Broken Frontier

Teshkeel Media Group, KSC, announced today that it will partner with leading Indian publisher Chandamama to license its award-winning comic book series, The 99, throughout India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Chandamama plans to publish an English-language version for all markets, with other local language editions planned to follow.

"India is not only one of the world's fastest growing economies but also a country with a long Muslim tradition. It's a natural market for The 99 and a logical progression from our current operations in the Middle East, Indonesia and the United States," said Teshkeel CEO Naif Al-Mutawa. "We're delighted to have a partner like Chandamama publishing The 99 locally. Their company name is synonymous with quality children's entertainment and their experience and success in Indian children's publishing makes them the ideal choice to spread the legend of The 99."

Chandamama CEO L. Subramanyan said, "We feel that we have found a kindred spirit in Teshkeel. Like Chandamama, they are using a combination of history and culture to create modern stories to entertain children. We feel that the message of diversity and tolerance taught by The 99 will strike a chord with Indian audiences." He added, "The contributions of west-Asian society and literature have been major components in the development of India's heterogeneous culture, so we believe that there is huge potential for The 99 to become successful here."

Chandamama-one of the region's leading children's' publishers-will launch the local version of The 99 at the end of April. Under the terms of the agreement, The 99 will be made available in bookstores, department stores and newsstands throughout India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Maldives.

Headquartered in Kuwait, Egypt and the United States, Teshkeel Comics' stated goal is for its flagship title, The 99, to bring positive entertainment to young readers not only in the Middle East and North Africa, but also throughout the world. "Building on our publishing efforts in the United States, Indonesia and Malaysia, our partnership with Chandamama is another significant step in making The 99 a truly worldwide brand,"  concluded Al-Mutawa.