The fall market season has begun. And with so many companies jockeying to get their biggest deals announced before BLE and MIPCOM, there was such a glut of good news that it was tough to narrow down this week’s potential winners to five! But narrow we did, and now it’s up to you to choose who gets the Gold Star.

Animaj: The French studio is adding another brand to its growing hive: Maya the Bee. Animaj has become a joint owner of this much bee-loved franchise by partnering with Studio 100 International. The plan for Animaj is to focus on producing more content for the CG-animated series, but it also controls all rights (excluding feature films and theme parks) outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Maya turned half a century old in 2025, and maybe this queen will keep buzzing for another 50 now that she’s backed by these two focused partners. 

Raphaelle Mathieu: The esteemed kids media executive is back with a bang, launching a new solo venture in Paris this week called Samax Entertainment. Under this umbrella, Mathieu will work hand-in-hand with global producers, wearing multiple hats as a financial packager, an executive producer and a maker of deals. It’s a showcase of her hard-earned versatility, but also a real phoenix-rising moment for the ex-Cyber Group COO, who’s returning to the kids business she clearly loves. And Mathieu is off to a strong start with her first project—as an EP on Kartoon Studios’ upcoming public-domain take on Pooh Bear, Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends. 

Thunderbird Distribution: Don’t sleep on this news: Thunderbird Distribution locked down a dream deal with Disney Branded TV for JAM Media’s animated preschool series BeddyByes, which will launch on Disney+ globally and Disney Jr. stateside in early 2026. The show is all about helping kids wind down for bedtime, but Thunderbird isn’t taking a nap after this sale. Its team, led by industry maven Richard Goldsmith, will be heading to BLE and MIPCOM to share this particular bedtime story with the industry. After all that, they’ll deserve some shuteye.

Watch Next Media: Having nine lives is pretty cool—but getting nearly the same number of broadcasters on board for your new show? Now that’s impressive. In an increasingly tough TV market, Watch Next made it happen this week for Dungeons & Kittens, which is set for a 2026 launch with a France Télévisions commission and seven more European presales. The studio is also feline good about an already-active licensing program for the RPG-inspired toon, with France’s Gallimard attached to launch branded books and games next year. Even dog people have to admit, this is purrfect deal-making in action.

WildBrain: Peanuts, Strawberry Shortcake and Tubby Toast fed a much healthier 2025 fiscal year at WildBrain, which achieved a 13% spike in annual revenue (US$375 million). Despite shuttering its domestic channels business, the Canadian media giant expects to feast again in 2026 as it refocuses its 360-degree franchise strategy on new content, audience engagement activities and representing more properties with its bustling global licensing business. The company has already secured its first new deal of the next fiscal year, extending Peanuts’ exclusive run on Apple TV+ until 2030. Delicious.