WildBrain has signed a distribution deal with the Roku Channel that will see a pair of series roll out on the streaming service this year, joining a trio of titles already sold to the AVOD.

5Bricks Animation Studio’s Tata and Kuma, which premiered on YouTube in 2022, is an animated series (13 x 11 minutes; pictured) that follows the adventures of a dog and cat who are left at home alone while their owner goes to work. BBC Studios’ Princess Mirror-Belle (pictured, 13 x 22 minutes) is a live-action show based on the same-name books by Julia Donaldson. CBBC launched the series in 2021, and it revolves around a 10-year-old girl whose reflection in the mirror comes to life as a feisty princess from a fairytale land. Roku will release both titles in Q4.

The Roku Channel has a fair bit of WildBrain content in its offering already, including Summer Memories (40 x 11 minutes) from A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative; Dorg Van Dango (26 x 22 minutes) from Cartoon Saloon; and Spongo, Fuzz and Jalapeña (13 x 22 minutes) from Cheeky Little Media.

9 Story Distribution

Toronto-headquartered 9 Story Media Group’s Dublin-based distribution arm has picked up gaming titles Let’s Game (100 x five minutes) and the 10 x 10-minute Challenge DanTDM (10 x 10 min, pictured) for VOD distribution worldwide, excluding the U.K. and Ireland.

Both titles target six to 11s and hail from London’s MonRae Productions, the production arm of talent agency MonRae Management, which specializes in digital-first creators.

Let’s Game and Challenge DanTDM originally launched on Sky Kids in 2021 and 2023, respectively. The shows feature popular British YouTubers playing family-friendly games. Let’s Game follows four gamers battling each other, while Challenge DanTDM focuses on the titular YouTuber playing against his young fans.

Elianne Friend, 9 Story’s VP of digital and distribution, said in a statement that AVOD is playing an important role in the company’s growth strategy to reach kids. “The number of households adopting AVODs continues to grow dramatically, and these platforms are a fantastic way to reach young audiences.”

Kidoodle

Calgary-based AVOD Kidoodle.TV has acquired BABY born, a CG-animated preschool from German toymaker Zapf Creation and L.A.-based MGA Entertainment, based on the 30-year-old doll brand.

The 18 x five-minute English-language series will launch launch on Kidoodle on Aug. 26. MGA and Zapf will also release the series on the BABY born brand’s official YouTube channel. The plan is to expand the distribution of the project later in the fall, as well as introduce versions in more languages.

The series is centered around a BABY born girl named Emma and her friends: a stuffed bear named Teddy and a duck on wheels named Berta. Each episode sees the trio on a new make-believe escapade, such as riding flying bikes or baking cupcakes.

The animated series is a “natural extension” of the toy brand’s specialty of imaginative and educational experiences, said Zapf executive board member Thomas Eichhorn, in a release.

With files from Kidscreen