TVKIDS
Every sector of the media business felt the pinch of 2024’s recalibration, but none more so than the children’s content sector. The collapse of two of France’s biggest animation IP owners, TeamTO and Cyber Group Studios, and U.K. producer Factory Transmedia, reflected the travails of the business, which is still contending with endemic changes in how kids access content and the overall commissioning downturn.
In its offer to acquire the Cyber Group assets, United Smile, a toy company, maintained that the “industry needs to reinvent itself and integrate the ability to produce films and series for children, to broadcast them on the platforms on which children spend most of their free time and to develop video games, connected toys and immersive experiences in augmented and virtual reality.” Committing to investing up to €5 million over the next few years to get Cyber Group Studios back on track, United Smile said it wanted to prepare the business for “the upturn expected in 2027.”
The fate of the Cyber Group portfolio is still being decided, while the TeamTO assets ended up with Italian-based RIVA Studios. In other M&A activity, it was a busy year for Superprod Group, which acquired Watch Next Media, Studio 352 and Mélusine Productions and partnered with Alexi Wheeler to set up Wheel In Motion. Banijay Kids & Family bought Procidis. CAKE took control of Jetpack Distribution. 9 Story Media Group acquired Portfolio Entertainment and joined Scholastic. WildBrain sold a majority stake in its TV channels business—including Family Channel—to IoM Media Ventures. Mediawan partnered with ZAG in a joint venture to manage the Miraculous franchise. Ellipse Animation bought Studio Campedelli. Toho purchased the North American animation producer and distributor GKIDS. CosmoBlue Media acquired Macademia, parent of the Azoomee and Da Vinci brands. Meanwhile, the planned merger of Super RTL and Nickelodeon was called off after the German Federal Cartel Office informed RTL and Paramount that it intended to block the deal.
The proposed merger of Super RTL and Nickelodeon in Germany was a response to the continued challenges faced by “traditional” linear players trying to keep audiences from decamping to SVOD or YouTube or Roblox or anywhere else kids are spending their time. Indeed, it was clear from our review of last year’s biggest headlines that the quest to be everywhere kids are continued unabated for IP owners, channels and platforms last year.
It was a busy year for FAST—even though monetization in this space continues to be challenging. Of note, WildBrain teamed with Pluto TV to launch the first-ever single-IP Pokémon FAST channel and expanded the reach of Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake services, among others. 9 Story Media Group and Cineverse Corp. landed 9 Story Presents: Garfield and Friends on Sling Freestream. Banijay Rights introduced the Mr Bean FAST channel. Mattel launched Barbie and Friends, Hot Wheels Action and Mattel Jr. Cineverse rolled out the Yu-Gi-Oh! FAST channel on LG Channels, while Moonbug Entertainment unveiled one for Blippi. Aardman brought the Shaun the Sheep & Friends FAST channel to Xumo Play.
IP owners also scaled their presence on YouTube, including Banijay Kids & Family rebranding its hub channels and launching a raft of new ones under the ZeeKay strand, Studio 100 International unveiling Studio 100—Heroes of Childhood featuring classic animated series and HARI’s new YouTube channels for Mystery Lane and Grizzy & the Lemmings.
In the subscription space, Prime Video launched CN Rewind, Warner Bros. Discovery’s digital channel featuring Cartoon Network’s evergreen classics, in India and Sandbox Group’s PlayKids Learning in New Zealand. Paramount shut down Noggin. BBC Studios revealed plans to launch BBC Kids in Korea as a monthly subscription service on KT Corporation’s Genie TV Kids Land.
A review of commissioning news, meanwhile, reflects the broader trend toward known IP across the media sector. There was plenty of activity in the book-based space. Rainbow is set to bring adventurer Corto Maltese to the screen in a new live-action TV series based on Hugo Pratt’s graphic novels. BBC and ZDF co-commissioned The Lady Grace Mysteries. Studio 100 International and Gaumont teamed with I Josh Around to co-develop a new animated series inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Trustbridge Entertainment aligned with Mercury Filmworks for The World of Gustavo, BBC Studios Kids & Family for My Friend Maisy, 9 Story Media Group for adaptations of Candlewick Press books and Cisneros Kids for Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez book trilogy. The Zog books are getting a series at BBC Children’s, which also went for Crongton, an adaptation of Alex Wheatle’s best-selling books. Foundation Media Partners signed a first-look deal with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for film and TV adaptations of book properties. ZDF, ZDF Studios and France Télévisions greenlit 20 Dance Street, based on the Elizabeth Barféty book series. Dandelooo received a CANAL+ commission for Max & Bunny (Max & Lapin). Serious Kids and Keyframe Studios entered a partnership to co-produce Cats React to Facts, based on the series of books by Izzy Howell. Lion Forge Entertainment is developing a live-action TV series for The Secret Society of Rebel Girls. Guru Studio optioned the TV rights to the classic children’s book series Spot. Superprod Group and Coolabi Group partnered to adapt Beast Quest. Watch Next Media signed a wide-ranging deal with Mr. Men Little Miss, part of the Japanese company Sanrio, that includes plans for a new preschool series.
Elsewhere in the known-IP space, Disney continued to tap into its deep portfolio, unveiling Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends, Sofia the First: Royal Magic, an Inside Out series and a live-action Vampirina. The Adventure Time and Regular Show franchises are getting new series at Cartoon Network. Mattel Television Studios unveiled Barbie Mysteries: The Great Horse Chase and a feature-length animated film based on Bob the Builder. The Pokémon Company International and Aardman are teaming up for a “special project” to come in 2027. YouTube and the creator economy are proving to be a valuable source of new concepts. Mercury Filmworks and France’s La Chouette Compagnie aligned for a series based on the YouTube channel Don’t Walk Home Alone After Dark. Gaming IP is also being explored, with Baobab Studios and 9 Story Media Group aligning for a show based on Momoguro.
In terms of prequels, spin-offs and feature specials, meanwhile, CAKE embarked on Kiri and Lou Rarararara! Studio 100 International unveiled Arnie & Barney, the first major spin-off from the Maya the Bee franchise. BBC Children’s and Education and RTÉjr commissioned Pablo: Boy Meets School. Japan’s TV Asahi and Sony Pictures Networks India aligned for a sequel to the cult kids’ animation series Obocchama-kun. HARI greenlit Baby Lemmings. CBeebies is rebooting Balamory. Nickelodeon Studios greenlit a new spin-off based on characters from the live-action superhero comedy The Thundermans. Boat Rocker slated Dino Ranch: Island Explorers.
IP owners with big brands also expanded their gaming initiatives and live experiences last year, perhaps none more so than megahit Bluey. Roblox extensions are expected to be key for many in the year ahead. Kids’ content execs are also bracing themselves for what AI means for the overall business and watching for the ramifications of the Kids Online Safety Act in the U.S. All eyes will also be on further shifts at Warner Bros. Discovery’s approach to the kids’ sector following the shifts there last year, including the departure of Adina Pitt and Max’s decision to not renew its deal with Sesame Workshop for Sesame Street.
Be sure to register for our upcoming TV Kids Festival to stay up to date on all the fast-moving developments in the children’s media business.
