Entertainment One (eOne) has announced details of Peppa Pig’s rapidly growing popularity in China. Since launching on-air in Mainland China in 2015, eOne’s Peppa Pig has surpassed 5.4 billion views on its three on demand platforms, IQIY, Youku and Tudou. It is one of the most popular programs for pre-schoolers on state television broadcaster CCTV, where its repeat was the No. 1 animated show in its 7am timeslot.
Peppa Pig also launched on VOD portals Tencent and LeEco in May 2016. To date Peppa episodes have already clocked up 1.7 billion views on Tencent and 850 million views on LeEco, making it the No. 1 animation on both platforms since its launch. In addition, Mango TV has recently acquired the rights to Peppa Pig and the VOD platform debuted the series earlier this month in Mandarin.
Alongside its growing on-air presence, eOne is also nurturing the property’s digital profile through a range of social, online and interactive content. The brand’s official Peppa WeChat account, available on mobile devices, provides followers with regular news updates, tips, and activities for all the family. Peppa’s WeChat account launched in April 2016 and has already generated thousands of sign-ups.
The Peppa Pig apps eOne has released to date have had tremendous download rates, making China the biggest territory for Peppa app downloads worldwide. Following their entrance on the App Store in late 2015, Peppa’s Paintbox and Peppa’s Actvitiy Maker have been hugely popular in China, with over 400,000 and 195,000 downloads respectively.
Peppa’s online presence also extends onto e-commerce platforms as major Chinese online retailers Jing Dong and Tmall have launched a wide range of Peppa merchandise on their popular online shopping sites. Products now available to buy include Peppa’s house playset, vehicles, role-play sets, and plush.
Toys are spearheading the brand’s licensing program in China and a newly launched Peppa Pig Ferris Wheel playset was sold exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide during the country’s Children’s Day celebrations in June 2016. The publishing category also continues to accelerate. A new series of Peppa Pig storybooks launched at retail in April 2016 and over 75k copies have been distributed nationally both online and in-store. Peppa Pig products will also have a presence in China’s first Hamleys toy store that is set to open its doors on October 10th. eOne’s Hong Kong team is developing bespoke Peppa artwork for a branded bay in the store.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new broadcast partners for Peppa in China and we’re confident that these additional consumer touchpoints will significantly increase exposure for the brand as it continues to grow in popularity,” commented Olivier Dumont, Managing Director of eOne Family. “Building Peppa Pig’s digital footprint in the territory, through app downloads and social media channels, enables us to engage with audiences beyond the TV show and create the loyal fan base that is key to its longevity.”