Tag: Movie & Television

We are on Dragon Island – a cosmos of its own – home to many different types of dragons: Fire Dragons, Sea Dragons, Cave Dragons, Grass Dragons and many more. All types of dragons, very large and very small.

Coconut – a young dragon who has problem with flying – and his friends Oscar and Matilda – a vegetarian dragon and a porcupine – are best friends and share a big problem: the grown-ups do not understand them.

After the huge success of the 1^stfeature film Coconut and his friends come up with new adventures in their TV series full of suspense, spectacular action – and loads of fun.

“After having sold the TV Series to Rai Ragazzi and done the dubbing – says Maria Romanelli, CEO of Team Entertainment – we are delighted of its airing on Rai Yoyo. We will start developing the Licensing activities in the various product categories, building on the great success of the original book series of Ingo Siegner, published by EdizioniEL of Gruppo Einaudi with more than 300.000 copies sold, to date. The books are a Best Seller and this is the greatest Fan-Base upon which build a medium long term franchise”.

Gabriele M. Walther, CEO of Caligari Film and Executive Producer says:“Team Entertainment is the ideal partner for the Italian market as of their incredible expertise in brand management. I absolutely love the Italian opening song – it’s my summer hit!”

Adventure and excitement, fun and comedy, music and magic on show at P-1.N1 / P-1.M2

Mondo TV, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content, will be offeringan entertaining, exciting and diverse portfolio of properties at stand P-1.N1 / P-1.M2 during MIPTV 2019, held from 8-11 April 2019 in Cannes. Visitors can hear about the popular Mondo TV shows of today and the hits of tomorrow, including MeteoHeroes, YooHoo to the Rescue, Robot Trains, Invention Story, Heidi Bienvenida, Bat Pat and Sissithe Young Empress.

Mondo TV will preview a major new series at MIPTV: MeteoHeroes, an animated eco-adventure about special kids who can control the weather. A Mondo TV co-production with MOPI (Meteo Operations Italia – better known to the public as the Epson Expert), MeteoHeroes will consist of 52 episodes of seven minutes each. It is scheduled to launch in spring 2020.

The show addresses issues like climate change, ecology and respect for nature through the amazing adventures of six children who transform into superheroes with power over the weather.Building on strong interest in both the show and its themes, Mondo’s main objective for MeteoHeroes at MIPTV will be onboarding a global partner that can guarantee worldwide exposure.

YooHoo to the Rescueis the first-ever Netflix Original Series from co-producers Mondo TV and Aurora World. Thisis a new 3D CGI 52 x 11’ children’s series based on the globally successful line of Aurora World plush toys, more than 80 million of which have been sold since the worldwide launch of the line in 2007. This is a funny, exciting and beautifully designed animated series with strong environmental themes, in which YooHoo and his friends, Pammee, Roodee, Chewoo and Lemmee, confront threats to nature and wildlife and meet many different endangered animal species. YooHoo to the Rescue will be available worldwide in March 2019 exclusively on the Netflix platform. From April and May this year it will also be shown on free-to-air channels in Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain and Portugal. The first free-to-air launch will be in Italy where Discovery will launch the show on 1 April on free-to-air channel Frisbee with a strong broadcast commitment through a double slot, back-to-back, from Monday to Friday. 

A second season of Robot Trains, the exciting animated series for children aged between three and five years, is on the way. Co-produced by Mondo and South Korean content and media giant CJ E&M, season two (52×11) introduces Rail Watch, the trusted robot train guardians of Rail World, who transform from trains to robots to protect their home and its vital energy supplies. Demand for season one (32 x 11) remains strong, with broadcasters showing or about to show Robot Trains including Karusel (Russia), Piwi+  and Gullidoo (France), Cartoonito (UK), DeA Junior and Cartoonito (Italy), Canal Panda (Portugal), PCCW (Hong Kong), Dkids (Middle East), and Clan TVE (Spain). More territory announcements are expected throughout 2019.

Invention Story (104 x 11’) is the tale of Kit, an intelligent, thoughtful and creative fox who, in each episode, comes up with an amazing new invention that impresses most of the residents of his adopted home Carrot Town – but inspires jealousy in a few. There are plots, conflicts and rivalries, as well as funny and engaging characters — but Invention Story also encourages its young audience to have a creative approach to problems. Such is the enormous potential of Invention Story, as a broadcast property and in licensing terms, that co-producers Henan York Animation and Mondo TV have already committed to five series for a total of 520 11-minute episodes.

