Netflix adds Italian tween series

Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends

Netflix has taken worldwide rights to the first live-action series from Winx Club producer Rainbow.

Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends will be made available to Netflix subscribers around the world next year following the deal with the Italian firm.

The series follows the tumultuous friendship between a free-spirited American girl who wins a scholarship to attend a fashion academy in Milan and her snobbish classmate, the daughter of a famous Italian entrepreneur.

The pair go on to form a band together with their classmates. Episodes feature the group performing together, with actors Emanuela di Crosta and Giorgia Boni providing the vocals for 11 original songs.

Season one began airing in Italy on Rai Gulp in August and a second run is now in production. The series is written by Elena Bucaccio, Emanuela Canonico and Iginio Straffi, founder and president of Rainbow Group.

It follows Netflix picking up worldwide rights to fellow Rainbow-produced series World of Winx, which will make its debut on the streaming service on November 4.