DHX snaps up Studio B

Vancouver-based Studio B Productions, the toon house behind 400 hours of animated kids programmes including What About Mimi? and Being Ian, has changed hands for an undisclosed sum.

DHX Media has acquired the privately owned company outright, adding it to its existing subsidiaries, which include distributor Decode Enterprises and production houses Decode Entertainment and Halifax Film.

Under the deal, Decode Enterprises will handle international sales of Studio B’s productions. Studio B has seven shows in production, including Kid vs Kat for YTV, Ricky Sprocket – Showbiz Boy for Teletoon and Nickelodeon, and Martha Speaks, coproduced with WGBH Boston.

Production will continue under the Studio B brand following the DHX acquisition, and Blair Peters and Chris Bartleman, co-founders and joint CEOs at Studio B, will continue as co-presidents at the firm. Decode already distributes What About Mimi?

“The synergies with DHX Media, and specifically its distribution arm Decode Enterprises, will allow us to focus on increasing our proprietary titles, which will lead to greater worldwide distribution of Studio B programming,” said the Studio B founders.

DHX chairman and CEO Michael Donovan said the deal “will leverage the strength of Decode’s distribution capabilities and will help add to our growing library of productions from which we will be able to generate recurring revenues.”