WildBrain

The current incarnation of WildBrain (with legal name WildBrain Ltd. and formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.), is a Canadian-based international television content, production, distribution and brand licensing company that is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it was formed in 2006 by the merger of Decode Entertainment and the Halifax Film Company.

WildBrain is the largest independent owner of children's television programming; its library includes those of Cookie Jar Group (Cinar, DIC Entertainment, Coliseum and FilmFair), Epitome Pictures, Ragdoll Productions, Studio B Productions, WildBrain Entertainment, Nerd Corps Entertainment, and Colossal Pictures, along with those of WildBrain's two predecessors, Decode Entertainment and Halifax Film Company. In 2017, WildBrain also acquired a stake in the Peanuts franchise following its purchase of Iconix Brand Group's entertainment division. It also owns WildBrain Spark, an online multi-channel network. WildBrain's distribution business licenses and sells formats and finished content throughout the world, selling over 20,000 hours of programming in more than 200 territories.

In August 2020, WildBrain announced its intent to acquire Fremantle, the London-based production/distribution arm of RTL Group, in a deal that in turn diversified WildBrain's programming range to include programming across both scripted and non-scripted genres, with particular expertise in formatted entertainment and game shows, reality and factual entertainment programming, and weekly and daily drama series. The deal was completed by December 2020, with RTL Group owning 65% of the combined business until July 2021, when it acquired the remaining 35% from WildBrain's shareholders, thus making WildBrain a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RTL Group.

WildBrain has offices in 28 countries around the world and also has a growing number of acquired production companies to grow its footprint and expertise.

As DHX Media
In 2006, the Toronto-based Decode Entertainment and Halifax-based Halifax Film Company merged to form a public company known as DHX Media; the name derives from the combination of the names Decode and Halifax from the 2006 merger between Decode Entertainment and Halifax Film Company. Studio B Productions was acquired by and became a subsidiary of DHX Media on December 4, 2007.

A reverse merger deal with Entertainment One was considered in 2008, but was dropped. On March 25, 2008, DHX Media acquired Bulldog Interactive Fitness. On September 8, 2010, all related subsidiaries and divisions were rebranded under the label DHX Media. On September 14, 2010, DHX Media acquired WildBrain Entertainment.

On August 20, 2012, it was announced that DHX Media would acquire Cookie Jar Group for $111 million, a deal which would make DHX the world's largest independent owner of children's television programming. The acquisition was completed on October 22, 2012.

In May 2013, DHX introduced three premium, subscription-based channels on YouTube; DHX Junior, DHX Kids, and DHX Retro. DHX executive Michael Hirsh explained that the offerings were meant to leverage the company's library and the growth of digital distribution in the children's television market. DHX was among the first 30 content partners for YouTube's premium channel platform.

On September 16, 2013, DHX acquired Ragdoll Worldwide—a joint venture between Ragdoll Productions, BBC Worldwide and an investment group that managed and licensed Ragdoll Productions' properties (such as Teletubbies) outside the United Kingdom.

Expansion into broadcasting, subsequent partnerships
On November 28, 2013, DHX announced that it would acquire four children's specialty television channels from the former Astral Media for $170 million, consisting of Family Channel, Disney Junior (English), Disney Junior (French), and Disney XD. The networks were being sold as a condition of Bell Media's 2013 acquisition of the remainder of Astral Media's assets; its purchase of the networks marked DHX's first foray into television broadcasting. The deal was approved by the CRTC on July 24, 2014, and closed on July 31, 2014. The channels were incorporated into a new unit, DHX Television.

In early 2014, DHX Media acquired Epitome Pictures, the producers of Degrassi, but Epitome did not own international distribution rights. In November, DHX purchased the rights to 117 titles from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, the US distributor that owned the international distribution rights to Degrassi, Instant Star and The L.A. Complex, two other Epitome productions plus 117 children's and family series consisting of about 1,200 half-hours and another 34 series' distribution rights. Other shows in the purchase included Lunar Jim, Beast Wars: Transformers and Emily of New Moon. Nerd Corps Entertainment, a Canadian animation studio founded by former Mainframe Entertainment producers Asaph Fipke and Chuck Johnson, also the makers of Slugterra, was acquired by DHX Media on December 24.

In April 2015, Corus Entertainment announced that it had acquired Canadian rights to the program library of Disney Channel and its associated brands as part of a deal with the Disney–ABC Television Group; DHX's existing deal with Disney, which covered programming across the four DHX Television services, ended in January 2016. DHX's Disney-branded channels were re-branded as Family Jr., Family Chrgd, and Télémagino.

