Popular toy brand, PLAYMOBIL®, has appointed WildBrain to exclusively manage its kids’ content on YouTube to help grow the brand internationally
London, UK – 29 January 2019 – WildBrain, a leading digital kids’ network and studio, has been appointed to exclusively manage content on YouTube for the renowned German toy brand, PLAYMOBIL®. Under the two-year agreement, WildBrain will manage an exclusive library of 15 short animated videos from the toy brand, featuring PLAYMOBIL® iconic figures. The videos will stream on a range of PLAYMOBIL® channels launched on the WildBrain network in multiple languages, including German, English, Spanish and Portuguese, with more planned. PLAYMOBIL® is an internationally acclaimed creative toy system offering children imaginative role play adventures across diverse historical and modern themes. Over 3 billion PLAYMOBIL® toy figures have been enjoyed by children worldwide since 1974.
“PLAYMOBIL toys have inspired generations of children around the world in creative play,” said Jon Gisby, Managing Director, WildBrain. “We have always been fans of the PLAYMOBIL digital strategy to produce high-quality animated stories featuring their iconic figures, and we are honoured to have been selected to further grow their international audience and take the brand to new heights through the WildBrain network on YouTube and the YouTube Kids app.”
"PLAYMOBIL stands for a fascinating brand experience, and for a whole cosmos of creative video content," said, Steffen Höpfner, CEO of the Brandstaetter Group (PLAYMOBIL®). “Children from all over the world today can become directors themselves and generate their own video clips. With WildBrain we have an experienced collaborator who will generate new energy and is able to perfectly present existing content for new and curated PLAYMOBIL engagement on the web.”
PLAYMOBIL® is the latest in a string of international toy brands, including The Irish Fairy Door Company, Kuroba, Hairdorables, Beyblades, Smooshy Mushy, and Tulipop, to have appointed WildBrain to help grow their brands internationally through content on YouTube. WildBrain’s branded YouTube network is one of the largest of its kind, featuring more than 145,000 videos for over 600 kids’ brands in up to 22 languages. From July to September 2018, one-third of the approximately 830 million kids around the world with access to YouTube watched at least one video on the WildBrain network.
For more information, please contact:
Trade Media: Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR
aimee@ddablueprint.com
+44 (0) 20 7932 9800
Financial Media: Shaun Smith – Director, Corporate & Trade Communications, DHX Media Ltd.
shaun.smith@dhxmedia.com
+1 416-977-7230
Investor Relations: Nancy Chan-Palmateer – Director, Investor Relations, DHX Media Ltd.
nancy.chanpalmateer@dhxmedia.com
+1 416-977-7358
About WildBrain
WildBrain is an industry leader in the management and creation of preschool and children’s entertainment content on platforms such as YouTube, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and others. WildBrain’s branded YouTube network is one of the largest of its kind, featuring more than 145,000 videos for over 600 kids’ brands in up to 22 languages. One in three kids worldwide with access to YouTube watch video on the WildBrain network, which has over 75 million subscribers, and generated over 161 billion minutes of watch time across 32 billion views in 2018. Connecting kids’ content owners with advertisers in the Advertising Video-on-Demand (AVOD) space, the WildBrain network features popular third-party brands such as Fireman Sam, Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, Shopkins, Irish Fairy Doors and Ben 10; original brands Kiddyzuzaa and Ellie Sparkles; and much of DHX Media’s world-renowned library of 13,000 half-hours of kids’ and family content, including Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Degrassi, Yo Gabba Gabba! and many others. WildBrain Studios also specializes in the creation of new, original content for its network, such as animated and live-action shorts; toy-play and stop-motion videos. WildBrain is a wholly owned subsidiary of DHX Media (TSX: DHX; NASDAQ: DHXM). Twitter & Instagram: @WildBrainKids
ABOUT PLAYMOBIL and geobra Brandstätter Stiftung & Co.KG
geobra Brandstätter Stiftung & Co.KG - headquartered in Zirndorf, Grmany - is the producer of PLAYMOBIL® and known for premium toy quality made in Europe.
The 7.5 cm tall PLAYMOBIL® figure is the cornerstone of this creative toy system, and is an internationally award-winning product. The imaginative role play opportunities, integrated with a variety of historical and modern play themes, are fascinating to children and highly valued by parents and educational practitioners alike. Since its launch in 1974, more than 3 billion PLAYMOBIL® figures have been produced. The company distributes its toy system, consisting of around 40 different play themes, in approximately 100 countries and employs more than 4,400 people. Worldwide turnover for the Brandstätter Group reached 741 million Euros in 2017. PLAYMOBIL’s certified high quality is guaranteed by using company-owned European production sites in Germany, Malta, the Czech Republic and Spain.
Since 2000, the innovative company has also been producing the LECHUZA brand of high-quality plastic planters with sub-irrigation system.
Disclaimer
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” under applicable securities laws with respect to DHX Media including, without limitation, statements regarding expected activities under the agreement between PLAYMOBIL® and WildBrain and expected results therefrom and the business strategies and operational activities of DHX Media and results therefrom. Although DHX Media believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to DHX Media. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include consumer preferences, market factors, the ability of DHX Media to execute on license and other agreements, and other factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in DHX Media’s most recent Annual Information Form and annual Management Discussion and Analysis, which also form part of DHX Media’s annual report on Form 40-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and DHX Media assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.