Heidi, Bienvenida a Casa(60 x 45’), the first series of Heidi Bienvenida, produced by Mondo TV Iberoamerica along with Alianzas Producciones, has enjoyed great success in Latin America on Nickelodeon and is now showing strong potential in the European market – for both licensees and broadcasters. Mondo’s first-ever live-action show – theadventuresofahappy,carefreegirlwholeaves herbelovedmountainhometoliveinthebigcity –has also inspired a feature film that is now in production. But that’s not all: a second season of Heidi Bienvenida is imminent. In Heidi Bienvenida al Show, Heidi moves back to the big city, makes new friends and discovers new abilities – including a talent for creating perfumes! There’s magic, music, excitement, comedy, romance, more of Heidi’s extraordinary hats and some very special guest stars in a new series that will further boost Heidi’s popularity among tweens and teens in many territories.

The second season of the 2D animated series Bat Pat (52 x 11), a co-production with Italian trans-media entertainment company, Atlantyca Entertainment, continues the spooky and comical animated adventures of Bat Pat – a talking bat – and his friends Martin, Leo and Rebecca Silver as they unravel mysteries and cross paths with supernatural creatures of the night in their home of Fogville. A visit to 13 Friday Street, the Silver kids and their friend Bat Pat is a recipe for spooky adventure-comedy in which fast-paced, quirky humour comes together with some very unusual adventures. This recipe has proved so popular in the first series of Bat Pat that it is now returning to chill, thrill and entertain for a second season – coming soon!

Already a big favourite with its a core audience of young girls, Sissi the Young Empressis now an established ratings hit in over 40 countries, with two series (a total of 52 x 26’) already available and a new, 3D season (52 x 11’) to be launched in 2019 with a new format and new contents.

Sissi is based on a real historical figure – a charming young empress who over the years captured the public imagination well beyond her Austrian homeland. This animated tale of the free-spirited princess who resists etiquette and the duties of the court to follow her heart offers its audience lots of adventure, romance, mystery, intrigue and even magic when Sissi discovers a magic bracelet, which leads to exciting and unusual adventures as she seeks to help her many animal friends.

Matteo Corradi, Mondo TV CEO, says: “We are, as ever, expecting a busy MIPTV. This year’s line-up of properties again underlines our commitment to programming that is innovative and diverse but also very entertaining. How do we do it? Ask us at P-1.N1 / P-1.M2. We’re looking forward to meeting you!”

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The licensing program in Poland will cover the following categories: BTS & Stationery, puzzles & secondary toys, gifts & novelties, bakery and apparel

Planeta Junior, a leading European children’s and youth entertainment company, is pleased to announce its expansion in Poland with a powerful licensing program for Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets 2, covering multiple categories and kicking off consumer products of this property soon.

Families will enjoy The Secret Life of Pets 2 -inspired products like the colourful and amazing BTS & Stationary by St. Majewski, puzzles & secondary toys provided by Trefl, funny GSM accessories & novelties by ERT by ERT, special bakery items by Krakowskie Wypieki and trendy and fashionable customised apparel by SMYK.

Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets 2 will follow summer 2016’s blockbuster about the lives some pets lead after its owners leave for work or school each day. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy will produce the sequel to the comedy that had the best opening ever for an original film, animated or otherwise.

The Secret life of Pets 2 will see the return of writer Brian Lynch (Minions) and once again be directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax), and arrives in theaters in June 28th.

Disney Channel Russia has acquired “Arthur and the Minimoys” from Studio 100 Media | m4e and will launch the CGI-animated boys-action series in April.

The series (26 x 24’) is based on the fantasy novels for children and the successful “Arthur” movie trilogy created and directed by Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”). It was co-produced by Besson’s Storia TV with Studio 100 Animation, Lagardère Group and Disney Channel Germany.

“Arthur and the Minimoys” tells the story of a solitary, young dreamer who, thanks to his boundless imagination, big heart, immense courage and legendary friends, learns to become the biggest of all the Minimoys, a race of minuscule human-like beings. It premiered on the French Cab Sat channel Tiji on Christmas 2017 and is sold to 80 territories meanwhile. Other global broadcasters on board include Gulli (France), OUF tivi (Belgium), Disney Channel (Germany), RAI (Italy) or TVP ABC (Poland).

