Sweet Cherry takes The Next Step with hit CBBC dance show from Boat Rocker

Sweet Cherry Publishing, Leicester’s multi-award-winning children’s book publisher, has signed a master publishing deal for CBBC’s hugely popular show, The Next Step. The licensing agreement was closed by Sweet Cherry’s Head of Licensing and Commercial, Maya Maraj, and licensor and producer of The Next Step, Boat Rocker.

Maya Maraj said: “We are delighted to be working with Boat Rocker on publishing for The Next Step. The show has built a huge and loyal fan base over 8 series and we can’t wait to introduce them to brand new books. The cast and licensing team are brilliant to work with and we can’t wait to collaborate on creative marketing and publicity campaigns for this globally established brand.”

With 8 seasons and over 230 30-minute episodes, The Next Step has aired on broadcasters around the globe including CBBC, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Sky, and more worldwide platforms. The brand has generated over 1 billion YouTube views between user-generated and official content, and other brand partners include dance workshops at Pineapple Studios, apparel, footwear and accessories stocked by Next and Netflix pop-up stores in George at ASDA, live tours, and regular content in Top of the Pops, Go Girl and Girl Talk magazines. New deals have also recently been signed with Matalan and Morrisons.

Nicola Herrmann, VP, Brand Management & Licensing at Boat Rocker Studios said: “We are delighted to be stepping out with Sweet Cherry publishing on this new deal which will see The Next Step leap off the screen and onto the page with this yearbook packed full of behind-the-scenes information and fun. We know this is just the sort of thing that our loyal fan base is looking for.”

Sweet Cherry is launching The Next Step: Official Yearbook in Summer 2023, with cast members actively promoting the book releases on social media.

Sweet Cherry was recently named Children’s Publisher of the Year 2022 and operates from offices and warehouses in Leicester. Inspired by their local community where over 25k children live in poverty, they aim to make reading fun, accessible and inclusive for all readers. Sweet Cherry has also been shortlisted for the Licensing Awards in 2020 and is also the UK publishing partner of CBeebies brands Numberblocks and Alphablocks, which have recently been shortlisted in two categories for the Progressive Pre-School Awards in 2022.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Morgan Lloyd
Marketing Executive
[email protected]

About Boat Rocker

Boat Rocker (TSX: BRMI) is the home for creative visionaries. An independent, integrated global entertainment company, Boat Rocker’s purpose is to tell stories and build iconic brands across all genres and mediums. With offices around the world, Boat Rocker’s creative and commercial capabilities include Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family television production, distribution, brand & franchise management, a world-class animation studio, and talent management through Untitled Entertainment. A selection of Boat Rocker’s projects include: Invasion (Apple TV+), Orphan Black (BBC AMERICA, CTV Sci-Fi Channel), Dear… (Apple TV+), Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (Apple TV+), The Next Step (BBC, Family Channel, CBC), Daniel Spellbound (Netflix), and Dino Ranch (Disney+, Disney Junior, CBC). For more information, please visit www.boatrocker.com.