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tonies® and BBC Studios bring Bluey to the Toniebox, expanding family storytelling through immersive audio play

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Family-favorite Bluey joins tonies’ leading interactive audio platform for childrenBluey stories, interactive Tonieplay experiences, and exclusive products will come to families around the world

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — tonies SE (“tonies”), the globally leading interactive audio platform for children, announces a partnership with BBC Studios to bring Bluey to the Toniebox for the first time. The collaboration expands one of the world’s most beloved TV series into immersive, audio-first experiences for kids and their families.

Available for pre-order in the U.S. today, June 17, on tonies.com and target.com, the partnership will introduce a range of Bluey experiences designed to inspire play, storytelling and shared family moments, including Classic Tonies, interactive Tonieplay adventures, and themed accessories inspired by the globally celebrated series.

Bluey joins the tonies family at a time of accelerating global growth, with more than 12 million Tonieboxes already sold worldwide. For families, the partnership brings another opportunity to experience Bluey beyond the screen. For tonies, it reinforces the company’s position as the destination for premium children’s storytelling and one of the world’s leading platforms for family entertainment and play.

Tobias Wann, CEO of tonies, says: “At tonies, we’re listening to our audience and responding to what excites them. Few brands capture family connection and playful storytelling quite like Bluey. For years, families around the world have asked for Bluey on the Toniebox, and we are incredibly proud to bring this beloved world to life in a way that feels uniquely tonies. This partnership is another powerful example of why many of the world’s leading family brands trust tonies to thoughtfully extend the stories fans already love.”

Suzy Raia, EVP Global Consumer Products at BBC Studios, adds: “Bluey has always encouraged children to jump into play, and tonies brings that spirit to life in a truly special way. We are especially excited by Tonieplay and how it invites families to actively take part in the stories they love. Together, we’re thoughtfully expanding the Bluey universe through immersive storytelling and play in ways that feel authentic, playful, and true to the heart of the brand.”

Rolling out across North America, DACH, the UK, France, Australia and New Zealand from June through October, the launch introduces families to an exclusive Bluey Tonieplay experience, developed in-house by tonies’ studio and adapted directly from fan-favourite moments from the series. Designed as immersive audio-first play, the experience invites children to step into Bluey’s world through interactive storytelling, playful challenges and adventures, and has been developed in close collaboration with BBC Studios to preserve the heart of Bluey while introducing a new way to engage with its characters and stories through hands-on play.

In addition, three Classic Tonies figurines including Bluey, Bingo, and Muffin will debut in North America, DACH, the UK, France and New Zealand. Themed accessories, including Bluey Listen and Play bags and a Bluey Toniebox 2 sleeve will be available across all markets.

Ginny McCormick, CXO of tonies, adds: “At tonies, we’ve spent more than a decade building expertise in how children naturally listen, imagine and play. That means every experience starts ears-first and every creative choice begins with protecting what families already love about a brand. With Bluey, we’re especially excited to pair that philosophy with our original Tonieplay innovation, creating experiences that help children actively step into a world they already know by heart”.

Since its debut in Australia in 2018, Bluey has built a global fanbase and become one of the world’s most-watched animated TV series. Known for its heartwarming storytelling, humour, and celebration of play and family life, the show has grown into a cultural phenomenon. Its success has been widely recognised across the industry, earning accolades from a BAFTA to multiple Emmy Awards, as well as the 2026 Toy of the Year Award for “License of the Year” for the second consecutive year.

Pre-order is live now at https://us.tonies.com/collections/bluey-collection & www.target.com.

About tonies

tonies® is the globally leading interactive audio platform for children redefining how children aged 1 to 9+ play, learn, and grow independently without screens. Since its founding in Germany in 2014, around 12.2 million Tonieboxes and over 165 million Tonies have been sold worldwide.

On average, children engage with tonies for ~280 minutes per week, making it a trusted everyday companion that brings the joy and magic of interactive audio entertainment and education into family life worldwide.

The intuitive and award-winning system – centered around Toniebox 2 – offers a portfolio of around 1,500 Tonies figurines and about 20 Tonieplay games and more than 3,500 digital titles via mytonies (library and app) – ranging from tonies Originals® to licensed content from around 350 partners including Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Mattel, Marvel, Paramount, Hasbro, Universal, Sony Music.

tonies is rapidly expanding its platform globally. Besides DACH, central growth regions include tonies’ largest market, North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Australia and New Zealand, with Tonieboxes now active in over 100 countries. tonies employs more than 630 people, achieved EUR 630 million in group revenue in fiscal year 2025 (+31% yoy), and is listed in the SDAX segment of Frankfurt Stock Exchange (tonies SE).

About Bluey

The series follows Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog who lives with her Mum, Dad and her little sister, Bingo. Bluey uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun.

Bluey is produced by Ludo Studio for ABC KIDS (Australia) and co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios Kids & Family. Financed in association with Screen Australia, Bluey is proudly 100% created, written, animated, and post produced in Brisbane Queensland, Australia, with funding from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland and the Australian Government.

