo Karam and Juan Manuel Freire and agency BBH London has launched a domestic violence campaign for British charity Refuge.

All of them helped fund the short film which is set to British signer Frances’ popular single Grow.

The film seeks to raise awareness of domestic violence and let young women know they are not alone. The film will enable Refuge to let young women know they’re not alone, without any media spend.

The film follows the daily routine of an increasingly invisible young woman, Melanie, who is experiencing domestic violence behind closed doors and who feels that no one is there to support her, or can even see her. As the film progresses an increasingly isolated Melanie encounters a character representing Refuge, who recognizes and understands what she is going through and supports her to escape the abuse, regain her identity and rebuild her life.

Directed  by creative director Ralph Karam, the film relies on a unique production technique in both 2D and stop-frame animation.

The backgrounds and background characters were printed out and tracked past camera in cycles over a 10-day shoot while the main characters of Melanie, Refuge and Frances were animated in 2D at both Not To Scale and Le Cube studios.

The technique emphasizes the vicious cycle Melanie faces and highlights her increasing level of isolation and invisibility while reliving the same cycle over and over again. When she encounters the character representing Refuge, the tone changes and immediately Melanie regains her color and vibrancy as she is given the support to break this cycle and rebuild her life.

The female character is based on Melanie Clarke, a real-life Refuge client who benefited from the charity’s support following more than decade of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her ex-partner, whom she met when she was 14.

Nickelodeon names Vivid Group as global master toy licensee for Nella the Princess Knight

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Nickelodeon has named UK-based Vivid Group as global master toy licensee (excluding the US) for its pre-school series Nella the Princess Knight.

Categories covered in the deal with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) include dolls, figures, playsets, plush and role-play toys. The products will launch globally next spring.

Nella the Princess Knight premiered in the US last month and will launch on international Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels this April. The 40 x half-hour series follows eight-year-old Nella as she embarks on daring quests to save her kingdom.

The series features a social-emotional curriculum that promotes empowerment, inclusiveness and compassion for others. Robert Vargas (head writer for Zack & Quack) serves as executive producer on the show created by Christine Ricci (curriculum advisor for Blaze and the Monster Machines and Dora the Explorer).

Initially, Nick had announced Nella the Princess Knight along with three other preschool shows last year including Butterbean’s Café, Top Wing and Abby Hatcher. 

 

Coolabi Group names Lizenzwerft as licensing agent for Poppy Cat

Leading, independent, international media group and rights owner, Coolabi Group has named strategic licensing agency Lizenzwerft as licensing agent for Poppy Cat (Poppy Katz) in Germany, Austria and German speaking Switzerland.

With this, the agency joins El Ocho and Landmark, the licensing agents representing the brand in Spain and Japan respectively.

Inspired by the book series by Lara Jones, Poppy Cat launched on UK TV in 2001 and has been licensed to around 140 territories globally.

“We have observed Poppy Katz over the last six months on KiKA and realised how much kids and parents love Lara, Poppy, Uhu, Zuzu, Alma and Mo. The artwork and the story are unique and simply wonderful for young children,” said Peter Bichler of Lizenzwerft.

“We are very proud to have this great brand on board and are looking forward to work closely with Coolabi to make Poppy Katz the best pre-school licensing brand in our markets,” he added.

The first series of Poppy Cat first launched on KiKA in Germany in May 2015. The second series is slated for release in April 2017.

 

Yes DBS to launch TeenNick channel in Israel

 

 

Becoming the country’s first channel to target kids between ages nine to 14, yes Direct Broadcast Satellite (yes DBS), the Viacom-owned brand has launched TeenNick in Israel.

The particular channel will air 24/7 with a focus on live-action dramas and sitcoms and feature shows like iCarly, Victorious, Make It Pop and Bella and the Bulldogs.

 The new TeenNick channel along with other Viacom brands in Israel like Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. will be represented by Ananey Communications Group which operates more than 11 channels and reaches 76% of Israeli households.

TeenNick is also set to air an original TV reunion special featuring the cast of the original live-action daily-drama series The Greenhouse which aired for four seasons on Nickelodeon Israel exclusively for yes DBS.

