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Pictures: Netflix / Nickelodeon / Moonbug Entertainment

As the year winds down, it’s time to look back at Netflix’s biggest hits, and today, we begin by looking into what kids’ TV shows picked up the most points in the Netflix top 10s over the past 12 months.

This list is compiled using FlixPatrol data collected from the daily top 10s on Netflix from over 80 countries around the globe. They assign points and values to each title that gets featured on any day. Their data isn’t perfect as their method doesn’t quite fully capture the complexity of viewership data, such as total watch time, repeat viewings, or demographic details of the audience. Also worth noting is that Netflix changed up its top 10 metrics midway through the year to favor views over pure viewing hours. That said, their data provides a pretty accurate snapshot of what performed best over a long period.

Stephane Celerier, a veteran French film executive whose former banner Mars Films co-produced “La Famille Belier,” is joining forces with Pgs Entertainment to create a new production company.

Celerier is launching Gemma Pictures with Philippe and Guillaume Souter, the founders of Pgs Entertainment, a thriving family-owned business specialized in financing and licensing worldwide youth entertainment.

The new Paris-based company will look to produce French and English-language films, TV series and TV movies and is already developing a slate of 10 projects with well-known French and international talent. A resourceful and deep-pocketed company, Pgs Entertainment will fully finance the development of Gemma Pictures’ roster over the next three years and will handle the back office, while giving Celerier the full reins of the company.

One of France’s most respected and passionate industry figures, Celerier acquired and distributed locally a flurry of critically-acclaimed U.K. and U.S. movies, including “Billy Elliot,...

U.S. investment firm Narrative Capital has acquired Sony Pictures Television’s entire U.K. channels portfolio in a major deal, Variety can reveal.

The pact covers Sony’s seven free-to-air channels, including Sony Movies, Sony Movies Action, Sony Movies Classic, Sony Channel, Pop, Tiny Pop and Pop Max, as well as the brands’ various digital assets.

The Sony-labeled channels will be rebranded, with a new look unveiled on May 25, and all brands will sit under the Narrative Entertainment banner. However, the content offering, which includes everything from “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” to the Care Bears and “Blade Runner 2049,” won’t change, as Sony will continue as a licensing and distribution partner for Narrative.

Variety understands that the plan is to create a premier AVOD destination out of the U.K. that encompasses the various brands. There’s already something of an AVOD footprint in place, with...

WarnerMedia has acquired the rights to new animated show “Master Moley,” starring Warwick Davis and Gemma Arterton, for its children’s platform Boomerang in more than 100 countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Master Moley” is based on original stories written by British entrepreneur James Reatchlous, who spoke to Variety about how it came to life.

The deal, struck by Jetpack Distribution, will see the animation’s 30-minute special, “Master Moley By Royal Invitation,” head to the channel in November. The acquisition of the new 52-part series, comprising 11-minute episodes, “The Misadventures of Master Moley,” will continue the adventures of Master Moley and friends on Boomerang next year.

The animation follows adventurous mole Master Moley, who lives deep in a burrow under Queen Elizabeth II’s Windsor Castle in the bustling city of MoleTown, where he is the keeper of a magical book, which has the power to bring peace between humans and moles.