{"id":11909,"date":"2017-03-10T09:39:11","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T14:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/small-wonder\/"},"modified":"2017-03-13T09:39:57","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T13:39:57","slug":"small-wonder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/small-wonder\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Wonder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joanna Padovano Tong checks in with leading distributors about what\u2019s new in preschool content.<\/em><\/p>\n

They are, in some regards, the most powerful demo in children\u2019s programming. Short in stature and young in age, preschoolers\u2014broadly defined as children 3 to 5\u2014have an abundance of shows targeted at them. And their viewing habits are being closely observed as executives figure out what the next generation of savvy kids 8 and up will want to consume in the years to come.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder, then, that \u201cbridge\u201d content has become the busiest segment in preschool TV.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been this trend of more success with what would be considered slightly older preschool shows,\u201d says Olivier Dumont, the managing director of Entertainment One (eOne) Family, which is home to one of the biggest preschool properties on the market,\u00a0Peppa Pig<\/em>, alongside the more recent success\u00a0PJ Masks<\/em>. \u201cSome call it bridge shows, but it\u2019s still very much preschool. It\u2019s slightly more aspirational than your traditional educational, learning-your-ABCs type of show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natalie Osborne, the chief strategy officer at 9 Story Media Group, agrees that preschool series have been aging up as of late. \u201cBridge properties targeting 4- to 8-year-olds have become quite popular,\u201d she says. 9 Story\u2019s preschool slate includes such iconic properties as\u00a0Guess How Much I Love You<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighbourhood<\/em>, as well as newer titles like\u00a0Peg + Cat\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Joe & Jack<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As a result of the increase in bridge shows, there is now a greater need for early preschool programming, according to Bob Higgins, the executive VP of FremantleMedia Kids & Family (FMK), whose strongest current preschool performers are\u00a0Kate & Mim-Mim<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Tree Fu Tom<\/em>, with\u00a0Bitz & Bob<\/em>\u00a0coming up. \u201cA few years ago there was this audience of [what] people started calling \u2018pre-cool,\u2019 5- 6-, 7-year-olds\u2014they were underserved,\u201d he says. \u201cSo a lot of the preschool shows started chasing that, and I think we\u2019ve seen shows begin to skew older and older. And of course, that has created a vacuum in the 3-year-olds space, where I think there\u2019s an opportunity now to come out with a gangbuster show that targets that audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

FORGOTTEN ONES<\/strong>
\n\u201cI would love to see more consideration being given to the 2- to 3-year-olds because frankly, they\u2019re developmentally at a completely different place than a 4-year-old,\u201d says Halle Stanford, the executive VP of children\u2019s entertainment at The Jim Henson Company. \u201cMany years ago, [experts] were saying that children 2 and under should not watch content. I think that scared the networks because they knew that moms were listening. Jim Henson\u2019s whole mandate was, if you\u2019re putting anything in front of any age child, it better be meaningful. We always took that position, and so I think that now, 2- and 3-year-olds need to be thought about, not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the classic [scenario of] everybody swaying from one side of the boat to the other,\u201d adds Dominic Gardiner, the founder and CEO of Jetpack Distribution, which sells such preschool fare as\u00a0Justin Time<\/em>,\u00a0Yoko<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Kazoops!<\/em>\u00a0\u201cThe whole term bridge came out of the fact that somebody noticed there was a gap, so they then built a bridge and everybody went running down that end. I think now you\u2019re probably going to see more for younger kids coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morgann Favennec, the deputy managing director of Superights, has found that pay-TV networks are averse to bridge shows as they don\u2019t hit a specific target group. Terrestrial channels, however, prefer them since they can reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n

One of the trends that Mediatoon Distribution has been taking advantage of is the desire for established preschool brands. \u201cThe Magic Roundabout<\/em>\u00a0is [based on] an IP from the \u201970s\/\u201980s,\u201d says J\u00e9r\u00f4me Alby, the company\u2019s managing director. \u201cSamSam<\/em>\u00a0is based on books.\u00a0Trotro<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>is based on books.\u00a0Yakari\u00a0<\/em>is based on books.\u00a0Little Furry<\/em>\u00a0is based on books.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alby notes that an established brand is especially helpful for the launch of new SVOD services. \u201cIt\u2019s usually a good asset for nonlinear platforms to have such IPs that they can use as ambassadors of their platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Studio 100 Media is also reaping the benefits of having established properties in its portfolio. \u201cWith our CGI renewals of\u00a0Maya the Bee<\/em>,\u00a0Vic the Viking<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Heidi<\/em>, we have successfully revived three of the most popular characters, not only on German-speaking television but internationally as well,\u201d says Martin Krieger, the company\u2019s head of global distribution.<\/p>\n

EDUCATION FIRST<\/strong>
\nFavennec at Superights says that when it comes to preschool, broadcasters are looking for educational content that focuses on such topics as math, literacy and science, as well as social development.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreschool, more than other genres, will usually have some kind of learning or educational component,\u201d agrees 9 Story\u2019s Osborne. \u201cWhether it\u2019s social-emotional or curriculum-based learning, it\u2019s more prevalent in preschool programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanford of The Jim Henson Company notes that each broadcaster is different in terms of its educational approaches. \u201cSome networks are much more leaning on the social-emotional curriculum; others get incredibly specific,\u201d she says. She also mentions the importance of strong characters, which her company refers to as \u201cfirst friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParents often demand special qualities from preschool content, like the transmission of ideas and the conveying of the importance of friendship, honesty, tolerance and other core values,\u201d says Studio 100\u2019s Krieger.<\/p>\n

