Alvin and the Chipmunks have been a childhood classic for years. Now, it seems that the current owner Bagdasarian Productions is aiming to sell the iconic singing chipmunks for around $300M. Currently, ViacomCBS is interested in purchasing the rights, which includes all the films, songs, and TV shows that starred Alvin, Simon, Theodore, and their expanded family. The company is run by Ross Bagsdasarian Jr. and his wife Janice Karman. They’ve already actively had talks with buyers but no agreement has come as of now.
The current price is at $300M but it’s uncertain if that will remain as such moving forward. Many streaming services are eager to add any potential streaming service to their repertoire. So, it’ll be interesting to see who is interested in ensuring they can bank on adding this franchise. While it did have some films, the series is mostly known for its young demographic.
Netflix has quite the interest in these types of IPs, such as the recent purchase of Roald Dahl‘s children’s books which cost upward of $700M. Ross Bagdasarian Sr. created the characters in 1958 for a children’s music act. It wasn’t until 1961 that the original three chipmunks Alvin, Simon, and Theodore made their official first appearance. Depending on who garners the rights, they’ll have a lot to play with. In a way, Disney might have their eye on the franchise as it plays into their all-encompassing approach to media and intellectual property.
Source: CNBC
