France’s Xilam Animation has closed several new broadcasting deals for animated comedy series Zig & Sharko and Karate Sheep (pictured). 

WBD (France, Africa), DR TV (Denmark), NRK Super (Norway), Markiza (Slovakia) and ERT (Greece) have bought Zig & Sharko season four (which premiered last fall on French broadcaster Gulli) to begin airing during Q2 to Q4 of this year. And season one is going to K+ Vietnam and Media Prima Malaysia.

Zig & Sharko launched in 2010 and revolves around a hyena’s endless attempts to capture a mermaid who is under the protection of a great white shark. 

Karate Sheep—a chaotic CG-animated comedy about two sheep trying to outwit a wolf—is also expanding its international footprint. Xilam has also sold two seasons to WBD (Italy), Sony (India), Youku (China), Nova (Czech Republic) and Etisalat (UAE) to premiere through the first half of 2024.

Germany’s Super RTL and Netflix co-commissioned the series and launched it in late 2022 and early 2023, respectively. Xilam is managing second-window linear TV distribution worldwide and also controls the merchandising rights to the IP.

Both shows are performing well on Netflix, according to an engagement report released by the streamer last month. Seasons one and two of Zig & Sharko racked up 40 million hours of viewing time in the first half of 2023, and Karate Sheep generated 20 million hours in its first four months on the platform.