MIPJunior took place in Cannes against a backdrop of fraught concerns about kids dumping TV channels for YouTube. But for the some 1,600 attendees at the pre-MIPCOM screenings and conference event, there was actually much to feel good about.<\/p>\n
Margie Cohn, the president of DreamWorks Animation Television<\/strong><\/a>, talked about building that studio from the ground up in her MIPJunior keynote, which was followed by a Q&A with World Screen<\/em>\u2019s Anna Carugati. In just five years, DreamWorks has tapped into its massive trove of existing IP to develop \u201cbinge-worthy\u201d shows for kids hungry for engaging and compelling content. The company now has 18 series on Netflix, two on Amazon Prime Video, one soon launching on Universal Kids and a presence on free-to-air broadcasters worldwide. There are 20 shows in production and another 50 in development.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter five years exclusively in the streaming world, we\u2019re now bringing shows to linear,\u201d she explained. \u201cKids don\u2019t care about the delivery platform, they just like good programming they can watch on the screen of their choice.\u201d<\/p>\n In a packed, lively Saturday morning session also moderated by Carugati, Jonathan Shiff, Angela Santomero, Tom McGillis and Ben Bocquelet<\/a><\/strong> weighed in on the keys to creating successful shows before each receiving a World Screen Kids Trendsetter Award.<\/p>\n Nickelodeon\u2019s Jules Borkent, Cartoon Network\u2019s Adina Pitt and BBC\u2019s Jackie Edwards<\/strong><\/a> were all upbeat in their panel on the future of the kids\u2019 business. Dealing with budgets that have to stretch further across linear and digital, all are eager for partnerships as they scour the globe for the best content available.<\/p>\n Linear is here to stay, Borkent said, adding, \u201cthe question is what those channels will look like.\u201d<\/p>\n The mood was also upbeat in the kids\u2019 pubcasters session with BBC\u2019s Alice Webb, Rai\u2019s Luca Milano and France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions\u2019 Tiphaine de Raguenel<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cNow, more than ever, public-service broadcasting is incredibly important,\u201d said Webb. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about the creation of the highest-quality content. It\u2019s not just about making sure that we underpin creators and producers in our countries. It\u2019s not just because we are here to keep our cultural identity alive. We are here to provide a counterweight to commercial pressures. We are here to provide some kind of balance to the echo chambers that we increasingly see in the digital world. We are here to keep the breadth.\u201d<\/p>\n Milano, who is also the chair of the Kids Media Experts Group at the EBU, stressed the importance of European public broadcasters in the media business. He said they invest some 20 billion euros a year in audiovisual content. A key challenge, he said, is that public broadcasting revenue streams are flat while commercial outlets are seeing their revenues rise. He emphasized the things that public broadcasting does well, such as the drama series Jams<\/em>, which teaches kids about how to recognize inappropriate behavior from adults, and The Star of Andra and Tati<\/em> (La Stella di Andra e Tati<\/em>), which is based on the true story of two sisters who survived Auschwitz.<\/p>\n Honoring the best in kids\u2019 programming around the world, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences revealed the nominations for the International Emmy Kids Awards<\/a> <\/strong>taking place at MIPTV 2019, with 28 contenders from 13 countries across seven categories.<\/p>\n \u201cThe geographic spread and wealth of topics addressed in this year\u2019s nominated programs attest\u00a0to the vibrancy and quality of children\u2019s television throughout the world,\u201d said Bruce Paisner, president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. \u201cWe congratulate the nominees for their outstanding talent and for setting a high bar for young viewers worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n There was also a wide breadth in the list of the most-screened series from the MIPJunior library<\/a><\/strong>. Cyber Group Studios\u2019 Gigantosaurus<\/em>, which premiered at MIPJunior, topped the list, followed by Rainbow\u2019s 44 Cats<\/em>. Ranking third is Bluey <\/em>from BBC Studios, with Alice & Lewis<\/em> (Blue Spirit Productions) and Mighty Mike<\/em> (CAKE) rounding out the top five. The rest of the top ten, consecutively, features Splat & Seymour<\/em> (Blue Spirit), the new The Smurfs<\/em> series (IMPS), Interstellar Ella<\/em> (Aardman), Ricky Zoom<\/em> (eOne Family & Brands) and ABRACA <\/em>(Planet Nemo\/Ankama).<\/p>\n The deal activity, meanwhile, was significant. Canal+ bought Total Dramarama<\/em><\/a><\/strong> from CAKE. Rainbow signed an agreement with Carousel<\/a><\/strong> that will see the new animated preschool series 44 Cats<\/em> launching on the Russian channel. Zodiak Kids clinched new deals on seasons one through four of Horrid Henry<\/em><\/a><\/strong> while also landing distribution rights to season five. DHX Media\u2019s Polly Pocket <\/a><\/em>was picked up by 16 broadcasters<\/a> <\/strong>internationally, including in the U.K., Latin America and the Middle East. GO-N International licensed the animated preschool series Simon<\/em> to NHK<\/a><\/strong> in Japan. Viacom International Studios (VIS) inked multiple deals for Nickelodeon\u2019s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles<\/em><\/a><\/strong>. Beyblade Burst Turbo<\/a><\/em> is heading to Disney XD<\/a><\/strong>,<\/em> thanks to a deal signed by SUNRIGHTS. Federation Kids & Family licensed The Ollie & Moon Show<\/em><\/a><\/strong> to Tiny Pop in the U.K.<\/p>\n Co-productions continue to take center stage in the kids\u2019 business. Cyber Group Studios signed a co-production deal<\/a> <\/strong>with Moscow-based Soyuzmultfilm Studio for the animated series Digital Girl<\/em> and Magic Chess Odyssey<\/em>. KiKA said it has teamed up with Peyo Productions<\/a><\/strong> to co-produce the brand-new Smurfs<\/em> series. Nickelodeon is launching a Chinese Animation Development Project<\/a><\/strong> to bolster new animation co-pros in and with the country. Mondo TV held a press conference to unveil its co-pro with MOPI (Meteo Operations Italia, a.k.a. the Epson Weather Centre), MeteoHeroes<\/em>. Italy\u2019s Atlantyca Entertainment, Australia\u2019s SLR Productions, Ireland\u2019s Telegael and Singapore and India\u2019s Cosmos-Maya aligned for the animated action series Berry Bees<\/em><\/a><\/strong>. August Media in Singapore, Synergy88 Entertainment from the Philippines and Korea\u2019s Studio Gale are collaborating for the 2D animated preschool property Tish Tash<\/em><\/a><\/strong>. Rovio Entertainment tapped CAKE to produce the first long-form animated Angry Birds<\/em><\/a> <\/strong>series. TeamTO secured a five-series output deal<\/a><\/strong>, over a ten-year period, with UYoung in China.<\/p>\n Distributors also bulked up their libraries as they arrived at the market. France\u2019s GO-N Productions inked a distribution deal with Russia\u2019s RIKI Group<\/a><\/strong> for the new animated preschool series Tina & Tony<\/em>. And Jetpack Distribution acquired the international rights for two new animated shows<\/a><\/strong>: Oswaldo<\/em> and Barefoot Bandits<\/em>.<\/p>\n Catch up on these stories and more on TVKids.ws and read our formats<\/a><\/strong>, drama<\/a><\/strong> and factual<\/a><\/strong> recaps, as well as a piece on the overall trends at MIPCOM<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Against a backdrop of fraught concerns about children dumping TV channels for YouTube, there was actually much to feel good about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":15261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21],"tags":[4095,4096],"class_list":["post-15260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-mipcom-2018","tag-mipjunior-2018","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n