Canuck edutainment goes global

Broadcasters in Australia, Europe and Latin America have picked up a Canadian children’s series with digital extras that helps kids to develop their maths skills.

ABC3 in Australia, SVT Barnkanalen in Sweden, NRK Super in Norway and Gloob in Brazil will air Odd Squad (40×22′), which is produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment (SSE) and The Fred Rogers Company.

Aimed at 5-8s, the live-action show focuses on two young agents whose mission is to save the day whenever something unusual happens in their town.

It began airing on TVO in Canada and PBS Kids in the US last year and comes from Tim McKeon (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends) and Adam Peltzman (The Electric Company).

Its interactive features, which include games, parent resources and mobile apps, have proved a huge success, according to SSE, which sells the show internationally.

The website has had five million unique visitors, 33 million page views and 10.5 million game plays since launching in November, SSE said.

“Using events and themes from key episodes, we developed a series of games that built upon specific goals and expanded the show’s mythology,” said Blair Powers, executive producer and co-founder of SSE.