VIMN Aligns with Youku for Little Luban

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is partnering with the Alibaba Group streaming platform Youku for the animated series Little Luban.

Little Luban will feature the global values of friendship and teamwork while incorporating specific elements of Chinese culture and philosophy into both the storyline and the visuals. The original production is targeted at a younger kids’ audience, but is also intended to be enjoyed as family viewing.

Per the Memorandum of Understanding for a multiyear content development and distribution partnership signed by the two companies, Youku and VIMN will further cooperate to develop and license a range of consumer products to support Little Luban.

Nina Hahn, VIMN’s senior VP of international production and development for Nickelodeon, said: “We are so excited to partner with Youku and welcome Little Luban to the Nickelodeon family. It’s a natural brand fit and we are looking forward to developing the project into something that kids around the world will watch with love.”

Pierre Cheung, senior VP and general manager for Greater China for VIMN, said: “We have a big pool of animation talent here in China and we’re continuously exploring opportunities to collaborate with local partners. We’re delighted to partner with Youku and now add Little Luban to our slate of projects. We’re very confident the characters and concepts will have strong appeal to Youku’s viewers and we look forward to introducing Little Luban to Nickelodeon viewers in other markets.”

Aaron Liao, general manager of Youku Kids, said: “We are excited to join forces with Viacom to create an original and uplifting story inspired by Chinese tradition and culture. We look forward to not just bringing the series to Chinese viewers, but also sharing these characters with children and families across the world.”