MEGA-HIT YU-GI-OH JOINS KARTOON CHANNEL, ANNOUNCES GENIUS BRANDS
Following the June 15 launch of its new free digital Kartoon Channel! across multiple AVOD and OTT platforms, and the subsequent debut of its first COPPA-compliant Apple iOS app to 5-star ratings, Genius Brands International continues to build its premium offering of entertaining and enriching family-friendly content on Kartoon Channel! with the acquisition of approximately 230 new episodes of programming, including the #1 rated anime phenomenon, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, based on the trading card game from Konami.
“Led by Yu-Gi-Oh, these new program acquisitions truly showcase the quality and diversity of content we are striving to bring to young audiences discovering the Kartoon Channel!and offer opportunities for a wide range of ad partners to drive revenue for the channel,” said Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. “We are extremely proud of the rapid expansion of Kartoon Channel!and the positive responses we are receiving from kids and especially parents, who feel we are providing a safe destination for their kids’ entertainment. Our reach now extends to over 100M U.S. television households and over 200M mobile devices; we have our first iOS app which has thousands of positive reviews and 5-star ratings, and we have new apps launching on Android, Roku and Amazon Fire, with the same interface as on iOS. And, we are continually looking for unique ways to fill our offering with the best children’s programming in the marketplace, with titles such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Babar, Angry Birds, Roblox, and our upcoming Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten. This is just the beginning of our mission to build what I like to call the FREE ‘Netflix for Kids.”
In addition to the 148×22’ episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V now being offered on Kartoon Channel!, Genius Brands has also licensed the English language rightsto 25×4’ episodes and Spanish language rights to 5×30’ episodes of YouTube sensation My Dog Chocolo, from Productora Atiempo Ltda., which has over four million subscribers and more than three million daily views and a total of over two billion views. The Company has also acquired 52×11’ episodes of the 3-D comedy series Invention Story from Mondo TV, which followsa quirky fox inventor who tries to fit into Carrot Town, a place full of rabbits—hopefully winning them over with his big heart and his amazing gadgets; and 26×22’ episodes of Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehogfrom Muse Entertainment, a series which encourages science exploration and teamwork—by thinking, linking and deducing, kids can be entertained and learn while solving the puzzles and problems of Alfred’s mysterious world.
