ABC Commercial and The Wiggles celebrate a 30-year distribution partnership

July 20， ABC Commercial announced it has finalised an exclusive global license agreement with Australian children’s entertainment group The Wiggles, extending and celebrating an extraordinary partnership that has spanned 30 years, to date.

The agreement will give the commercial arm of the Australian public broadcaster worldwide distribution rights to the group’s catalogue of premium television content, quality video productions and music.

The recently signed deal includes both future releases for The Wiggles current lineup and their back-catalogue, which permits ABC Commercial rights to distribute to international broadcasters and streamers, including those based in the UK, USA, Canada and other English-speaking territories.

The Wiggles originally signed with ABC Commercial in 1991 for the release of their self-titled debut album, released through the broadcaster’s ABC Music label. The ABC has since remained the award-winning group’s local distributor, selling more than eight million DVD’s & digital downloads, almost two million CDs in Australia alone. Globally the group has sold over 30 million DVDs, 8 million albums, 8 million books and accumulated over one billion music streams and 2 billion views on YouTube. Internationally, ABC Commercial has facilitated access to The Wiggles programs in over 200 million homes worldwide.

The Wiggles have experienced unprecedented worldwide success and in 2021 are celebrating their 30 years of educating, enriching and entertaining children and families all over the globe. 2021 has seen the group observe their landmark milestone with a new single We’re All Fruit Salad, new music album releases, new and exclusive content on FTA, STV, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, concert tours and collaborations across lifestyle brands.

“ABC Commercial is pleased to extend our global partnership with The Wiggles” said Andrew Lambert, General Manager of ABC Commercial. “The Wiggles are the world’s most revered children’s entertainment group, universally celebrated by kids and parents alike both here in Australia and abroad, their music synonymous with the ABC brand. By extending our agreement for distribution rights to their award-winning catalogue of content, I am confident ABC Commercial will continue to build on their immense track-record of international success.”

Original cast member, Anthony Field together with Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie and Simon Pryce make up todays line up that has seen The Wiggles continue their dominance of the children’s entertainment market.

“The Wiggles have called the ABC home for over 30 years,” said Blue Wiggle and creator of The Wiggles, Anthony Field, “We’re thrilled to continue that relationship by providing our trusted partner ABC Commercial an extended agreement for the rights to our catalogue. We believe this will assist us in our goal in continuing to entertain young children and families everywhere.”

 About ABC Commercial

ABC Commercial is responsible for taking the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s screen content, services and brands to the Australian and international marketplace. From our full suite of digital services and traditional businesses, ABC Commercial extends the global reach of the ABC’s bold, compelling and entertaining content across territories and platforms. All revenue generated from our activities is reinvested into the production of the ABC’s high-quality content.

About The Wiggles

For over three decades, The Wiggles, the world’s most popular children’s entertainment group has educated, entertained and enriched the lives of millions of preschoolers (and their parents) all over the globe. Today generations of fans that grew up watching are sharing their love of The Wiggles with their own children. The Wiggles see things from the perspective of the child, which is the basic principle that informs their work. It is because their performances are developmentally appropriate for their young audiences, they continue to attract and involve those audiences. A staple of pop culture, The Wiggles and their songs are referenced in dozens of TV shows and movies, while The Wiggles brand has adorned nearly every product imaginable for children from sheets to shoes, to sweaters and beyond. Having sold over 30 million DVDs and CDs, and 8 million books, The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene. Their live shows continue to sell out to audiences globally. The Wiggles videos are seen in over 190 countries, and in an age where digital streaming dominates entertainment platforms, The Wiggles has achieved over 2 billion streams in the last two years alone. Along with original Wiggle and founder Anthony Field (The Blue Wiggle); Emma Watkins (The Yellow Wiggle), Lachy Gillespie (The Purple Wiggle), Simon Pryce (The Red Wiggle) and their Wiggly friends are poised to remain generational favourites for at least another 30 years to come!

Source:ABC Commercial