Chinese SVOD giant Tencent has signed an exclusive three-year distribution deal with UK game developer Zeptolab for seasons six through 10 of its hit animated web series Om Nom Stories.
The long-running series follows the adventures of the candy-craving Om Nom from Zeptolab’s hit mobile game Cut the Rope. Since launching in 2012, the 80 x 3.5-minute series has generated more than 10 billion views worldwide across its YouTube channel and VOD platforms. Zeptolab, which recently launched the first-ever 360-degree episode of Om Nom Stories on YouTube, is currently in production on seasons 11 through 14 of the show with the newest season slated to debut in January 2019.
Seasons one through five are incredibly popular in the region, gaining more than one billion views in the first month of being launched online across Tencent, iQIYI and Youku. Through its non-exclusive deal, Tencent has also launched the first five seasons on smaller Chinese VODs such as Sohu Video and Mango TV.
Since the first Cut the Rope game debuted in October 2010, the franchise has been downloaded more than 1.2 billion times worldwide. Other titles include Cut the Rope: Experiments, Cut the Rope: Time Travel, Cut the Rope 2 and Cut the Rope: Magic. In addition, the IP has expanded globally into consumer product categories including toys, clothes and other licensed merchandise.
Tencent’s Om Nom deal follows the company’s most recent deal with distributor Beijing Time Flying Fish for Canadian producer Squeeze’s popular 3D-animated series Cracké.