Bluey, Masha and the Bear and Bing enjoy success on Rai and multiple platforms

Maurizio Distefano Licensing, Italian agent for the hit pre-school shows Bluey, Masha and the Bear and Bing, has highlighted the growing success of all three titles on the leading Italian linear kids’ channel Rai YoYo, its on-demand service Rai Play, and numerous other platforms.

In fact Rai Yoyo has now increased Masha and The Bear’s presence to 11 episodes per day. The show also has a wide representation on many other platforms such as DeA Junior, Netflix, Prime Video and TIM Vision, while YouTube has just launched a new series of short videos in which the delightful Masha stars in never-before-seen stories.

The show is a global phenomenon too. On YouTube it boasts over 130 billion total views and 200 million followers and has won numerous content creator awards. In fact, according to Guinness World Records it has been the most-watched animated video on YouTube since 2019. More recently – in fact this month – it headed the Parrot Analytics list of the most in-demand children’s shows worldwide.

Bing is also a big hit on Rai Yoyo, where Bing’s Animal Stories, a compilation of the best episodes dedicated to animals along with some previously unreleased content, aired on 11 December 2022 to the delight of fans. On Rai Play meanwhile, Bing is among the top three most-viewed titles in terms of hours watched. Bing episodes are also available in Italy on Disney+, DeA Junior, TIM Vision, Prime Video, Netflix and Vodafone TV.

Since launching in the UK in 2014, Bing has garnered multiple awards and accolades including an International Emmy, a Writer’s Guild Award and a BAFTA nomination. Bing has more than one million subscribers and more than one billion views on the Italian YouTube channel alone, plus more than 384,000 followers on Facebook and 42,000 on Instagram. Now distributed in more than 130 countries, Bing continues to thrill entire families – adults and children alike – with stories of how its little star overcomes the small but sometimes challenging obstacles of preschoolers’ daily lives.

The second season of Bluey made its triumphant debut on Rai Yoyo on 26 December 2022, where it has up to three daily slots, each of four episodes, and a huge audience following. In addition, Bluey, a Blue Heeler puppy who loves to play and bring her family, friends, and community into her world of fun, is, like Bing, a top three hit on Rai Play. Episodes of Bluey are also available on Disney+.

And that’s not all. BBC Studios Kids & Family launched Bluey’s Italian-language YouTube channel earlier this year. It now boasts more than 60,000 subscribers!

Maurizio Distefano, President of MDL, says: “The continuing success of these three properties in the Italian market underlines their status as some of the best and most popular pre-school programmes in the market. We’re thrilled to be representing Masha, Bing and Bluey in Italy as their reach continues to grow across multiple platforms, enhancing awareness and boosting our ongoing licensing campaign for these wonderful properties.”

About Maurizio Distefano The evolution of Licensing
Maurizio Distefano, an internationally accredited professional with over 20 years of experience in the sector, is President of the licensing agency and management consultancy that takes his name. The innovative and exclusive proposal of the agency is based on a holistic approach which allows it to analyse and respond to the particular business development needs of each individual licensee.

Maurizio Distefano, together with his business partner Michela Marchese Patti, selects animated series, movies and brands for successful licensing projects.

The properties launched and distributed by MDL are:
Cartoons: Masha and the Bear, Bing, Bluey, CoComelon, Blippi, Morphle, Gigantosaurus, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, Leo & Tig.
Creators: Charlotte M.
TV Series: Kids Vet Academy
Brands: Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Corto Maltese, Asterix, Gapchinska, Hamsta, Baileys, Guinness, Cup of Therapy, ISA (International Space Archives), La Gazzetta dello Sport, LIFE.
Fashion: MDL is Master Agent Worldwide for PREMOLI+DI BELLA, Filippo Laterza and Stefano Cavalleri.
Music: Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, AC/DC, David Bowie, KISS, Pink Floyd, The Police, Woodstock, John Lennon, Lennon & Mc Cartney Lyrics, Genesis, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis.