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StudioCanal completes deal to take full ownership of Paddington Bear

The recent Paddington films have been critically and commercially successful

European producer and distributor StudioCanal has taken full ownership of the iconic children’s character brand Paddington Bear worldwide.

The deal, financial details of which were not disclosed, comes after StudioCanal first announced it had acquired the intellectual property rights to Paddington in 2016.

London- and LA-based M&A specialist ACF Investment Bank said StudioCanal, which is gearing up to release a third Paddington film next year, now owns the worldwide television, merchandising, live entertainment, video game and theme park rights to the IP.

ACF Investment Bank advised on the transaction and said its post-deal services team has been working since 2016 “to help in the conclusion of this iconic deal.”

Created by Michael Bond CBE in 1958, Paddington Bear is one of the most famous and best-loved children’s book characters of all time. Over 35 million books have been sold worldwide in more than 40 languages, and more than 25 million people own a Paddington soft toy.

Alongside the recent critically and commercially successful Paddington feature films, StudioCanal has produced two seasons of animated series The Adventures of Paddington Bear. A third season is in development.

Prior to the sale, the rights to Paddington were controlled and managed by a group of stakeholders including Bond, his daughter Karen Jankel, MD of Paddington & Co; Nicholas Durbridge, chairman and founder of The Copyrights Group; and Stephen Durbridge, founding partner of media agent The Agency.

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