French animation production studio Xilam has signed a number of broadcast deals with networks across Russia and CIS for two of its hit animated properties Oggy & the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko.
New broadcast licensees for seasons 5, 6 and 7 of Oggy & the Cockroaches are Ukraine’s PLUSPLUS, Kanal 2 in Estonia and LNK in Lithuania.
Seasons 3 and 4 of the series have also been sold to VIAPLAY in the Baltics and MTG Viasat for its channel TV3 in Latvia.
These acquisitions add to the existing deals for seasons 3 and 4 of Oggy & the Cockroaches with PLUSPLUS and Carousel TV in Russia, where the series currently airs every weekday.
Estonia’s Kanal 2 and Lithuania’s LNK are also on board for season 2 of Zig & Sharko while VIAPLAY in the Baltics recently purchased seasons 1 and 2 of the series and season 1 has been sold to TV3 in Latvia. Existing deals in the region include Carousel TV in Russia, which currently airs season 2 of the series.
“Russia and the CIS territories are an important part of our international rollout for Oggy & the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko for both broadcast and consumer products,” said Morgann Favennec, executive vice president development & global sales Xilam Animation. “These latest deals highlight how these properties have both enduring appeal and are poised to win a new generation of fans,” he added.
Zig & Sharko follows the comedic chronicles of a hungry hyena’s futile schemes to take a bite out of a beautiful, naive and theoretically delicious mermaid named Marina, who is under the protection of a tough-as-nails shark. The 2D series is created and directed by Olivier Jean-Marie and produced by Marc du Pontavice.
First aired in 1998, animated comedy Oggy & the Cockroaches is distributed in more than 160 countries and is watched in 600 million homes.
