Much
Bell Media’s Much has partnered with Buffer Festival to launch Much X Buffer Festival initiative, which will see the Buffer Festival gala stream live on both Much.com and YouTube at 9 p.m on Oct. 23. The gala will showcase Canadian and global YouTube content creators such as Jus Reign and Michael Rizzi, who will both debut new videos at the festival. The partnership will also see Much host Tyrone Edwards report from the Buffer Festival red carpet for a segment that will air on much from 6 – 10 p.m. on Oct. 23.  The Buffer Festival runs from Oct. 23 to 25 in Toronto.

Corus Entertainment
Three new licensing agents and two new broadcast partners are on-board for Nelvana and Spin Master’s girl-skewing preschool brand Little Charmers. Following Europe and Middle East deals inked last month, Corus Entertainment-owned Nelvana has signed on francetv distribution to rep the brand’s licensing and merchandising program in France, where the series as of yesterday, airs on France 5’s Zouzous block. In Italy, Discovery Italia has been granted the rights to manage the brand’s licensing and merchandising business. Little Charmers has been one of the top shows on FRISBEE, Discovery Italia’s free-to-air kids’ channel, since bowing last month. And in Russia and CIS, licensing agency Megalicense is now set to build the program in the region. Coproduced by Nelvana and Spin Master, the CGI-animated series launched in January on Nickelodeon U.S. and on Treehouse in Canada, and the brand has since been steadily building a global licensing portfolio.

MTV Canada
The Shannara Chronicles, a TV series based on the fantasy novels of Terry Brooks, is set to launch on MTV Canada on Jan. 5. 2016. The hour-long ten-parter stars John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings) and Manu Bennett (Spartacus), and is produced by MV and Sonar Entertainment. Filmed in New Zealand, the series is Al Gough, Miles Millar, Jon Favreau, Dan Farah and author Brooks.

Raven Banner
Raven Banner Entertainment has acquired the Canadian distribution rights to Ryan Wise’s I Am Thor, a USA/Canada/Finland/Sweden copro. Read more about the deal here.

– With files from Wendy Goldman Getzler, Kidscreen