ACAMAR FILMS Bing plans long stay in Italy as pre-schoolers take him to their hearts

ACAMAR FILMS

Bing plans long stay in Italy as pre-schoolers take him to their hearts

Italian children have fallen for Bing in a big way since its launch on Rai Yoyo in early 2018.

A celebration of the joyful, messy reality of preschool life, the show’s hugely relatable stories and timeless, universal values have been driving its phenomenal success. Strong broadcast ratings combined with a rapidly growing YouTube channel and soaring digital communities have created high awareness and affinity among preschoolers, meaning Bing is here to stay in Italy!

Acamar’s multiplatform approach has enabled them to reach, move and delight audiences wherever they are. A firm favourite on Rai Yoyo – and the No. 1 show on its app – Bing is also available on pay TV channels DeA Junior (where it’s the No. 1 show), TIMVision and soon on Amazon Prime Video. Bing’s Italian YouTube channel has seen a huge surge over the past six months, taking it to an amazing 438m+ channel views and 32.6m+ watch time hours. Maurizio Distefano

As Maurizio Distefano, President and Owner at MLD says: “Bing in Italy has become a record-breaking series, with the highest audience every day on Rai Yoyo and DeA Junior, and we are proud to be managing its ever-growing licensing programme. Bing’s Italian social channels are reaching increasingly high numbers, which allows us to have direct contact with a wider audience and to offer lots of content and all the latest exciting Bing news and product launches.”

Acamar’s significant investment in growing consumer touchpoints is reaping rich rewards. The award-winning freemium ‘Bing: Watch, Play, Learn’ app launched in June amassing 100k downloads in its first 12 weeks, while new website BingBunny.com, which launched during lockdown in April, has also attracted large Bing-My First Collection of Educational Games by Liscianigiochi Spa

numbers. With an Italian team dedicated to growing the Bing community on the country’s digital platforms, there has been constant growth in reach and engagement for Bing’s social channels, demonstrating a huge appetite for all things Bing. The fastest-growing pre-school show on Facebook, Bing has 100k followers in Italy alone, and the show has reached 16.5m people on social channels in the past year.

Earlier this year, the multi-territory campaign ‘Staying at home together... it’s a Bing thing’ launched on Bing social channels, thoughtfully designed to provide a whole host of safe, engaging and interactive activities to support families during lockdown.

New live and experiential offerings are also in the pipeline, such as the new Bing cinema experiences. Having debuted in the UK last Christmas to great success, these are now being expanded for the coming festive season into Italy, along with Poland and The Netherlands. Following a very successful debut at Leolandia in 2019, Acamar are also looking to expand their Live Show and Theme Park presence over time, with major new deals set to be announced soon.

Bing’s Train and Mini Playset by Giochi Preziosi

of the Year 2019 at the Bologna Licensing Fair Awards. Acamar’s Italian licensing agent, Maurizio Distefano, ensured a strong start to their programme with best in class partners such as Giochi Preziosi for toys, Giunti and PonPon for publishing, Lisciani for educational toys and games and Dolphin for seasonal confectionery. The AW19 toy range from Giochi Preziosi was a sell-out hit and the new AW20 line, with an expanded range of beautiful plush and plastic toys, promises to be as successful. Bing has been Giunti’s bestselling property; 15 new titles this year include unique formats for the Italian market. Licensees have got behind Bing in a big way

Graziano Delmaestro, Licensing Director

at Giochi Preziosi, says: “From the moment Giochi Preziosi took on Bing, it has made a very important contribution to our lineup, and given us the opportunity to reach a very young audience. We are confident about continuing growth for our Bing toy line, thanks to the upcoming launch of new Christmas toys in the market, which

Artsana Bing Apparel Collection

will be supported by the imminent release of new TV content on Rai Yoyo”. Federica Iezzi, Licensing and Marketing Manager Liscianigiochi Spa, also confirms: “Bing is extremely compatible with the values of Lisciani brands, which are known for high quality and successful products, venerated

Federica Iezzi

by mothers and children alike. We are very proud to be able to apply our educational expertise to Bing to create licensed products with appropriate content, in line with our mission.”

Bing’s retail footprint in Italy has been growing both in-store and online. Key accounts include Toys Center, Giocheria, Carrefour, Conad and Auchan, with Bing branded stores recently launched on Amazon.it and toyscenter.it showcasing a wide range of Bing products.

As new episodes launch in a few weeks on Rai Yoyo, Acamar are looking to develop new products to cater for Bing’s Italian audience. With plans to expand into promotions, FMCG and diverse categories in the coming years, Bing looks set for an exciting and enduring future in Italy.

Acamar Films will be exhibiting at Festival of Licensing, 6-8th October 2020.