Month: June 2019

Kit^n^Kate’s licensing project in Italy is managed by Maurizio Distefano Licensing, who had high expectations even before the airing of the series. Now on Rai Yoyo with six episodes a day, 3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, the cartoon dedicated to preschoolers has made a great debut. It enjoyed excellent results worldwide, recording millions of views on its official YouTube channel. Kit^n^Kate captivate children for their adventurous stories, fun and, at the same time, for the important educational message that underlies each episode.

The main characters of the animated series are two kittens, Kit and Kate, who play in a magic box that transports them to new worlds where they live fantastic adventures. The series was created by the authors of Sesame Street, of the very famous video game Cut The Rope and by the creators of Shrek2 and Madagascar, who were able to create a series animated by excellent quality and with a simple and captivating narrative system.

Kit^n^Kate is also aired in Eastern Europe, Russia, Finland, Benelux, Australia, South Korea, Portugal, Middle East, Africa and the airing in new countries is currently under negotiation. In addition, two new seasons are in pre-production with 102 episodes that will be available soon.

Maurizio Distefano, President of the agency of the same name, commented: “Among the main strengths that have determined the success of the agency and which are also recognized by foreign Licensors are: the ability to look far and anticipate market trends by offering to our customers the brands and news before they become known to the general public and the very high level of professionalism and 360 degree service that we offer for the duration of our collaboration. ”

Pavel Muntyan, CEO of Toonbox Animation Studio, commented: “We are sure that the success that Maurizio and his team have had with other brands in Italy will also be repeated with Kit^n^Kate. Furthermore, we are extremely happy that MDL believed in this project from the beginning, with the aim of helping Kit^n^Kate to fully develop its potential also in Italy “

MDL hails modern classic status of wildly popular pre-school property in Italian market

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), which manages licensing for the Masha and The Bear brand in Italy and Switzerland, has welcomed the arrival of series three of Animaccord’s hit pre-school property on one of the country’s leading kids’ television channels.

 

Season three of Masha and The Bear premiers on Rai YoYo, the free-to-air kids’ TV channel owned by the Italian public broadcasting group RAI, on 7 June. A special edition of the popular Rai Ragazzi show, La Posta di YoYo, which previews the new series of Masha and The Bear, will appeal on Rai YoYo on the same day.

 

The launch of season three of Masha and The Bear on Rai YoYo reinforces the status of both the show and the licensed property as a modern children’s classic. Awareness of Masha and The Bear, both as a licensed brand and a TV series, is exceptionally high among children and families in Italy, where Masha and her friend have been wildly popular since the launch of the first series. Repeat showings and new episodes of Masha and The Bear are greeted with enormous enthusiasm by big audiences on both Dea Junior and Rai YoYo.

So popular is the brand that two spin-off series – Masha’s Tales and Masha’s Spooky Stories – have been created. Episodes of all three shows are also available on mobiles, PCs and tablets, and streaming on Infinity, a dedicated YouTube channel and the official Masha and The Bear Facebook page.

 

The success of the property has also been reflected in a a dedicated site at a major theme park, numerous promotional partnerships and, of course, a thriving licensing campaign. Masha and The Bear remains one of the most sought-after licenses in the children’s market; at present there are about 30 Masha and The Bear licenses in the Italian market alone. MDL has represented the property in Italy and Switzerland since its arrival in both markets.

 

The show is also building strongly in a number of other territories. In the UK, season three of Masha and The Bear arrived earlier this month on Cartoonito, while in Latin America the new episodes began airing on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in April. The new series is also due to arrive on KIKA in Germany in a primetime slot from June.

 

Maurizio Distefano, President, MDL, said: “Masha and The Bear’s continuing success in Italy after a number of years makes it one of the most successful pre-school properties of recent years in that market. MDL is delighted to be representing this classic property and looking forward to many more years of licensing and promotional success for Masha and The Bear.”