Luli

CHANNEL: Luli

COUNTRY: Middle East, Asia and Europe

LAUNCH DATE: September 2004

OWNERSHIP: Zebra TV Channels

DISTRIBUTION: Available as a full linear channel, a VOD service, as well as on broadband, mobile and DVDs

DESCRIPTION: Luli was developed for infants at their youngest age up to toddlers 2 years old, with the expertise of psychologists and child-development professionals. 

SENIOR MANAGEMENT:
Co-CEO: Alona Abt
Co-CEO: Tamir Paul
VP, Acquisitions & International Strategy: Galya Halaui
International Distributor: Sharon Akiva
Acquisitions Director: Maytal Nissim

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Luli acts as an educational tool for parents and caregivers, helping them to develop their youngster’s abilities through interactive programming. Its shows are specially designed to help toddlers gain basic concepts through the introduction of colors, numbers, art, music and movement in a safe, commercial-free environment.

"We want to give toddlers everything they need to grow, to develop, we want to give them a safe place where curiosity, imagination and happiness can thrive," says Alona Abt, the CEO of Zebra TV Channels, which operates Luli, among other channels.

The channel also aims to encourage parent-child interaction by incorporating games, songs and activities, whereby parents can strengthen the bond with their toddler by learning together during the programs and by adapting the activities off-screen.

"Luli’s carefully structured programming schedule is especially adapted according to each territory’s culture and lifestyle as well as with the child/caregiver’s daily routine," says Galya Halaui, the VP of program acquisitions and international strategy. "The programming schedule presents comprehensive content that features the best of children’s programs and well-loved characters that act as role models and encourage positive imitation."

Since babies and toddlers have a very short attention span, Luli’s programs are no longer than 5 minutes in length. Available in English, Turkish, Hebrew, Romanian and Arabic, most of Luli’s programming is original content. It covers a variety of genres, including 2-D and 3-D animation, clay animation, model animation, puppetry, body puppets, live action and nature films. Original series include Let’s Have a Ball, a 26×5-minute show, with no dialogue, that celebrates the infinite possibilities of clay and provides toddlers with range or visual and cognitive stimuli. Also without dialogue, Loony Balloons, a live-action 30×5-minute series, invites children to enter a world in which colorful balloons are blown up, tied, twisted and woven into different forms. The puppetry series Petey’s Playtime and animated I Can Count fill out the slate.

Some of the channel’s most successful programs are, in fact, in-house productions. These include Super Stuff, which combines live-action footage and stop-motion animation and introduces kids to objects that can be found around them. The 12×2-minute Sing a Song presents a medley of songs that toddlers can sing along to, with colorful, animated clips of songs being sung by children.

When looking to add to its schedule, Luli searches for educational programming that familiarizes toddlers with colors, songs, numbers and basic concepts. Luli also encourages the exposure of toddlers to diverse textures by looking for programs in the genres of 2-D, 3-D, cell animation, live action, claymation, puppets and stop motion.

The Luli website offers toddlers their first experience online with some entertaining and educational activities. The website is designed to bring the television experience to the home computer, giving children the chance to advance at their own pace and connect with educational content.

WHAT’S NEW: "Zebra is constantly producing new educational programs to assist with the developmental needs of toddlers," says Halaui. Soon to launch are a range of edutainment series, including puppetry, animation and nature shows. Among the new productions set to hit the air is Twinkle Time, which aims to stimulate a toddler’s imagination. In each episode of this calming night-time series, the childlike star character dashes around to light up the sky with twinkling stars, which, when connected, create a wide variety of shapes in the sky. Nighty Night features a unique style of flash animation that gives the look of various objects cut out of colorful paper. Set during the night-time hours, the cut-outs move around to form different scenes that focus on the various, every-day events a child experiences.

WEBSITE: www.luli.tv