 

Live-action science fiction drama and animated eco-adventure previewed for press

Mondo TV, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content, has previewed two major new series at MIPCOM: the live-action adult science fiction series 2050 – a new co-production from sister company Mondo TV Iberoamerica, together with VIP 2000 TV and Casablanca, completely filmed in English in 8k – and the animated eco-adventure about special kids who can control the weather, MeteoHeroes.

MeteoHeroes

MeteoHeroes is the newest addition to MondoTV’s animation roster – and another highly innovative show for the children’s market. It’s a Mondo TV co-production with MOPI (Meteo Operations Italia – better known to the public as the Epson Weather Centre), of a TV series that will consist of 52 episodes of seven minutes each. It is scheduled to launch in spring 2020.

The show addresses issues like global warming, ecology and respect for nature through the amazing adventures of six children who transform into superheroes with power over nature and the weather. This is the first animated series aimed at an international audience that deals specifically with the topic of climate change, and Mondo sees very strong potential for this new series in both consumer products and school-and-learning-related items. 

Interest in MeteoHeroes has already been expressed by a number of broadcasters and potential licensees. Among key partners already signed up for this exciting project is publishing house Giunti with an exclusive agreement covering press and digital master publishing for Italy. Giunti products will accompany the TV launch of MeteoHeroes.

At both MIPJR and MIPCOM Mondo TV also highlighted its vast and diverse animated output for kids including Robot Trains, Invention Story, Yoohoo to the Rescue, Sissi the Young Empress, Adventures in Duckport, Cuby Zoo and the Treasure Island. The company’s first-ever live action show, the hit series Heidi Bienvenida, was also a strong focus of Mondo TV’s stand: P- 1N1 / P- 1M2.

Matteo Corradi, Mondo TV CEO, said: “Mondo TV is continuing to diversify its output while still focusing on our reputation for innovative ideas and great storytelling. Both 2050 and MeteoHeroes take us in exciting new directions with new production partners, but both are also fantastic entertainment that, we believe, will thrill audiences around the world.”

 

2050

2050 signals a new direction for Mondo TV Iberoamerica. A live-action show targeting viewers from young adult upwards, it tells a thrilling and highly original new story in which messages from the past bring hope to the people of a terrible future.

The series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where despair ruled until feelings could be moderated by a specially created microchip called the Limbus. But something went wrong. Now feelings are almost unknown and government control is nearly absolute. Books, music and films are illegal and have been burned or hidden. Then a group of young revolutionaries discovers the hidden literary classics that once shaped their world – and with them the potential for a truer life through the power of the words. Can Shakespeare, Homer, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Hans Christian Anderson and other suppressed giants help the rebels restore truth and emotion to a society where feelings could be fatal?

A co-production between US-based VIP 2000 TV, Mondo TV Iberoamerica and major South American production and post-production company Casablanca, this 13 x 60’ sci-fi drama is aimed at an audience aged 18 and above – a totally new audience for Mondo TV. It will involve complex, thrilling effects, high drama, romance and action, as well as an ingenious concept that turns the greatest works of world literature into potential saviours of the human race. Included among the soon-to-be-revealed cast in a leading role will be Clara Alvarado from the hit series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), the most watched non-English-language series on Netflix ever.

Roxana Rotundo CEO of VIP 2000 TV says:  “The concept of 2050 was created with an eye to all the fast changes that the entertainment media is experiencing. It is really a 360° product  – one that will work for TV, video games, licensing, the Internet – in fact, all media. Mondo TV and Casablanca, both respected companies in the international market, are the perfect partners to make this a success.”

The talented cast of the series is drawn from the United States, Canada, Europe and Latin America. The first series of 2050 is in production now and due to launch in 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

Content powerhouse Rainbow announces a major new deal with France Télévisions, which will see the channel screen brand new pre-school animation 44 Cats across France

44 Cats is Rainbow’s brand new property, developed in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna and Rai Ragazzi.

The show is a sumptuous 52 x 13’ CGI preschool comedy series that follows the daily adventures of Lampo, Milady, Pilou, and Meatball – four adorable musician kittens who are part of a music band named The Buffycats. The four protagonists live in the Clubhouse, a garage inside caring Granny Pina’s house, and love helping others with their ever creative solutions to everyday hitches.  Their adventures explore the themes of friendship and altruism, tolerance, diversity and acceptance. 

