Entertainment production and distribution company DQ Entertainment has announced plans to partner up with Italian public broadcaster Rai Com to co-produce a new animated series called "Pio The Chick".
Under the agreement, the partnership will produce 52 seven-minute episodes, with DQ taking on the entire animation of the series.

The programme is expected to go into production soon and will be ready by 2016.

It will be first time DQ and Rai have teamed up to co-produce an animated TV series and also the first time that Rai has gone into production of original content as a purely commercial venture that has been specifically conceived for the international market.

"The series is about the adventures of the plucky little chick Pio and his friends, and will feature a strong musical element," DQ said.

In 2012 "Pio The Chick" became a hit radio song and then a viral web phenomenon through a series of remixes that made it into the single charts in various European countries.

In various forms, it has generated more than 400m hits on Youtube to date.

Chairman Tapaas Chakravarti said: "This deal is definitely a significant one for us as it marks the beginning of our partnership with Rai, one of the the leading broadcasters in Italy. The characters in the show are so adorable that we are confident that kids will love them.

"This deal further validates DQ's capabilities in producing world class content and the trust our partners around the world have on us."

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