The show, created by Strika Entertainment, premiered recently on Disney’s XD channel in Italy. The success of the first month’s airing of
Supa Strikas has now led to the channel acquiring the third season. Strika Entertainment CEO, Richard Morgan-Grenville, says, “Disney does not buy many shows from third party IP owners as they have so much of their own content. We are super excited to be one of the few, and first South African show, to have been purchased. Like South Africa, Italy has a strong soccer culture and with the Disney XD audience consisting primarily of boys aged 6 to 14,
Supa Strikas are a natural fit.”
Disney XD aims to be a wholesome content provider and have welcomed the positive messages that are espoused by
Supa Strikas such as the importance of teamwork, good sportsmanship and problem solving. “We have a lot of hope for this show as soccer is so important to Italian boys,” says Elizabeth De’Grassi, programming director for Disney Channels at the Walt Disney Company in Italy. The move to buy and air
Supa Strikas in Western Europe was inspired by the show’s success on Disney in South East Asia.
Plans are in place for
Supa Strikas to be distributed to Disney’s emerging markets, namely Greece, Africa, the Middle East and Serbia and it has been already included as part of the programme line-up on the newly launched Disney XD channel in Singapore. The animated series is aired in over 35 countries around the world and has been sold to other major broadcasters such as Nickelodeon, ESPN, SABC, Canal+ and Al Jazeera. It has also been translated into Mandarin, Spanish, Hebrew, Bahasa Malay, Portuguese, Arabic, French, Polish, Romanian, Bahasa Indonesian, Hindi and now, Italian.
“We believe that, based on broadcast sales,
Supa Strikas is the most successful television series to come out of South Africa,” shares Morgan-Grenville.
For more information about Strika Entertainment and the
Supa Strikas, visit
www.strika.com.