Besides educational aspects, strong characters and teaching core values, it\u2019s also ideal\u2014especially in early preschool\u2014to have a show that adults can appreciate. \u201cThe success of\u00a0Peppa<\/em>\u00a0is linked to the fact that parents can watch it with their kids and enjoy it, as opposed to a lot of preschool programming that is torture to watch for adults, even if preschool kids love it,\u201d says eOne Family\u2019s Dumont.<\/p>\n

FMK\u2019s Higgins concurs: \u201cFor some of these earlier shows, you have two audiences\u2014you have the child, but you also have the caretaker,\u201d he says. \u201cSo at that early age, there is more caretaker control of what they see. As they get older, they know how to turn on whatever device and they know what they like and they start doing it themselves. But when you\u2019re talking about 2 and 3, there\u2019s still more caretaker control, so you want to find a show that visually makes them stop and want to check it out, and then story-wise and character-wise, tickles them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

High quality is also key to a successful preschool show. While this may seem obvious, Jetpack\u2019s Gardiner points out that preschool programming didn\u2019t always require a high budget, since production value isn\u2019t necessarily something that a young child will notice or care about. \u201cThe over-arching umbrella of quality in preschool is higher than it\u2019s ever been before and I think that bar continues to rise,\u201d he says. \u201cA long time ago, you could perhaps justify a lower budget because you were targeting preschoolers and therefore, do you need to spend all that money on animation and design? As the preschool market has got bigger\u2014in terms of monetary income, it could be as big as older kids, if not bigger\u2014why would you cut corners if your potential to success is bigger on preschool?\u201d<\/p>\n

ON DEMAND<\/strong>
\nAs with other types of programming, OTT platforms are certainly leaving their mark on the preschool business, although they won\u2019t be commandeering the segment any time soon. \u201cTraditional broadcasters are still an important part of the mix,\u201d says Dumont. \u201cDigital platforms are important, but in preschool, parents do still value linear platforms where they can put their kids in front of it and it\u2019s been completely curated, and they know that it\u2019s a safe environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s no doubt that streaming services are having a major influence in preschool. \u201cThe emergence of digital players has increased opportunities for kids\u2019 content providers, as children\u2019s programming is a significant driver of subscription retention,\u201d says 9 Story\u2019s Osborne. \u201cThe entry of new SVOD players has created an unprecedented demand for both catalog and first-run original programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact of OTT platforms on preschool \u201ccontinues to evolve,\u201d according to FMK\u2019s Higgins. \u201cThey\u2019re important buyers for us; they require us to reexamine and modify our business models,\u201d he says. \u201cTree Fu Tom<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Kate & Mim-Mim<\/em>\u00a0had their television platforms, then we used Amazon and Netflix to enhance that. Both of those shows were on Netflix at the same time that they were on Disney Junior and Sprout. And so it became important that kids could find these characters on all screens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Superights\u2019 best-performing preschool show is\u00a0Puffin Rock<\/em>, an RTE and Nick Jr. commission that was also snapped up by Netflix. \u201cThe Netflix commitment to\u00a0Puffin Rock<\/em>\u00a0did not prevent us from selling the show worldwide,\u201d Favennec says. \u201cHowever, it is true that we could not close a couple of deals because the broadcasters were asking for some rights that were exclusive to the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Streaming services have made The Jim Henson Company\u2019s preschool business \u201cbetter and better,\u201d notes Stanford. \u201cWorking with Netflix [on\u00a0Word Party<\/em>] has been a dream come true. They\u2019re incredible partners, they\u2019re innovative, they\u2019re involved, they\u2019re forward-thinking. The immediacy is just so unique and I think it\u2019s going to change everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdditional platforms mean additional possibilities of exploitation that coexist with the traditional ones, often resulting in a broader reach for our content,\u201d says Studio 100\u2019s Krieger. \u201cHowever, looking at the bigger picture, it does not always mean incremental revenues. In the last few years we have seen a rise in the number of players in the market on the nonlinear side, which constantly challenges us to find sophisticated ways of windowing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mediatoon\u2019s Alby feels that OTT platforms are good for giving a second life to older library titles, while also providing a home for series that may not get a lot of linear viewers. \u201cYou can have some trouble in convincing a broadcaster to air a show, so eventually after two or three years, you put it, for example, on YouTube, creating a nice, neat, official channel for it, and all of a sudden the viewership strengthens,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

SECOND SCREEN<\/strong>
\nIndeed, digital extensions are a big part of the preschool segment. \u201cWe make sure on all our brands that we have a free digital offering available out of the gate because you realize that when preschoolers fall in love with their characters, they\u2019ll want to engage a lot more with those characters,\u201d says eOne\u2019s Dumont. \u201cSo in addition to paid-for expenses, we have either free apps or free digital experiences available on our brands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s technologically savvy kids want the option of choosing where and when they can engage with their favorite shows,\u201d says 9 Story\u2019s Osborne. \u201cWith\u00a0Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighbourhood<\/em>, for example, kids can watch the show on traditional platforms, find it on OTT, play one of the many games online, or download one of the three apps. You have to be where kids are, and that means multiple formats and platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time as we\u2019re developing for a TV show, we are developing what the YouTube engagement, user-generated part of the show will be,\u201d says FMK\u2019s Higgins.<\/p>\n

Jetpack\u2019s Gardiner notes that apps, games and e-books are important for long-term brand connection. \u201cIf your strategy is to maintain and build characters that a child can connect with continually and frequently on different platforms in different ways, it\u2019s an essential component to building longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of our properties have support in the app, digital, publishing and licensing spaces,\u201d adds Stanford. She also mentions the importance of outreach, citing as an example a\u00a0Splash and Bubbles<\/em>\u00a0event that was hosted at an aquarium in partnership with PBS. \u201cParents can bond with their children and they can both indulge in the curriculum,\u201d she says. \u201cI wish that more of the networks would look to create experiences with kids and their families in the preschool space.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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