Kids’ SVOD Service Meecha! Launches in Japan

Benesse Corporation, a Japanese education services company, has unveiled its new SVOD service Meecha!, which specializes in children’s programs.

Meecha! will bring together both program content from Benesse Corporation and carefully selected programs from a number of major preschool content providers from around the world. The launch lineup includes CBeebies’ titles Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures, Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures and Yakka Dee; ABC Australia shows like Bobbie the Bear, Create and How to Do Stuff Good; and, from Serious Lunch, Tik Tak, produced by VRT/Ketnet in Belgium.

Meecha! will also stream content featuring Benesse Corporation’s popular preschool character Shimajiro, including a brand-new 3D Shimajiro animation. The channel will launch in Japan at the end of March as part of Benesse Corporation’s early childhood education service Kodomo Challenge that reaches 800,000 members. It can also be accessed publicly as a subscription service for 660 yen ($6) per month.

Daisuke Tebayashi, director of the global business division at Benesse Corporation, said: “This major new service, addressing the on-demand content that even the youngest audiences have grown to expect, is tailored to deliver great educational programming from around the world. We believe this service will be popular with Japanese children and, thanks to its educational focus, parents too!”