Kartoon Studios Enters Malaysian Market with Kartoon Channel! Branded Block on Astro in August 2023
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kartoon Studios (NYSE:TOON) continues the Pacific-Asia expansion of the Kartoon Channel! brand with the August 2023 premiere of a branded programming block on Astro Ceria (Astro Ch 611), Malaysia’s #1 homegrown kid’s channel.
Based on the worldwide success of Kartoon Channel!’s hit elimination-style reality gaming series for kids, Kidaverse Roblox Rumble, Astro has also licensed the format to produce season two of the series, starring Malaysian contestants. The series features a diverse group of girls and boys, ages 8 to 12, who compete in 10 different games to win prizes and find out who is the ultimate gamer for a grand prize.
In addition to Kidaverse Roblox Rumble, the Kartoon Channel! programming block on Astro Ceria will feature a slate of gaming content for kids, including Tankee Minecraft Map, Super Mario Brothers 3, KC! Play Mix: Surviving Roblox, and Sally Plays Roblox by Tankee.
“As part of our ongoing global rollout strategy for Kartoon Channel!, we are thrilled to enter the Malaysian market, through this new partnership with Astro, to provide family-friendly and safe content for kids across the country under the Kartoon Channel! brand. This will also be our first collaboration in localizing the format of our popular and safe original gaming series, Kidaverse Roblox Rumble, featuring Malaysian children, which we anticipate to be a big hit!” stated Paul Robinson, President of Kartoon Studios’ Kartoon Channel! Worldwide.
Sharmin Parameswaran, Vice President, VOD/PPV and International, Astro, stated: “At Astro, we embrace the trends and changing preferences of our kids audience; and are excited to work with Kartoon Channel! to bring on board safe and engaging kids gaming content, as well as family-friendly game shows that puts kids at the center of the programs.”
NOTE: Kartoon Channel! gaming-related episodes are not in any way associated or affiliated with proprietary marks of Roblox, Octodad or Minecraft.
About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Kartoon Studios’ Kartoon Channel! is a family entertainment destination that delivers 1000s of episodes of carefully curated and safe family-friendly content. The channel features original content, including Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rainbow Rangers, and Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. Kartoon Channel! also delivers animated classics for little kids, such as Peppa Pig Shorts, Super Simple Songs, Melodee’s, Finny the Shark, Strawberry Shortcake, as well as content for bigger kids, such as Angry Birds and Yu-Gi-Oh! Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom, including Baby Genius and more.
Kartoon Channel! is available across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android Mobile, Web, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Comcast, Cox, Dish, Sling TV, Android TV, Tubi, Xumo, Samsung and LG Smart TVs.
Internationally, Kartoon Channel! is currently available in key territories around the world, including India (Samsung and Jio via Powerkids Entertainment), Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa (StarTimes), Australia and New Zealand (Samsung TV Plus), Germany (Waipu), Philippines (Tapp Digital) and Maldives (Dhiraagu). Kartoon Channel! Branded blocks are also currently available daily in 69 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America and Europe.
About Kartoon Studios
Kartoon Studios (NYSE AMERICAN: TOON) is a global end-to-end creator, producer, distributor, marketer, and licensor of entertainment brands. The Company’s IP portfolio includes original animated content, including the Stan Lee brand, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal,on Kartoon Channel!, and a broad distribution platform, Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; the Netflix Original, Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, and more.
In 2022, Kartoon Studios acquired Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media and made a strategic investment becoming the largest shareholder in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (FRA:RTV), one of Europe’s leading distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for children and families.
The company’s wholly-owned digital distribution network, Toon Media Group, consists of Kartoon Channel!, Kartoon Channel! Worldwide, Frederator Network, and Ameba. Kartoon Channel! is a globally distributed entertainment platform with full penetration of the U.S. television market and international expansion underway with launches in key markets around the world, including Germany, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Sub-Sahara Africa and more. Kartoon Channel! and Ameba are available across multiple platforms, including Apple iOS, Apple TV, Android Mobile, Android TVWeb, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Fire, Roku, Pluto TV, Comcast, Cox, Dish, Sling TV, Tubi, Xumo, Samsung and LG Smart TVs, and YouTube. Frederator Network owns and operates the largest global animation network on YouTube, with channels featuring over 2000 exclusive creators and influencers, garnering on average over a billion views every month.
For additional information, please visit www.kartoonstudios.com
About Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) is Malaysia’s leading content and entertainment company, serving 5.5 million homes or 69% of Malaysian TV households, 8,900 enterprises, 17.7 million weekly listeners across FM radio and online, 8.4 million digital monthly unique visitors and 3.3 million shoppers across its TV, radio, digital and commerce platforms. We serve Malaysians with 3 distinct services – Astro Pay TV, NJOI Prepaid and sooka, our own OTT for the millennials; and Astro Fibre, our own broadband service. More than 820,000 homes are already streaming the best of home entertainment via our Hybrid 4K UHD Ultra Box and HD Ulti Box, which can be self-installed and run on both satellite and broadband, alongside our content-broadband bundles. Today our customers enjoy streaming our local signatures, flagship Astro Originals, live sports and the best global shows from Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, HBO GO, iQIYI, TVBAnywhere+, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, BBC Player, Viu, ZEE5, and our own TV companion app Astro GO. Astro Radio, home to the country’s highest-rated radio brands across all key languages, and our digital brands including AWANI, SYOK, Gempak, Xuan and Astro Ulagam connect Malaysians to content and stories that matter. Go Shop, our home shopping and commerce business, offers a fun and entertaining home and online shopping experience that suits the Malaysian lifestyle.
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.
MEDIA CONTACT:
pr@gnusbrands.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
ir@gnusbrands.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1407315f-a0df-4820-acde-2eae0f5b7b55
Kartoon Studios Enters Malaysian Market with Kartoon Channel! Branded Block on Astro in August 2023
New Kartoon Channel!-Branded Programming Block to Feature Slate of Safe, Gaming-Focused Content for Kids
Released July 25, 2023