What Rainbow does

Rainbow S.p.A. is an Italian animation and entertainment group founded in 1995 by Iginio Straffi in Loreto, Italy, producing children's animated television series, animated and live-action feature films, live touring shows, and consumer products. The group operates through specialized divisions including Rainbow TV (animated series such as Winx Club, 44 Cats, Pinocchio and Friends, Mermaid Magic, and Gormiti The New Era), Rainbow Movies (animated theatrical films), Colorado Movies (live-action Italian films such as The Tearsmith and My Name is Vendetta, distributed via Netflix and Italian cinemas), Colorado TV (entertainment programming), Rainbow Live Show (touring productions including Winx on Ice and 44 Cats Live), Witty Toys (merchandise), and Moviement (talent agency). Production capacity is supported by in-house CGI divisions (Rainbow CGI, Tridimensional) and the 2015 acquisition of Canadian studio Bardel Entertainment. Content is distributed globally through licensing and co-production partnerships with tier-1 platforms including Netflix, RAI, Nickelodeon, and CBeebies, targeting children aged 4-7 and their families. The business model combines content licensing, co-production fees, theatrical distribution, live-show ticket revenue, and merchandise sales across a diversified IP portfolio.

Rainbow is a privately held, founder-controlled enterprise with 501-1,000 employees and no disclosed external private equity, venture capital, or public market investors. Its revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed but span content licensing (B2B deals with broadcasters and streamers), theatrical distribution (live-action films), live entertainment (touring shows), and merchandise (Witty Toys). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; deal structures with global platforms are presumed to follow industry-standard minimum guarantees plus back-end participation models. The company has invested in regulatory and governance infrastructure, including an Organizational Model and Code of Ethics adopted under Italian Legislative Decree 231/2001 and ongoing compliance work with the EU Web Accessibility Directive and European Accessibility Act.

The group's competitive positioning rests on a 30-year accumulated library of proprietary animated IP (anchored by the globally recognized Winx Club franchise since 2004), an integrated 360-degree monetization stack spanning series, films, live shows, toys, and talent, and multi-platform distribution relationships with the world's largest kids' content distributors. Recent activity (2023-2025) indicates active IP revitalization (new Winx Club series), expansion into global live-action streaming (The Tearsmith on Netflix), and continued co-production with major US and European platforms.

Name

Rainbow

Legal name

Rainbow S.p.A.

Website

https://rbw.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Rainbow S.p.A. is an Italian animation and entertainment group producing children's animated series, films, and live shows globally, with a flagship franchise (Winx Club) and distribution partnerships with Netflix, RAI, and Nickelodeon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Loreto

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Rainbow SpA is an Italian animation studio that produces and distributes CGI-animated children's television series, animated and live-action feature films, and touring live shows. Its content is sold primarily through global licensing agreements with major broadcasters and streaming platforms (Netflix, RAI, Nickelodeon, CBeebies) and through theatrical distribution. The company also operates merchandising (Witty Toys) and talent representation (Moviement) divisions.

Product overview

Rainbow SpA is an Italian entertainment company and animation studio that produces animated television series, feature films, and live television programming. The company's core offerings are organized into distinct production divisions: Rainbow TV handles animated series production (including flagship properties like Winx Club, Mermaid Magic, Gormiti, Pinocchio and Friends, and 44 Cats), Rainbow Movies produces animated theatrical films, Colorado Movies produces Italian feature films, and Colorado TV produces television entertainment. Additional divisions include Rainbow Live Show (touring productions), Witty Toys (merchandising and licensing), and acquired companies Bardel Entertainment (CGI animation studio) and Moviement (talent agency). The company distributes content globally through partnerships with Netflix, Rai, Nickelodeon, and other major broadcasters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Winx Club: Flagship animated series franchise
• 44 Cats
• Pinocchio and Friends
• Mermaid Magic
• Gormiti The New Era
• Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends
• Regal Academy
• Fate: The Winx Saga
• The Tearsmith
• Colorado Movies
• Colorado TV

