The CGI animated award-winning preschool series, Bing that’s been produced by Acamar Films has signed an impressive number of key international broadcast deals with help of its global distribution partner Aardman. The series centers on a cheerful pre-school bunny named Bing, with episodes involving him learning how to cope with new experiences, such as playing nicely and imaginatively, caring for toys, handling tantrums and making the best of a negative situation.
Bing, Flop and his beloved cast of friends are heading to all four corners of the globe, with the series set to air on Gulli and TiJi in France (part of the Lagadere Group), Clan in Spain, Portugal’s Canal Panda, Norwegian broadcaster NRK, New Zealand’s TVNZ, and HOP in Israel through deals negotiated by Aardman’s Rights and Brand Development division.
Acamar Films CEO, Mikael Shields comments, “BING has already become a cherished part of the daily routine for families with young children in the UK and Australia. We’re absolutely delighted with the extraordinary success our colleagues at Aardman have achieved. We couldn’t have wished for better”.
In addition to these latest deals, BING is also airing on Australia’s ABC, S4C in Wales, Irish broadcaster RTE, SVT in Sweden, and DR in Denmark. The series has also sold across Eastern Europe to Minimax, and will reach Belgian audiences via broadcaster VRT. In total BING will launch in over 40 territories in the next 12 months.
Aardman’s Senior Sales Manager, Alison Taylor added, “Witnessing our clients’ reaction when they first watch Bing is inspiring. These deals are testament to the incredible charm and authenticity of this show which clearly strikes a chord for audiences across the globe.”
BING that has been adapted for television from the insightful books by award-winning author and illustrator Ted Dewan has consistently topped the animation charts with its selection of episodes on the UK’s iTunes store and has had a remarkable 50 million views since launch on the BBC’s iPlayer. The series has won a Writer’s Guild Award, a BAFTA nomination for best Pre-School Series and has been a ratings hit on CBeebies in the UK and on ABC in Australia.
The specialist team at Aardman handles distribution across a wide range of key territories on Acamar’s behalf with Acamar Films continuing to handle the countries covered by existing co-productions on BING, well as sales in the USA and Japan.