Silvergate Media’s new Peter Rabbit animated preschool series, which is based on the classic Beatrix Potter tales, has secured pre-sale deals with ABC TV Australia, France Television, RTE Ireland, SVT Sweden, NRK Norway and Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.

The new deals follow a recent sale to CBeebies in the UK.

The series, co-produced with Brown Bag Films, Penguin UK and Nickelodeon US, consists of 50 x 11-minute and three half-hour specials and will launch this year in the US, UK, France and Australia. A half-hour Christmas Special, Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale, premiered in December 2012.

Silvergate Media holds worldwide licensing and merchandising rights for the Classic Peter Rabbit and holds all audiovisual, licensing and merchandising rights for the new CGI Peter Rabbit worldwide, excluding the Americas and India, which are controlled by Nickelodeon US. Penguin will be supporting the animation in 2013 with a full publishing program with other licensed merchandise to follow.