Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay Entertainment, announced the launch of a dedicated Mr. Bean: The Animated Series FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel, in a move that expands the iconic brand to free ad-supported services worldwide for the first time.
“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,” said Shaun Keeble, VP Digital.
Marking the 30th FAST channel in the company’s portfolio, the 24/7 FAST 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 the lovable bumbler Mr. Bean and his Teddy, as they embark on a series of adventures, making plenty of mischief along the way.
“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,” said series producer Tom Beattie, Managing Director of Tiger Aspect Kids & Family.
The Mr. Bean channel 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 U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, India, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Mexico.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Mr. Bean to our Samsung TV Plus users across Europe,” commented Jennifer Batty, Head of Content Acquisition for Samsung TV Plus. “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.”
Since making his television debut with the original live-action series in 1990, Mr. Bean has aired in 195 territories, with the series in continual distribution for over 30 years. Co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, the character was played by Atkinson, who now voice stars in the globally successful animated series, 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 followers on Instagram; and over 15 million likes on TikTok.
At the start of the year, it was announced Mr. Bean: The Animated Series was commissioned for a fourth run (52 x 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 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 U.K. and Eire from 2025, which will be the 35th anniversary 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.
