France-based Cyber Group Studios, creator of the popular Gigantosaurus preschool TV series, has partnered with Beijing-based Pacific Media Group to manage and distribute the series, related consumer products, and marketing in China.
While the series has mainly been broadcasting and streaming in France, Canada, and the U.S., it premiered in China last year on Dec. 23 as part of a strategic agreement with Alibaba Group’s Youku, one of China’s top online streaming video platforms. Gigantosaurus has ranked in first place in the Popularity Lists of Youku’s animation from foreign territories since its launch.
Gigantosaurus was featured on Youku’s homepage for almost a week with a variety of content ranging from short video clips to downloadable graphics, which is only the second time an international animated series has had such significant promotion on the platform.
“Gigantosaurus has already been a huge success with its lovely tales of four adorable dinosaurs, Rocky, Mazu, Bill, and Tiny, that convey friendship, kindness, and bravery to children and encourage them to collaborate as a team to solve challenges under the watchful eyes of the fierce Gigantosaurus,” says Grace Hung, the co-founder of Pacific Media.
In addition to its successful debut on Youku, Gigantosaurus began airing Monday through Friday with five episodes a day on CCTV14. CCTV is the predominant public TV network in Mainland China, with 50 channels accessible to one billion viewers. On Jan. 24, Gigantosaurus characters Mazu and Tiny appeared on CCTV’s New Year’s Eve Gala, also known as the Spring Festival Gala, or Chunwan in Chinese. The special is the most-watched entertainment TV program in the world, with an audience of nearly a billion people. Gigantosaurus’ characters are part of a very small group of foreign children’s characters who have been asked to appear on the program, which started in 1983 and features China’s biggest stars.
“I cannot think of an animated television series for children from outside of China that has had both the enormous launch and gigantic favorable response that Gigantosuaurs has had in such a short time, ” says Richard Goldsmith, president and CEO of Cyber Group Studios USA.
Gigantosaurus consumer products and other entertainment, including a live tour, are expected to reach Chinese consumers in the coming months. Jakks Pacific, the master toy licensee for the brand, has already begun shipping products in Mainland China.
