Month: November 2021

Bing, already a star of both small and big screens and of the stage, arrived onto the radio too with his debut on Italy’s Rai Radio on 18 November. The hero of Acamar Films’ hit pre-school show, which is one of the most popular programmes among Italian children, was a special guest of Armando Traverso on his children’s show Big Bang on Rai Radio Kids.

Armando, along with his regular contributors, puppets Lallo and Lella, chatted with Bing about his day and talked about their favourite games. The episode aired at 1pm, 4pm and 6pm on 18 November on Rai Radio Kids, and will be available on Rai Play.

Isabella Carbone, Programme Director, Rai Radio, said: “As a lovable, authentic pre-schooler, Bing is the perfect guest for Rai Radio Kids. We are all big fans of his so we are hugely excited that he made his first-ever radio appearance on Big Bang. It’s a great coup for our young listeners and we know they were thrilled to hear their favourite TV star on their favourite radio show!”

Since its launch on Rai Yoyo in 2018, Bing has become a top show. It consistently ranks in the top 10 on linear and was the most-viewed title on RaiPlay for kids 4-7 in the first six months of 2021. New episodes from Series 4 premiered on Rai Yoyo in February 2021 and are currently airing and available to watch on RaiPlay.

As well as its massive popularity on TV, Bing also has a hugely successful dedicated Italian YouTube channel and freemium interactive app plus a robust, extensive and expanding Italian licensing portfolio managed locally by the Maurizio Distefano Licensing agency.

Leo & Tig animated series, created by Parovoz Studio and commissioned by Digital Television Russia Group, has launched its own YouTube channel, with episodes of the popular show being released in Italian.

In the summer of 2019, on the children’s TV channel Rai YoYo, millions of Italian children became acquainted with the adventures of the inseparable friends as they explore their amazing neighborhood of the Far East. The animated series won over not only little viewers, but also their parents. Two years after its premiere, Leo & Tig remains one of the most popular Russian cartoons in Italy.

At the end of last year, Leo & Tig became available on the Dea Junior channel in Italy and Italian-speaking countries – Switzerland, Malta, Monte Carlo, San Marino and the Vatican. In addition, this year “Leo & Tig” has appeared on several major digital platforms – TIMvision and CHILI. The launch of its own YouTube channel, with episodes from the series in Italian, became another step towards the young fans of Leo, Tig and their friends in Italy and Italian-speaking countries. The channel is being developed with the support of the company Animaccord.

On November 4, Italian viewers had a real surprise – the premiere of a video featuring the world-famous Masha, from the animated series “Masha and the Bear”, took place on the ”Leo e Tig Italia” YouTube channel. Masha introduced her new friends – the little leopard Leo and tiger cub Tig.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvADX8-Arj4)

Masha and the Bear is available on a range of traditional and new media platforms in Italy, including the channels and platforms of the Rai television company, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary of broadcasting the animated series, as well as DEA Junior, TIMvision, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. According to the independent global analytical agency Parrot Analytics, the animated series “Masha and the Bear” tops the list of the most in-demand children’s shows in Italy (October 2021). It is recognized as an evergreen brand, having demonstrated widespread popularity and demand amongst family audiences for the past several years.

The popularity and love for Russian animation among Italian viewers grows every year. This market is key to the development of brands both on television and streaming platforms, and in the field of licensing – Masha and the Bear and Leo&Tig are both represented by Maurizio Distefano Licensing in Italy.

“Hola flamingo,” the new song by Charlotte M., the young web star who boasts sky-high numbers on the social media beloved by Generation Z, was released on October 24 and in just 3 days has reached 250,000 views on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-XT-OdxIuc).

The song is also available to stream on Spotify, where the performer’s previous tracks, “I love you” and “Buum Buum,” are also featured.

Her passion for music will lead her to release more songs in 2022 as well, including in other languages, such as English and Spanish.

The title of this new song is inspired by her fan base: in fact, at the beginning of each of her videos, Charlotte greets her fans by calling them “flamingo”, on the wave of the symbol that now distinguishes her, the flamingo.

