DHX Media has announced 10 new distribution deals for the hit family series, The Deep, bringing the total number of broadcasters and streaming platforms for the CGI-animated underwater adventure series up to 40 globally.
The news follows a 2018 BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nomination for best International Animation for season two of The Deep, co-produced by DHX Media and A Stark Production.
New deals for season three of The Deep, which was commissioned by ABC Australia earlier this year, have been struck by DHX Media with CBBC (UK), Super RTL (Germany), VRT (Belgium), NRK (Norway), KidsZone(Baltics), S4C (UK and Wales), SVT (Sweden), and TVP (Poland), in addition to previously announced deals with Netflix (worldwide) and Family CHRGD (Canada).
DHX Media has also signed two new distribution deals for seasons one and two of The Deep, with France Televisions (France) and RTP (Portugal). Seasons one and two of The Deep air in 190 countries.
“From the moment it premiered, The Deep has resonated with kids and families for its wonderful animation and strong storytelling,” said Jerry Diaz, VP distribution, DHX Media. “The series continues to generate strong sales into markets around the world, and the talented creative team behind The Deep have done an amazing job on season three, delivering a great new set of adventures for broadcasters and streaming platforms to share with audiences.”
The Deep is a co-production between Australia-based Avrill Stark’s A Stark Production (scripts, design and music) and Canada-based DHX Media (animation, voices and post-production), with distribution also handled by DHX Media.
Technicolor, underlying rights holder to The Deep, has oversight of the brand’s licensing extensions, with CPLG, a DHX Media company and one of the world’s leading licensing agencies, serving as the multi-territory licensing agent for the brand, including North America, EMEA (excluding Germany) and Latin America.
The Deep is based on the Aurealis Award-winning graphic novel series of the same name, created by multi-award-winning, best-selling comic book author and playwright Tom Taylor (All-New Wolverine, Earth 2, Superior Iron Man, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Star Wars: Blood Ties). The graphic novel series is illustrated by James Brouwer (Justice League Beyond) and published by Gestalt Comics.
The Deep is a global hit that has garnered numerous industry awards and accolades, including a 2018 BAFTA nomination for best International Animation, Best Music for Children’s Television at the 2018 Screen Music Awards in Australia, the 50th Annual AWGIE Awards in Australia for Children’s Television (5-14 years old), the 2017 Kidscreen Award for Best New Series (Kids Category), the Golden Sparrow Award at the 2017 German Children’s Media Festival.
The Deep toys debuted in Fall 2018 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Nordic countries, and quickly became Simba Toy’s bestselling boys’ property in Germany. Bloomsbury has debuted a range of books based on the series in the UK and Australia, including young fiction, an official handbook and activity-based books; and Blue-Ocean Magazines launched The Deep magazine in Germany. A larger rollout of toys, books and more is expected in spring 2019 in these territories as well as France.