Peppa Pig grows as eOne preps more eps

Entertainment One Family is to once again expand its cash cow children’s property Peppa Pig.

The company is lining up 117 new episodes of the Astley Baker Davies-created preschool series, taking the overall number to 381 by 2023.

New episodes from season seven will roll out to the end of 2018, before the 117 in production begin launching globally to mark the franchise’s 15^th anniversary.

New licensing agreements have also been struck around the world.

A trading update from March this year showed the brand brought in more than US$200 million in retail revenues in 2016. Worldwide, it brought in revenues of US$1.1 billion last year.

In 2015, eOne paid £140 million to take control of producer Astley Baker Davies.

The British series debuted on Channel 5 in the UK and Nick Jr. in the US.

“Peppa Pig’s global appeal continues apace as we bring new content to audiences across the world,” said eOne CEO Darren Throop.

“With a new series in the pipeline, best-in-class partners and strong marketing and experiential initiatives in each territory, we continue to nurture the long term success of this global preschool phenomenon.”