The Oscar and BAFTA-winning animation studio’s new TV channel is now available on Xumo Play, coming soon to VIZIO WatchFree+ and Samsung TV Plus in the U.S.
Oscar and BAFTA-winning independent animation studio Aardman has just announced the launch of “Shaun the Sheep & Friends,” a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channel available now on Xumo Play and coming soon on VIZIO WatchFree+ and Samsung TV Plus in the United States.
Aardman content available to watch on the platform includes, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Learning Time with Timmy, Wallace & Gromit, The Very Small Creatures, Lloyd of the Flies: The Adventures of Arachnofly, and Morph, as well as behind the scenes, crafts, and other content.
The studio, renowned for its multi-award-winning productions, currently holds four Academy Awards with a further nine nominations, 15 BAFTAs with a further 23 nominations and has won 6 International Emmys.
Viewers will also have access to Aardman’s distribution portfolio of quality animated content from leading animation studios, including Interstellar Ella (Fabrique Fantastique, Apartment 11), Pop Paper City (LoveLove Films), Happy the Hoglet and Sol (Paper Owl Films), Alphablocks and Numberblocks (Blue Zoo), with more to join in the coming months. To coincide with the FAST channel launch, Aardman will also launch more than 12 shows on demand via Xumo Play and Samsung TV Plus.
Laura Taylor-Williams, Head of Digital and Strategic Development at Aardman said, “Our TV channel launch is a key part of our US digital strategy; where our goal is to engage with audiences wherever they are. In a fragmented market, we see FAST channels as helping audiences discover content and aiding onward watching via other ways, whether that be AVOD, SVOD, TVOD.”
“’Shaun the Sheep & Friends’ joins a growing collection of family-friendly channels on Xumo Play,” said Stefan Van Engen, Vice President of Content Programming and Partnerships, Xumo. “With programming beloved by many across the U.S., the launch of this new channel will give our viewers another great option in family entertainment.”
“At VIZIO, we’re committed to serving up high quality entertainment for audiences of all ages,” said Greg Barnard, Senior Director of Content Acquisitions & Strategy, VIZIO. “Soon, families can enjoy the ‘Shaun the Sheep & Friends’ FAST channel on VIZIO WatchFree+ with no downloads or subscriptions required.”
Aardman is an employee-owned company, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. It produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment. Current animated productions include a brand-new Wallace & Gromit film that is set for release in 2024, the studio’s first in-house game, Chicken Run: Eggstraction, the seventh season of Shaun the Sheep and a third season of The Very Small Creatures.
Source: Aardman
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
