'Angry Birds Toons' launching through Angry Birds games, VOD services, TV networks

Angry Birds Toons, the upcoming animated series based on Rovio Entertainment's ubiquitous Angry Birds franchise, will be available through Angry Birds games, video-on-demand providers and select television networks, the company announced today.

The series is set to premiere this weekend. It will launch first on a number of TV networks around the world, although not in the U.S.: FOX8 in Australia, JEI TV in Korea, ANTV in Indonesia, Cartoon Network in India, MTV3 Juniori and MTV3 in Finland, the Children's Channel in Israel, 1+1 networks in Ukraine, Gulli and Canal J in France, SUPER RTL in Germany, TV2 in Norway, Canal 13 in Chile and Gloob in Brazil.

Angry Birds Toons will also be available on Samsung Smart TVs, and in the U.S. on Comcast video platforms including the streaming service Xfinity. It will later make its way to Roku boxes and elsewhere. And on March 17, Rovio will update Angry Birds titles on smartphones and tablets to add a dedicated channel for Angry Birds Toons, allowing players to watch new episodes from within the games.

"We're delighted to introduce [Angry Birds Toons] through our new channel, with easy and instant access to the stories in the palm of your hand," said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio, in a press release announcing the distribution arrangements. "With over 1.7 billion downloads, we can reach a far wider and more engaged global audience than traditional distribution would allow."

Rovio announced Angry Birds Toons, which stars the Angry Birds and Bad Piggies, last month. The animated series will contain 52 episodes, one every week for a year. Hed called the launch "an important milestone for us on our journey towards becoming a fully fledged entertainment powerhouse."