Moonbug Entertainment is about to broaden its youngsters’s empire on Netflix, betting that the Blippi universe has room for progress.
When Candle Media, the Blackstone-backed content material rollup led by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, acquired Moonbug Entertainment final 12 months at a $3 billion valuation, a lot of the eye was on Cocomelon.
The animated preschool franchise is without doubt one of the hottest channel homeowners on YouTube, and its Netflix present is without doubt one of the hottest children applications on the streaming platform. But Moonbug, below its new possession, has additionally been in search of to broaden, buying the Little Angel YouTube franchise earlier this 12 months.
Now, it’s utilizing one among its personal manufacturers, Blippi, as a leaping off level.
To that finish, Netflix will launch the primary spin-off present set on this planet of Blippi starring Meekah, a personality performed by Kaitlin Becker who was first launched on the Blippi YouTube channel final 12 months. The collection, Meekah, will debut Dec. 1 on Netflix in English, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking nations.
But the Netflix present is only one a part of Moonbug’s plan. The firm additionally launched a 20-track Meekah-branded musical album, and is growing Meekah-themed merchandise. A standalone Meekah YouTube channel launched within the spring has quietly amassed 500,000 subscribers, and an upcoming Blippi stay tour will embody Meekah in a starring function.
It’s all a part of a push to construct a library of formidable mental property within the youngsters’s leisure area, the place success, if carried out nicely, can present dividends for many years.
Blippi, the live-action character created by actor Stevin John in 2014, was acquired by Moonbug in 2020. The firm now says that Meekah is more likely to be simply the primary of many new characters from that universe.
“Meekah is our first addition to the Blippi universe and she has proven to be an instant hit with fans. In fact, we see a double-digit increase in viewers for episodes that feature Meekah,” stated Andy Yeatman, managing director of the Americas for Moonbug Entertainment. “This is such an exciting milestone for the Blippi franchise, we can’t wait to see how kids continue to connect with this character on and off screen.”
