Ludo Studio’s all-conquering cattle dog family are Australia’s newest Rose d’Or recipients, with Bluey taking home the children and youth category at this week’s ceremony in London.
The animated series beat out competition from Italy, the UK, Norway, and the Netherlands to add another international accolade to a collection that already includes a BAFTA and an International Emmy.
It caps off a big year for the titular Blue Heeler dog, Mum Chilli, Dad Bandit, and little sister Bingo, who had their longest-ever adventure with the 28-minute special ‘The Sign’.
In September, the ABC/BBC Studios series, created and written by Joe Brumm, was crowned the most-watched program in the US for 2024, with 35 billion minutes viewed, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
According to data from Disney+, which streams the episodes in all Territories outside Australia, New Zealand, and China, ‘The Sign’ debuted to 10.4 million views globally on Disney+ after seven days of streaming, with Bluey consistently falls in the Top 5 series on Disney+ by monthly views.
Tuesday’s win may have been the first for Bluey, but it was the second for Queensland-based production company Ludo, previously recognised in 2020 for vertical series Content, which topped the Social Media and Video Series.
Held annually, the Rose d’Or Awards is the flagship event for the European Broadcasting Union to recognise excellence and achievement in International TV and Audio programs.
Other winners this year included Netflix series Baby Reindeer, which triumphed in the drama category, and Gary Oldman, who won Performance of the Year for his role as wily British Intelligence Officer Jackson Lamb in Apple TV+ series Slow Horses.
In congratulating this year’s winners, Rose d’Or chair Mark Rowland noted the strength of this year’s nominees across each of the categories.
“The Rose d’Or Awards 2024 saw over 700 entries from 30 countries,” he said.
“It gets more competitive every year – and came down to an incredibly strong group of finalists and to these worthy winners. Thank you to everyone who entered and to our judges, who had to make very tough choices.”
Find the full list of winners here.