9 Story Media Group has secured several deals in Australia for the hit animated series Wild Kratts, including broadcast placement with Channel Nine’s Go! Channel. The channel will begin airing the series weekdays at 7:00 am and 2:30 pm commencing 14 November and at 1:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays commencing 21 November. In addition to broadcast exposure, Roadshow Entertainment has picked up home video rights while master toy licensee Wicked Cool Toys has appointed Hunter Products to distribute the toy line.
A co-production between Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group, Wild Kratts is distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Kratt Brothers Company and internationally by 9 Story Media Group. The series was created and developed by real life brothers and zoologists, Martin and Chris Kratt who star in the show as animated versions of themselves. The show premiered in 2011 on PBS KIDS in the US TVO, Knowledge Network and Télé-Quebec in Canada and is currently in its fourth season. The fourth season includes 26 episodes, which will begin rolling out in the US on PBS KIDS in late 2015.
The series also has tremendous global reach, airing in over 180 countries across 18 different languages. Broadcast partners include Discovery Kids (Latin America and Asia), Super RTL (Germany), TV3 (Spain), Canal Panda (Spain), RTE (Ireland), VRT (Belgium), Minimax (Eastern Europe), Media Corp PTD Ltd. (Singapore), Primetime (Colombia), Minika (Turkey), E Junior (UAE) and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (Middle East).
On the licensing front, master toy licensee Wicked Cool Toys launched a broad toy offering at Toys “R” Us last year which included creature power suits, action figures, talking plush and vehicle sets. The line has recently rolled out to Kmart and select Target stores. Wild Kratts also got their first books by Random House Kids that released in the U.S. and Canada as part of the publisher’s Step Into Reading Program.