Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), which operates a bouquet of pan-Asian channels dedicated to Asian entertainment, has announced its plan to launch a 24-hour Mandarin kids channel. Miao Mi is scheduled to roll out in select territories in Asia Pacific in the fourth quarter of 2015.
The channel is designed for children between the ages of three to six, regardless of their native language. Miao Mi will be curated with children’s programmes that will aim to entertain, educate and empower kids with a unique Asian perspective. The programming mix will include animated series, movies and live-action series such as game shows, reality shows, and parenting shows.
Miao Mi’s shows will be sourced from the leading producers of children’s programming, educational programming and animation in Asia using research-backed content filters. Some of the shows to be shown on Miao Mi include ‘Star Babies’(the animated series about a group of babies inspired by Chinese icons such as Bruce Lee), the ‘Monkey King; Secret Y’ (an animated series that introduces scientific knowledge to young children through the adorable main characters from the animated movie ‘Axel: The Biggest Little Hero’) and ‘Happy Friends, Happy Hero’ (an animated series on Chinese national broadcaster CCTV, from the director of the megahit franchise Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf).
Celestial Tiger Entertainment CEO Todd Miller said, “Miao Mi satisfies two significant gaps in children’s television; the lack of pan-regional Asian kids channels created for international audiences, and the lack of television options catering to the growing demand for Mandarin language-learning. Miao Mi will fill both those gaps and more”.
Celestial Tiger Entertainment executive VP, TV networks Ofanny Choi said, “We have been developing this channel for over a year, including consultation with a leading child development expert to create the channel’s educational framework. We are excited to be able to reveal our plans for this unique kids channel now. Not only will Miao Mi entertain and educate kids, but it will also empower them with Asian cultural references and values. We expect this channel to be a hit with kids and popular with parents”.
In an effort to make Miao Mi accessible to children and parents across the region, the channel will offer the option of a local language track and the original Mandarin audio track. And to meet the needs of today’s multi-screen families, Miao Mi will be offered with a comprehensive suite of digital rights including on-demand, catch-up, and over-the-top (OTT) rights. Miao Mi will be the sixth “Made in Asia” channel brand in CTE’s bouquet of Asian entertainment-focused channels. The other brands are Celestial Movies, Celestial Classic Movies, cHK, Kix and Thrill.