Following another edition of MIFA, the distributor company Mediatoon Distribution, part of French entertainment powerhouse Média-Participations, and producer Bayard Animation, subsidiary company of Bayard Jeunesse, announce a new milestone on their longstanding partnership.
Mediatoon Distribution will oversee international sales for the second season of "ZOUK" (52X11’), now in production and expected to be delivered in 2026. Commissioned by Canal+, in co-production with Caribara, and targeting upper-preschool audiences, "ZOUK" follows the hilarious adventures of a big-hearted and brave little witch with her friends. The show is a 2D adaptation from the famous character created by Serge Bloch,
the father of icons of children literature such as SamSam, and Nicolas Hubesch. Mediatoon Distribution will also handle global sales for the first season of the show (52X11’), coproduced with Normaal Animation, already available for delivery.
Morgann Favennec, Deputy Managing Director of Mediatoon praised their partners: “We are delighted to continue strengthening our ties with Bayard Animation. Welcoming the adorable 'Zouk' to our catalog reinforces the complementarity between our two groups, which share the same commitment to quality," stated.
Bayard Animation and Mediatoon Distribution are also enhancing their partnership in digital distribution with the addition of the preschool hit "Little Brown Bear’s" digital rights to Mediatoon’s extensive catalog. A huge phenomenon on social media, and notably on YouTube, Little Brown Bear is a 3D adaptation of one of the biggest preschool publishing franchises, with more than 25 million books sold.
The 52 X 7’ episodes of the show will be exploited by Mediatoon’s digital team in a multichannel and global strategy, focused on growing the brand's awareness internationally. In addition, Mediatoon Distribution will continue to manage the international sales of "The Adventures of Little Brown Bear", a 2D adaptation of the
same franchise.
Alexandre Neck, Digital Media Manager of Mediatoon, gave hints about the strategy: “Our first aim is to continue growing the French YouTube channel, which has just passed the million- subscriber mark, and to roll out the brand internationally on the platform by creating new channels. By combining longer videos with optimized short formats, we're convinced that the brand will be able to reach a new and very broad audience," explained.
A singular and innovative player in the audiovisual field, thanks to its original IPs from its parent company Bayard Jeunesse, Bayard Animation has been consolidating a long- established partnership with Mediatoon over the last few years. Mediatoon is currently managing global distribution for SamSam: "Cosmic Adventures" (52X11’), a new 3D show based on the beloved French character, successfully launched last year at MIPJunior with Bayard Animation and Folivari. The new show further expands the narrative and aesthetic universe of SamSam, already represented by two seasons also distributed by Mediatoon. Finally, Mediatoon is behind the international sales for the popular kids comedy "Tom and Lili" (52x7’), one of the most praised productions from Bayard Animation.
Alexandre Hénin, Managing Director of Bayard Animation, concludes: “Bayard Animation and Mediatoon have established a trusted relationship over many years. We are delighted to entrust them with the distribution of our series 'Zouk' as well as the digital exploitation of 'Little Brown Bear', two iconic properties of Bayard Jeunesse that we now wish to expand internationally as part of our development," noted.