Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Collectibles Startup Mighty Jaxx Scores Additional $3.2m in Pre-Series A Round; To Expand Nickelodeon Collectibles Program

Singapore’s Mighty Jaxx, a startup that designs and manufactures collectibles and lifestyle products, has announced that it has raised an additional S$4.5 million (US$3.2 million) to round out its pre-series A round.


The investment, which was led by Korea’s KB Investment, pushes the company’s total capital raised to over S$6.6 million (US$4.7 million), according to a statement. Participating investors include existing backer SGInnovate and US-based VC Greycroft Partners through the GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, which is focused on VR, augmented reality, video games, and e-sports.

Mighty Jaxx plans to funnel the new funds into the development of its proprietary technology platform called MightyVerse, which it first started to build after securing its first tranche of funding last year.

With the platform, Mighty Jaxx aims to leverage Singapore’s GovTech OpenCert program to allow it to issue permanent and tamper-resistant certificates to each of its collectibles. The tech-enabled collectibles have been rolled out in phases since the start of the year, said the startup. It’s targeting to ship out 5 million units for 2020.

The company will also use part of the funds to ramp up production for the second half of the year, as it recently onboarded entertainment giants Hasbro and Nickelodeon on new global licensing deals.


Since its launch in 2012, Mighty Jaxx has produced collectibles under partnerships with global brands such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, DC Comics, Looney Tunes, and Sesame Street, among others.

Mighty Jaxx has previously released 'dissected' XXray vinyl figures designed by Jason Freeny inspired by Nickelodeon's Rugrats, SpongeBob and CatDog.

In July 2019, it raised nearly US$1.6 million in the first close of its pre-series A round. It was led by local startup growth platform Eight Mercatus, with SGInnovate following on.

Nickelodeon’s ‘The Casagrandes’ Moves In at No. 1 in Key Latin American Territories

Nickelodeon Latin America (Latinoamérica) announced that the premiere of The Casagrandes on Friday, April 3, 2020 secured the No. 1 spot in key markets in the region! The show topped rankings on Nickelodeon in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil, including all kids pay TV channels with kids 7-14 (according to Kantar IBOPE Media). Additionally, the show’s short-form content on Nick Play, the network’s app, generated over 130K video views.


The new series follows the adventures of a multi generational Mexican-American family and is a spinoff of the Emmy Award-winning The Loud House. The Casagrandes tells the story of 11-year-old Ronnie Anne, who moves to the city with her mom and older brother to live with their big, loving family: The Casagrandes. The series is locally titled Los Casagrandes in Latin America and Os Casagrandes in Brazil.

The series debuted as part of Nickelodeon Latinoamérica's ABRILÍSIMO programming stunt, which also includes the launch of the all-new show It's Pony along with new episodes of Noobees season two and Henry Danger.


The show airs Fridays at 6 p.m. in Mexico, 3 p.m. in Colombia, 4 p.m. in Venezuela and Chile, 19:30 (7:30 p.m.) in Argentina and 18:00 (6 p.m.) in Brazil (Brasil) on Nickelodeon Latin America.

From Prensario Internacional:

Nickelodeon: Los Casagrandes debuta con éxito en Latinoamérica

Nickelodeon Latinoamérica anunció que el estreno de Los Casagrandes el pasado 3 de abril, alcanzó el lugar #1 en algunos territorios de la región, de acuerdo a datos de Kantar Ibope Media.

La nueva serie animada de Nickelodeo ocupó el lugar #1 en Argentina, México y Brasil, incluyendo todos los canales de niños 7-14 de TV paga. Además, el contenido de formato corto del programa en la app de Nick Play, generó más de 130,000 vistas.

Los Casagrandes, es el spin off de la serie ganadora del Emmy The Loud House, que sigue las aventuras de una familia Mexicana-americana multigeneracional y cuenta la historia de Ronnie Anne, una niña de 11 años que se muda a la ciudad con su mamá y su hermano mayor para vivir con su gran familia, Los Casagrandes.

El show se transmite todos los viernes a las 3pm Colombia / 4pm Venezuela / 6pm México, Brasil y Chile / 7:30pm Argentina por Nickelodeon Latinoamérica.

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More Nick: Nickelodeon Latin America Launches #ChicosUnidos, A Prosocial Initiative to Help Kids and Families Stay Informed and Engaged With Activities

Original source: Animation Magazine; H/T: Special thanks to TadeuGT for the news!
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Sling TV May Drop ViacomCBS Channels in Fresh Dispute with DISH

It appears that ViacomCBS-owned channels like Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount Network, and VH1 are at risk of being dropped from Sling TV, the over-the-top (OTT) internet television (IPTV) service from Dish.


Nick Jr., BET, and Comedy Central are currently part of Sling’s Blue Plan ($30 a month), while the rest are a part of various add-ons to the Sling service. Viacom (now ViacomCBS) and Dish signed a multi-year deal in April 2016, which would appear to expire in the next week.

In preparation for a potential blackout, Sling has prepared an announcement page (that has since been removed) that says they are “fighting on your behalf to get these channels back.”


On Dish Network’s online channel guide, they had added a channel to their line-up that says “Viacom is threatening to remove your access to their channels. Visit DISHPromise.com for more information,” which has yet to be updated.


ViacomCBS' KeepViacom.com, which is utilized by the media company to warn viewers that their TV provider may be about to drop their favorite channels, has yet to be updated.

Before ViacomCBS' agreement with Dish was finalized in April 2016, ViacomCBS used KeepViacom.com on-screen lower-third graphics to warn viewers of the then-potential blackout.

The Streamable has reached out to Dish Network and ViacomCBS for official confirmation, but neither have responded for comment.

