{"id":25084,"date":"2023-05-05T08:50:02","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T12:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2023-05-08T09:39:54","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T13:39:54","slug":"chasing-hits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing Hits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leading programmers share how they are finding breakout properties amid the abundance of content available on the market today. <\/em><\/p>\n

Between the raft of new commissions making their way onto the market and shows that have been canceled by one streamer or another as they refocus their strategies, there is an awful lot of kids\u2019 content available in the landscape today. As buyers sift through this abundance of choice, they\u2019re having to be especially selective as they look for new ways to keep young ones engaged amid the myriad other options they have for their entertainment\u2014while also making sure those shows are available on all the platforms kids are using today.<\/p>\n

At Paramount Global in the U.K. and Ireland, Louise Bucknole, general manager of kids and family, heads up a portfolio that includes the Milkshake! free-to-air block and the Nickelodeon portfolio of channels. \u201cWe have VOD, linear channels, a FAST platform with Pluto TV and an SVOD with Paramount+,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking for content for all of these platforms, so acquisitions are really important.\u201d These sit alongside the company\u2019s internal content pipeline. \u201cWe do a lot of commissioning in the U.K. for the Milkshake! block, which is on Channel 5, so we look at about two to three additional acquisitions to bolster what we have and complement that in the U.K. And for the Nick network, this could be anything from preschool to older kids, live action and animation. We look at what gaps we have. It could be franchises or particular IP that is of interest to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

As director of kids\u2019 content for Sky in the U.K. and Ireland, Lucy Murphy is catering to an audience of 1- to 10-year-olds. They expect to see \u201cpremium entertainment\u201d across multiple genres and formats, she says. \u201cWe have around 10,000 episodes of on-demand content, and a lot of that comes from the partner channel deals that we have.\u201d New to her remit is a Sky Kids linear service, targeting children aged 1 to 7. \u201cIn terms of the acquisition deals we do, we buy large packages, e.g., from LEGO or DreamWorks Animation, but we also cherry-pick one-off titles so that we\u2019ve got that entire demographic served with the right shows that they want to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acquisitions are also crucial at French-Canadian broadcaster TFO, according to Marianne Lambert, director of acquisitions and co-productions, noting they make up about 85 percent of the slate. \u201cWe also do co-productions and independent productions, but mostly, for all our platforms, it\u2019s acquisitions.\u201d TFO operates a linear channel for kids, an educational website for teachers and TFO.org, \u201cwhich we\u2019re transitioning into an OTT platform with our linear channel. We also have a YouTube channel, but we mostly use it for promotional purposes. When we buy, it\u2019s for all those platforms at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

HappyKids, meanwhile, a connected TV streaming app, is entirely reliant on acquisitions. David Di Lorenzo, senior VP of kids and family for Future Today, the app\u2019s parent com\u00adpany, is on the lookout for a broad range, \u201cwhether it\u2019s early-learning content from CoComelon<\/em> or user-generated content in gaming from Roblox or Minecraft or popular IPs like Transformers<\/em>or Ninjago<\/em> to YouTube [channels] like K-City or Kids Diana Show. Today\u2019s audience is looking for broad-based content across multiple platforms. Our job is to find content that our audience wants to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

EYES WIDE OPEN<\/strong>
\nAs for what fits that bill, each buyer surveyed here has specific brand remits they keep in mind when filtering through available options. Murphy at Sky Kids says she starts with, \u201cAre kids going to love what they see? Is it premium, distinctive and original? Just as important, are parents going to love it too? Especially when you\u2019re acquiring and commissioning shows for younger children, it\u2019s really important that parents feel good about what their children are watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bucknole stresses the importance of British content for Milkshake!, although she and her teams will consider shows from elsewhere. \u201cWe celebrate kids and families within this content.\u201d Nickelodeon\u2019s approach is \u201ckids first,\u201d Bucknole notes. \u201cWe want to focus on their point of view. It\u2019s larger-than-life characters and how we bring that slice of life into our content. We follow the brand values of heart, smart and fart! We want it to be entertaining to them. We want them to learn something and also feel that emotion as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Lambert, content has to be in French, \u201cwhich is not that easy to find,\u201d she says. \u201cWe started programming a lot of dubbed series, so that\u2019s helped a lot. It has to be educational, but it doesn\u2019t have to be about a specific [subject] like math or science. It can be loosely educational. It can be about social-emotional responses, living in a group, relationships, critical thinking. It\u2019s really important to us that casting be diverse. We want our shows to represent Canada as it is today, being inclusive of all communities, people with all kinds of bodies, different backgrounds and abilities, without making that the center of the story. We want the kids we\u2019re casting to represent all communities and all shapes and sizes. We like to look for material that\u2019s different, a unique way of telling that story. We\u2019re always looking for innovation. And I guess our model is, how can we make them learn a little bit as they are having fun? Humor is really important. We want kids to laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy also references the importance of representation. \u201cWe lean into inclusion and diversity and do an awful lot in that respect. We also have very clear principles around the environment. We want to have shows that demonstrate clear, planet-friendly principles. It doesn\u2019t mean that all our shows are eco because they\u2019re not. But we want shows that do represent planet-positive behaviors. We would shy away from shows with planet-negative behaviors unless we\u2019re talking about that from a news or current-affairs perspective. We\u2019re creating positive TV shows that kids will get something out of. It\u2019s not an empty viewing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

