Genius Brands’ Top-Ranked Kartoon Channel! Continues to Expand Offering With 240 Hours of Proven Hit Content Coming to the Platform
Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Paddington Bear, Madeline, The Wiggles, The Archies, Trollz, and Liberty’s Kids, Headline Slate of New Acquisitions
Content Begins Airing In June
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the successful premiere of Stan Lee’s Super Hero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!, Genius Brands International, Inc. (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ:GNUS), continues to grow its content offering with the acquisition of proven hit series from award-winning third party producers.
Jon Ollwerther, President of Kartoon Channel, and EVP of Business Development of Genius Brands commented: “We are continuing to grow Kartoon Channel! each month, with more and more viewers enjoying what we believe is the very best combination of original, exclusive, and acquired content in the kid’s entertainment industry, including our hit Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. With Lou Fazio, former Executive Director of Programming & Acquisitions at Disney Channel, leading the charge, we are excited about our content pipeline, including 240 hours of newly acquired content from partners, including WildBrain, ABC Australia, Nelvana, and Zodiak Kids which will begin to premier on Kartoon Channel! in June.”
Since launching in June 2020, Kartoon Channel!, which is now widely available and fully distributed in the U.S. across all platforms, has significantly expanded its catalog of original and third-party programming. On April 23, 2021, Genius Brands launched its first Kartoon Channel! original, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, which has since garnered over 22 million views, making it one of the fastest growing children’s series today.
The new content acquisitions for Kartoon Channel! include classic evergreen and new popular series and feature films. From WildBrain, Genius Brands has licensed the rights to Super Mario Bros. (13x30’); Adventures of Paddington Bear (13x30’). Trollz (27x30’); Madeline (13x30’); and Liberty’s Kids (40x30’).
From Nelvana, movies and series acquired for Kartoon Channel! include Donkey Kong Country (39x22’); Movie specials from the Franklin franchise, including Franklin and the Green Knight, Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, A Franklin and Friends Adventure: Polar Explorer, A Franklin and Friends Adventure: Deep Sea Voyage, Franklin Back to School, and Franklin’s Magic Christmas; and lastly, The Santa Clause Brothers movie special
ABC Australia has licensed to the Kartoon Channel! the rights to The Wiggles World (26x11’); Wiggle Pop special (75 mins), among others.
About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Genius Brands International’s digital network, Kartoon Channel! is a family entertainment destination that delivers enduring childhood moments of humor, adventure, and discovery.
Delivering 1000’s of episodes of carefully curated free family-friendly content, the channel features animated classics for little kids, including The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Babar, Mello Dees, Super Simple Songs and Baby Genius, and hit content for bigger kids, such as Pac-Man, Angry Birds, and Yu-Gi-Oh, to original programming like Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, now premiering and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, KC! Pop Quiz coming in spring 2021, and Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal for 2022. Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including Baby Einstein, and More.
Kartoon Channel! delivers positive and purposeful content across multiple platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Android TV, Android Mobile, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, Samsung Smart TVs, and LGTVs.
Kartoon Channel! can also be streamed on TVs and mobiles device by downloading the app, or on desktops by visiting www.kartoonchannel.com
About Genius Brands International
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal on Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s new Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs. For additional information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.
Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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Kartoon Channel! Continues to Expand Offering with 240 Hours of Proven Hit Content Coming to the Platform. New Content Begins Airing in June.
Headline Slate of New Acquisitions: Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Paddington Bear, Madeline, The Wiggles, The Archies, Trollz, and Liberty’s Kids.
Released May 27, 2021