Moonbug Entertainment has signed its first distribution deal in Asia for a new linear channel, which goes live on Cignal in the Philippines in September. 

The exact launch date has not been disclosed. 

The channel is part of Moonbug’s broader push into Asia, including the August announcement that China’s Tencent has extended its licensing deal for kids YouTube pre-school series, “CoComelon”. 

The first partnership with Tencent, for four of Moonbug’s properties, was inked in September 2020. 

Moonbug Entertainment’s MD for EMEA & APAC, Nicolas Eglau, said during the ContentAsia Summit that the company was setting up its first Asia hub in Singapore. 

Moonbug also has a presence in China and Korea. 

Eglau said the aim was to create linear and non-linear experiences in “every single territory in Asia”.

Speaking about the exit of 18 Disney/Fox channels at the end of September, Eglau said this created an opportunity. 

“The fact that some competitors are removing their content and some channels and putting them behind pay walls... offers a great opportunity because we can offer a modern alternative driven by data and huge audiences,” he told delegates at the ContentAsia Summit. 

“We have a different approach to our competitors and that’s where the opportunity is,” he said. 

Among other digital platforms, Moonbug Entertainment operates the “CoComelon – Nursery Rhymes” YouTube channel, which has 117 million subscribers and generates more than 2.6 billion monthly views.