TORONTO — Corus Entertainment’s kids content producer and distributor Nelvana, together with children’s entertainment company Spin Master, announced today a new publishing deal with Hachette Publishing for the popular Bakugan franchise in France.
The partnership between the companies begins with the release of two books this fall. The first chapter book, Le Bakugan Doré, will land on bookshelves this month with a second release scheduled for December.
“Building off the strong foundation our team has secured with prime broadcast placement on Gulli and Canal J and along with the support of Spin Master’s international rollout of toys, we are excited to launch a new publishing program for Bakugan in France with Hachette,” said Mellany Masterson, head of Nelvana Enterprises, in a press release. “Hachette’s leadership and expertise in publishing make them the perfect partner to bring the world of Bakugan to more fans in new ways.”
Nelvana and Spin Master co-produce the Bakugan: Battle Planet anime TV series. Season one (100 episodes x 11 minutes) and season two (Bakugan: Armored Alliance, 104×11) currently air on Gulli and Canal J in France and Africa. In addition, both seasons air on Teletoon in Canada, as well as Cartoon Network (U.S., Spain, Italy, Middle East), M6 (Africa), Sony Pop (UK), Super RTL (Germany), RTL (Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia), 9Go! (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), Star (Greece), 1+1 (Ukraine), Pop TV (Slovenia), VMMa (Belgium), and SIA (Lithuania).
This fall, Spin Master launched Bakugan: Armored Alliance toys internationally after launching the toy line in North America in spring 2020. More toy products are scheduled to be launched internationally in spring 2021. Nelvana manages the franchise’s licensing programs in Canada and France.