The two sides may very well come to a deal ahead of the end of the contract’s expiration, but it’s clear that it will come down to the wire. Last year, ViacomCBS had a carriage dispute with AT&T, over their carriage on DirecTV and DIRECTV NOW (now called AT&T TV NOW).

ViacomCBS channels are currently available to stream most widely on Philo ($20), as well as fuboTV ($55) and AT&T TV NOW ($55).

More Nick: Netflix and Nickelodeon Form Multi-Year Output Deal to Produce Original Animated Films and Series!

Additional source: Wikipedia.
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ViacomCBS Signs New Deals for Nickelodeon with MEO and Vodafone in Portugal

VIACOMCBS SIGNS NEW DEALS WITH MEO AND VODAFONE IN PORTUGAL

Nickelodeon will now be available to more than 4M households in the region


Milan, 14th April 2020 – ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) today announced new distribution agreements with operators MEO and Vodafone in Portugal to bring Nickelodeon and other iconic ViacomCBS brands, as well as premium SVOD services, to more viewers across their platforms.

As a result of the extended agreements with MEO and Vodafone, customers will be able to watch their favorite Nickelodeon content for the first time, including much-loved animations, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, live-action series, like Henry Danger, and iconic Nickelodeon events like the Kids’ Choice Awards.

The newly added Nickelodeon linear channel, which will now be available on all platforms around Portugal, joins the MEO and Vodafone portfolios alongside ViacomCBS channels MTV and VH1, which were already available to customers as part of previous deals.

In addition to the extended linear distribution, these agreements include the launch of new SVOD premium services, which will be available in the upcoming months, to satisfy viewers’ non-linear consumption preferences.

“Our agreements with MEO and Vodafone demonstrate ViacomCBS’ strength as a content partner in Portugal. With these new offerings, we are proud to distribute Nickelodeon through all operators in the market and continue these important long-term partnerships,” commented Raffaele Annecchino, President ViacomCBS Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia. “Now more than ever, kids and families are seeking variety and entertainment, and it’s a privilege to support them by delivering the fun and positivity of Nickelodeon in this challenging moment.”

The news follows VCNI and Sky announcing a multi-year deal in German-speaking markets in March 2020. As a result of this new agreement, Nick Jr. and NickToons content are now available to Sky customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (GAS), giving them access to much-loved kids’ shows such as PAW Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants. The agreement further broadens and strengthens the long-standing relationship between ViacomCBS and Sky across Europe, with Sky already distributing ViacomCBS’ TV networks and content and selling advertising across its portfolio of channels in the UK and Italy.


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From Meios & Publicidade:

NICKELODEON ALARGA DISTRIBUIÇÃO COM ENTRADA NA VODAFONE

Nickelodeon - SpongeBob SquarePantsApós ter anunciado a chegada ao Meo no início do mês, deixando de ser um exclusivo NOS, o canal infanto-juvenil Nickelodeon volta agora a alargar a sua distribuição com a integração na oferta do serviço de televisão da Vodafone. O canal detido pela Viacom fica disponível a partir desta terça-feira, 14 de Abril, na posição 60 da grelha de canais da operadora.

“Em 2020, e numa altura particularmente desafiante para as famílias portuguesas, cumprimos um dos nossos maiores sonhos – estar presente nos principais operadores de televisão do país”, sublinha, em comunicado, o Nickelodeon Portugal, acrescentando que “graças ao Meo e à Vodafone conseguiremos alargar o nosso alcance e chegar a mais crianças e jovens em todo o país, que hoje procuram e precisam, mais do que nunca, de conteúdos de qualidade, criados exclusivamente a pensar neles e nas suas necessidades”.

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From NiT.pt:

Canal Nickelodeon chega à Vodafone

“SpongeBob”, “Thundermans” ou “Henry Danger” já podem ser vistos em mais uma operadora em Portugal.

Ocanal Nickelodeon, especializado em programas e séries para miúdos e adolescentes, chegou a Portugal em 2005. Mas só agora ficou disponível na Vodafone, na posição 60 da grelha, depois de, no início deste mês de abril, ter chegado ao MEO.

Este canal de televisão transmite clássicos como “SpongeBob” ou “As Tartarugas Ninja”, mas também sucessos recentes como “Thundermans”, “Henry Danger” ou “Loud em Casa”. Não vão faltar opções para toda a família.

Pode ser um canal especialmente útil e valioso nesta altura de isolamento social, em que os miúdos estão em casa, pelo facto de as escolas estarem encerradas, e estarem a precisar de serem entretidos.

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More Nick: Noggin Launches on Apple TV in Over 25 Territories!

H/T: TVKIDS, special thanks to RegularCapital WarnerMedia Animation News for the news!
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H2O - just add water S1 E12 - The Siren Effect (full episode) | NickRetro

H2O - just add water S1 E12 - The Siren Effect (full episode)


Watch the full episode 12 of H2O - just add water :) As another full moon approaches, Rikki pushes Cleo into a karaoke contest at the JuiceNet cafe, not realising that Cleo cannot sing. After embarrassing herself in front of everybody listening, Cleo heads back home with Emma, Rikki and Lewis to prepare for the full moon. But despite all their preparations, Cleo glimpses the moon in the reflection of some water in the bathroom sink, but when she touches the water, she doesn't turn into a mermaid. Cleo then stands before everyone in the house, and, to Rikki and Emma's surprise, sings with the most beautiful voice imaginable.

Subscribe to the official H2O - Just Add Water YouTube channel!: http://www.youtube.com/H2OtheOfficial?sub_confirmation=1

More H2O - Just Add Water!: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/search/label/H2O%20-%20Just%20Add%20Water

Watch more FULL EPISODES of NickRetro Hits!: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/search/label/NickRetro

More Nick: Nickelodeon Acquires Rights to 'The Bureau of Magical Things' Season 2!
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