Virgin stocks up on DHX kids’ shows

Virgin TV in the UK has acquired a package of programming totalling 615 half-hours from Canada-based children’s content firm DHX Media.

Virgin TV has taken five seasons of Bob the Builder

The deal covers streaming SVoD rights for Virgin TV in the UK and Ireland, plus linear rights for Irish network TV3, which is owned by Liberty Global subsidiary Virgin.

A total of 30 titles from DHX Media’s library have been licensed on a non-exclusive basis.

The deal includes seasons 15 to 19 of Bob the Builder, as well as nine specials; seasons six to nine of Fireman Sam, plus three specials; seasons one to five of In the Night Garden; plus DHX Media original series Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

It marks the third and largest distribution deal yet between DHX and Virgin.

Sarah Aspinall, kids and music editor at Virgin, said earlier this month at the Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield that the pay TV operator is looking to help finance new shows for children for the first time.