Genius Brands International Launches Kartoon Channel! on Apple iOS, Breaking Single Day Company Download Records in First 24 Hours and Ranking in the Top 10 of Free iOS Apps for Kids

Kartoon Channel! App Receives Tremendous Response with Top Reviews and 5-Star Ratings, Surpassing Disney+

New COPPA-compliant App Follows Debut of Kartoon Channel!, Available in Over 100 Million U.S. Television Households and on Over 200 Million Mobile Devices

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the June 15 launch of its new free digital Kartoon Channel! across multiple AVOD and OTT platforms, Genius Brands International (NASDAQ:GNUS) announced today its first iOS launch with the debut of an all-new dedicated Kartoon Channel! app, available free on Apple iOS.

Andy Heyward, Genius Brands Chairman and CEO, stated, “We are thrilled that the viewing audience has discovered Kartoon Channel! so quickly!  The multitude of parents downloading our app for their kids has skyrocketed in the first 24 hours with the app reaching in the Top 10 for kids, and climbing, while receiving thousands of 5-star ratings. Kartoon Channel! is already significantly ahead of our plan."

“In a very short time, we have managed to create a groundswell of growth for our new Kartoon Channel!,” said Margaret Loesch, Executive Chairman of Kartoon Channel! “There are great platforms available today for kids, such as Netflix and Disney+; however, they are pay platforms.” Heyward continued, “There are two attributes that distinguish Kartoon Channel! from them.  First, our Kartoon Channel! is FREE.  When we launched this platform, we were very clear that we would be ‘like a Netflix for kids, but FREE’.  In today’s times where families are challenged to make budgets work, having a high-quality free on-demand content service for kids is a huge point of value.  Second, and no less important, our channel offers Curated Content.  At a time when kids are home from school and camps are largely closed, we are bringing children content that is value-driven and enriching, and not just 'empty viewing calories.'”

Heyward added, “General Manager Caroline Tyre, Margaret Loesch, and myself are all parents, and we understand the importance of the time kids spend in front of a screen.  With Warren Buffett, they are learning lessons in business and entrepreneurship; with young Martha Stewart’s Martha & Friends, they are learning crafting, gardening, and cooking; with Giselle Bündchen’s Giselle and the Green Team, they learn lessons on protecting our planet; with Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, they learn science; and with our Llama Llama shorts, there are lessons in early socialization of getting along, and inclusivity…and so much more!  Whatever the show is we offer, we seek to avoid violence, negative stereotypes, inappropriate language, bullying, or insensitivity to our planet.  We have a strict code that has been built and curated by Professor Don Roberts, former Chair of Stanford School of Communications, and the foremost authority and researcher on the impact of media on children.”