France Télévisions is one of Rainbow’s strongest broadcasting partners and will screen 44 Cats on France TV channels from September 2019.   

 “We are very happy to partner again with Rainbow on this joyful and positive preschool series”, says Claire Heinrich, Head of Youth Programs Acquisitions at France Télévisions. “We were attracted by the stunning quality of animation and the simple, feel-good stories associated with physical comedy that embrace care for others, kindness, and inclusiveness – all positive attitude that we like to encourage – in a funny and musical way! Those cats are simply irresistible!”

“We are delighted to announce this deal with France Télévisions – who have been a long-standing partner,” says Andrea Graciotti, Head of TV Sales at Rainbow Group. “We are very excited to be working on this new collaboration together, which will see 44 Cats become the biggest pre-school hit in years across France!”

MBC3 to show preschool animation across all Arabic-speaking countries from early 2019

Mondo TV, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content, has announced the first major broadcast license for its new 3D CGI pre-school children’s animated TV show, Cuby Zoo.

Cuby Zoo will appear on free-to-air children’s channel MBC3 in a two-year agreement that will see an Arabic-language version of the show launched in all Arabic-speaking countries.

Aimed at a core audience of two-to-five-year-olds, Cuby Zoo (52 x 11’) tells the story of cube-shaped animal toys that come to life when humans are away, playing and exploring their surroundings. But Sasha, Sweetie, Marvin, Elio and Leon are not just playful – and occasionally mischievous – creatures. They are also the secret custodians of our children’s happiness – and sometimes called upon to help and protect the people of our world.

This highly original, colourful and very entertaining show is co-produced by Mondo TV and South Korea’s Aurora World Corp. Cuby Zoo’s delightful themes and playful style are expected to appeal to broadcasters in a number of regions, and to give Cuby Zoo strong potential in a wide range of licensing categories.

Schedules and launch dates will be announced soon. However, the show is expected to launch on MBC 3 across the Arabic-speaking world in the first half of 2019.

MBC3 is a free-to-air children’s edutainment channel targeting children from 3 to 13 years of age, under the umbrella of MBC Group, the largest and leading private multimedia company in the Middle East & North Africa region.

Matteo Corradi, Mondo TV CEO, says: “We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Cuby Zoo in its first major market via MBC3 – a leading children’s edutainment channel in the Middle East. This clever, charming and colourful show is already attracting a lot of attention from the broadcasting and licensing worlds and we expect to be making many more announcements about it in the very near future.”

Ashraf Younis, MBC3 channel manager added: “We are happy and excited about the debut of Cuby Zoo soon on MBC3. We are confident that the high animation quality and storyline provided by Mondo TV whom we have dealt with in the past, will be an attractive addition to our young Arab audience, wherever they are.”

 

 

 

Squeeze partners with Beijing Time Flying Fish and Tencent to distribute Cracké in China

Squeeze is thrilled to announce its new collaboration with Beijing Time Flying Fish (BTFF), which will distribute the studio’s original series, Cracké (52 x 1 min), in China. This relationship is already proving fruitful as an agreement has been reached with Tencent, one of the largest video-sharing platforms in China. Chinese children and their families will be able to watch the zany adventures of Ed and his 8 eggs on Tencent Video’s VOD platform starting July 21st, 2018.

 “Entering the Chinese market is a huge accomplishment for our studio,” stated Denis Doré, President, Squeeze’s CEO and cofounder. “It shows that our original creations are drawing the attention of major players and can be exported around the world.” In his opinion, the Chinese market is the perfect fit for Squeeze. “Tencent Video alone has more than 600 million active users per month, giving us unparalleled visibility. We know that there is a strong interest in 3D animated content in Asia, and that the Chinese in particular are in love with animated comedy series. This series’ wacky slapstick humour fits the bill perfectly. We are extremely proud to introduce Chinese families to the world of Cracké.”

Mr. Vincent Ho of Beijing Time Flying Fish (BTFF) is equally excited about Cracké’s success in China. “Cracké’s universal appeal and high-quality animation make it the perfect series to conquer the Chinese market. We recognized this as soon as we watched the episodes and we’re excited to be distributing them. This agreement with Tencent is just the first step in the franchise’s expansion in China.”

Beijing Time Flying Fish Culture Media Co., located in Beijing, specializes in the distribution of high-quality, animated comedic content. Working with China’s largest digital platforms, it shares new original series with millions of viewers. 

