BEIJING, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, Inc.
(NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an
innovative market-leading online entertainment service in
China, announced today that its
original CG-animated series in collaboration with Nickelodeon
International and VIS Kids, a division of ViacomCBS International
Studios, Deer Squad, will premiere on Nickelodeon in
the U.S. on January 25th,
2021. The airing of Deer Squad in the US market is a testament to
the high quality of this iQIYI original animation and marks the
successful entry of Chinese animation into an international
market.
An adventure-rescue animation, Deer Squad tells the story
of four lovable, enthusiastic and heroic deer friends Kai, Lola,
Rammy and Bobbi, who protect the animals of Central Forest and the
humans who inhabit Platinum City, a futuristic metropolis
surrounding their woodland home. When there's trouble, the Deer
summon their Planet Powers and transform into a team that can solve
problems using their Planet Powers of Water (Kai), Wood (Lola),
Earth (Bobbi) and Sun (Rammy). The animation series premiered on
iQIYI on July 15, 2020 and was the
most played show on the Chinese internet for seven consecutive
weeks among all animations aired in the past four months.
Nickelodeon International aired Deer Squad across Asia in August
2020, including on iQIYI's platform in China. The show premiered in Australia, New
Zealand and the UK later in the year. It was the #1 show in
the Philippines amongst kids
2-141, ranked Nick Jr. as the #1 STV channel in
Australia among kids 0-4 during
Deer Squad premieres2 and averaged +148% in
the UK compared to the timeslot benchmark3. It is
scheduled to air in Europe and
Africa in March 2021.
Created with a global audience in mind, Deer
Squad is a successful attempt for iQIYI to enter the
international animation market with its own animation
IP. iQIYI initiated the cooperation with the Nickelodeon
International and ViacomCBS International Studio (VIS) Kids teams,
collaborating throughout the entire production process and
providing crucial feedback to help bridge the cultural gap between
Chinese and international audiences. This innovative in-depth
collaboration model has provided new avenues and possibilities for
domestic animation to travel beyond its own shores.
In terms of production values, Deer Squad was
benchmarked against the highest international standard in
order to perfect the show's screenplay, character design, animation
effects and other aspects, which will be key to its success in the
competitive international market.
Yang Xiaoxuan, Vice President of iQIYI and Head of Original
Animation and Investment said, "Deer Squad is a major breakthrough
for iQIYI's development of original children's animation,
creatively supervised by Nickelodeon. We appreciate Nickelodeon's
international broadcasting strategy on the show, and it is great
news that we have achieved No.1 in viewership in many regions. We
hope that there will be more Chinese original animations to go
international."
"We first partnered with iQIYI on the series with a worldwide
audience in mind. We're incredibly proud to see this original
pre-school series become the first global Chinese-originated
collaborative project as we further our commitment to developing
kids-first content from around the world," said Nina Hahn, Senior Vice President of
International Production & Development for Nickelodeon
International and Head of VIS Kids.
iQIYI has been expanding its global resources and partnerships
in the children's animation space in recent years, working with
renowned animation houses to provide premium content. In the
future, iQIYI will deliver on its commitment of creating
high-quality and original IPs and look to further expand its IP
industry chain by hosting events and developing spin-offs and
merchandise. These initiatives will allow the Company to realize
the full commercial value of its IPs while simultaneously enhancing
the children's content industry and boosting the international
competitiveness of Chinese-made original animation.
About iQIYI, Inc.
iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment
service in China. Its corporate
DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an
environment for continuous innovation and the production of
blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular
original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other
professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user
generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the online
entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered
by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary
technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous
user engagement and has developed a diversified monetization model
including membership services, online advertising services, content
distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online
literature and e-commerce.
About Nickelodeon International
Nickelodeon, now in its 41st year, is the number-one
entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global
business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand
includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus
consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing
and feature films. Nickelodeon is one of the most globally
recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands
for kids and family, available in nearly 400 million households
across 170+ countries and territories, via more than 80+ locally
programmed channels and branded blocks. Outside of the United States, Nickelodeon is part of
ViacomCBS Networks International, a division of ViacomCBS Inc.
(Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC). For more information or artwork,
visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related
titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS
Inc.
About ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS)
Introduced in 2018, ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) is a
division of ViacomCBS Networks International that produces content
for ViacomCBS brands and platforms, including Paramount+,
Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, Channel 5, Network 10, Telefe and
Porta Dos Fundos, as well as for third parties. In 2020, VIS Kids
launched to further the expansion of the studio's global kids
content pipeline. The content that VIS produces covers all genres,
from pre-school to young adult and across live action and
animation, as well as soap operas, dramas, short and long-form
comedy formats and feature film productions. VIS global sales
include original productions, co-productions, formats sold for
local adaptations, and sale of ready-made content.
1 Kids 2-14s in the premiered
weekdays (3rd Aug – 14th Aug 2020,
@1600-1629). Source: Kantar Media, TechEdge, Nickelodeon PHL,
0600-2159, Period Run 3rd Aug – 14th
Aug
|
2 Kids 0-4 in the premiered weekdays
(12th October – 23rd October 2020,
@1630-1659). Source: Nielsen, TechEdge, Nick Jr AU,
0600-1959
|
3 Kids 4-15 in the premiered weekdays
(1st October – 16th October 2020,
@0730-0759). Source: BARB, TechEdge, Nick Jr UK, Total
Day
|
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SOURCE iQIYI