Rainbow S.p.A. is an Italian studio founded by

Iginio Straffi Iginio Straffi is an Italian animator and former comic book author. He is the founder and president of Rainbow SpA, which he co-owns alongside the American media company Paramount Global. Straffi is the creator of the studio's animated series '' ...

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

(now known as

Paramount Global Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. I ...

) became a co-owner of the studio in 2011. Rainbow has collaborated with Viacom/Paramount's other company,

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

, on multiple shows, including ''

Winx Club ''Winx Club'' is an animated series co-produced by Rainbow S.p.A., Rainbow SpA and later Nickelodeon. It was created by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. The show is set in a magical universe that is inhabited by fairies, witches, and other myth ...

'' and '' Club 57''. The studio is based in

Loreto, Marche Loreto ( , , ) is a hill town and ''comune'' of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is most commonly known as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site. Location Loreto is located above sea leve ...

and was founded by Straffi in 1995. Rainbow began as an animation studio, providing creative services for larger companies until it secured enough funds for original productions. In February 2011, Viacom purchased 30% of the company for 62 million euros (US$83 million), leaving the remaining 70% to Iginio Straffi. Viacom's

networks broadcast Rainbow's shows worldwide and Rainbow acts as the licensing agent for Nickelodeon's shows in Italy. Nickelodeon's American studios have also collaborated with Rainbow on several productions, including ''Winx Club'' from 2011 to 2015 and ''Club 57'' in 2019. In 2015, Rainbow purchased fellow animation studio

Bardel Entertainment Bardel Entertainment, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1987. The studio's name comes from its founders, Barry Ward and his wife Delna Bhesania. Bardel is involved in the acquisition, development ...

. In 2017, Rainbow acquired a majority stake in Gruppo Iven S.p.A., which owns the production company Colorado Film. In 2018, Straffi and Viacom listed the company on the

Italian stock exchange Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervising disclosures for listed companies.italy24.ils ...

. The listing followed years of consideration regarding which country's stock market to enter (the United States or Italy). According to Straffi, this presented "a real dilemma" as Viacom was already listed on an American stock exchange, but Rainbow performed best in European countries. Straffi and Viacom withdrew Rainbow from the stock market in May 2018, citing a lack of suitable market conditions. After almost 12 years of co-ownership, Paramount sold its stake back to Straffi in January 2023. While Nickelodeon will continue to be a broadcast partner for the studio, the purchase allows Straffi full control of Rainbow's new projects. The buyout does not affect the seasons of ''Winx Club'' that Nickelodeon produced, as the copyright is still registered to Paramount.

Filmography

Television series

Films

Other divisions

Rainbow founded Tridimensional, a magazine publishing division, in 2004. A 3D animation division, Rainbow CGI, was formed in 2006. Rainbow also established Witty Toys, a toy division, in 2008.

References

{{Authority control Companies based in le Marche Italian animation studios Mass media companies established in 1995 Italian companies established in 1995 2011 mergers and acquisitions Italian brands Paramount Global subsidiaries Rainbow S.r.l. Animation studios owned by Paramount Global