The series was produced by Ananey-owned Nutz Productionswhose new tween-skewing sitcom Bed & Biscuit recently launched on Nickelodeon Israel exclusively for yes DBS.

The Greenhouse Academy, an international remake of the daily-drama series, was acquired by Netflix and will air later this year. The acquisition marked the first time an original Israeli series sold to the global SVOD giant.

Wonder Workshop names Scott Traylor as VP, Software

 

Robotics company Wonder Workshop has taken the services of former 360KID founder and CEO Scott Traylor as named him as VP of software.

Traylor will oversee the software and design arm of the business, and will serve as a member of Wonder Workshop’s executive team. He will report to CEO and co-founder Vikas Gupta.

Formerly called Play-i, the Silicon based Wonder Workshop makes ready-to-play robots that teach coding skills to kids from age six upwards.

For example, the company’s Dash and Dot bots helps teach programming via connected tablet apps.

At Boston-based digital development studio 360KID, Traylor used to oversee the creation of consumer and classroom products for companies including Hasbro, Pokémon, Sesame Workshop, Scholastic, Pearson, LeapFrog and Reading Rainbow among others.

 

5th edition of CBME from 11 to 13 April in Mumbai

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India’s leading  exhibition organiser UBM  is gearing up to host the 5th edition of the Children, Baby and Maternity Expo India 2017 (CBME India) from 11-13 April at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.

The event will witness the congregation of more than 150 major global and Indian exhibitors, elevating it to a not-to-be-missed event for the industry.

The exhibition, spread over 3 days will facilitate interactive forums like knowledge-sharing seminars, workshops and panel discussions on pertinent topics.

Key world-renowned brands like Chicco, MeeMee, BabyCenterIndia, Adore Baby, Kaboos, Sebamed, Tiny Bee, Rikang, GAIA Skin Naturals and many more will make their presence felt through a rich array of quality, technologically-advanced and aesthetically pleasing international products.

This year, the trade fair will see enthusiastic participation from countries such as Australia, China, Vietnam, Thailand, US, UK, Canada and Italy.

Speaking on the launch of CBME 2017, Yogesh Mudras, managing director, UBM India said, “The domestic baby, maternity and childcare products market is set for exponential growth.  An indication of just how big the market is, can be gauged from the fact that a recent ASSOCHAM report stated that out of all e-commerce categories,  the baby care products segment grew by 53%, next only to apparels and electronics. Some of the pivotal reasons adding to this demand are an increase in disposable income of parents, a change in their consumer habits, and a renewed focus on child safety and well-being.”

“Significantly, with more mothers returning to their careers, yet committed to providing the best possible care for their children in their absence, the market for items such as feeding pumps, organic clothing and intelligent and innovative toys that wean children away from the ‘smart’ world are proliferating. The CBME thus plays a key role in this market by creating an awareness, and demand for novel products that truly make parenting easy and a joy. It also gathers the entire buyer and seller community to increase the penetration, reach and variety of child, maternity and baby care products in the country,” he added.

The largest children and maternity product business expo in India, the CBME India will offer unrivalled business opportunity for local and global manufacturers and sellers of baby products to connect, network and conduct business with a choice of dealers, distributors, influencers and merchandise heads from modern retail business houses, online retailers, service providers, business investors, and franchisee seekers.

The event will have discussions of new trends, showcase and launch an exhaustive spectrum of baby care products, toys, baby food, organic clothing, nutraceuticals, ergonomic furniture, stationery, infant safety technology, brain development tools and more.

The event is well-supported by key associations such as the Toy Association of India (TAI), an apex body of the toy fraternity in India representing over 500 industry members, the All India Association of Industries (AIAI), the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and the Indian Importers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IICCI).

Over the duration of the days of the event, CBME 2017 will comprise a number of salient features.  In its quest to deliver unique and innovative value propositions to exhibitors and visitors alike, this year, CBME India will witness an exclusive pavilion on licensing. The lucrative licensing and merchandising industry has been growing because of the easy accessibility of international entertainment to Indian consumers and a corresponding increase in the fan base among them, seen for instance, in case of global music bands or cartoon characters.

