Brenda Bisner on the Kidoodle.TV Strategy

Brenda Bisner, the chief content officer at Kidoodle.TV, discussed working with programming partners, the Safe Streaming movement and more in her TV Kids Festival keynote this afternoon.

You can view Bisner’s keynote conversation with Kristin Brzoznowski, executive editor of TV Kids, here. “The last few years for AVOD have been quite intense!” Bisner said as the market has grown tremendously. “Kidoodle.TV has had a major role to play in that happening. As we look at the AVOD landscape, there is a need for a focus on differentiation, value-add and, of course, partnerships that are supportive. The focus for us is to keep growing and supporting families and kids globally while elevating our relevance in the AVOD space with our partnerships and brands.”

Rights owners are more open to licensing to AVOD platforms now, Bisner said. “Our reputation has been wildly celebrated as we are a new revenue stream in the business. We are grateful for all the partnerships we have and the brands we’re able to bring to so many kids and families globally.”

Amid the pandemic, cord-cutting and parental fears over the dangers of content on the internet, Kidoodle.TV saw tremendous usage gains, Bisner said. “Parents aren’t living in the dark when it comes to the dangers children face while online streaming. It takes a second for something to go wrong and streaming is no different. Our safe streaming mission combats that concern. We know parents want their kids to have access easily, be safe, and those reasons will continue to be guided by the principle that every child deserves to have a safe place to watch content.”

Bisner added, “Every day, there is reinforcement in the press about the dangers children face online, further elevating the need for the important work we do to keep kids safe streaming. It has been said time and time again: When you cross the street, you hold your child’s hand, which is exactly what we do. Our human-driven approach is something we work hard on, for a reason.”

The slate encompasses more than 30,000 episodes of content. “We have a weekly release schedule that debuts 10 to 20 new shows. Our offering is robust, well organized and evolves as quickly as the attention span of a child. We work to ensure that not just the top brands are on Kidoodle.TV, but that favorites from all over are accessible. We are actively closing many deals a week,” with a focus on “needle-moving brands.”

The service caters to kids under 12 in more than 160 countries, so Bisner always has her eye on an array of content options. On relationships with content suppliers, Bisner said: “We do a lot of the heavy lifting…and we expect our partners to also contribute to that success. It’s important that any company and brand in the AVOD space has a social media strategy” to help drive interest in a show. “Big brands will have the most success because they are known. The fun comes when we find a new gem that thrives and sits competitively next to the major brands.”

Gaming has become increasingly important to the platform, Bisner added. “Last year, our gaming offering grew over 500 percent,” with more additions in the works.

On what she’d like to see more of, Bisner noted: “Diversity in content is grossly underserved. Viral content that shows real kids from many parts of the world is exciting. Gaming content is also a strong sector for us—everything from Roblox to Minecraft continues to thrive as kids grow stronger in those communities.” Movies and other content that can be eventized are also important, she said.

The service also rolled out three originals in Q4 last year. “It’s an important part of our strategy. We’re going to be looking unique ways to do that, different models of production budgets that can change the landscape. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality.”

Bisner also discussed the platform’s new back-end analytics portal, which gives its content supply partners a “transparent view” on real-time performance.

Podcasts have been a new area for Kidoodle.TV. “The audio experience is a no-brainer when it comes to screen-time fatigue. Studying the podcast space has continuously pointed to it being an upward trend for kids.” Adding more podcasts and music-based streams is a focus.

On expanding the reach of Kidoodle.TV, Bisner said: “Connected TVs, along with iOS and Android, have always been our major point of entry for families and will continue to be a major focus of expansion. Looking at the AVOD space in general, there are a lot of choices, and we will continue to look at new ways to break through the clutter and evolve as fast as the space is.”