'Pokémon' Catches WildBrain To Be Their FAST Channel Partner
Gotta catch every available episode 24/7 coming soon!
What? Pokémon anime streaming is evolving! WildBrain has struck an agreement with The Pokémon Company International have struck a deal for the former to become the distributor of a Pokémon FAST channel, starting in the United States, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This comes following the discontinuation of Pokémon TV, their free and ad-free app, in March.
The partnership will see WildBrain secure and launch new single-IP FAST (Free advertising-supported streaming television) channels with leading platforms in these regions for the first 22 seasons of the original Pokémon anime, starring Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, and friends. That’s all the way from the original series, through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto regions in the original series, Hoenn in the Advanced era, Sinnoh in the Diamond and Pearl series, Unova in the Black and White series, Kalos in the XY series and Alola in the Sun and Moon series. Since 2013, the first nine seasons have been designated as The Beginning (1 and 2), Gold and Silver (3-5) and Ruby and Sapphire (6-9), but I have my preferences. Anyway, that’s around 1,080 total episodes to program the channel, exactly if it wasn’t for the Jynx-featuring episodes probably not circulating.
“We always strive to deliver the joy of Pokémon to more fans around the world, and WildBrain is the perfect partner to help us introduce a new generation of Trainers to the beloved Pokémon animation,” said Melissa Pearce, the Senior Director of Media Licensing at The Pokémon Company International. “FAST provides an ideal platform for the Pokémon brand to connect with wider audiences, offering accessible and curated content in a family-friendly environment.”
WildBrain has launched more than 100 FAST channels for more than 20 brands, including Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Degrassi, Slugterra, Sonic, and the ‘90s Super Mario cartoons across major platforms worldwide. Since getting involved in FAST, WildBrain has driven growth from 502 million in 2019 to 7.5 billion minutes watched in 2023. The preexisting partnerships with Samsung, LG, Roku, Tubi and Pluto and using the three biggest integrators, Wurl, Xumo and Amagi will likely allow the Pokémon FAST channel to land on any or all of those platforms and more.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Pokémon to FAST audiences as a single-IP channel for the first time ever,” said Lara Ilie the Vice President of AVOD & FAST at WildBrain. “FAST is an important component of an omni-channel strategy to grow brands and reach fans everywhere they’re watching. As a leader in audience engagement for kids and families, we’re looking forward to leveraging our FAST expertise to reach the ever-growing Pokémon community.”
While this doesn’t solve any disclosure of where the Journeys series will be found if the Netflix departure sticks, it does centralize where to find the anime streaming. At the time of discontinuation, Pokémon TV had nothing between seasons 2 and 20. The Prime Video Channel has most everything together while it still manages to exist in this landscape, but is a subscription within a subscription. This was the second high-profile anime to grow its FAST footprint, as Naruto expanded from Pluto to now have a Freevee FAST channel that started yesterday. The current Pokémon streaming situation has seen Sun & Moon replace XY at Hulu and Disney+, while XY is at Prime Video where Diamond and Pearl replaced Ruby and Sapphire, and Gold and Silver remains.
Source: WildBrain press release