DQ Entertainment inks a deal with Rai Com to co-produce ‘Pio the Chick’

Entertainment production and distribution company DQ Entertainment has revealed plans to team up with Italian public broadcaster Rai Com to co-produce a new animated series called ‘Pio The Chick’.

Under the agreement, the partnership will produce 52 seven-minute episodes, with DQ taking on the entire animation of the series. The programme is expected to go into production soon and will be ready by 2016.

The principle terms of this deal have been agreed upon by both involved parties at the recently concluded MIPCOM in Cannes, with the final agreement being worked out.

“We’ve changed our business model,” said Rai Com’s Luigi De Siervo. “We wanted to create a new IP that would allow us to generate revenues globally from all licensing rights, including merchandising.”

It will be first time DQ and Rai have paired up to co-produce an animated TV series and also the first time that Rai has gone into production of original content as a purely commercial venture that has been specifically conceived for the international market.

“The series is about the adventures of the plucky little chick Pio and his friends, and will feature a strong musical element,” DQ said.

In 2012 ‘Pio The Chick’ became a hit radio song and then a viral web phenomenon through a series of remixes that made it into the single charts in various European countries.

In various forms, it has generated more than 400 million hits on YouTube to date.

DQ Entertainment chairman Tapaas Chakravarti said: “This deal is definitely a significant one for us as it marks the beginning of our partnership with Rai, one of the leading broadcasters in Italy. The characters in the show are so adorable that we are confident that kids will love them. This deal further validates DQ’s capabilities in producing world class content and the trust our partners around the world have on us.”