Acamar Films’ preschool hit Bing has now been streamed over one billion times on BBC iPlayer, making it one of the most popular series nationally, across all genres, on the platform.
The milestone complements Bing’s continued expansion as Acamar also confirms broadcast agreements with key national broadcasters: the BBC, Rai, France Télévisions and NPO, as well as leading partners in Australia and Malaysia to extend the property’s global reach and success.
“Any series being streamed over a billion times on BBC iPlayer is a rare achievement,” commented Michael Shields, ceo at Acamar Films. “We are so proud to have hit this incredible milestone and we’re all so grateful to the many UK families who have invited Bing into their cherished daily routines over the last eight years.
“We are also grateful to our partners, the BBC, who have continued to recognise Bing’s power to support the healthy development of young children. Our new agreement with them will allow us to continue to share Bing, Flop and their friends with audiences for years to come.”
Kate Morton, senior head of commissioning for CBeebies, continued: “From toddlers trying to understand big feelings and new experiences, to their parents trying so hard to support and guide them, every family has a special place in their hearts for Bing and his friends. He is much-loved and much-watched by millions of preschoolers and will continue to be a CBeebies favourite for years to come.”
Bing will now be available to a wider global audience thanks to significant growth in Acamar’s global distribution agreements.
“Our growth in renewals with leading broadcasters is helping our existing audience to deepen their connection with Bing across Europe, as well as globally and strongly reinforcing the universal, timeless values of our characters and storytelling,” commented Eroulla Constantine, executive director, sales and distribution at Acamar Films.
New European broadcast deals have been struck with the BBC, which will continue to air all four seasons (104 episodes), as well as a 22-minute extended Christmas special.
In Italy, Rai has signed an agreement to renew its rights – in addition to the extension of previously held rights, the deal introduces new and exclusive non-episodic Bing content including the Italian premiere of Bing and his Friends at the Cinema.
France Télévisions has now acquired series three of Bing following the success of series one and two on France 5, as well as on its Okoo digital platform, while, in the Netherlands, NPO has renewed its agreement to continue to air all 104 episodes on the Zeppelin channel. The new agreement with the national broadcaster includes a range of new character compilations for the first time.
Acamar Films has also reached an agreement with DreamWorks, the 24-hour kids and family entertainment channel from NBCUniversal, which sees Bing broadcast twice daily on DreamWorks in The Netherlands.
In addition to the new European agreements, Acamar has also extended its audience reach with Malaysian SVOD platform, Durioo+ which has the rights to stream 78 localised episodes of Bing in Malay.
In Australia, Italian-speaking Bing fans will be able to access Bing on the Il Globo TV streaming platform as the service launches Bing as one of its first children’s titles for the country.
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