France Télévisions has picked up TV, home entertainment and L&M rights in France to the new animated series Peter Rabbit from UK indie Silvergate Media.

Silvergate has also appointed France Télévisions as the international sales rep for the Beatrix Potter juggernaut and preschool show Octonauts, both of which are produced by Brown Bag Films in Ireland.

The commercial division of the French public TV group will manage sales of the TV rights to both shows for a number of territories across Europe, Asia and Africa. CBeebies is their UK platform, and commissioning broadcaster Nickelodeon airs Peter Rabbit in the US, while Octonauts airs on Disney Channel US.

Co-produced with Penguin UK and Nickelodeon US, the new Peter Rabbit series consists of 50 11-minute episodes and three half-hour specials. Additional launches are set to take place this year in the UK and Australia.

Prior to this deal, Silvergate handled all international TV sales for the properties. The company will retain responsibility for TV sales in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan and Latin America

Silvergate owns the worldwide licensing and merchandising rights to classic Peter Rabbit and all audiovisual, licensing and merchandising rights to 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, and licensees in several other categories will follow suit. For Octonauts, Silvergate holds all audiovisual and worldwide licensing and merchandising rights.