Genius Brands Expands Kartoon Channel! With Launch on Vizio Smart TVs

New In-Flight Programs from Kartoon Channel! Also Debut on British Airways, Qatar Airlines, and More

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) continues to expand distribution of its Kartoon Channel!, Apple store’s highest user-ranked kid’s streaming app (rated 4.9), with the launch of a dedicated application and channel on the Vizio Smart TV platform, reaching millions of additional television households across North America. 

Additionally, following the successful premiere of Kartoon Channel! on JetBlue, the Company is broadening its global inflight entertainment experience for the network, through its partnership with Spafax Inflight Entertainment, to now include British Airways, Qatar Airways and International Airline Group’s (IAG) partner airlines, Aer Lingus and Iberia. Kartoon Channel! will offer passengers on these airlines select, original, family-friendly series. The content will be available in both English and Spanish on IAG airlines and in English and Arabic on Qatar Airways.

“Our global strategy for Kartoon Channel! is to prioritize profitability with a diversified business model that includes subscriptions, advertising and licensing. These deals are a big step in that direction. We are proud to add Vizio to Kartoon Channel!’s list of smart TV partners, including Samsung TV, and LG TV. Kartoon Channel! will continue to grow as it is now being carried by the top three smart TV manufacturers in the U.S., as well as expanding our inflight entertainment offering with the addition of our new airline partners, IAG and Qatar Airways,” commented Jon Ollwerther, President of Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! “Genius Brands continues to deliver Kartoon Channel! to young viewers and their families all over the world, meeting them with our safe, kid friendly content wherever they consume entertainment. The positive response is evident by our consistent top rating among users on the Apple app store.”

About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Genius Brands’ digital network, Kartoon Channel! is a family entertainment destination that delivers 1000s of episodes of carefully curated and safe family-friendly content. The channel features animated classics for little kids, including The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Babar, Mellodees, Super Simple Songs, Finny the Shark, and Baby Genius, as well as hit content for bigger kids, such as Angry Birds and Yu-Gi-Oh!, to original programming like Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, KC! Pop Quiz, hosted by Casey Simpson, and Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, coming in 2023. Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including Baby Genius, and more.

Kartoon Channel! is available 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.

For more information, please visit 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 IP portfolio of family-friendly content features the Stan Lee brand, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal, coming to Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix and more. This past year, Genius Brands also acquired Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media (TSX-V: WOW), which includes 2,500 channels under the Channel Frederator Network, and has also made a strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (FRA:RTV), one of Europe’s largest distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for children and families.

Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! is a globally distributed entertainment platform with 100% penetration in the U.S. television market and international expansion with launches in key markets around the world. The channel is available in the U.S. via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Roku, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart and LG TVs, the JetBlue Inflight platform and more. Genius Brands is now rolling out the subscription-based Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse, featuring metaversal content and exclusive titles. 

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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Released January 5, 2023