DQE Announces a Licensing Deal with Walmart and 12 Other New Licensing and Merchandising Agreements for 'The Jungle Book'

HYDERABAD, India, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

DQ Entertainment International (DQE), a leading animation, gaming, live action, entertainment production and distribution company, is pleased to announce a number of new licensing and merchandising deals concluded during the quarter ended March 2013, mostly in USA.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130328/606736 )

The most significant of these were signed by DQE's partner in North America, Australia and South Africa, SMC Entertainment Group, Inc. ("SMC") in collaboration with the home-video distribution licensee Phase4 Films, who have launched "The Jungle Book" DVDs across all Walmart stores in USA and are launching in Canada soon.

Recently, DQE and SMC concluded a high-value licensing deal with Burger King Worldwide (BKW) for a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) - promotion that will begin worldwide in June '13.

Other important new licensing and merchandising agreements for "The Jungle Book" franchise concluded recently include:

1. Magic Jump Inc. for inflatable bounce houses in USA and Canada
2. Dynamic Displays for 45' Helium Parade Balloons in USA
3. Cardinal Industries, Inc for Lenticular Puzzles and Wood Puzzles and Board Games in USA and Canada
4. Dragon Toys for Battery Operated Animatronics in USA & Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
5. CraftStone for Plush toys, fabric sublimation printed story books, mini blankets & other plush accessories in Europe and Asia
6. Bendon Publishing for Coloring and Activity, Board Books and Story Books in USA and Canada
7. PlayWow International Ltd. for Inflatable Toys, Inflatable Bath Toys and Roto Molded Toys in USA, South Africa and Australia
8. Promotional tie-up with Norton Anti-virus in USA
9. Promotional tie-up with Air Transat for in-flight entertainment in the USA and Canada;
10. Budge Studios for apps on IOS and Android platforms;
11. Mandodari for DVD part works in Italy; and
12. Compupress for DVD partworks in Greece & Cyprus

Tapaas Chakravarti, Chairman and CEO of DQE, said: "We are successfully exploiting the 'Jungle Book' franchise across multiple geographies and multiple product lines. Based on the success of our 'Jungle Book' TV series - which is validated by the quality of  partners it has attracted globally - we will continue very focussed efforts on also exploiting the revenue potential from licensing of our other properties such as 'Peter Pan', 'Robin Hood' and '5 and IT'."

Rami Ben-Moshe, President SMC Entertainment Group, Inc., said: "The 'Jungle Book' TV series momentum continues to build and we are thrilled with the host of partners, promotions and retail support that is all-ready lined up for 2013 and beyond! We are also excited about the additional content that will be developed by DQ Entertainment which will help support the consumer products efforts for years to come."

About "The Jungle Book":

Based on stories from Rudyard Kipling's immortal classic, "The Jungle Book" series features delightful tales of wit, friendship, courage and loyalty with the man-cub Mowgli and his friends in the dense Indian jungle. The series is filled with drama, excitement and adventure mixed with comedy as it unfolds Mowgli's escapades especially from his enemy Sher Khan, the tiger, with the help of Baloo the wise bear, Bagheera the black panther and (sometimes!) the mighty Kaa, the rock python.

About DQE:

DQE is a leading global entertainment group listed on AIM in London and the BSE and NSE in India specializing in animation, gaming and VFX content production, licensing and distribution. DQE is associated globally with major intellectual properties such as The Jungle Book, Charlie Chaplin, Peter Pan, Iron Man, Casper, Little Prince, Lassie, Robin Hood and other properties, in partnership with international broadcasters, distributors and independent producers in Europe & USA. Season 1 of The Jungle Book has been broadcast in over 130 countries while season 2 is currently in production. DQE employs a large creative talent pool which has produced a 3D stereoscopic feature film The Prodigies for Warner Bros, France & Fidélité Films, and France while The Jungle Book feature film, with lead writing by Billy Frolick (Madagascar) is currently in development.

About SMC Entertainment Group, Inc.:

SMC Entertainment Group, Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, is the North American brand owner for television, home entertainment, licensing, merchandising and promotional rights to the new 3D CGI animated TV series "The Jungle Book" and the made-for-TV 60-minute movie special "Rumble in the Jungle" from DQ Entertainment International. SMC Entertainment Group Inc. secured the master toy rights for "The Jungle Book" for Australia and New Zealand, plus, all licensing and merchandising rights for South Africa. Most recently, SMC Entertainment Group, Inc. was appointed by ZDF Enterprises as the exclusive North American licensing agent for the new teen/tween TV drama series Dance Academy and the popular "hit" series, "H20 Just Add Water".

For further information, please contact:

DQ Entertainment International
Sumedha Saraogi
[email protected]

DQ Entertainment Internal
P R Vishnu
[email protected]