- Everyone TV has struck a deal with e-commerce giant Amazon to put its BBC- and ITV-backed streamer Freely on Amazon Fire TVs later this year. The AVOD service launched in April and currently offers more than 70,000 hours of content, including iconic kids shows Shaun The Sheep, Thomas and Friends, Arthur and Mallory Towers from several of the UK’s public broadcasters.
- Viva Pictures has picked up US theatrical distribution rights to Copper Heart Entertainment/Charades Productions’ CG-animated feature film Night of the Zoopocalypse (pictured). The distributor is planning a March 2025 release for the family film in which a mountain lion and a wolf team up to save their zoo’s animals from an alien virus threatening to turn them into mutants.
- The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has selected Two Daughters Entertainment’s flagship character Moley to serve as its global ambassador for next year’s Global Action Days campaign. Through the partnership, FEE will develop a package of resources featuring Moley and the citizens of Moletown that are designed to teach kids how they can tackle environmental challenges and improve their personal well-being. The two-week event kicks off on April 22 (World Earth Day).
- Toys “R” Us India franchisee Ace Turtle plans to begin making toys in India, rather than importing them from China. The decision comes on the heels of new regulations implemented last year by the government’s Bureau of Indian Standards that have raised customs on toys imported from China from 20% to 70%. Ace Turtle’s plan is to work with Indian manufacturers and start selling locally produced toys in the five TRU storefronts it operates by Q2 2025. The company also intends to open seven new locations in the next six months, aiming for 50 in the market within three years.
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