Kids round-up: MediaCorp Singapore seeks more ‘Counting With Paula’; ‘Fox & Hare’ goes global; BBC gets an ‘Itch’ and more…

Counting With Paula

‘Counting With Paula’ renewed in Singapore; travels to Spain

MediaCorp Singapore has commissioned 60 new episodes of the pre-school animated series Counting With Paula from global animation company Omens Studios.

The 60 x 11-minute season 5 is currently in production and set to be delivered in December 2020. Season 4 recently aired in Singapore on MediaCorp-owned Channel 5 and MeWatch.

Aimed at 3-6-year-olds, the follows youngster Paula and her friends who learn numeracy and literary skills through their adventures.

In a separate deal, Omens Studios has sold seasons 1-3 of Counting With Paula to TV3 Catalonia in Spain. The show is now available in over 23 territories airing on a variety of broadcast and OTT platforms. Seasons 4 and 5 are also now available for global sales.

Chi Sim Tang, CEO of Omens Studios says: “With much of the world still on lockdown, parents and care-givers are looking for different and engaging ways to educate their children at home. Counting With Paula is fun, creative and educational and is loved by pre-schoolers around the globe.”

Fox & Hare

‘Fox & Hare’ travels around world in new deals

Broadcasters in Israel, Slovakia, the UK, the Czech Republic and Canada have picked up animated series Fox & Hare, following a wave of international deals with distributor APC Kids.

The series has been bought by the Children’s Channel in Israel, Ceska Televize in the Czech Republic, TV5’s Unis TV in Canada, RTVS in Slovakia and BBC Alba in the UK.

Commissioned by Ketnet in Belgium and KRO- NCRV in the Netherlands, the series has previously sold to DR in Denmark, RTHK in Hong Kong, Piwi+ in France, RTBF Belgium, YLE Finland, RUV Iceland, ERR Estonia and TVP Poland.

The 26 x 11-minute series is adapted from the book of the same name by Sylvia Vanden Heede and Thé Tjong Khing and follows the adventures of a pair of mismatched forest friends. It is produced by Submarine in the Netherlands, Walking the Dog in Belgium and Doghouse Films in Luxembourg.

Lionel Marty, MD of APC Kids, the children’s entertainment arm of co-pro and distribution company APC Studios, said: “Fox & Hare combines beautiful animation, quirky and lovable characters and light-hearted adventures making the series perfectly tailored to young audiences across the globe.”

Itch

BBC gets an ‘Itch’

UK pubcaster BBC has picked up Komixx Entertainment’s children’s action-adventure series Itch, following a deal with ABC Commercial, for broadcast on its children’s channel CBBC.

The 10 x 30-minute series is based on the books by British TV and radio presenter Simon Mayo and follows the story of a science-obsessed teenager who lands in trouble when he discovers a previously unknown element.

The series produced by Komixx in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Screen Australia, Screenwest and Western Australia Regional Film Fund.

ABC’s head of content sales & distribution, Jessica Ellis, said: “ABC Commercial has been working hard on expanding our portfolio of children’s and young adult content, this sale is recognition that the hard work has paid off and that our high-quality content resonates with audience around the world”

True And The Rainbow Kingdom

Canada’s Guru Studio inks global deals

Broadcasters around the world have signed deals to air two of Canada’s Guru Studio pre-school series’ – True And The Rainbow Kingdom and Justin Time.

Tiny Pop in the UK, Discovery Family in the US, TV Azteca in Mexico, Canal Panda in Portugal and Spain and NET in Indonesia, have all picked up True And The Rainbow Kingdom, while DR in Denmark, Discovery Frisbee in Italy and RTS in Switzerland have all ordered the next two seasons after already airing seasons one and two. CBC in Canada, meanwhile, which aired the first three seasons, has also acquired the fourth season to air later this year.

Broadcast deals for Justin Time include Tencent and Youku in China and TVB in Hong Kong, while the US’ Armed Forces Radio and Television Service has also picked up all three seasons.

“Guru is known for great storytelling and for creating shows that deeply resonate with kids and families, and True And The Rainbow Kingdom is no exception.” said Jonathan Abraham, VP of Sales and Business Development at Guru Studio. “The show is performing extremely well around the world, both on commercial and public broadcast, and it’s exciting to see such strong enthusiasm from broadcasters.”

Nickelodeon to show LatAm hit ‘Dani Who?’ in US

US children’s pay TV network Nickelodeon has acquired the rights to Mexican prodco Argos Comunicación’s children’s sci-fi thriller Dani Who? for TV and podcast adaptation, from its own parent company stablemate ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS).

The series, which has been a hit in Latin America, is the story of a group of teenagers who form an inseparable bond after the disappearance of a girl in their town – and the discovery that they all have more in common than they first thought.