Fauna’s digital-first series continues its journey from YouTube to classrooms, and now to television. Under the agreement, 50 x 2-minute episodes of Ben’s World will begin airing soon across 45 countries in Africa.
Fauna Entertainment’s original musical series Ben’s World is making its move to linear television following a new broadcast deal with Gulli Africa.
Ben’s World follows Ben, a five-year-old African American boy, as he navigates the everyday challenges and joys of growing up in the USA alongside his spirited little sister Aya and their parents. Set to the vibrant sounds of Afrobeat and R&B, the series explores friendship, family, emotions and identity through relatable musical storytelling, celebrating cultural identity, empathy and understanding while reflecting experiences that are both universal to childhood and specific to growing up as a young Black boy in America.
Under the agreement, 50 x 2-minute episodes of Ben’s World will begin airing soon across 45 countries in Africa, significantly expanding the international footprint of Fauna Entertainment’s digital-first property.
Launched as a digital-first property, Ben’s World initially premiered on YouTube and YouTube Kids, building its audience through short-form musical storytelling.
Its next step took Ben from screens at home into classrooms, when the series was picked up by Learn360, an educational content platform serving more than 13,000 customers, including individual schools and entire school districts across the U.S., Canada and internationally.
On Learn360, Ben’s World is available to PreK–3 educators and students, with its stories supporting subjects including Character Education and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Now, the Gulli Africa agreement marks the series’ next major milestone: from YouTube to classrooms, and from classrooms to television.
“Ben’s World was created from the beginning as a digital-first brand with the potential to travel far beyond digital platforms,” said Emre Aksoy, CBO, Fauna Entertainment.
“Seeing Ben move from YouTube into thousands of classrooms and now onto television screens across 45 African countries is an exciting validation of that strategy. Most importantly, it gives Ben’s stories and music the opportunity to connect with an entirely new generation of children and families.”
Building Fauna’s Next Digital-First Global Brand
Ben’s World is Fauna Entertainment’s third original series to grow out of YouTube, following Kukuli and Giligilis. The two Fauna properties have gone on to secure extensive international distribution across more than 80 countries, alongside consumer products programs encompassing over 100 licensed products.
With Ben’s World now progressing from digital platforms to education and linear television, Fauna is applying the same digital-first strategy it has developed and refined for more than a decade—further demonstrating the company’s expertise in building original properties from digital audiences into internationally distributed entertainment brands.