Created and produced by Squeeze, the 3D animated comedy Cracké features Ed, an anxious ostrich dad, and his beloved brood. As Ed tries to protect his 8 eggs from an assortment of dangers, he always manages to make things worse—much to the enjoyment of the series’ fans.

New content expanding the Cracké universe is currently in development, introducing colourful and original new characters through entertaining stories.

Children content powerhouse Rainbow has confirmed that 44 CATS, its new preschool animation, will be shown across Latin America via Discovery Kids, the leading pay-TV network for preschoolers in the region.

The series is slated to premiere in Latin America in 2019 and is Rainbow’s first deal with the famed TV channel.

In Latin America, Discovery Kids has the exclusive representation rights to develop and execute the licensing and merchandising program based on the property, excluding master toy. The network will work hand in hand with the designed Master Toy Licensee towards retail program executions across the region.

44 CATS (52 X11) is a CGI property that follows the daily adventures of Lampo, Milady, Pilou, and Meatball, four kittens who are part of a musical group named The Buffycats. All of them are homeless and take shelter in a garage, which they transform into a ‘Clubhouse.’ When they are around humans, they act like cats, but when alone, they behave like humans. And, just like children, they find the world of human adults confusing and full of strange rules.

The series’ storylines explore themes like friendship and altruism. As such, the main characters love helping others, and this desire to help is what drives many of their adventures. While finding creative solutions to everyday difficulties, the show’s characters also deal with other important matters such as tolerance, diversity, and acceptance.

“We are delighted to announce the 44 CATS deal with Discovery Kids,” says Cristiana Buzzelli, SVP Sales, and Acquisitions of Rainbow Group. “It is exciting to be working with this leading kids channel for the first time, and we are very confident they will do a fantastic job in bringing the show to Latin America, where it’s sure to become a favourite of both pre-schoolers and parents!”

“This new series is a wonderful acquisition for our network, and a great complement to our existing musical programming line-up that includes shows like O Zoo da Zu and Mini Beat Power Rockers,” said Flavio Medeiros, Director of Programming and Acquisitions for Discovery Kids Latin America.

44 CATS is produced in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna. The show’s title was inspired by the famous song “44 Gatti” that won the tenth edition of the international children’s song festival Zecchino d’Oro in 1968, becoming since then one of the most popular children’s songs in Italy.

 

New animated sequel to drive extensive brand licensing strategy for 2019 and beyond

Rovio Entertainment is thrilled to announce its new multi-year content roadmap for partners, led by the September 2019 theatrical release of The Angry Birds Movie 2, the much anticipated sequel to the 2016 blockbuster The Angry Birds Movie which generated $352 million at the global box office.

In addition to the animated sequel being released globally by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Rovio is firmly committed to developing a long-term and diverse slate of entertainment touch points for millions of its passionate fans. The highlights include the development of a new long-form animated series which is planned to be released in 2020, an unscripted competition TV series, new live stage shows, location-based entertainment projects and original live-action and animated content for the highly successful Angry Birds YouTube channel, which has over 2.3 million subscribers and monthly viewership of nearly 200 million minutes.

Rovio also announces a new key licensing partnership with global confectioner Perfetti Van Melle, owner of the legendary Chupa Chups® brand. Commencing in 2019, this long-term partnership will develop an extensive range of Angry Birds branded Chupa Chups® products, with six million units set to be distributed across global markets. Rovio will unveil further key partnership announcements over the coming weeks.

Marta Poal, International Area Manager, Perfetti Van Melle, commented:

“Perfetti Van Melle, the owner of Chupa Chups®, is excited to be working with the much-loved Angry Birds brand for 2019. In addition to offering one of the strongest IPs in entertainment, Rovio is unique for delivering world-class digital innovation and exciting new content. Consumers will want to stay tuned to experience what we are preparing for them.”

Simo Hämäläinen, Senior Vice President, Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment, commented:

“There has never been a better time to partner with Rovio and the Angry Birds. We have the strongest long-term content roadmap that we’ve ever had. It’s driven by The Angry Birds Movie 2 in 2019, followed by long-form animation, live and stage shows and location based entertainment projects. We are thrilled to have Chupa Chups® to join our already impressive list of key strategic partners.’’

