Nickelodeon Central and Eastern Europe to Premiere '44 Cats' on Monday 15th April 2019

Nickelodeon Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will premiere the brand-new CG-animated preschool series 44 Cats on Monday 15th April 2019! Created and directed by Iginio Straffi, the founder of Italian content powerhouse Rainbow Group, the makers of Winx Club and Regal Academy, and produced by Rainbow in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna and Rai Ragazzi, Nickelodeon will launch 44 Cats by airing the first two 11-minute episodes of the all-new series at 17:20 CET and 17:30 CET, respectively. Following launch, Nickelodeon will continue to air brand-new episodes of 44 Cats regularly at 17:20 CET. A list of episodes of 44 Cats that Nick CEE will debut in April 2019 can be found below.

Set in the world of animals, 44 Cats (52 eps x c. 13') follows the daily adventures of Lampo, Milady, Pilou, and Meatball – four adorable kittens who are part of a music band named The Buffycats.

The protagonists live and play in the Clubhouse, a garage beside old Granny Pina’s house. Their adventures explore the themes of friendship and altruism: the four cats love helping others and always find creative solutions to everyday hitches and help other cats in need. The series promotes positive attitudes and conveys educational messages dealing with important themes such as tolerance, diversity and solidarity in a funny way.

This eagerly anticipated show made its world debut on Rai Yoyo in Italy on Monday 12th November 2018. Nickelodeon International acquired the broadcast rights to the series in May 2018, and will roll the animated series out on Nickelodeon channels and branded blocks around the world, excluding in the U.S. and Latin America, throughout 2019.

44 Cats is inspired by the very popular Italian kids song "44 Gatti", which, in 1968, won the 10th edition of the Zecchino d'Oro and has since entered the collective imagination of Italians.



44 Cats is the first Rainbow Group production jointly developed with Bardel Entertainment, the Canadian animation studio it acquired in 2015, and jointly produced in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna and Rai Ragazzi, and combines great music and edutainment with high quality animation. The series also marks Rainbow’s (Winx Club, Regal Academy, Mia and me, Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends) inaugural foray into preschool programming.

Rainbow inked a licensing deal for 44 Cats with Thai Group’s Hong Kong-based company, Toy Plus in August 2018. Under the terms of the agreement, Toy Plus will develop a variety of products including interactive plush, figurines, play sets, musical toys and more based on the music, creative play patterns and collectability featured in the series. The line of merchandise debuted in Hong Kong in October, and is slated to become available for purchase around the world in fall 2019.

Rainbow has also secured a new licensing deal for 44 Cats with holistic lifestyle company Artsana Group. Under the agreement, the company will develop a range of licensed 44 Cats-themed infant educational toys for infants and a nursing line under its Chicco brand, the largest infant brand in Europe. The deal also includes apparel and accessories collections by Prenatal and Chicco. Products are expected to hit retail shelves later this year and will be supported by a dedicated, high-level marketing campaign delivered jointly by Rainbow and Artsana Group, which is also based in Italy.

44 Gatti become the most watched Italian-produced cartoon of 2018 when it debuted on Rai Yoyo on Monday 12th November 2018, recording record ratings of 527,000 viewers and a 2.71% audience share, helping Rai Yoyo to continue to be the most watched children's channel in Italy! Since its debut, 44 Gatti has also held the record for the highest viewing share amongst children aged 4-7 years, reaching 16% and an average audience of 350,000 viewers in the 19.15 timeslot.

Below is a list of 44 Cats episodes set to premiere on Nickelodeon CEE in April 2019:

- 2019-04-15 17:20 1x01 Buffycats on a Mission (series premiere)
- 2019-04-15 17:30 1x02 A Puppy to Save
- 2019-04-16 17:20 1x03 Cosmo, the Astronaut Cat
- 2019-04-17 17:20 1x04 Cat Traps
- 2019-04-18 17:20 1x05 Gaby, the Reporter Cat
- 2019-04-19 17:20 1x06 Gas, the Stinky Cat
- 2019-04-21 17:20 1x07 Granny Pina's Secret Recipe
- 2019-04-22 17:20 1x08 Neko, the Lucky Cat
- 2019-04-23 17:20 1x09 A Dog as a Friend
- 2019-04-24 17:20 1x10 Lampo and the Crazy Race
- 2019-04-25 17:20 1x11 Cat Fever
- 2019-04-29 17:20 1x12 The Dance Contest
- 2019-04-30 17:20 1x13 Milady and the Cat-fu Master

Viewers can visit the official 44 Cats show website at 44cats.tv to find out more about the show and its musical stars, as well as watch exclusive video clips, play pawesome games and download purr-tastic activities.

Nickelodeon Central and Eastern Europe is broadcast in Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Malta, Montenegro, Ukraine, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, and is broadcast with English, Romanian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Czech, Hungarian, Slovenian, Russian, Polish, Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian soundtracks.

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Original source: Gyerek-Világ.

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