TVKIDS
The hit animated hit series Bluey is set to reach a wider audience in Japan as TV Tokyo launches the series onto six group television networks.
Starting in April, the series will be available to watch across the six TXN Networks—TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Setouchi, TV Hokkaido and TV Kyushu—which cover over 70 percent of national households.
Bluey seasons one and two will air at a new extended time slot every Sunday at 7 a.m. starting from April 6. Episodes will be available in Japanese as well as in the original English audio.
The upcoming nationwide syndication follows the successful launch of Bluey season one on TV Tokyo’s Eeny meeny miny moe slot every Saturday morning at 7 a.m.
In celebration of Bluey’s expanded reach across the country, Bluey and Bingo will be embarking on a Bluey Bus Tour at the end of March to seven districts, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and more. Children living in Tokyo and Yokohama in Kanagawa will be invited to ride along on the Bluey Bus Tour through BBC Studios’ Japanese Bluey Instagram account @bluey_jp. The application period runs from February 23, and winners will be announced by March 10.
Preschool toys based on the series will officially be hitting shelves in Japan for the first time in the fall this year. BBC Studios appointed Tomy to be the local distributor for the toy range licensed globally by Moose Toys, which will include plush toys and figurines.
Six new LEGO Bluey products within the LEGO 4+ and LEGO DUPLO product lines are also set to launch in Japan in the next few months.
BBC Studios has appointed Phoenixx to be the master agent for the Bluey licensing program in Japan. BBC Studios and Phoenixx will work closely together to implement a full consumer products program.
Sophia Spinelli, VP of brands and marketing at BBC Studios Asia, said, “Bluey has quickly become one of the best-loved and most highly-awarded animation series in the world. We are excited to expand our partnership with TV Tokyo to bring the global hit series Bluey into more Japanese homes and to work alongside our dedicated agency Phoenixx. to introduce more consumer products locally.”
“We’ve seen amazing reactions from fans around the world to the globally successful range of Bluey toys, and we are working toward future plans that will enable Japanese fans to fully immerse themselves in Bluey’s fun-filled world in new and exciting ways.”
