Cyber Group Signs Gigantosaurus Pact in China

Cyber Group Studios has partnered with Beijing-based Pacific Media Group to manage and distribute the preschool TV franchise Gigantosaurus and related consumer products and marketing in China.

Consumer products and other entertainment, such as a live tour, are expected to reach Chinese consumers in the coming months, and Jakks Pacific, the master toy licensee for the brand, has already begun shipping products in mainland China. As part of a strategic agreement with the streaming platform Youku, Gigantosaurus premiered in China in December. The series is also currently airing on CCTV14.

Gigantosaurus took over Youku’s homepage for almost a week with a variety of content ranging from short video clips to downloadable graphics, which was only the second time for an international animated series to have such significant promotion.

As for CCTV, Gigantosaurus has aired Monday through Friday with five episodes a day since December 26. On January 24, two characters from the show, Mazu and Tiny, appeared on CCTV’s New Year’s Eve Gala, also known as the Spring Festival Gala. Gigantosaurus’ characters are part of a very small group of foreign children’s characters who have been asked to appear on the program, which started in 1983 and features China’s biggest stars.

Grace Hung, the co-founder of Pacific Media Group, said, “Gigantosaurus has already been a huge success with its lovely tales of four adorable dinosaurs, Rocky, Mazu, Bill and Tiny, that convey friendship, kindness and bravery to children and encourage them to collaborate as a team to solve challenges under the watchful eyes of the fierce Gigantosaurus.”

The director of the Youku Animation Center said, “Gigantosaurus is an excellent program, and the enthusiastic response after the broadcast also proves our judgment is correct. I believe through our cooperation the program will become even more popular through the year.”

Richard Goldsmith, president and CEO of Cyber Group Studios USA, who oversees the company’s China business, commented, “I cannot think of an animated television series for children from outside of China that has had both the enormous launch and gigantic favorable response that Gigantosuaurs has had in such a short time.”

Pierre Sissmann, chairman and CEO of Cyber Group’s parent company, remarked, “Having a prolific business in China is part of our company’s global expansion plans. With Gigantosaurus, we were able to establish the property quickly in the U.S., both with top television ratings and then consumer products, and China and the rest of the world is now following on that success.”