Content Deal Includes Prominent Kids and Family Titles and Supports Genius Brands' and Cinedigm's Expansion in Growing Ad-Supported Streaming Space
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 20, 2021 / Cinedigm (NASDAQ:CIDM) announced today a digital content partnership with Genius Brands International (NASDAQ:GNUS) "Genius Brands" for its wildly popular Kartoon Channel!, a ‘smart and safe' streaming channel offering family-friendly content. Kartoon Channel! is a premiere source of free, ad-supported kids' and family content with partnerships with major broadcasters, streamers and on-demand services.
Cinedigm's agreement with Kartoon Channel!, whose channel message is ‘Fun, Family Friendly and FREE,' encompasses Video On Demand (VOD) as well as linear Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) rights. As part of the content deal, Cinedigm will provide some of the most popular films and series from around the globe. Movies launching on Kartoon Channel! include the animated feature, Cinderella, Hero Quest featuring the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone and Milla Jovovich, and the heartwarming story of friendship Bunyan & Babe with characters voiced by John Goodman, Kelsey Grammar and Jeff Foxworthy. The partnership also includes five seasons (236 episodes) of the popular anime series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and holiday favorites like The Nutcracker for families to enjoy together.
Cinedigm's content offering will be found on all the platforms currently distributing Kartoon Channel! including Apple and Android platforms, Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, Xumo, Dish, Sling and more.
"As we continue to expand into the AVOD and FAST spaces, we are committed to partnering with gold standard companies and brands," said Cinedigm CEO, Chris McGurk. "Having worked with Andy Heyward for decades and knowing the Genius Brands team, I know that Kartoon Channel! fits this goal well. Andy has always been a pioneering industry leader in creating and distributing Kid's and Family content and the Kartoon Channel! is another compelling example of his innovative leadership. Having been a part of many successful partnerships over my career I am certain this one has all of the right hallmarks."
"I began working with Chris when he was President of Walt Disney Studios, then in his role as Vice Chairman and COO of MGM, and now as CEO of Cinedigm, where I have continued to admire his business skills. Chris is a tremendously accomplished executive and an excellent leader who brings with him his Midas Touch everywhere he goes," Said Genius Brands Chairman & CEO, Andy Heyward. "I'm thrilled to be in business with Chris and his team again and look forward to an expansion of this partnership in the months and years to come, to create value together for our shareholders."
Additional films included in the initial content distribution partnership include:
- Snow White
- Puss in Boots: A Furry Tail
- The Hive
- Twinkle Toes Lights Up New York
- Tad: The Lost Explorer
- Hatched
- A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventure
- A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape From Paradise
Cinedigm continues to focus on bringing well-established brands from around the world in film & television content to the growing ad-supported marketplace. Opportunities for premium content remain strong within the ad-supported streaming space as traditional cable and satellite services continue to lose subscribers. Kartoon Channel! is the ideal partner for a content partnership deal since the company has proven to be a leading destination for family-friendly audiences. Cinedigm also recently closed new deals with NBC Universal's Peacock, Kanopy, Fubo, Plex, Redbox AVOD, Local Now AVOD, Fuse and opened LATAM for PlutoTV and Tubi.
ABOUT GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL
Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children's entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company's award-winning ‘content with a purpose' portfolio includes the upcoming Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, for Kartoon Channel!; Shaq's Garage, starring Shaquille O'Neal for Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers for Nick Jr.; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, for Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands' IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company's new Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple i0s, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs. For additional information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.
ABOUT  CINEDIGM
For more than twenty years, Cinedigm (NASDAQ:CIDM) has led the digital transformation of the entertainment industry. Today, Cinedigm entertains hundreds of millions of consumers around the globe by providing premium content, streaming channels and technology services to the world's largest media, technology and retail companies. For more information, visit http://www.cinedigm.com/.
Cinedigm uses, and will continue to use, its website, press releases, SEC filings, and various social media channels, including Twitter (https://twitter.com/cinedigm), LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cinedigm/), Facebook (https://facebook.com/Cinedigm), StockTwits (https://stocktwits.com/CinedigmCorp) and the Company website (www.cinedigm.com) as additional means of disclosing public information to investors, the media and others interested in the Company. It is possible that certain information that the Company posts on its website, disseminated in press releases, SEC filings, and on social media could be deemed to be material information, and the Company encourages investors, the media and others interested in the Company to review the business and financial information that the Company posts on its website, disseminates in press releases, SEC filings and on the social media channels identified above, as such information could be deemed to be material information.
Press Contact for CIDM:
DKC Public Relations
cinedigm@dkcnews.com
Press Contact for GNUS:
PR@gnusbrands.com
Investor Relations Contact for GNUS:
IR@gnusbrands.com
SOURCE: Cinedigm Corp.
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