Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA (WBCP EMEA) in association with Shooting Stars, its licensing agent for the Middle East, is set to bring ‘Scooby-Doo’ and ‘Tom and Jerry’ to the region with MBC inking a deal to develop live theatrical shows and consumer experiences for the iconic animation brands.
The new deal will see the characters brought to life through ticketed and non-ticketed events in theatres, shopping malls, stadiums and arenas. The two-year agreement covers Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia with the live events that are currently in production, set to debut in Q4 2014.
WBCP EMEA VP of agent markets Francois Simonetta said in a statement: “We’re delighted to be working with MBC on developing live shows and consumer experiences for Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry. As a partner, they reflect our entertainment experience and expertise and we will work together to develop brand enhancing experiences that engender consumer loyalty for our brands and that drive traffic to all MBC platforms.”
The new Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry events will benefit from unprecedented support offered by MBC3, MBC’s children’s edutainment channel and Warner Bros. International Television’s (WBITV) official output partner in the region. Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry are broadcast on MBC3, and they are supported across the interactive MBC3 website that attracts more than 19 million page views per month.
MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett added: “It’s great to work with such fabulous children’s brands and we’re excited to extend our co-operation with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. MBC 3 captures the attention of, informs and entertains so many millions of kids across the region and these live shows will be yet another way to engage with our young audience”.
The new programme of live events also offers the licensees an interesting new opportunity to sell licensed products directly to fans via the official show merchandise outlets that will be present at every show. Retailers based within the shopping malls that will be hosting live events will also benefit from the increased consumer traffic and demand for Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry licensed products from visiting fans.