In Australia, the show is broadcast on ABC. The series airs and streams to U.S. and global audiences (outside of Australia, New Zealand, and China) across Disney Channel, Disney Jr., and Disney+ through a global broadcasting deal between BBC Studios and Disney Branded Television.

Bluey | Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube 

About Ludo Studio

Ludo Studio is a BAFTA, multi-Emmy®, Logie and Peabody award-winning Australian studio and one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies of 2024, that creates and produces original scripted drama, animation and digital stories that are authored by incredible local talent, distributed globally and loved by audiences everywhere.

ludostudio.com.au

About BBC Studios Brands & Licensing

The BBC Studios Brands & Licensing division is the driving force in extending BBC Studios IP through innovative brand extensions, fostering deep fan engagement worldwide. Partnering our iconic brands – including Doctor Who and Bluey – with the world’s biggest brands, promoters, and publishers, ignites the imagination of fans and creates memorable brand-fame moments. Our diverse portfolio spans consumer products, live entertainment, gaming, and publishing, while BBC Studios Digital drives over 1 billion views per month, offering advertising and branded content opportunities. Supported by award-winning teams, we focus on finding visionary opportunities to enhance global brand impact and digital growth.

BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | X | LinkedIn | Instagram 

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Fastest Growing Global Finance Super App Abound chooses Monad to Power its Next Phase of Growth

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Riding record growth after crossing $500 Million in remittances, the super-app built for global Indians announces its next chapter – including a brand-new wallet product, with the waitlist opening soon

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Abound, the super-app for Indians in the US backed by Times Internet (Times of India Group), grew past $500 Million in remittance volumes served in the last year, with US and India markets accounting for the bulk of volumes. Abound is excited to announce the next phase of products being built to serve the global Indian diaspora better. The next chapter will be built on Monad, the next-generation Layer 1 blockchain enabling open access to fair financial markets. With Monad’s technology, it is the best option for Abound’s use cases.

What began as a smarter way to send money home has evolved into a comprehensive super app for NRI life spanning cross-border payments, savings, and everyday benefits designed around the needs of Indians living in the US. Abound has become one of the platforms Indians in the US trust to move and manage money across two countries, with over $500 million in volume served. Abound now plans to serve Indians across the world and expand support with newer products better suited to their changing needs.

A New Roadmap for the global Indian

Building on this momentum, Abound today unveiled the next chapter of its product vision:

A new wallet product: a single home for Indians overseas to hold, move, and manage money across both countries’ multi-currency balances, and instant transfers between US and India accounts, with support for more countries coming soon. Waitlist opens soon; the product launches in Q3 2026.New ways to earn and save: interest-bearing savings and investment accounts, giving NRIs more ways to put their money to work.AI agent-led workflows, including the agentic payment protocol x402 to power the next chapter of Abound’s upcoming product suite. Monad Foundation is a premier member of the x402 Foundation.

“Abound has become the platform Indians in the US trust to move money home; we have moved $500 million since launch” said Nishkaam Mehta, CEO, Abound. “This roadmap is about building agents to seamlessly manage the NRIs entire financial life, with the trust of our community at the center of everything we do.”

“Abound is embarking on an ambitious journey to build a full set of agentic financial services and cross border platform for NRIs along its distribution via Times of India. We’re excited to see Abound leverage Monad’s technology to help accelerate at their efforts into the next chapter,” said Raj Parekh, Head of Payments & Stablecoins.

Powered by Next-Generation Technology

Abound’s upcoming product suite will be built on Monad. Monad is a high-performance, institutional-grade Layer 1 blockchain enabling open access to rewards, AI agents, and fair financial markets on neutral ground. The integration gives Abound the technology foundation to serve the Indian diaspora at scale – with the performance and reliability a community of global earners expects. Monad’s technology underpins Abound’s expanded capabilities as the platform scales into its next chapter.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fastest-growing-global-finance-super-app-abound-chooses-monad-to-power-its-next-phase-of-growth-302859236.html

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Xinhua Silk Road: Seven marine test “labs” put in place in offshore waters near Yuanyao port in Weihai, E China

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BEIJING, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In waters north of Yuanyao fishery port in east China’s Weihai City, a recent round of drone marine testings by a local marine equipment institute pooled firsthand data for references to its product R&D.

Such testings that move corporate “laboratories” into the sea are increasingly favored by businesses in Weihai as seven marine testing platforms have been completed in the port area, also the Yuanyao shallow sea sci-tech bay area.

In details, the seven platforms include an offshore self-elevating wharf, a semi-submersible platform, a testing wharf, etc., all of which provide vital support to the technological R&D of related businesses.

Currently, 44 companies have been attracted to settle in the sci-tech bay area, which serves as a key carrier for emerging marine-related industries such as marine electronic information, marine intelligent equipment, and modern maritime services to thrive there.

Near the Yuanyao fishery port now stands the semi-submersible marine test platform, which is the first one of the type in Shandong Province where Weihai sits and also a core part of the national marine comprehensive test site project in Weihai.

