Air Bud Entertainment Enters Into Multi-Film Licensing Agreement With China's Largest Online Video Platform, iQiYi

MALIBU, Calif. and BEIJING, Feb. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Bud Entertainment (ABE), the brand synonymous with wholesome family entertainment that has, for the past 20 years, cornered the children's market with its talking, singing and dancing animal films, has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with China's online entertainment leader iQiYi. The comprehensive deal incorporates all ABE-branded content, including those films created with Disney – Air Bud and Disney Air Buddies - and the MVP franchise, and the four new movies from the Pup Star franchise that were recently produced for Netflix. The announcement was made today by Robert Vince, CEO and Founder of ABE, and Yang Xianghua, SVP of iQiYi.

This unprecedented agreement for ABE allows all of its highly successful family films to be available to hundreds of millions of Chinese users on iQiYi's platform. iQiYi's three-year deal with ABE not only includes SVOD, TVOD, and traditional TV rights, but also includes theatrical distribution of ABE's films and all licensing and merchandising rights in China for the ABE brands. This includes consumer products and gaming properties, among other ancillary merchandise opportunities that will create a revenue stream propelling the company's highly successful brand strategy.

This deal comes at a perfect time as China celebrates the Year Of The Dog in 2018. iQiYi plans a wide theatrical release in the territory for Pup Star – the initial film of ABE's new popular franchise in March 2018.  Meanwhile, ABE has announced two new and upcoming films in the franchise – Pup Star: World Tour and Pup Star: A Pup Star Christmas – to release in 2018 in the U.S.

Robert Vince, CEO and Founder of ABE commented, "We're thrilled to partner with this major game changer. This iQiYi deal marks a major milestone in our company history as all films in the beloved Air Bud movie franchise have now been licensed in every major country in the world." Anna McRoberts, President of ABE noted, "iQiYi is the perfect home for Air Bud Entertainment in China. All our Air Bud content is now united on one platform, as both our long-term partners Disney and Netflix content are also licensed to iQiYi. We look forward to growing our brand into a household name in China, as it is across the globe."

Yang Xianghua, Senior Vice President of iQiYi, said, "The partnership with ABE is of great importance for iQiYi. Many of ABE's films have enjoyed high popularity in North America and have been well received by audiences of all age groups, which is in line with iQiYi's content strategy as well. Our extensive cooperation covering theatrical distribution, gaming and merchandising will enable us to explore new opportunities in both online and offline markets and achieve greater value in this industry."

About iQiYi
Founded in April 2010, iQiYi is one of the largest Internet and mobile video service providers in China. An independently operated subsidiary of Baidu, the world's largest Chinese search engine, iQiYi is focused on providing Chinese users with the best possible online video experience, and has become an industry leader in developing innovative products and technologies.

About Air Bud Entertainment
Air Bud Entertainment is the premium brand for live action family movies and TV series. The Company has created over 22 family movies and five movie franchises that are licensed around the globe including the five Air Bud movies; seven Air Buddies movies with two Santa Paws movies in partnership with Disney, along with the new four movie Pup Star franchise for Netflix. ABE also recently announced its new series Puppy Prep Academy with Disney Channel in the U.S.

Air Bud Entertainment is a fully integrated studio that produces all aspects of the creative and production process, including writing, directing, producing, post-production and visual effects. The Company also markets and licenses its movie franchise/series directly. Air Bud Entertainment is based in Malibu, California and its studios are in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Visit and subscribe to http://airbud.com and ABE YouTube.

Social Media:

Website: Airbud.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/AirBudOfficial
Twitter: @AIRBUD and @PupStarMovie
Instagram: @AirBudOfficial
YouTube: Youtube.com/channel/UCHAL_UurzMKDyrpddriiuXA

SOURCE Air Bud Entertainment