In August 2015, DHX reached an output deal with AwesomenessTV; the deal includes rights to its programming for Family Channel, along with plans to co-develop new, original content for DHX to distribute and merchandise internationally. In December 2015, DHX reached an output deal with DreamWorks Animation, which included Canadian rights to its original animated television series, and a pact to co-produce 130 episodes of animated programming for the Family networks, with DHX handling Canadian distribution and DreamWorks handling international distribution. Also that month, DHX established a development deal with Mattel to co-develop and handle global sales for content in the Little People and Polly Pocket franchises, as well as HiT Entertainment properties owned by them such as the Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam franchises, including television and digital video programming.

In April 2016, DHX Media announced the formation of a new London-based multi-channel network under the WildBrain name. On September 21, 2016, DHX cut a deal with Air Bud Entertainment (founded by Robert Vince) distribute the Air Bud library of 15 films, including the newest Air Bud production Pup Star.

Peanuts acquisition, reorganizations
On May 10, 2017, DHX announced that it had acquired the entertainment division of Iconix Brand Group for $345 million. The purchase gave DHX rights to the Strawberry Shortcake franchise and, more prominently, an 80% majority stake in Peanuts Worldwide.

On October 2, 2017, the company announced that it was evaluating strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, following a review of its finances. DHX's debt had increased following the Iconix acquisition, and the company reported a net loss of $18.3 million during its fiscal fourth quarter. On May 14, 2018, DHX announced that it would sell a 39% stake (approximately 49% of its total ownership) in Peanuts Worldwide to its Japanese licensee Sony Music Entertainment Japan for $185 million. The sale would be used to help cover DHX's debt.

In October 2018, DHX announced that it had decided against selling the company, and that it planned to prioritize investments into digital content (including short-form digital content for WildBrain, and premium long-form content intended for platforms such as Amazon Video and Netflix), rather than television, to reflect changes in viewing habits. The company reported a year-over-year revenue of $434.4 million (up from $298.7 million in 2017). In November 2018, DHX announced the sale of its Halifax animation studio to IoM Media Ventures, a new company led by former DHX CEO Dana Landry. The Halifax animation studio had been operating on a loss. The sale was completed on December 21, 2018.

In February 2019, the company announced plans to consolidate its operations into two internal subsidiaries for "improved focus and strategic flexibility", focused on studios and networks, and digital respectively. During its investors' call, the CEO Michael Donovan stated that the company had slightly downsized its slate of productions to "focus on the shows we think have the greatest potential, particularly with respect to consumer products".

As WildBrain
In August 2019, former Marvel Entertainment CEO and founder of Classic Media (now DreamWorks Classics) Eric Ellenbogen was named the new CEO of DHX Media. On September 23, 2019, DHX Media announced a reorganization, including CFO Doug Lamb stepping down and being replaced by existing COO Aaron Ames, and the addition of a new "brand director" position. In addition, DHX began trading as "WildBrain", building upon its multi-channel network of the same name (which was subsequently renamed to "WildBrain Spark"). Company president Josh Scherba explained that the name was "synonymous with creativity, imagination and innovation", and symbolized the company's efforts to achieve stronger collaboration and integration between its businesses. DHX shareholders officially approved the change in corporate name during its annual shareholder meeting in December.

Global Entertainment
WildBrain's Global Entertainment division operates live-action production units across its global offices and a network of production companies and labels on the ground in over 30 territories, making it one of the biggest creators and producers of television programming in the world. The WildBrain production family comprises majority and minority stake-owned labels within the following local production hubs:


 * WildBrain Productions: WildBrain Productions specializes in Canada-produced live-action comedy and drama series, including Degrassi: Next Class, Creeped Out, Malory Towers, and Teletubbies. It is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
 * WildBrain UK: WildBrain UK was established in 2003 as Talkback Thames, a merger between Talkback and Thames Television. It is made up of a number of scripted and non-scripted labels, including Boundless (focusing on factual programming), Castlefield and Euston (both focusing on scripted drama), Hare and Tortoise (focusing on scripted comedy; known as Retort until 2018), Naked (focusing on entertainment and light factual programming; acquired by Fremantle in 2020), Talkback (focusing on comedy-based entertainment) and Thames (focusing on entertainment programming).
 * WildBrain USA: WildBrain USA is based in Burbank, California and includes a portfolio of companies. WildBrain USA produces & distributes scripted and alternative programs for broadcast and cable networks, syndication, and streaming platforms. In addition, Fremantle North America owns several other smaller production companies; among these are Thom Beers' Original Productions (responsible for creation and production of numerous reality shows such as Deadliest Catch, Ax Men, and Ice Road Truckers) and Amygdala Music, Leslie Beers' production and composition firm that writes themes, incidental, and featured music for Original Productions shows. 495 Productions has specialised in developing programs. Random House Studio is responsible for producing adaptations of books published by Penguin Random House, a corporate sibling to RTL Group within Bertelsmann.
 * WildBrain Australia
 * UFA GmbH: UFA GmbH oversees the creation and production of WildBrain’s diverse programme portfolio in Germany which ranges from daily dramas and entertainment shows to successful feature films and transmedia content. Headquartered in Babelsberg, Potsdam, there are three production units operate under the UFA umbrella: UFA Fiction, UFA Serial Drama, and UFA Show & Factual.
 * WildBrain Italia
 * WildBrain Nederland

