Channel Profile: Switchover Media’s Frisbee

PREMIUM: With the year-old channel Frisbee, which reaches about 17 million homes, Italian channel operator Switchover Media is targeting kids aged 4 to 10 and families with a slate of character-driven comedies.

The channel, which is available on Italian DTT as well as on SKY Italia, has a slight girls’ skew (60 percent) and is ranked fourth in the Italian kids’ sector with a 3.2 percent share as of this April. Its grid is predominantly acquired, stocked with shows such as Venevision International’s No Puede Ser, Cookie Jar’s Sabrina and CAKE’s Stoked. Other notable acquisitions include The New Addams Family and Goosebumps. 

The Monday to Friday grid is based around kids’ daily routines, reports Guiliano Tranquilli, the programming and content development partner at Switchover Media. “The lineup mixes different genres and formats in order to appeal to multiple targets,” Tranquilli says. “Morning and afternoon are dedicated to character-driven animated stories with a focus on girl audiences. Prime time slots are more gender-neutral with telefilms and TV movies.”

Discussing Switchover’s acquisitions strategy, Tranquilli says that the objective is to access content from the top independent producers/distributors.” For suppliers, “Switchover Media represents a valuable partner that strongly believes in their properties, gives a consistent TV exposure and maximizes the potential of licensing.”

Tranquilli notes that Frisbee recently debuted an access-prime programming slot for pre-teen and teen live-action comedy, for which it is actively seeking content. Co-productions are also on the roster. “In our first two years of activity our priority has been to secure volume and branded quality contents,” Tranquilli explains, “but now we are in the process of closing agreements for the co-production and pre-acquisition of kids’ contents with selected partners.”

Tranquilli is the point person for content-owners interested in doing business with Frisbee. Markets on his planner include NATPE, MIPTV, MIPCOM, the Nuremberg Toy Fair and Licensing International Expo.