Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia – home to Nickelodeon, Taiwan Taomee Co., Ltd and BlueArk Global Co., Ltd., today announced the joint launch of Dora’s Learning Adventure – a first-of-its-kind mobile, multi-sensory edutainment kids’ service. Dora’s Learning Adventure enables Dora to be a personal digital friend for preschool kids aged two to five years old, to go on playful, learning adventures anytime, anywhere with her. Kids are encouraged to explore and self-learn at their own pace with Dora through age-targeted weekly appisodes for mobile devices, delivered to them in a personal and highly interactive fun experience. This collaboration also signifies the inaugural global introduction of Dora’s Learning Adventure.
VIACOM, TAOMEE AND BLUEARK LAUNCH A PRESCHOOL E-LEARNING APP, DORA’S LEARNING ADVENTURE IN TAIWAN
First-Of-Its-Kind Mobile, Multi-Sensory Edutainment Kids Service in Asia
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 4 September 2014 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia – home to Nickelodeon, Taiwan Taomee Co., Ltd and BlueArk Global Co., Ltd., today announced the joint launch of Dora’s Learning Adventure – a first-of-its-kind mobile, multi-sensory edutainment kids’ service. Dora’s Learning Adventure enables Dora to be a personal digital friend for preschool kids aged two to five years old, to go on playful, learning adventures anytime, anywhere with her. Kids are encouraged to explore and self-learn at their own pace with Dora through age-targeted weekly appisodes for mobile devices, delivered to them in a personal and highly interactive fun experience. This collaboration also signifies the inaugural global introduction of Dora’s Learning Adventure.
“Nick Jr. is about giving children and parents what they want – ‘A Smart Place to Play’. Dora’s Learning Adventure embodies that for Dora fans,” said Mark Whitehead, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Asia. “With BlueArk’s strength in creating great digital products and their passion for Dora’s Learning Adventure to stay true to Dora fans, coupled with Taomee, the ideal publisher of kids’ content, we could not have found stronger partners who are closely aligned with us in putting kids first in everything we do and to bring this service to life in Taiwan.”
“We were inspired to create Dora’s Learning Adventure first through my daughter who is a huge Dora fan, and wanted to bring Dora to life as a personal digital friend for preschool kids like her, so that she gets to continue on playful, learning adventures anytime, anywhere, while learning English at her own pace. We are excited that Nickelodeon shares our vision and is supportive in bringing this first-of-its-kind mobile edutainment service to preschool kids.” said Andrew Ku, BlueArk CEO.
“We are convinced of the potential and reach of Dora’s Learning Adventure and are thrilled to be the first publisher in the world to secure the rights to Dora’s Learning Adventure for Taiwan and to offer this unique, world-class edutainment kids’ service, thereby further expanding our country’s preschool education service offering. We believe this will transform the way preschool kids will learn in Taiwan, while offering children an exposure to the English language,” said Huang Xin Kai, General Manager, Taiwan Taomee Co. Ltd.
Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer is an iconic and beloved character with pre-schoolers and is currently seen by over 200 million kids in over 150 countries and territories and translated in more than 30 languages via Nickelodeon channels around the world and through syndication. More than 20 educational and cultural consultants have worked on Dora the Explorer since the series premiered. The show has received numerous industry awards including Peabody, NAACP, Alma, Imagen, Latino Spirit, Gracie Allen, several Parents’ Choice Awards, the Television Critics Association award and 16 Daytime Emmy nominations. Globally, Dora teaches more kids English than Spanish.
Dora the Explorer’s interactive preschool curriculum was established from Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences, which includes Spatial, Linguistic, Interpersonal, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Logical-Mathematical, Intrapersonal and Naturalistic. Extending from here, Dora’s Learning Adventure adds depth through an interactive “Learn to Play, Play to Learn” experience, allowing them to also learn English in a fun manner, while cultivating good moral habits.
Age-appropriate weekly appisodes provide a step-by-step introduction to each child’s developmental skills. The learning pace is based on each child’s interactive performance through their multi-sensory selection, including touch, voice-initiation and breath activation.
The service also comes as a dual-app mode, including a parent app, kidswatts, which will allow parents to instantly monitor their child’s learning progress on Dora’s Learning Adventure and analyse their learning curriculum along Gardner’s multiple intelligences. kidswatts provides daily, weekly and monthly report cards to inform parents about their children’s learning abilities and habit, and offers guidance tips accordingly. Parents not only get real-time feedback, but can also send stickers and voice messages to encourage and praise their kids. Additionally, parents can have a peace of mind over their kids’ interaction time while parents are away. To manage their time on the service, children cannot get access to Dora’s Learning Adventure between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. daily. This brilliant app service has built a new digital relationship between parents and kids.
The dual apps for both kids and parents are available now and can be downloaded first through a subscription-based model on Android mobile devices in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It will become available on iOS devices in the last quarter of 2014. From September, parents who like Dora’s Learning Adventure fan club on Facebook in Taiwan and share their user experience, will stand a chance win Dora the Explorer prizes.
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About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year globally and 16th year in Asia, is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family. Creating surprising and playful entertainment experiences everywhere it goes, Nickelodeon has a portfolio that includes television programming and production around the world, plus special events, consumer products, digital offerings, recreation, books, feature films and pro-social initiatives. Nickelodeon's brands are seen globally in more than 450 million households in over 100 territories via more than 70 locally programmed channels and syndication. For more information about Nickelodeon in Asia, visit www.nick-asia.com.
About Viacom International Media Networks
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA, COLORS, Game One and Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 600 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom’s blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.
About Taiwan Taomee Co., Ltd
Taiwan Taomee Co., Ltd is a publisher/company of online game and brand licensing in children's entertainment and media. The company was founded in 2009, with the mission to bring joy and inspiration to children, Taiwan Taomee has over 80% marketing monopolizing of children online game platform, and become the largest children online platform rapidly within few years in Taiwan. Taiwan Taomee is now an Initial Public Offerings (stock symbol: 6428) on September 2013. The company’s core business is online games, mobile games, brand licensing and preschool educational application. Taiwan Taomee has great reputation with many public services on a lot of events. As for the brand licensing fields, the company has reached to various aspects: such as ticket-selling exhibition as one of campaigns, animations and movies releasing, merchandise that has been made in over 10 categories for more than 1500 kinds of products, publishing books and so on, which create a lot of brand preference. Please visit the website: www.61.com.tw for more information.
About BlueArk
Founded in 2009, BlueArk is a premier online and mobile content developer and investor located in Seoul, Korea. BlueArk thrives on enriching the sector by bringing new digital content using superior technology expertise of a highly experienced team with extensive online and mobile development experience and successful track records. It has partnered with world-class media and entertainment companies. It is BlueArk’s mission to enhance the quality and diversify the existing media distribution by transferring mass-appeal entertainment content into cross-platforms, both online and mobile. BlueArk continues to lead the sector with passion and determination to bring new digital content to the mass.
Media Contacts:
Viacom International Media Networks
Adeline Ong
Senior Director, Corporate & Brand Communications, Asia
Tel: (65) 6420 7240 m: (65) 9366 7323
Email: adeline.ong@vimn.com
Twitter: @VIMNAsia_PR
Taiwan Taomee Co., Ltd
Ivy Long
Manager, Dept. of Preschool Business Development
Tel: (88) 6 2 2516-1331 #153 m: (88) 6 912 251 963
Email: ivylong@61.com.tw
BlueArk Global Co. Ltd.
Iris Yoo
Manager, Global Business Department
Tel: (82) 2 3442 2121 m: (82) 10 8878 1107
Email: iris@blueark.com
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