PARIS - Xilam Animation (Paris:XIL), a prominent French animation studio, has recently announced significant global broadcasting partnerships for its animated series Zig & Sharko and Karate Sheep. The studio reported a substantial 93.5 million hours of viewing on Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) for its content in the first half of 2023, marking it as the European studio with the most extensive presence on the platform.
According to the Netflix report 'What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,' covering January to June 2023, Xilam's series Zig & Sharko and Karate Sheep were particularly successful. Zig & Sharko's later seasons accumulated 40 million viewing hours, while Karate Sheep, released in late 2022, achieved 20 million hours within its first four months. Additionally, the preschool spin-off Oggy Oggy and the sequel Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation collectively garnered over 33 million hours of views.
The studio's CEO, Marc du Pontavice, expressed pride in the global popularity of their slapstick comedies and the strong performance of their series on Netflix. He highlighted the importance of fun-loving characters and hilarious escapades in their content's success.
New broadcast partners for Zig & Sharko include K+ Vietnam and Media Prima Malaysia, along with renewals from Netflix and other long-term partners. The fourth season of the series, comprising 78 seven-minute episodes, has been sold to various broadcasters across France, Africa, Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, and Greece.
Karate Sheep has also expanded its reach with Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) (Italy), Sony (NYSE:SONY) (India), Youku (China), Nova (Czech Republic), and Etisalat (United Arab Emirates) joining as new partners. The series, co-commissioned by Super RTL in Germany and Netflix, holds second-window global linear TV distribution and merchandising rights.
Xilam, recognized for its creativity and innovation in animation, distributes content in over 190 countries, catering to both children and adults. The company has a robust catalogue featuring more than 2,800 episodes and three feature films, including the Oscar-nominated I Lost My Body.
The information provided is based on a press release statement.
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