Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! Worldwide Partners with Powerkids Entertainment in India to ...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) has partnered for the first time with Powerkids Entertainment to launch a new co-branded kid’s channel, Powerkids Kartoon Channel!, available via various distribution platforms across India and South Asia.

Genius Brands and Powerkids Entertainment will collaborate to create a world-class service for Powerkids Kartoon Channel!, which offers content in both English and Hindi, across digital platforms throughout the region. The channel features select content from the Powerkids and Genius Brands’ catalogues, including some of the most popular children’s shows such as “Shaq’s Garage,” “Akira and Mowgli,” “Roblox Rumble,” “The Jungle Book,” “Peter Pan,” ”Robinhood,” “Lassie,” “The Psammy Show,” “Dragonero,” ”Jane and Jerry,” “Rainbow Rangers,” “Boonie Bears,” “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten,” “Sunny Bunnies,” and more.

“We are excited to partner with Genius Brands to bring our expertise in creating and distributing high-quality children's content to South Asia,” said Manoj Mishra, CEO of Powerkids Entertainment. “This collaboration combines the content resources of both companies thereby delivering a stand-out entertainment experience and will enable us to reach a wider audience and inspire a new generation of learners and thinkers.”

“Our partnership with Powerkids delivers an outstanding kids and family entertainment destination, bringing world-class programming to India, including Genius Brand’s originals. We anticipate the quality of content being delivered will be very compelling to platform partners in driving audience engagement and revenues. This valued partnership continues Kartoon Channel!’s growth across Asia,” stated President of Kartoon Channel! Worldwide Paul Robinson.

About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! is a family entertainment destination that delivers 1000s of episodes of carefully curated and safe family-friendly content. The channel features animated classics for little kids, including The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Babar, Mellodees, Super Simple Songs, Finny the Shark, and Baby Genius, as well as hit content for bigger kids, such as Angry Birds and Yu-Gi-Oh!, to original programming like Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, KC! Pop Quiz, hosted by Casey Simpson, and Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, coming in 2023. Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including Baby Genius, and more.

Kartoon Channel! is available across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android Mobile, Web, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, Comcast, Cox, Dish, Sling TV, Android TV, Xumo, Tubi, Samsung and LG Smart TVs.

Internationally, Kartoon Channel! is currently available in key territories around the world, including the recently announced Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa (StarTimes), Australia and New Zealand (Samsung TV Plus), Germany (Waipu), Philippines (Tapp Digital). Kartoon Channel! Branded blocks are also currently available daily in 69 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America and Europe.

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 IP portfolio of family-friendly content features the  Stan Lee  brand,  Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal, coming to Kartoon Channel!;  Rainbow Rangers  on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix;  Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix and more. Recently, Genius Brands entered into an agreement to acquire Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media (TSX-V: WOW), which includes 2,500 channels under the Channel Federator Network, and has also made a strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (FRA:RTV), one of Europe’s largest distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for children and families.

Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! is a globally distributed entertainment platform with 100% penetration in the U.S. television market and international expansion with launches in key markets around the world. The channel is available in the U.S. via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Roku, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart and LG TVs, the JetBlue Inflight platform and more. Genius Brands is now rolling out the subscription-based Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse, featuring metaversal content and exclusive titles. 

For additional information, please visit  www.gnusbrands.com.

About Powerkids Entertainment
Powerkids champions the exciting portfolio of intellectual property owned and managed by Powerkids Entertainment (Singapore) Pte Limited ("Powerkids Singapore"), an animation company based in Singapore. Powerkids Singapore is sponsored and managed by established investment manager OCP Asia (Singapore) Pte. Limited ("OCP Asia"). With over US$3 billion of funds under management, OCP Asia is a leading alternative manager in private markets, providing customized secured lending solutions across the Asia-Pacific region.

Powerkids Entertainment is a leading company in animation investment and intellectual property management and distribution, managed by professionals with decades of experience and established relationships within the industry. We co-produce and distribute third party partner Children's entertainment content all around the globe.

It has a track record of offering credible and efficient financing structures for a wide range of purposes across the business cycle including growth, acquisition, and recapitalisation.

Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

MEDIA CONTACT:
pr@gnusbrands.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
ir@gnusbrands.com

A photo accompanying this release can be found here:  https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/38b31a14-e2dd-4872-986a-b0e9e59aa571