On 1 March 2017, China Central Television (CCTV) started broadcasting educational children’s series PinCode across its children’s channel.
Throughout its first week, PinCode was featured four times a day on CCTV. The day after broadcast, these episodes were uploaded and featured on all major video platforms, including iQiyi, Tencent Video, Youku, LeTV and Mango TV. CCTV Kids also posted to their WeChat to gauge audience interest. In just one week, PinCode had reached over five million views across all digital platforms.
As of today, PinCode reached a total of 24 million views and qualified for a second round of broadcasting on CCTV Kids later this year. According to CCTV Kids, PinCode‘s average rating and market share beats comparative content.
Targeted at primary school students, PinCode follows the adventures of Captain Pin and his crew. Every PinCode episode contains an important and valuable science lesson. The crew members, under the leadership of Captain Pin, explore the principles of physics, chemistry and biology while traversing the world. Each character has its own unique personality and strengths, bringing humour, fun and friendship to every challenge.
FUN Union aims to bring uplifting, entertaining and educational content to children all over China. “Our brands cater to a broad audience, using content and stories that transcend cultures to deliver engaging, entertaining and educational lessons. From storylines and life lessons contributed by leading education experts, child psychologists and, most importantly, parents, to the exceptional talent of world-class animators and designers, the Riki universe is the product of a team committed to creating content with quality at its core,” says CEO of FUN Union, Christine Brendle.
The positive reception to PinCode was not unexpected. FUN Union, China director, Zijing Wu shares: “The launch of PinCode in China is a testament to the Riki universe’s success in other markets, such as Russia.”
In Russia, the Riki universe, which comprises PinCode, BabyRiki and KikoRiki, is considered a national treasure, with 99 per cent of families aware of its characters. CCTV is the major state television broadcaster in the People’s Republic of China. Its network consists of 50 channels and is accessible to over one billion viewers. The combination reflects the media-communication goals of the Sino-Russian Media Exchange Year that is running from 2016-2017. In December 2015, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met at an event in Beijing, a sign of deepening exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.
This first season of PinCode has been produced by Animation Studio “Petersburg” in 3D CGI and consists of 52×13-minute episodes. Season 2 is already in production and will be completed by December 2017.