Sophie "Kido" Prigent
Hari continues to thrive despite the challenging industry context, driven by its robust portfolio of IPs such as "Grizzy & The Lemmings" and "Mystery Lane." Sophie 'Kido' Prigent, Head of Distribution, discusses the company's plans for these popular brands and its goals for 2025.
What are your 2025 plans for "Grizzy & The Lemmings" and "Mystery Lane"?
"We are building on the success of our IPs. Large franchises with global fanbases are still incredibly sought after, putting us in a strong position. Hari continues to grow despite challenging market conditions. We'll prioritize expanding our franchises with more news for 'Grizzy & The Lemmings' coming throughout the year, and we'll focus on sales of previous seasons, providing high volumes of established and popular series. We now have a non-exclusive deal for 'Grizzy & The Lemmings' with Netflix, which enables us to find more homes for the show worldwide. For the US specifically, this flexibility enables us to expand the show's exposure on non-traditional and digital platforms, reaching kids on a massive scale. Our expertise is creating original series and turning them into global (and much-loved) brands. Grizzy is a great example. 'Mystery Lane' is set to follow suit; we premiered a Christmas special last year with huge ratings on France Télévisions."
Licensing and merchandising deals for these brands are also crucial. What will be your business strategy in this area?
"We have big plans for 'Grizzy & The Lemmings' to break into fashion and apparel, and it's the perfect time for us to grow this side of the business. We've kicked off in France with partners such as KFC and Hachette. More partnerships will be announced throughout the year. Hari will attend the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas in May. Licensing and merchandising play a critical role in franchise growth. It's always about being where kids and families are. Licensing deals with their favorite retailers, brands, and entertainment outlets help discovery and revenue growth and build brand affinity."
What was the global expansion for the new titles "The Weasy Family" and "Baby Lemmings"?
"'The Weasy Family' will premiere this year on CBeebies (upper pre-school slot) and BBC iPlayer, France Télévisions, Super RTL, Télé-Québec, SVT, and RTS, which is very exciting. Expansion plans are afoot for 'Mystery Lane,' with more announcements soon. 'Baby Lemmings' is in production, with the first episodes to be delivered in December. We have some fantastic partners already on board, including WarnerMedia, Discovery, France Télévisions, and Super RTL."
What will be your distribution goals for 2025?
"Finding more homes for our global franchises. We have many fantastic PSB, commercial, and SVOD partners who are now the established homes of our IPs, benefitting from their success and growth. Working with them continues to be our top priority. It's a virtuous circle, and their support helps us sustain and expand our franchises. It's increasingly important for kids' IP owners to establish additional revenue streams. That requires mass exposure, making YouTube a key platform. While platforms offering FAST channels aren't acquiring as many kids' channels as they once did, they represent opportunities for exposure and revenue. What's most important today is delivering across a complementary mix of media. Developing and executing a multi-platform, multi-window, multi-device, and multi-location presence ensures we meet audiences wherever they are and creates deeper and longer-lasting connections."
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