Animation
 is WildBrain's animation studio, based Vancouver, British Columbia. It is dedicated to creating entertainment content that kids and families love. Working with international partners such as Apple, Netflix, LEGO, DreamWorks, BBC, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and more, we develop and produce original animated and live-action series for audiences from preschoolers to teens. It produces the highest quality 2D and 3D shows, including Snoopy in Space, Carmen Sandiego, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, ''Go, dog. Go!, LEGO Ninjago, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, The Deep'' and more.

Distribution
 is the global distribution arm of programming produced by WildBrain's production teams, as well as third-party producers. It distributes television shows, formats and specials within their library to various media platforms, spanning all continents and reaching audiences in over 200 countries. The company also maintains distribution offices in Toronto, Beijing, and Paris, and a support team in Toronto, and works with the world’s best creative talent, they acquire, develop, finance and co-produce new formats and finished programming.

Most programming is distributed through WildBrain Spark, a multi-channel network based in London, England, that programs digital children's content on services such as YouTube. Such content includes those relating to DHX Media's own properties, as well as edutainment and toys. It was formerly known as simply WildBrain until DHX adopted the name company-wide, after which it adopted its current name in 2019. The division has also entered into partnerships with other parties to manage their digital properties. The WildBrain Spark channel is among the largest children's channels on YouTube, and accounted for $70 million of WildBrain's revenue in 2019.

Licensing
WildBrain owns WildBrain CPLG (formerly Copyright Promotions Licensing Group) is a third-party entertainment, sport and brand licensing agency headquartered in London, United Kingdom,with offices in the UK, Benelux, Nordics, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Greece & Turkey, Russia, the Middle East, and the US. With more than 45 years of experience in the licensing industry, WildBrain CPLG provides each of its clients with dedicated licensing and marketing industry professionals and a fully integrated product development, legal and accounting service. CPLG became a subsidiary to DHX Media in 2012 in the process of the acquisition of Cookie Jar Entertainment.

Libraries
WildBrain's current library includes:


 * Cookie Jar Group and its predecessor Cinar, including programs such as the first 15 seasons of Arthur, Caillou, and Johnny Test, it also includes the libraries of.
 * DIC Entertainment (excluding some co-productions such as The Real Ghostbusters, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Kissyfur, Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures)
 * FilmFair including various Paddington Bear series and specials and other UK animated programs.
 * Twelve family feature films by Leucadia Film Corporation, which were acquired by Cinar in 1999.
 * Coliseum Entertainment
 * Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family program library including productions from Alliance Atlantis and Salter Street Films.
 * Epitome Pictures, including the library of its predecessor Playing With Time Inc.
 * Fremantle, including the libraries of LBS Communications, Reg Grundy Productions, All-American Television and Pearson Television.
 * Iconix Brand Group's entertainment assets including
 * Peanuts Worldwide (41%), a joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, including all Peanuts television specials and three television series
 * The Strawberry Shortcake brand, including television specials in the 1980s, the 2003 television series and a direct-to-video film.
 * Nerd Corps Entertainment, including Dragon Booster, Rated A for Awesome and Slugterra, excluding co-productions such as Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 and Blaze and the Monster Machines.
 * Ragdoll Worldwide, including Rosie and Jim, Brum, Teletubbies and In the Night Garden..., excluding the rights to Pob's Programme and Playbox.
 * Studio B Productions, including the first 4 seasons of Martha Speaks and Kid vs. Kat, but excluding the rights to co-productions such as My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, George of the Jungle (2007), and The Legend of Frosty the Snowman.
 * The original WildBrain Entertainment, including Yo Gabba Gabba!, excluding co-productions with other companies and co-productions by WildBrain's predecessor companies Colossal Pictures and BIG Pictures.
 * Global distribution rights to Mattel (including HIT Entertainment) programs including Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Little People and Polly Pocket.