Rovio will soon reveal an extensive program of new premier licensing partnerships in North America for the flagship Angry Birds franchise. Rovio will also maintain its previous long-term partnership with TCC for global retail loyalty campaigns.

The September 2019 theatrical release of The Angry Birds Movie 2 is swiftly followed by the landmark 10^th anniversary of the original Angry Birds in December 2019. To date, the Angry Birds family of games have amassed four billion downloads since 2009. Throughout 2018, Rovio will continue its games event and partnership program developing bespoke in-game content for new brand partners. Some previous collaborations include the 2018 NFL Super Bowl, Iron Maiden and Everton Football Club.

Sony Music Entertainment Italy to bring music from the hit show to CD for the first time

Mondo TV Iberoamerica, part of the Italian group Mondo TV, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content, has announced a major new agreement with Sony Music Entertainment Italy that will see music from the hit live-action comedy-drama for teens, Heidi Bienvenida, appear on CD in Italy for the first time. Fans can expect to see the release of a Heidi Bienvenida CD during the back-to-school period in Q3 2018.

Sony Music Entertainment Italy will have an exclusive license for recordings from the first Heidi Bienvenida television series with a second season option. The rights cover Italy, San Marino, Vatican City and Italian Switzerland. Sony also has first negotiation rights for live events. A collaboration with Deborah Lurato, one of Italy’s most successful pop singers and a very popular star among teens, is also part of the agreement. Her version of the theme song, Nel Posto che Vorrai, is included in the CD release.

This collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment Italy is an important one, seen by both parties as a major driver of brand awareness in the Italian market. This is, therefore, a wide-ranging partnership. Combining the popular success of Heidi Bienvenida with the strength of the Sony name will underpin a number of jointly managed marketing initiatives, including of course CD launch and promotion events. Sony will also be managing the official Vevo video channel for Heidi Bienvenida.

This is great news for the fast-growing Italian fanbase of Heidi Bienvenida, a Mondo TV Iberoamerica and Alianzas Producciones co-production that launched in Italy this year following enormous success in Latin America. Music is an enormously important part of Heidi Bienvenida, which follows the adventures of a happy, carefree girl who leaves her beloved mountain home to live in the big city. Here she not only finds new friends – she also discovers a talent for singing and forms a group, which provides the wonderful soundtrack to the series.

It has been a busy twelve months for Heidi Bienvenida – both the television series and the brand.  As well as growth in Latin America, sales to Russia and Israel and a number of regional and global licensing deals, a second series of Heidi Bienvenida is on the way – and a Heidi Bienvenida film, the first feature film in the history of Mondo TV.

And of course the show has launched in Italy. Series one has been airing since April on Rai Gulp, a major name in teen programming. Social media campaigns, competitions, cast interviews and appearances by the show’s star, Chiara Francia, are all part of a major marketing campaign to support the launch of the show in Italy.

And there’s much more – including a growing number of promotional, marketing and merchandising activities that Mondo TV is developing with partners already on board for the project. Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial is to produce books for the Latin American market, while in Italy the publishing category has been assigned to Mondadori, which will release its first two Heidi Bienvenida titles on June 26. Panini has signed a worldwide deal to produce a wide range of Heidi-inspired products for newsstands and kiosks; the back to school period will see the release of the first Panini sticker album in conjunction with a Heidi Bienvenida magazine. Also targeting newsstands, but with a different emphasis, Edizioni Playpress is planning a number of original publications for Italy.

Finally, and also in Italy, Walcor, a leader in the food and confectionery sector, has received a license to create and market a range of confectionery for Christmas and Easter, while entertainment agency Echo srl is to produce Heidi Bienvenida-themed events for shopping centres.

Stefano Patara, VP, General Manager Strategic & Catalogue at Sony Music Entertainment says: “We are delighted to be Mondo TV’s recording partner on Heidi Bienvenida, a genuinely exciting project that is not only making waves as a highly successful TV series but also has enormous potential as a music-oriented property. We are therefore working with Mondo TV on a lot of activities aimed at spreading the series’ musical content to various media and audiences, including trade, streaming platforms, regional events, promotions, live shows and much more.”

Valentina La Macchia, Licensing Director of Mondo TV Iberoamerica, adds: “Music is an enormously important component of Heidi Bienvenida and a major contributor to its popularity. We’re delighted to be partnering with one of the most important players in the marketplace to bring what we are sure will be a massively popular CD to Heidi’s legions of fans.”