Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay Entertainment, today announces the launch of a dedicated Mr Bean: The Animated Series FAST channel, in a move that expands the iconic brand to free ad-supported services worldwide for the first time.
Marking the 30th FAST channel in Banijay Rights’ burgeoning portfolio, the 24/7 FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel – entitled Mr Bean – will comprise the first three seasons of Mr Bean: The Animated Series. Produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family (part of Banijay Kids & Family), the animation follows the antics of Mr Bean and of course Teddy, as they embark on a series of adventures, making plenty of mischief along the way.
Mr Bean will launch on Samsung TV Plus in the coming weeks, before rolling out on LG Channels, Plex, Rakuten TV and TCL across 29 territories this summer including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as South Korea, India, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Mexico.
Shaun Keeble, VP Digital, Banijay Rights, said: “Mr Bean’s global image has known no bounds over the last 30-plus years so to expand this iconic brand into the FAST arena – and grow the animated series’ presence ever further – is an exciting moment for us at Banijay Rights.”
Tom Beattie, MD Tiger Aspect Kids & Family/Series Producer, said: “Mr Bean is one of the most beloved characters in British, and international, television history with a huge global footprint. It’s brilliant that fans across the world can now watch the Mr Bean animation series 24/7 on a dedicated FAST channel.”
Jennifer Batty, Samsung TV Plus’s European Head of Content Acquisition, added: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Mr Bean to our Samsung TV Plus users across Europe. Mr Bean is among the most iconic characters in television and bringing a new dedicate FAST channel and VOD offering to our service demonstrates our commitment to provide users with all the content that they love, for free.”
Mr Bean is a British icon, with the original live-action series first hitting screens in 1990. It has since been broadcast in 195 territories, with the series in continual distribution for over 30 years. Co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, the eponymous hero was played by Rowan Atkinson, who now voices the globally successful animated series, which launched in 2002. The brand also attracts significant digital audiences, with over 141 million followers on Facebook, making it the biggest TV and film brand on the platform; over 73 million subscribers and 19 billion lifetime views across official YouTube channels; 10 million followerson Instagram; and over 15 million likes on TikTok.
At the start of the year, it was announced Mr Bean: The Animated Series had been commissioned for a fourth run (52×11), produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and ITVX, through deals agreed by Banijay Rights. Executive produced and voiced by Rowan Atkinson, it will air on Cartoonito and HBO Max across EMEA, on Warner Bros. Discovery’s kids channels and streaming services across South East Asia and South Asia, and on ITVX Kids in the UK and Eire from 2025, which will be the 35thanniversary of the first live-action episode. Last month, it was announced that Banijay Kids & Family is representing the worldwide licensing and merchandising rights for the Mr Bean brand.