MARKET GAPS<\/strong>
\nAs for what programmers are eager to find now, Lambert highlights a need for content that skews older\u2014\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to find content for teenagers\u201d\u2014as well as shows for the core 6-to-9 set. \u201cWe want innovation and different ways of telling stories. We have a hard time finding content for 6- to 9-year-olds. Live action also is difficult for us because it has to be dubbed. Since we are educational and our content is used to teach, there are certain things like STEM and examples of girls in science, those kinds of role models. It\u2019s really hard to get a show about math, so we\u2019re always on the lookout for that. Indigenous perspectives are really important. And also, environmental concerns are big right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for killer, not filler,\u201d Bucknole quips. \u201cWe want the shows that are going to stand out. We\u2019ve got a lot of franchise shows on the Nickelodeon channels. Comedy is really important, and that could be with animation or live action. Those are the formats that we\u2019re looking for that will work globally. It needs to be lovable characters that will carry globally for the Nickelodeon networks. Specifically for animation, we will look for characters and storylines that will complement what we already have on the channels. How is this going to sit with SpongeBob SquarePants<\/em> and PAW Patrol<\/em>? For Milkshake!, we\u2019re very interested in game shows at the moment and also slapstick and comedy silliness. We\u2019re also looking for content that has a lot of STEM. Sustainability is also very important to us. We know kids love animals, so we\u2019re looking at various animal and pet care [shows]. We obviously would look at any shows that have a great story or are book-based IP, or have the potential to be a franchise. Fact-ent formats are quite interesting for Milkshake! because we\u2019re a public-service broadcaster. Those formats where they\u2019re representing kids and showing their world. Preschool animation is very important to us. It\u2019s always looking for that uniqueness and what makes this stand out. What will make the kids draw the picture, hum the theme tune and play based on that show? They\u2019re always going to be the winners for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy at Sky Kids, meanwhile, is especially on the lookout for \u201chalf-hour specials with that real evergreen longevity. We\u2019re keen to find something for younger viewers that gets them up and moving around. We\u2019ve got lots and lots of songs and sing-alongs, so we\u2019re not necessarily looking for that but something that encompasses music and singing. We\u2019re also looking for shows that spark a bit of curiosity in a child. It\u2019s not necessarily a didactic educational show but something that will make them wonder about the world around them. We\u2019re looking for shows that have follow-through and a lasting value to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

HappyKids is fairly well served on the preschool front, Di Lorenzo says. \u201cOur focus right now is really on our 6-plus audience. We\u2019ve been focusing on live-action series, trying to find more movies for our audience, looking at science exploration and things that will bring the family together to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

RIGHTS & WRONGS<\/strong>
\nOf course, spotting an idea you love is just one part of the puzzle; securing the rights you need is a whole other challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need exclusivity,\u201d says TFO\u2019s Lambert. \u201cWe work well with other French-Canadian broadcasters, having co-exclusivity or sharing rights. We do have exclusivity for our independent productions, and that\u2019s fine. But acquisitions, we\u2019re fine with sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Murphy, \u201cit\u2019s not a deal-breaker,\u201d she says, but a show that isn\u2019t exclusive to her services \u201cwon\u2019t attract the acquisition fees it would if it were! There are some shows you want to have because they\u2019re really popular. But if it is everywhere all at once, it will be a much lower fee. The key for us is transparency. We need to know where else shows are going to be playing. We are a pay service, so our customers don\u2019t want to be paying for things that are everywhere. We need to make sure there\u2019s a balance of premium shows that we do have exclusivity for and popular franchises that may be on more than one platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it\u2019s not really about the exclusivity of owning a show, but maybe exclusive content around a particular show,\u201d Di Lorenzo says. \u201cFor example, we did a deal with Moonbug last year where we got exclusive content around Blippi<\/em>. Blippi<\/em> is on several platforms, but we were able to take ownership in some specific episodes that were only available on HappyKids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milkshake! is \u201cflexible in the rights and the shows,\u201d Bucknole says. \u201cIt depends on the lane you go down, whether it\u2019s a commission or a co-pro or an acquisition, and it depends on the price point. Some shows are franchise IP, so exposure on lots of different platforms is beneficial to build that brand. For the Nick content, it depends if it\u2019s a local pickup or something we look at that is multi-territory or a global pickup\u2014in which case, we probably would want all exclusive rights for all platforms. It depends on the IP, the show and the deal itself. We share a lot of content in the U.K. with other broadcasters, particularly indigenous languages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, though, Bucknole notes, \u201cWe\u2019re much more fluid now because we know that budgets are very challenged, and we have to be smart in our commissioning and acquiring.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leading programmers share how they are finding breakout properties amid the abundance of content available on the market today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":25085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,21],"tags":[899,419,5874,7147,4677,7148,6467,975,1888],"class_list":["post-25084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-david-di-lorenzo","tag-future-today","tag-happykids","tag-louise-bucknole","tag-lucy-murphy","tag-marianne-lambert","tag-paramount-global","tag-sky","tag-tfo","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nChasing Hits - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chasing Hits - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leading programmers share how they are finding breakout properties amid the abundance of content available on the market today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-05T12:50:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-08T13:39:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/07\/Kangaroo-Beach-ACTF.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/\",\"name\":\"Chasing Hits - TVKIDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-05T12:50:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-08T13:39:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/chasing-hits\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chasing Hits\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\",\"name\":\"TVKIDS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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