Products and services

• Winx Club Flagship CGI animated series franchise featuring fairy characters with magical powers, one of Rainbow's most successful and internationally recognized properties. Licensed to major global broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• Mermaid Magic Animated series featuring mermaid characters, premiered on Netflix. Distributed via streaming platform licensing to global family audiences.
• Gormiti The New Era Reboot of the Gormiti animated franchise as a CGI animated series for children, distributed via global broadcast and streaming licensing.
• Pinocchio and Friends CGI animated series targeting kids 4-7 years old, comprising 52 total episodes of 12 minutes each in comedy/adventure genre. Features Pinocchio, his friends, and the Fairy With Turquoise Hair. Licensed globally to broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• 44 Cats Animated musical series featuring four cats who form a band. Winner of Content Innovation Awards 2020. Licensed to global broadcasters including Nickelodeon.
• Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends Live-action/CGI hybrid series combining fashion and music themes, produced in collaboration with Nickelodeon for global broadcast.
• The Tearsmith Italian feature film produced by the Colorado Movies division, distributed by Netflix globally and in Italian cinemas.
• My Name is Vendetta Italian action thriller feature film about a teenage girl seeking revenge after her family is attacked. Produced by the Colorado Movies division and distributed via Netflix and Italian cinemas.
• Colorado Movies feature film slate (A Classic Horror Story, Tre di troppo, Me Contro Te films) Feature film slate produced by the Colorado Movies division including Italian titles A Classic Horror Story, Tre di troppo, and Me Contro Te Il Film franchise, distributed through Italian cinemas and select international platforms.
• Rainbow Live Show touring productions Live touring productions including Winx on Ice, 44 Cats Live Show, and Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends Live Tour. Ticketed live entertainment based on Rainbow's animated properties, sold through ticketing and venue partnerships.
• Witty Toys licensed merchandise Consumer toys and merchandise produced by the Witty Toys division based on Rainbow's animated properties, including Winx Club, 44 Cats, and Gormiti. Sold through retail and licensing partnerships.
• Winx Club theatrical films Animated theatrical films in the Winx Club franchise including Winx Club 3D Magical Adventure, The Secret of the Lost Kingdom, and Mystery of the Abyss, plus Gladiators of Rome. Distributed theatrically in Italian cinemas and internationally.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Agribusiness Global Trade SummitminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 March 2026Rainbow returned as the Innovation Title Sponsor for the 19th annual Agribusiness Global Trade Summit held August 5-6 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. The summit brings together crop input leaders from over 40 countries. This sponsorship reinforces Rainbow's commitment to advancing collaboration across the crop protection, biologicals, plant nutrition, and agricultural technology sectors. However, this partnership appears unrelated to Rainbow SpA's animation business and may refer to a different entity named Rainbow in the agribusiness sector.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DreamWorks Animation: NBCUniversal-owned animation studio producing major family theatricals (Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda). Broad incumbent competing with Rainbow for global kids/family audience attention and streaming distribution deals.
• Entertainment One (eOne): Hasbro subsidiary owning Peppa Pig and PJ Masks — major kids IP licensor with similar revenue model to Rainbow's licensing-driven business. Broader incumbent with greater scale and deep toy integration through Hasbro.
• Illumination Entertainment: Universal-owned animation powerhouse (Despicable Me, Minions, Sing). Operates as a broad incumbent in animation — significantly larger scale and budget than Rainbow but competes for the same global distribution slots and kids theatrical windows.
• Lionsgate: Independent US studio with a family-content division and global distribution footprint. Comparable as a smaller-than-major-studio content producer/licensor competing for streaming supply deals and family theatrical windows.

Direct peers

• Mondo TV: Italian-listed animation studio producing children's animated series and licensing IP globally (e.g., Sissi, Heidi, Angel's Friends). Closest direct competitor to Rainbow in European kids animation, with overlapping customer base of international broadcasters and similar licensing-driven revenue model.
• Gaumont Animation: French animation arm of Gaumont producing and globally distributing animated series and feature films (e.g., Ballerina, Over the Hedge sequel). Direct peer in European animation production with comparable distribution through Netflix/RAI-type global channels.
• Studio 100: Belgian/Family-owned European kids entertainment group producing animated series (Maya the Bee, Heidi), live shows, and theme parks. Directly comparable vertically-integrated model spanning animation, licensing, live experiences, and merchandise — same playbook as Rainbow's group structure.
• WildBrain: Canadian publicly-listed children's entertainment and animation company owning Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, and managing the Peanuts franchise. Directly comparable as a kids IP owner/licensor with global distribution; Bardel Entertainment (Rainbow subsidiary) competes directly with WildBrain's animation services division.

Emerging players

• Banijay Group: French independent content production and distribution group with European kids production capabilities. Comparable as a European content producer scaling globally through M&A, though with a broader scripted/unscripted portfolio beyond kids animation.

Regional players

• Zodiak Media (Banijay Kids & Family): European kids and family production division of Banijay producing animation and live-action content for global broadcasters. Comparable European-based kids production peer serving the same Netflix/RAI/Nickelodeon distribution channels as Rainbow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RainbowSrl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rainbow-s.p.a.
• Instagraminstagram.com/rainbowspaofficial

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rainbow