By Andrea Hernandez and Sadhana Bharanidharan

Hulu

Disney is moving to take full ownership of Hulu and expects to pay at least US$8.61 billion for the remaining 33% stake from Comcast. It’s a bid to “further Disney’s streaming objectives,” according to a statement from the House of Mouse. Negotiations for the acquisition were underway in May as part of a broader strategy to boost streaming profitability. Hulu content will be rolled into Disney+ in the US for a one-app experience by the end of 2023, said CEO Bob Iger. (Subscribers in select countries outside of the US already have Hulu content bundled into Disney+.) The acquisition could boost Disney’s flagship streamer further with Hulu’s roster of kids content, which encompasses TV and film acquisitions, originals and its co-commissions with Comcast-owned service Peacock, including DreamWorks Animation series Fright Krewe and Dragons: The Nine Realms.

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon has renewed Imagine Kids+Family’s stop-motion preschool series The Tiny Chef Show for a second season that will see the main character prepare more plant-based recipes in his tree-stump house. The next batch of 22 half-hour eps will debut on Nick’s preschool platforms in the US, as well as on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels internationally. The Tiny Chef started off as an Instagram celebrity with 673,000 followers, and Imagine’s kids division invested in the IP in 2019 to develop a series. Two specials, Fwendsgiving (November 20) and Tiny Chef’s Marvelous Mish Mesh Special (December 4), are also premiering this holiday season. 

Nelvana

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has closed several worldwide distribution deals for CG-animated preschool series Builder Brothers Dream Factory from Sinking Ship Entertainment and Scott Brothers Entertainment. ITV (UK), Warner Bros. Discovery (Southeast Asia), Senyu (China), Genial Media (Spain) and NRK (Norway) have all acquired the 40 x 11-minute series. They join Discovery Kids Latin America and Hop! (Israel), which picked up the show after it launched on Treehouse (Canada) in March. Home renovation celebrities Drew and Jonathan Scott appear in the series as eight-year-olds who help their neighborhood friends by building everything from machines to tiny houses.

Sola Media

Stuttgart-based sales agent Sola Media has signed on to manage global sales for an upcoming family feature called Tafiti—Across the Desert (pictured). This CG-animated movie hails from German studios Tradewind Pictures and Little Dream Entertainment (The Mucklas), and is slated for a 2025 theatrical release. Sola is shopping the project in LA this week at the American Film Market.

Sesame Workshop

New Jersey-based toyco Kids Preferred has partnered with Sesame Workshop to launch a new Sesame Street toy line in spring 2024 through Amazon and select retailers. Kids Preferred will manufacture plush, development toys, soft books, Jack in the Boxes and wooden toys based on characters from the classic preschool series. 

BBC

BBC Children’s & Education and CBeebies have commissioned Musical Storyland, a live-action/animated series featuring original music from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 10-episode series, hosts narrate timeless fables like Jack and the Beanstalk and The Hare and the Tortoise, with the orchestra and guest musicians providing a musical backdrop. CBeebies will premiere the show on November 27 and make companion educational resources available on the BBC Teach website on the same day. BBC Philharmonic released a similar TV film last year called The Musical Story of the Gingerbread Man.