Peppa Pig to hit China as CCTV picks up broadcasting rights

(LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Kids' TV favourite Peppa Pig will soon be making her way to China, as state broadcaster CCTV has picked up the rights to broadcast the show.

It's a lucrative deal for eOne, the company that owns the rights to Peppa Pig, as breaking the Chinese market could bring the show tens of millions of new preschool fans.

Although it's fair to say that they're not exactly struggling - the Peppa Pig brand has already made $1 billion in US sales, a figure that executives hope will double by 2020.

The show will broadcast on CCTV's children's channel, CCTV 14 Kids, on 23 June. Accompanying the show's debut will be a new Chinese website and dedicated local content.

The Chinese expansion will continue off-screen too, with Penguin China working to build an audience for Peppa Pig books, which will be in bilingual and local languages.

The first episode of Peppa Pig was broadcast in 2004, and already the show has ballooned in international popularity.

It's shown in 180 countries around the world, and has been translated into 40 different languages.

Olivier Dumont, managing director of eOne licensing, said he feels that there is an "extremely strong foundation for building Peppa Pig in this hugely exciting market."