Banijay Kids & Family has developed an eye-catching portfolio of premium, high-end children’s titles and has secured a number of package deals in Latin America, strategically announced for this year’s Annecy MIFA market.
In a banner deal, Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America has acquired the undercover teenage girl series Totally Spies! Season 8 and the Italian 2D adventure comedy “Topo Gigio.”
V-me Media, the family-friendly U.S. Spanish-language network, has ended its wide range of programming for Vme Kids. These include the preschool eco-adventure “MiniHeroes of the Forest,” the musical short series “Sweet Tweets,” the preschool comedy “Mumfie,” season 1 of the interstellar game comedy “The Game Catchers,” and the nature-filled mystery series “Stan & Gran” for ages 4-7.
Canal Once, Mexico’s public broadcaster, has decided on a medley of programs for its children’s channel “Once Niñas y Niños.” Fantasy series “Chimera Keepers”. Scientific experiment adventure “Hey You! What if…?” A reality show about teenage veterinarian trainees “Junior Vets.” Seasons 3 and 4 of the worldwide hit “Moominvalley”. Science fiction teen series “Silverpoint” seasons 1-2. And in Street Football Season 4, tween players compete in the Street Football World Cup.
In a further deal, Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) has secured what Banijay Kids & Family describes as an extensive content package for its U.S. Latino and Latino preschool platform Edye. Titles include “MiniHeroes of the Forest,” “Sweet Tweets,” CBeebies preschool adventure story “Tee and Mo,” and “The Game Catchers” Season 1.
Details on “Totally Spies,” “MiniHeroes of the Forest,” and “The Game Catchers”
While the scope is broad, and Canal Once’s deal earns more catalog fees, three titles appear to be particularly important. Totally Spies Season 8 is the second installment in the series following the Season 7 reboot of the original series, a global hit that ran for six seasons from 2001 to 2012. Season 7 was a big hit in France, with a 37% share in the 4-14 demographic. Season 8 is produced by Zodiak Kids & Family France in association with French children’s TV network Gulli and Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA.
“Mini Heroes of the Forest”
Presented by Banijay Kids & Family
Four young animal friends acquire mini-super powers in MiniHeroes of the Forest, a 3D comedy-adventure series set in the forests of Italy and France from Movimenti Production and MoBo. The animation design has a combination that is used in many BK&F animations. Characters have pops of color, richly textured backgrounds have natural tones. “Mini Heroes of the Forest” ranked #1 among children aged 4-5 and #2 among children aged 6-7 at Rai Yoyo (Italy). Ranked in the top 15 preschool programs in France 5 and Okoo (France).
Acquired for distribution by Banijay Kids & Family in 2023, Season 1 of “The Game Catchers” follows young children as they travel through space to discover and collect new playground games.
Banijay Kids & Family Strategic Assets
The new Latin American sales announcement for Banijay Kids & Family comes as animation remains a key factor in audience retention, second only to comedy (27.0% vs. 25.4%) on Netflix and the most important on Max (20.5%), according to Plum Research.
Banijay, of course, helps with sales and owns major brands in children’s entertainment, including Totally Spies! and “Mr. Bean: The Animated Series.” Many of its shows play respected IPs. ‘Topo Gigio’ is inspired by the character who was the star of Italian pubcaster RAI in the late 1950s.
Banijay Kids & Family also leverages its expertise in building brands beyond linear environments. Once a title is established as a brand, it has the potential to grow into what Plum Research calls “neo-evergreen,” or “One Piece” for anime or “Peppa Pig” for anime, which Plum Research estimates will help drive much of the long-tail viewership of global streaming services, which account for 90% of viewership.
“These latest deals confirm the continued demand for Banijay Kids & Family’s premium catalog, along with our commitment to long-term partners across Latin America,” said Cecil Cau, SVP of Sales, Co-Productions and Acquisitions at Banijay Kids & Family.
It added: “Working closely with our commercial and public service clients in the region allows us to offer a rich mix of entertainment and edutainment that meets the needs of our viewers, strengthening our position as the go-to supplier of children’s and family programming.”
Led by Benoit Di Sabatino, Banijay Kids & Family is part of media and entertainment giant Banijay Entertainment.
The Mifa Market in Annecy will be held from June 23rd to 26th.
“Stan & Gran”
Presented by Banijay Kids & Family
