The series is part of the most successful international animation franchise coming out of Russia.
Universal Kids, the rebranded Sprout, will release the Russian animated series Masha and the Bear on television in the U.S., Animaccord, the series' production company, said.
Masha and the Bear is part of the best known international children's franchise coming of Russia, which includes three seasons of the original series and two spinoffs.
Premiered on Russian television in 2009, the series has since been distributed in many countries of the world, including Italy, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and, most recently, China.
Episodes of the series are also available on YouTube where Masha and the Bear is a popular series. The franchise's episode Recipe for Disaster is in the top-6 most watched YouTube videos of all time, with over 2.45 billion views.
In the U.S., the animated series premiered on Netflix in 2015 and a line of the franchise's licensed toys was released by Spin Master at Toys' R' Us in 2016.
In 2015, the producers' revenue from licensing agreements and sales of Masha and the Bear merchandise accounted for $225 million, with more than half of the total revenue coming from outside Russia.
