The Game Catchers’ season 1 (52×7.5’), co-produced by Sphere Animation (formerly Sardine Productions) and Studio Bozzetto, was picked up by Finish pubcaster YLE for broadcast on its Free-to-Air channel and on its VOD platform Yle Areena. It was also acquired by Singapore’s MediaCorp for broadcast on its Free-to-Air channel Channel 5 and VOD platform weWATCH, and Hong Kong’s PCCW for release on ViuTV Free-to-Air channel. Wing Sight also acquired all VOD rights of the series for an up-coming launch in China.
These new agreements follow the launch of the series on RAI Yoyo, where it was the “most watched preschool program in January”, also ranking at the top of the VOD charts in Italy. The Game Catchers also premiered on ICI Radio-Canada Télé last month and in Spain on Canal Panda (KidsMe-DeAgostini).
Following its successful launch, both RAI Ragazzi and ICI Radio-Canada Télé are confirming the commissioning of a second season of 52 new episodes.
The Game Catchers (52×7.5’), a series directed at children aged 3 to 5 years old, tells the story of a group of five friends on their interstellar journeys to explore fantastic planets, with the aim of learning about, playing and collecting games so they are never lost, while making new friends along the way. Active and engaging playground games, relatable for the whole family, are at the heart of each episode, where our tiny heroes make new friends along the way.
The Game Catchers won the Pulcinella Award for Best Preschool series at the 25th edition of Cartoons on the Bay last December.
Christophe Goldberger, GoldBee Managing Director: “We are thrilled to see such great ratings generated by The Game Catchers, and the quick decision to produce a second season by the original commissioners says a lot about the success of the series.”
Pietro Pinetti, CEO Studio Bozzetto: “We are very proud of our product and thankful to Rai Ragazzi and ICI Radio-Canada Télé, who since the first episode believed in The Game Catchers. We hope will be an even bigger success.”
Ghislain Cyr, SVP Original Content Animation & Producer Sphere Animation (formerly Sardine Productions) “It is fantastic to count on such supportive partners from both sides of the ocean. We feel privileged to continue this adventure with our friends at Studio Bozzetto and soon to be able to offer even more great stories to our local and international audiences.”
GoldBee has been appointed as distributor for global rights except for Spanish speaking territories and Central Europe, where ForFun Distribution will manage the rights. KidsMe will manage nonlinear rights for Italy and all audio-visual rights for Spain and Portugal.
