All Aboard!

Leading distributors tell Mansha Daswani about the latest developments in the always in-demand preschool space.

Earlier this year, WarnerMedia announced plans for the U.S. introduction of Cartoonito. The new preschool programming block for Cartoon Network and HBO Max is, per Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, the company’s “biggest commitment to preschool programming in 100 years.”

Cartoon Network and HBO Max making a big bet on preschool heralds the arrival of another buyer and commissioner in an already über-competitive space. That, combined with the increased need for high-quality, enriching content for young ones confined at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, has upped the stakes in the preschool business as a whole.

So what does it take to cut through the clutter? “Diverse, recognizable and relatable characters; strong role models and positive values that resonate with both kids and parents are constant pillars in the preschool space,” observes Chloé van den Berg, the senior VP, head of kids and family entertainment at NBCUniversal Global Distribution.

Christopher Keenan, the senior VP of content development and production and executive producer at Mattel Television, also stresses the importance of relatability and highlights the role of aspirational characters. “When children are able to identify with these stories and want to spend time with the characters—whether they’re heroes, friends or just make them laugh (ideally, all three)—they are much more likely to place a show at the top of their list of favorites. And, if they can continue the engagement with these characters by playing out their stories when not watching the show, a series truly stands out.”

Emmanuèle Pétry Sirvin, partner and head of international at Dandelooo, says she frequently hears requests for well-known, established brands in the preschool space. Still, her company is more interested in focusing on the brands of tomorrow—with an emphasis on titles that viewers develop an emotional connection with. “For example, programs that touch your heart, talk about emotions and have characters who are not just heroes but are human and have weaknesses and flaws. We aspire to have relatable characters and shows that deal with ‘real’ daily issues. And humor, of course, that’s important too!”

Picture books have been a major source of inspiration at Dandelooo, Pétry Sirvin adds. “Most of our programs at Dandelooo are book-based because we are lucky in France, like the U.K., to have an extremely wide range of children’s literature talent fostered through many large, medium and small publishing houses, ready to take risks and tell different stories. The books pre-exist the series but also accompany the development through international extension and continue to grow after broadcast.”

Nathalie Pinguet, the deputy managing director of sales and acquisitions at Superights, stresses the importance of strong characters, especially those that allow children to “identify themselves with the heroes of the story.” She also references the use of kids’ voices “for the program to be more authentic.”

Beyond storytelling and character development, Lionel Marty, managing director at APC Kids, addresses the need to build a robust 360-degree campaign “to build awareness in the long term.” He also notes the critical nature of delivering broad exposure for shows “so they can engage with increasingly fragmented audiences. Additionally, as we’ve seen with the success of Kid-E-Cats, clear brand values are needed to guide every aspect of the licensing program from the series and product lines, right through to the brand’s marketing activity.”

BRAND AWARE
Having a piece of known IP is certainly a leg up when cutting through a competitive landscape, and on that front, NBCUniversal Global Distribution is well served. “Parents have to ‘approve’ the programming and whatever channel or platform the program is on, but kids also need to be entertained and want to keep coming back for more,” says van den Berg. “This can easily be achieved if the programming exudes positivity, depicts the importance of friendship and has the right mix of characters. The success of DreamWorks Animation’s new animated kids’ series Madagascar: A Little Wild is a perfect example of this, with the characters already known from the hit film franchise, which is a big draw for parents. All of the songs and dance routines are highly repeatable and easy for preschoolers to learn because they were created and performed by professional choreographers and kid dancers to ensure that we were getting it just right for the preschool audience. Similarly, thanks to the success and popularity of the Dragonsfilms, coupled with the truly relatable brother-sister relationship depicted in the show, the animated series Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Skyhas garnered kudos from parents and kids alike. (Having a hilarious burping dragon in the show doesn’t hurt either!)”

Mattel, too, has a treasure trove of well-established brands, among them the beloved Thomas, soon to appear in the 2D-animated Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go. “This show brings an entirely new creative approach to Thomas series content, which first premiered 1984,” Keenan says. “With new art direction, more physical comedy and a greater range of character expressiveness, this fast and colorful show is crafted to appeal to contemporary audiences’ sensibilities while, of course, maintaining Thomas content’s core ethos: the great importance of friendship.”

Of course, you don’t need a 75-year-old brand like Thomas to find success in the preschool business today. APC Kids’ Marty points to the success of Kid-E-Cats. Originated in Russia, the series has traveled to 150-plus markets courtesy of Nick Jr. and has landed on 30-plus free-to-air broadcasters, with more than 70 consumer-product licensees. “In 2021, we will keep taking steps to consolidate the brand, with the fourth season greenlit and the toy range being launched in new key markets, including Italy, Spain and Poland,” he adds.

