MIPJunior Sets View from the Top: World Screen Kids Trendsetter Awards

On Saturday, October 14, during MIPJunior, four programming experts from around the world will engage in a lively discussion about acquisitions trends and offer their perspectives on how to spot hit shows and offer content to young viewers across multiple platforms in a session led by TV Kids’ Anna Carugati.

Children love to laugh and have fun. They are curious and want to feel smart. They want to learn, explore new worlds, real and fantastical. They are keen to see themselves reflected in the shows they watch, and when they connect to characters, they often want the relationship to extend beyond the screen.

Two-year-olds can swipe and click and the older they get, the more dexterity they develop on smartphones, tablets and computers. They can search and select long before they can read. Children of all ages know what type of content they like, whether it features sweet worlds and lovable characters, silly and zany storytelling, superheroes with amazing powers or tweens confronting real-world challenges.

Children’s influences come not only from parents, caregivers, relatives and teachers but increasingly from the toys they play with and the shows and content they engage with on TV and online. Executives in charge of sourcing and commissioning programming for children have a serious responsibility on their hands because they are tasked with entertaining and informing young viewers in their formative years. Nowadays that job goes beyond simply finding the right TV shows for their television channels; it includes providing content on the many devices and platforms where children are looking for entertainment.

In acknowledgment of this vital segment of the television industry, World Screen, in partnership with MIPJunior, is holding its third annual Kids Trendsetter Awards to honor four individuals who have made significant contributions to the children’s television business.

The honorees represent children’s services that are leaders in a single market, as well as channels that are seen in multiple territories: ABC TV’s Michael Carrington, Turner’s Patricia Hidalgo, SUPER RTL’s Janine Weigold and Gloob’s Paula Taborda dos Guaranys. All are keen to innovate and offer their viewers shows they haven’t seen elsewhere.

These four television professionals will take part in the panel View from the Top at MIPJunior on Saturday, October 14, from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Grand Theater at the JW Marriott. World Screen’s group editorial director, Anna Carugati, will moderate a lively discussion that will focus on identifying ideas for shows and multiplatform content for today’s media-savvy children.

“We’ve been thrilled with our partnership with Reed MIDEM to honor programming wizards who are tasked with building compelling schedules for audiences,” says Ricardo Guise, president and publisher of World Screen. “These executives have the difficult task of spotting innovative ideas while serving the developmental needs of children. We look forward to celebrating their discerning tastes with this award.”