As a staff of the sci-tech bay area’s service center introduced, the 44-meter-long and 32.4-meter-wide platform can operate at a maximum water depth of 70 meters and is equipped with multiple supporting systems.

For instance, the power system, test facilities, marine environment observing and monitoring system, and security system of the platform are capable of catering to diverse needs of scientific researchers including short-term on-site operations, instrument lifting and retrieval, and real-time transmission of offshore data.

Apart from these marine testing platforms, the sci-tech bay area is also crafting another seven scientific research platforms to offer all-around intellectual support for the national marine comprehensive test site in Weihai.

While marine testings are ongoing on the testing platforms, onshore zones in the sci-tech bay area are busy with building more innovative infrastructure including the marine data management and application center.

In Weihai, the integrated deployment of offshore, onshore and on-island marine-related platforms is unlocking strong potential for local industries to burgeon.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/351893.html

 

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SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road

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Antare launches AI physical security platform, transforming unwatched camera footage into intelligence

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Antare uses AI to automatically review footage from body-worn and fixed cameras to give organisations a complete picture across every shift and site

LONDON, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Antare, a new agentic security platform for body-worn and fixed cameras, has launched. UK-based Antare uses artificial intelligence to automatically review security footage, detect incidents, alert teams and document every event, transforming everyday operations into actionable insight that helps improve performance and reduce operational risk. The platform is compatible with both Antare’s intelligent body-worn cameras and customers’ own existing fixed camera infrastructure.

Antare’s body-worn cameras capture the moments before, during and after every incident, preserving the context that helps organisations understand what really happened, protect their employees, and manage their liabilities. This matters because abuse and violence towards frontline staff is rising and incidents often do not have a defined beginning. Employees no longer have to remember to start a recording in the middle of a confrontation.

The Antare Console reviews all video and audio as it is recorded, and transcribes, indexes and scores each event automatically. Separate AI agents watch for specific signals, including physical and verbal assaults, suspicious behaviour, safety risks, medical events or weapons, and send in-the-moment alerts and live video to colleagues via the Antare App.

Antare also surfaces patterns that manual review is prone to miss, like repeat offenders, theft hotspots and recurring problems across sites. Free text search allows users to investigate further, while daily email summaries ensure key events are never missed.

Available today

Antare offers two models of body-worn cameras that work out of the box for US, UK, and EU customers. The Antare Body-worn Camera Pro is designed for frontline staff in demanding environments where extended battery life, GPS capabilities and rugged durability are important.

The Antare Body-worn Camera Compact is a lightweight alternative, intended for customer-facing teams who need discreet protection during their shifts. The Antare Dock charges four cameras at once between shifts.

Both models, including cellular connectivity and unlimited users for the Antare Console, are available through a simple, all-inclusive monthly subscription, with no minimum order quantity and no fixed term.

One platform, every camera

The Antare Cloud Gateway, coming soon, integrates the full range of Antare’s cloud capabilities with customers’ existing fixed cameras, so body-worn and fixed cameras live in a single console, with no separate systems to manage.

Customers can also choose from a range of pre-configured alarms, as well as configure their own alarms via free text description.

Antare’s own fixed camera range is set to follow in early 2027, supplied and installed by accredited partners. Partners can register interest now at www.antare.ai/partners.

Privacy and data protection

Footage is encrypted on Antare devices and in transit, then erased from the device once it reaches the secure cloud, where access is role-based. Data is stored in your local region – UK, EU or US – and deleted automatically after 30 days unless an authorized user marks it for retention. Antare is SOC 2 Type I certified and GDPR compliant, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications in progress.

Mark Michaelides, CEO of Antare:

“Antare was founded on the belief that today’s physical security platforms are failing to deal effectively with emerging safety and operational risks, leaving businesses with expensive legacy investments that do not fulfil their evolving needs.

“Traditional security solutions have focused on after-the-fact review, while more modern systems have enabled live alerts. Antare has built a different type of intelligence platform to deliver both, while shortening time from alert to triage and enabling quicker post-incident investigation.

“Following strong results in trials across private security, hospitality and retail customers, Antare is available on subscription for body-worn cameras from today, with the Antare Cloud Gateway coming soon. One console that turns disparate data into action, intelligence, and insights.”

For more information, visit www.antare.ai.

Accompanying photography:

Picture 1 – Antare CEO Mark Michaelides. Credit: Antare 
Picture 2 – Credit: Antare 
Picture 3 – Credit: Antare 
Picture 4 – Credit: Antare 
Picture 5 – Credit: Antare 
Picture 6 – Credit: Antare 
Picture 7 – Credit: Antare

About Antare

Antare is the physical security intelligence platform that turns every captured event into organisational insight. It continuously detects, reviews and interprets everything that happens across every site and operation – so nothing is missed, and every incident is clearly understood.

Starting with body-worn and fixed cameras, and expanding across every capture point, Antare gives organisations the confidence to report accurately, respond effectively, and build a complete picture of risk and performance over time. Antare is headquartered in the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.antare.ai.

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SOURCE Antare

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