A first of its kind, CBME’s India Brand Licensing Pavilion will foster the growth and expansion of licensing around the world, raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners, and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the Indian business community. The pavilion will showcase various licensing opportunities and have licensing experts to answer queries related to global brand licensing.

The expo will also include a start-up pavilion that will encourage innovative ideas in the sector; the Cool Kids Fashion India event that highlights premium kids fashion accessories and clothing (age 0-14 years) from both well-known & emerging designers, brands and manufacturers; the Innovation Product Corner that will showcase creations that highlight design excellence, product safety and innovations,  and many more.

Alibaba set to enter games distribution biz

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Alibaba Games and Alibaba Mobile Business Group have come out with plans to enter the game distribution industry.

To kick off its initiatives, the company has partnered with Mali.ru Group, TFJoy, Efun and ONEMT to establish the Global Strategic Alliance of Game Distribution.

The partnership which will aim to bridge the mobile games distribution between China and Russia, Europe, Japan, the Middle East and the U.S. and provide upgraded gaming experiences to local users.

“The development in mobile games market in the five biggest international markets–Europe and the U.S., Japan and South Korea, the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia–is uneven,” says Simon Shi, president, Alibaba Games, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group.

“European, American, Japanese and South Korean markets are already considered mature markets, while the Middle East in the past two years is seeing rapid development, and Latin America and Southeast Asia as the emerging markets show very high potential in the mobile games consumption. We are doing very well in emerging markets like India and Indonesia already,” he added.

Additionally, Alibaba Games will also upgrade the traffic distribution by integrating the traffic in both the iOS and Android platforms. The company will also use big data technology for accurate distribution as well as precise recommendation systems to each user.

“To maximize the value of Game Intellectual Property, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group will integrate the resources from UCWeb, Youku, Alibaba Pictures and Alibaba Literature to build a circulation chain for the IP derivatives,” says Xiaopeng HE, president, Alibaba Mobile Business Group. “UCWeb with its massive traffic entry globally will play a significant role in the distribution of Alibaba Games.”

 

 

20th Century Fox teams up with Pepsi for Empire

 

20th Century Fox has joined forces with Pepsi to develop a series of digital content and real-life experiences to celebrate the third season of Empire.

By way of the collaboration, Pepsi will introduce three digital and social extensions which will serve as complementary builds to an on-screen narrative.

These extensions will include: a nine-episode social series, which will debut on the series’ Facebook and Instagram and will continue the story of longtime characters A&R executive Becky Williams and Porsha; the launch of six limited edition Empire mini-cans featuring custom artwork inspired by the show’s themes; and a first-ever Empire musical tribute titled When Cookie Met Lucious, feat. Jamal that will launch in May.

“Our continued partnership with the biggest show on television signifies both Pepsi and ‘Empire’ coming together for another round of creative storytelling,” said Stacy Taffet, senior marketing director, Pepsi.

“It’s giving fans access to the best of both worlds by combining fresh talent and music from our Sound Drop platform and fan-first experiences to really bring the story to life off the screen,” she added.

The multi-platform partnership will also include a cameo appearance by singer-songwriter Tinashe, who was recently announced as Pepsi’s newest Sound Drop artist.

“Fox is thrilled to partner with Pepsi once again in follow-up to last season’s groundbreaking Empire collaboration that took branded partnerships to a whole new level,” averred Bruce Lefkowitz, executive vice president, ad Sales, Fox Networks Group.

 

Freddie Fox to do voice over for Dennis in new series titled Dennis and Gnasher: Unleashed.

 

Freddie Fox will lend his voice to Beano’s mischievous character Dennis, in the brand new CBBC series titled Dennis and Gnasher: Unleashed.

“As a life-long fan of Dennis, I am honoured to voice him for a new generation,” said Fox.

“I am so excited to be carrying on the red and black striped legacy of a character adored for his mischievousness, energy, live in the moment attitude and full-on imagination. To borrow Dennis’ catchphrase, ‘this is going to be blam,’” he added.

The 52-part TV show that will follow the duo and their friends as they embark on a range of adventures is slated to hit screens late this year.

The gang will battle with boring conventions of the adult world, while fans will also be introduced to familiar faces and brand new friends.