Original episodes of Winx Club are launching on Nickelodeon on November 7th, marking the first major foreign property that the Viacom-owned kids programmer is remaking for the U.S.
It's based on the 2004 Italian animated TV series of the same name, created by Iginio Straffi and produced by Rainbow S.p.A., which follows Bloom and her six magical fairy friends as they journey between mystical Magix and Earth, all in training as modern fairies, witches and supernatural warriors from across the known universe to combat proverbial arch enemies.
Aimed towards girls between the ages of six and eight (despite the characters' navel-bearing costumes that might make them seem more minx than winx), a US-oriented Winx Club series could serve as a bridge between Nick's monster Dora franchise and tween-oriented live-action shows such as iCarly.
It could also become a moneymaker. Nick is hoping to replicate the Winx phenom in Europe, where it's the #1 program in Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Russia and has spawned an international franchise of toys, books, clothing, video games, DVDs, two CGI feature films and over $2 billion in global retail sales.
“The Winx Club franchise is a big hit with young girls and we think there is great opportunity for it domestically as a property that allows us to fill a gap for girls in the six-to-eight-year-old range,” said Cyma Zarghami, President of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group in a press release on the licensing deal.
Nickelodeon’s acquisition of the Winx Club TV rights for the U.S. and pay-TV rights for Latin America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Benelux, includes co-development and co-production of seasons five and six of the hugely popular series.
Prior to the series launch, Nickelodeon seeded viewers' interest with four hour-long animated specials culled from the first four series, including "The Shadow Phoenix" special that debuted on Oct. 16.
“We are very proud to start this collaboration with the most prestigious network in the world,” declared Iginio Straffi, Founder and President of Rainbow S.p.A. “This is a new challenge for our fairies who, I’m sure, will find a place in the hearts of American and British children.”
Nickelodeon is now in its 31st year and as the number-one entertainment brand for kids in the U.S., is seen in more than 100 million households, maintaining number-one-rated basic cable network status for the last 16 years.
Disney, meanwhile, is also leveraging its Tinkerbell-based fairy empire by bringing Pixie Hollow Games, a new TV special, to Disney Channel on Nov. 19.
In addition to promoting the special on Facebook, the Disney Fairies Movies are available for a limited time on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD at a special low price.
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