Media I.M. Incorporated, the London-based content distribution company that specialises in premium animation and family entertainment, has closed a three-year deal with Magic Star, the global division of children’s and family entertainment at music distribution and services company The Orchard.
Under the agreement, covering all Sunny Bunnies audio content, Magic Star will distribute and promote Sunny Bunnies audio content across multiple streaming channels, including Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music, joining the likes of Peppa Pig, My Little Pony and The Rainbow Collections on Magic Star’s music roster of hit children’s brands. The deal includes 32 songs from hit YouTube series Sunny Bunnies Sing Along, which has now racked up more than 100 million views.
Meanwhile, Media I.M.’s Sunny Bunnies L&M strategy continues to gather global momentum, with two significant advances reported in the past year. Brand licensing director Gavin Metcalfe has brokered a landmark deal with Buenos Aires-based licensing agent International Merchandising SRL (IMC Licensing), under which Sunny Bunnies-branded products will be licensed across Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The agreement builds on the pre-school sensation’s impressive YouTube performance across South America. In 2023, views of the Sunny Bunnies official Spanish channel surged by 270% year on year, with growth proving particularly strong in Argentina, where Q4 23 views rocketed by 11% year-on-year alone.
In a further L&M deal, Media I.M. has extended its agreement with toy manufacturer and plush specialist Posh Paws for a further two years. Posh Paws’ range of feature plush toys with sound and movement, feature Sunny Bunnies characters Turbo, Big Boo, Iris, Shiny and Hopper are available across the UK. Under the extended deal, a newly designed range of toys will be launched later this year, supported by bespoke animated content on YouTube, TikTok and other social-media platforms.
Gavin Metcalfe said: “These latest deals demonstrate the versatility of the Sunny Bunnies brand. We are thrilled to be working with Magic Star as the market leader in children’s music distribution. Its presence in 45+ markets means that Sunny Bunnies will expand their songs of joy even further across the world. Also, International Merchandising SRL (IMC Licensing) complete the brand’s agency representation picture for the whole of South America, joining Vertical Licensing in Brazil and Televisa in Mexico”.
Media I.M. also has L&M and brand-extension relationships in place with, among others, Redan UK for magazines; Dreamscape Media for digital and physical distribution via multiple channels, including libraries; Chouette for activity books; Misirli, Hotsprings, Fan Mania and Poetic Brands for apparel; Ligsy for children’s party products and Yoto Play for songs on Yoto players and platforms.