Kedoo’s Oli Bernard Talks Digital-First Success

Booba has been a breakout hit for Kedoo Entertainment. Born on YouTube, the non-dialogue series has expanded to SVOD and broadcast, spawned spin-offs, and boasts a successful licensing and merchandising program. On the heels of that success, the company is building a stable of digital-first properties, including Sonya From Toastville, recently greenlit for a second season exclusively for broadcasters and streamers. Oli Bernard, COO and co-founder of Kedoo, shares with TV Kids Weekly the story of Booba’s growth trajectory and offers up some insights on the keys to building kids’ media brands off YouTube.

TV KIDS: How did Booba come about?
BERNARD: Booba was born out of a simple idea: to ignite a sense of wonder in everyday life. The character was originally conceived as a way to explore the world from a childlike perspective—curious, expressive and full of joy, without the need for dialogue. We wanted to create something universal that could transcend language and resonate with audiences of all ages.

TV KIDS: Tell us about the journey of the show—when did it start popping with audiences online, and how did Kedoo respond to those gains to further scale the brand?
BERNARD: Booba started life on YouTube as a 3-minute short, quickly becoming a firm audience favorite. We could see the fan base growing exponentially, with each episode achieving huge numbers. Keen to build on this success, the logical next step was to extend the 3-minute format. While the appetite for Booba was huge, we learned from linear TV habits that extending the length of a non-dialogue show was risky.

Being on YouTube enabled us to be flexible and nimble, delivering what the audience wanted and learning from it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But we knew it was a risk we had to take. We gradually crept up to 5 minutes in season three, and the audience continued to grow. We are now at 7 minutes from season four onward, and Booba is loved more than he ever has been.

TV KIDS: What’s been the approach to distributing Booba outside of the YouTube ecosystem?
BERNARD: While YouTube was instrumental in building Booba’s initial audience, with over 22 billion views accumulated now, we always envisioned the character as a cross-platform brand. Our distribution strategy focused first on global streaming platforms, but since season three, we have also formed partnerships with regional and local TV broadcasters.

Booba launched on Netflix and is now established as a top ten kids’ animated series.  The show is also available on Prime Video and airs on local channels and networks in more than 45 countries. In 2025, the series launched on ITVX in the U.K., Nine Network in Australia and RTL in Croatia, among others.

Global licensing agency IMG Licensing leads Booba’s licensing and merchandising program, with toys emerging as a key category. In 2024 alone, more than 40,000 plush toys—produced in-house by 3D Sparrow—were sold via Amazon and other e-commerce channels, reflecting strong consumer momentum.

TV KIDS: How are you further scaling the brand with additional extensions?
BERNARD: We have expanded the Booba universe into spin-offs, including Booba: Food Puzzle, Booba’s Bedtime Stories and, most recently, Booba Live Show, all of which drew on the strengths of the original series while exploring new formats and storytelling styles. We also make short-form vertical content for TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to reach and engage new audiences.

Beyond video, IMG Licensing leads Booba’s fast-growing licensing program. We’ve also established Booba’s presence in the gaming space, with five mobile apps live, totaling 43 million downloads and more interactive experiences on established gaming platforms in development.

TV KIDS: What have you learned about the strategies for success on YouTube in the kids’ space?
BERNARD: Success on YouTube Kids hinges on consistency, localization and content that transcends borders. From the beginning, we established a strong visual identity and steady publishing rhythm to build trust with both young viewers and their parents.

Crucially, Booba’s non-verbal, visual storytelling resonates universally, with no need for dubbing. Physical comedy travels well across cultures, especially with younger audiences, and this creative decision has proven to be a major strategic advantage. Staying agile with analytics and platform trends helps us continuously refine our approach.

TV KIDS: How are you using data to inform your content production and distribution decisions?
BERNARD: Data is key to shaping both creative and strategic decisions. We track performance across platforms to understand which formats, characters, episode structures, publishing schedules and even thumbnail designs appeal to our audiences the most, helping us grow viewership globally.

On the distribution side, performance insights guide our go-to-market strategy, highlighting where Booba is gaining traction and helping us prioritize broadcast and licensing deals in specific regions. We also use real-time feedback constantly to test new concepts in short-form content before scaling them into longer formats or spin-offs.

TV KIDS: How are you growing your slate of digital properties for kids on YouTube?
BERNARD: Building on Booba’s success, we’re expanding our kids’ content portfolio with new original IPs with global appeal. One standout series is Sonya From Toastville, a co-production with Lakeside Animation and Studio Metrafilms. Launched on YouTube in 2024, the series has amassed more than 200 million views, and a second season has been greenlit exclusively for broadcasters and streamers. Created for kids aged 6 to 9, Sonya From Toastville follows Sonya’s magical adventure with her Toastian friends, blending heartfelt humor and storytelling that speaks to today’s generation.

We are also launching Monkeys vs Robots, a non-dialogue animated comedy packed with slapstick humor and visual chaos, perfect for both kids and family co-viewing. We’re producing four to six fast-paced 2- to 3-minute pilot episodes, designed specifically for YouTube and digital-first platforms as a trial to gauge market and audience response ahead of a potential full season. With these new projects in development, we’d like to demonstrate that despite a challenging market, we remain deeply committed to producing fresh, engaging, high-quality content for kids and families, all while staying true to our digital-first strategy.

TV KIDS: What advice would you give to other producers who are looking to go digital-first when developing new IP?
BERNARD: Going digital-first means understanding platform-specific formats and audience behaviors—whether that’s for YouTube, TikTok or any other digital platforms. Track performance closely to experiment and refine both content and distribution strategies, based on data analytics. And don’t forget localization—adapting and multiplying content to different languages and cultures is crucial for global reach.