Superights has a significant slate of preschool titles, across live action and animation—2D and CGI—and with varying formats, from 2-minute episodes up to standard half-hours. “We try to cover all genres with boys and girls,” Pinguet says, listing key highlights such as Anna & Friends, Clay Time, Koumi’s Animated Picture Book, Percy’s Tiger Tales and Bo Bear.

Dandelooo is also showcasing a broad array, led by Billy the Cowboy Hamster, a new season of The Treehouse Stories, Pompon Little Bear, Shooom’s Odyssey, Petit, Cubs and Kosmix. Pétry Sirvin emphasizes the importance of diversity in the company’s approach.

INCLUSIVE STORIES
“There is a continued increase in demand for strong female/girl lead characters and, most of all, there’s an urge for diversity,” Pétry Sirvin says. “As the company continues to grow and develop, we have given ourselves a parity and party rule—to have in equal amounts as many female characters as there are male characters. Also, we want to express to kids that there are different kinds of families, made up of different dynamics. In Billy the Cowboy Hamster, Billy is raised by a single parent, his dad. It is also very important for us, as it is for the broadcasters, to represent diversity. In The Treehouse Stories, we had to organize four castings to find the perfect quota of kids from different backgrounds.”

Another key trend that has developed in the preschool business is a focus on “soft learning,” NBCUniversal’s van den Berg says. “We see this ‘lean into’ social-emotional learning demonstrated in DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse. This show’s unbelievable global success reinforces how much parents and their preschoolers need this additional support right now. We’re also seeing more mindfulness and activity-based shows, which, again, is a sign of the times we’re living through.”

Mattel’s Keenan expresses a similar view, stating: “One of the most common, current trends in preschool programming is a movement toward content that helps with kids’ social and emotional development, introducing themes such as navigating emotions, dealing with disappointment and resolving conflicts.”

At Superights, meanwhile, Pinguet says she’s witnessed an increased demand for educational programs as well as “do-it-yourself” series such as the company’s own Clay Time and Koumi’s Animated Picture Book.

The Covid-19 pandemic has turbo-boosted the interest in “edutainment,” a phrase that, pre-coronavirus, was rarely a selling point when pitching to commercial broadcasters. “Every week we receive requests for edutainment shows because ‘traditional’ broadcasters, VOD platforms, DVD players, etc., want to supply meaningful programs to parents and kids during lockdowns and home-schooling,” says Pétry Sirvin. “Currently, ‘entertaining’ shows are simply not enough.”

Keenan adds, “As families spent more time at home in 2020, parents and caregivers sought out programming that delivered meaningful and substantive content without compromising on the entertainment value. To that end, we saw significant consumer excitement for our Thomas & Friendsearly learning and birthday-themed content on YouTube, as well as our series content on other platforms.”

PLUGGED IN
With kids homebound, they were also spending way more time on their devices, continuing a shift that has been happening in the business for years. As such, digital extensions—from audiobooks to games—are more critical than ever.

“Preschoolers want to interact with their favorite characters in different ways,” Keenan adds. “That’s why we take a franchise approach to content, ensuring we extend these brands and enable children to interact with their favorite characters in as many ways as possible, including the television show, toys, books, short-form content, games and more. Thomas & Friendsis a great example of this. Last year, we celebrated Thomas’s 75th anniversary and we launched new content across many platforms, including four made-for-YouTube series, a Thomas & Friends Storytime podcast, a partnership with the wellness app Calm and more.”

Being everywhere kids are also means an increasingly sophisticated approach to slicing and dicing the rights to a show. And AVOD has become an especially compelling opportunity. “We have a strong AVOD presence, with billions of views on our official YouTube channels,” Marty at APC Kids says of the Kid-E-Cats brand. “With 24 mobile apps accounting for more than 39 million downloads, this mobile rollout has become a very interesting path to explore in terms of brand awareness and revenue. We have also been focusing on social media and digital activity—through platforms such as Facebook and broadcasters’ websites—which is the perfect way to engage with the whole family. Now that we are introducing our brand-new property DinoCity, we have been pleased to see how naturally it becomes this common effort with broadcasters to build an online presence and come up with web-based activities (coloring, puzzles) for children to interact with the brand.”

Ultimately, though, it all starts with a strong story and compelling characters that preschoolers will fall in love with. “If a program becomes a viral hit, there is a natural expansion to all other exploitation,” says Pétry Sirvin at Dandelooo, “but in our view, it should not be the objective.”