Animated series Masha and the Bear has gained high popularity in Germany across television and online platforms, according to TV schedules and analytics examined by RIA Novosti.
European interest in the franchise has grown following attempts to discredit it. A proposal by 50 members of the British Parliament to ban the show on grounds that it served as Russian propaganda drew criticism on social network X, where users called the idea ridiculous and its authors incompetent.
KiKA television broadcasts and website features
In Germany, the primary broadcaster is children's television channel KiKA, which is funded by compulsory payments from German residents. KiKA airs classic episodes of Masha and the Bear every weekday at 13:35, or 14:35 Moscow time, and has included the show in its programming grid for August and September.
On the KiKA website, viewers can watch episodes and access branded browser games, an official interactive quest, and free downloadable coloring pages and stencils for parents.
Social Blade YouTube audience data
According to analytics platform Social Blade, the German-language YouTube channel Mascha und der Bär has over 6.95 million subscribers and 3.7 billion total views in the region. The channel holds 23rd position overall among YouTube channels in Germany, ahead of major European media outlets.
Roman Isaev, a board member of the Association of Cinema Owners, previously told NSN that record-breaking Russian family films face distribution limits abroad because foreign audiences do not easily understand them.