To date, her YouTube channel boasts 960,000 subscribers, while on TikTok followers are 980,000 and 133,000 on Instagram.

In addition to music, Charlotte M. also loves to write: she has already published two books with Fabbri Editori, “Un’estate al college infestato” in 2020 and “Un amore oltreoceano”, released this year. A third book, also published by Fabbri Editori, is already scheduled for February 2022.

The plans for 2022 do not end, with Charlotte dubbing two animated films, filming the movie adaptation of her first book and a serialized TV series for her fans.

Maurizio Distefano Licensing is the World Wide licensing agent for Charlotte M. and has closed several contracts with important Italian companies to bring Charlotte M. products to the market.

Moonbug Entertaiment’s CoComelon, the #1 children’s show on YouTube, has secured several licensing deals with Italian companies thanks to Maurizio Distefano Licensing, Moonbug’s agent in the territory, and Moonbug’s EMEA Master Agent The Point.1888.

This fall, on the shelves, little fans of the series will be able to find: educational games from Headu, puzzles from Lisciani, stamp sets from Multiprint, coloring and activity books from PlayPress and many lines of fall accessories from Coriex, such as umbrellas, hats, scarves and backpacks, the book series from Mondadori, and soap bubbles from Dulcop.

The Master Toy line is distributed in Italy by Bandai and consists of fun toys for the preschool target audience: CoComelon Musical Baby, the Musical Bus, the 3D figurines, the Baby Bath Playset, the Musical Doctor Set, the Musical Tractor, the Musical Plush Book and vehicles.

“We believed from the beginning with great enthusiasm in the potential of Cocomelon, an innovative brand with disruptive features in the panorama of pre-school toys. The expectations are high and the first feedback from the market is absolutely positive. Cocomelons’ Toy Collection is getting ready to be the protagonist of the Christmas season, supported by a robust integrated communication plan. The projects for 2022 are numerous and ambitious, we are just the beginning.” Gianluca Ferrara – Business Manager Bandai Italy

There are numerous marketing activities already planned for the Christmas season 2021 which will involve the major Italian retailers, with the support of dedicated social media. In 2022, with the wider offer of licensed products in the different product categories, transversal digital and physical activities will be carried out to push the sellout of Cocomelon products.

CoComelon boasts today 120 million subscribers on its YouTube channel in English, which is continuously and rapidly growing and reaches from Italy more than 295 million views in 2021 so far. Since June, the channel is also available in Italian. In Italy, the episodes of the series are also available on Netflix, Vodafone TV and Mediaset Infinity.

The key elements of its unstoppable success among subscribers are its educational content, its simplicity and the accessibility of its stories. This animated series, in fact, teaches children how to approach daily activities with enthusiasm. The little viewers are accompanied in every moment of the day in the family: from mealtime to gametime, up to bedtime. The song and music featured in each episode entice children ages one to four to enjoy singing and dancing with JJ and his siblings as they learn letters, numbers, animal noises, colors and more.

Lucca Comics & Games has returned to offer emotions in the heart of the city, offering the public the chance to find the most beloved publishers and exhibitors in historical areas and in places to be discovered.

The event was attended for the first time by Rai Ragazzi, which prepared a very rich program for the three days, featuring previews, Meet & Greet and the participation of the audience’s most beloved characters.

Among them the most popular animated series on Rai Yoyo: Bing with Flop and Masha and Bear, whose participation was organized with the support of Maurizio Distefano Licensing agency, Acamar Films and Animaccord.

On Monday 1 November in the amazing setting of Villa Bottini the characters were the protagonists of the event hosted by Carolina Benvenga, presenter of “La posta di Yoyo”.

Bing and Flop greeted all children with a Meet & Greet and then gave away cardboard ears for the entire audience to wear.

Masha and Bear were also available to all the children for photo opportunities and baby dance and were received with great enthusiasm.

Some of the events that characterized Lucca Comics & Games are available to watch on RaiPlay and all the events were followed live on all active social networks, with a special red carpet in front of the Church of San Francesco.