Ahead of MIPTV, Mattel Creations has announced the appointment of ProjectFirst in Russia and Little Dot Studios in France to manage AVOD platforms and grow channel subscribers for top Mattel brands Barbie, Hot Wheels and Monster High, as well as cultivate new digital channels for Thomas & Friends.
“Both these appointments are strategically important to us to help maintain a robust, always-on digital presence in countries where the correct localization of our content will allow us to grow exponentially,” said Alex Godfrey, Director – Content Distribution, Home Entertainment & New Media Distribution for Mattel Creations. “ProjectFirst has incredible expertise in kids’ digital content distribution in their region and partnering with them will help us scale-up our channels to share Mattel’s rich content portfolio with even more kids and families in Russia. Equally, Little Dot Studios have the skills and know-how to develop a brand new channel for France in order to make it resonate with local audiences. We are delighted to be working with both of them as partners.”
ProjectFirst is a multi-channel YouTube network that creates, distributes and promotes family-friendly content in multiple languages. The company will cultivate Mattel’s AVOD presence in Russia, assuming channel management responsibilities, pursuing subscriber growth, localizing content and overseeing community management. ProjectFirst will also create a brand-new Russian channel for preschool brand Thomas & Friends, which has enjoyed double-digit growth in the last year.
Little Dot Studios, the biggest distributor of television content on YouTube, will create and manage a brand new channel for Thomas & Friends in France; building the channel, creating clips, compilations and targeted playlists and working on content and channel optimization, as well as working closely with YouTube Kids to maximize opportunities for audience growth.
