BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Continuing to drive subscription growth, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) premieres a new 10-episode reality series and accompanying Roblox Game Experiences for children, Kidaverse Roblox* Rumble, to premiere exclusively on Kartoon Channel! around the world.
Hosted by TV personality and former NFL star, Rashad Jennings, Kidaverse Roblox Rumble, which will premiere in Q1 2023, is an elimination-style competition reality series featuring a diverse group of girls and boys across the U.S., ages 8 to 12, who compete in 10 different Kidaverse Roblox Rumble games to win prizes and find out who is the ultimate gamer for a $1,000 grand prize! Some of the games will include Yeti, Set, Go, an arctic obstacle course, Garden Gauntlet, an adventure through a complicated outside hedge maze, and Dune Dash, a dune buggy race through a southwestern desert. Players who are eliminated will still receive their choice of a variety of prizes, including an Amazon gift card, a 5th generation iPad Air, Oculus Metaquest 2, and custom Nike Air Force Ones. Following the exclusive launch on Kartoon Channel!, the games used in the series will be made available for all kids to play.
Roblox is a free-to-play online game platform and game design system with over 164 million active users and is a phenomenon among the kids’ demographic that watch Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse Roblox Rumble games were developed by Kartoon Channel! using the Roblox platform.
Host, Rashad Jennings stated: “Being a gamer for many years, Roblox fan, and committed to positively inspiring kids, Kidaverse Roblox Rumble is the ultimate opportunity to use my skills to reinforce positive values, including playing one’s best, good sportsmanship, and a “never give up” attitude, while having fun! I love that the series ends each episode with my signature encouragement that any player who embodies these values has “never lost!” I look forward to being a part of this special series where kids can enjoy watching other kid gamers compete for fun prizes, and for bragging rights to the enviable “ultimate gamer” title.”
David Neuman, Chief Creative Officer at Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! Worldwide stated: “Our Kartoon Channel! audience is crazy about the Roblox platform and games, which are an unprecedented phenomenon among kids: half of Americans under 16 play (and often make!) Roblox games. And, we have observed that any video-game-related content performs especially well with our young audience. So it was a no-brainer for us to lean into this enthusiasm and develop an original competition reality series using the Roblox platform, which will help us engage with our audience while they’re watching Kartoon Channel! and while they’re gaming on Roblox.”
Neuman adds: “It was also important for Kartoon Channel! to stay true to our mission: to be family friendly, safe for kids, and free of any harmful or inappropriate content that can sometimes be found in video games. Our Kidaverse Roblox Rumble games are completely kid-appropriate. And our charismatic host, NFL star, ‘Dancing With the Stars’ champion, and children’s book author Rashad Jennings is a wonderful and positive role model for all children, who encourages positive values and good sportsmanship throughout the competition.”
Jennings is a national personality, a former NFL star, TV personality, author and philanthropist. Throughout his successful eight-year career in the NFL, as well as his championship performance on season 24 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, Jennings has gained the love and support of fans across the country. Today, Jennings is driven to make a national impact and lasting legacy. The Rashad Jennings Foundation is dedicated to inspiring youth by making education fun, providing mentorship for individual success and promoting health and fitness. Follow Rashad on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, @rashadjennings.
About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Genius Brands’ digital network, Kartoon Channel!, which consistently ranks at the top of the Apple app store reviews for kid’s streaming platforms, is a family entertainment destination that delivers 1000s of episodes of carefully curated and safe family-friendly content. The channel features animated classics for little kids, including Rainbow Rangers, Strawberry Shortcake, Mellodees, Super Simple Songs, and Finny the Shark, as well as hit content for bigger kids, such as Angry Birds and Yu-Gi-Oh!, to original programming like Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, KC! Pop Quiz, hosted by Casey Simpson, and Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, coming in 2023. Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including Baby Genius, and more.
Kartoon Channel! is available across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android Mobile, Web, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, Comcast, Cox, Dish, Sling TV, Android TV, Xumo, Tubi, Samsung and LG Smart TVs.
For more information, please visit www.kartoonchannel.com
About Genius Brands International
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s IP portfolio of family-friendly content features the Stan Lee brand, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal, coming to Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix and more. This past year, Genius Brands also acquired Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media (TSX-V: WOW), which includes 2,500 channels under the Channel Frederator Network, and has also made a strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (FRA:RTV), one of Europe’s largest distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for children and families.
Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! is a globally distributed entertainment platform with 100% penetration in the U.S. television market and international expansion with launches in key markets around the world. The channel is available in the U.S. via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Roku, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart and LG TVs, the JetBlue Inflight platform and more. Genius Brands is now rolling out the subscription-based Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse, featuring metaversal content and exclusive titles.
For additional information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.
*Disclaimer: Kartoon Channel! gaming-related episodes are not in any way associated or affiliated with proprietary marks of Roblox, Octodad or Minecraft.
Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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