Russia based Riki Group announced that they have joined forces with Youku Kids, Alibaba Group’s video-streaming platform, to produce three new seasons of preschool series Tina & Tony. The first season of the animated TV series premiered in November 2018 on Youku Kids, followed by the second one. Both were immensely loved by the Chinese audience.
Tina & Tony performed excellently surpassing all other animated projects on the platform in terms of popularity index. Number of total views to date is more than 2.5 billion.
Talking about the new seasons, RIKI Group CEO Mark Zavadskiy said, “Our characters promote positive and safe behavior. Learning through play and healthy relationships with adults are two topics of preschoolers interest that we’ve chosen for the next season. RIKI plans to deliver 52 five-minute, 3D/2D animated episodes by July 2023. We are delighted that our series has received such strong recognition from the Chinese audience and happy to see the development of cooperation with Alibaba Group to bring Tina & Tony to China.”
“We are very pleased to have achieved a long-term cooperative relationship with the Riki Group and hope that through the joint efforts of both parties, Tina & Tony can become a global brand,” said Youku Kids producer Lu Ye.
“As a hit on the Youku channel, Tina and Tony has earned its reputation not in one day, and the popularity of our events among children and parents shows their dedication and trust to this project and brand. Youku Kids always strives to provide only high-quality content for Chinese families, the Tina & Tony brand from its inception to development, has consistently embodies the values and social responsibility of Youku Kids,” he added.
Alibaba will make long-term investment and operations for Tina & Tony. After ensuring the broadcast effect and making the series known to more people in China, business cooperation in the industry will also be fully launched.
Youku is tapping into the growing demand for video streaming services in China. Also, this partnership demonstrates the company’s commitment to bring varied and high-quality content to the growing numbers of Chinese families who are seeking fun and interesting entertainment.
