Yu-Gi-Oh!<\/em><\/p>\nBBC Children\u2019s has been acquiring more in the last two years, Taganov noted, \u201cBut with our commissioning slate, obviously the lion\u2019s share of the budget is still going toward co-productions and fully funded commissions. We\u2019re probably doing fewer fully funded commissions, and they\u2019re mostly with traditional public-service genres, such as documentary, factual, factual entertainment. And we\u2019re looking for co-productions with different levels of funding on animation and high-level live-action entertainment, drama or comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Cartoonito and Cartoon Network in EMEA, \u201cwe are pretty balanced when it comes to our mix of our original IP from the studio side and then our third-party co-pros and prebuys that we work on across the region,\u201d Sands explained. \u201cThe majority of our pipeline is across a prebuy or enhanced acquisition. We tend to do less co-productions in the typical sense of wanting to own the IP.\u201d The key, she said, is having a balance between the well-known owned IPs across the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio \u201cand the authentic, relatable and entertaining stories that we think are going to translate across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
For EMEA rights, Warner Bros. Discovery aims to deliver \u201ca considerable portion of the budget. It\u2019s an important discussion to have early on to ensure the rights scope, the exclusivity and also feed in creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n
SVT is not engaged in any international co-pros or commissions but does acquire from the global market, including early prebuys, Nylander said. “We co-produce among the Nordic countries.”<\/p>\n
On the types of projects Disney looks to board early, Clodfelter commented, “It’s important for us to see projects at a very early stage just so that we can see what the potential is, what the fit is against what our programming needs are currently as well as two years out, particularly on the animated side. We love getting a seed of an idea. It’s also really critical for me to understand what we have in development so that I am outsourcing content that could be complementary to and also additive to our slate in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enhanced acquisitions are especially key in preschool, Clodfelter continued. \u201cWe pay an elevated license fee to have some creative control because it helps us shape that content to our brands and stretch our brands a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sands said it’s a similar approach at Warner Bros. Discovery. “We love seeing the seed of an idea and working with our partners to understand and evolve what that is. The creative is absolutely always with the studio, their distribution company, the creator, but we love to be that helping hand along the way to skew it slightly to make sure that it fits our brand’s needs and that it’s going to be inclusive, diverse and appealing across the region.”<\/p>\n
As for the qualities she looks for, Sands said projects should be “visually distinctive, [with] a strong set of characters, and the world is clear. It’s going to sparkle among this great selection of original content that we already have. Also, have a really clear budget in place and know how you’re going to bring that together. It doesn’t have to be 100 percent financed. We’re happy to help, but we do need that clear plan of how those puzzle pieces are all going to come together so we can be a meaningful part of that puzzle.”<\/p>\n
Nylander also likes early involvement at SVT. \u201cWe are a very cautious public-service company, so there\u2019s a lot of content on the market that doesn\u2019t fit us. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to be a part of them at a very early stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taganov also offered a public-service perspective, highlighting the breadth of genres that BBC Children’s is in need of. For animation and scripted live-action, early involvement is key. “We’re very specific with our needs at any given time. For example, currently for 4 to 9s, we’re looking at space, science, STEM. We take pitches all year round. We produce a huge amount of titles every year. I would mention Ignite, an initiative that was launched to source U.K. animation. We have opened it up to any creators and were assessing those pitches completely blindly. We got more than 1,000 submissions, a handful of them got shortlisted, then several got into development, and the first couple are about to get greenlit.”<\/p>\n
SVT complements its originals with animated and live-action scripted acquisitions. Live-action is high on Nylander\u2019s wish list. \u201cIt\u2019s quite hard to find series that suit us on the market. But this year, [there] seems to be even fewer series. Last year, we launched nine or ten live-action series on the channel. But, right now, for 2024, we have four or five, maybe.”<\/p>\n
Homegrown animation is key at BBC, Taganov said, “but it takes time, as you know. Two or three years ago, we started looking at acquiring animation, not necessarily always exclusively. We’re up to taking second windows. We had to bulk the volume of the total offer on iPlayer. In terms of live-action series, BBC Children’s heartland has always been reality-based dramas, and we felt we needed to diversify the subgenres in this portfolio. We wanted all sorts of mystery, detectives, supernatural and magical, and we wanted something light, and we wanted comedy as well. That’s how we acquired titles like Theodosia<\/em> and Home Sweet Rome<\/em>. So animation for bridge audiences and comedy live action.\u201d<\/p>\nSands is only looking for animation. “It’s very much about building those engaging experiences for our viewers. It’s about being wherever they are in that right format and creating a bespoke, engaging follow-through of that journey from where they start, ensuring they don’t get blocked at any point. That’s something that we take into account when we’re reviewing content. Should there be short-form attached? Should there be an ancillary game, app or podcast experience that is cumulative to that viewing experience? That’s something to keep in mind.”<\/p>\n
In terms of genres, meanwhile, the focus remains on comedy animation across Cartoonito\u2014geared to 2- to 6-year-olds, with a focus on 4 to 6\u2014and Cartoon Network, which targets 6- to 12-year-olds, zeroing in on the 7 to 9 set. “We don’t want to be talking down to our audience,\u201d Sands said. \u201cWe don’t want to be referencing things that feel outdated. It should feel fresh. It should feel energetic. It should feel exciting. If that feels like something that you’re working on, please get in contact and let us know!”<\/p>\n
Authentic, positive storytelling and empowering, relatable characters are among the hallmarks at Disney, Clodfelter said. Music is also critical across genres, from preschool to 6 to 11 to the 11 to 14 space on Disney+, and diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n
On gaps in the market, Taganov quipped, \u201cI personally will always be looking for the next Bluey<\/em>. Aren’t we all?” She noted she’s not seeing enough great comedies on the market or co-viewing family series.<\/p>\nClodfelter highlighted the dearth of multi-cam sitcoms. “That’s a priority, as well as holiday content leading into the fourth quarter. And then, for younger-skewing preschool, there’s not a lot of content for kids 2 to 4. We need to serve all our ages within the demo, and I think 2 to 4 is a little underrepresented right now.”<\/p>\n
Nylander is keen to see live-action love stories for the 10-plus set. “I also would love to see a proper series with cliffhangers, like a true adventure series that you would want to binge. That would be nice to find. Also, in animation, it would be nice to see different kinds of families, like divorced parents, single dads or other kinds of modern families.”<\/p>\n
Sands firmly has her eye on comedy animation. “We’re ultimately looking for things that feel like they’re going to break the mold slightly, things that feel fresh and surprising but with warmth and heart. That doesn\u2019t speak down to our audiences and meets them exactly where they are and celebrates that.”<\/p>\n
Brzoznowski then moved the conversation to exclusivity. Sands said it’s important as an entity that runs across pay TV, AVOD and SVOD. “We like to come on board early enough that we can secure that exclusivity in those early windows. But we appreciate that we’re in an interesting and challenging environment right now. We’re not naive to that. We acknowledge the fact that we might need to be a little flexible. Will us being more flexible in, say, the windowing in a certain market lead to bigger investment in the show and ultimately lead it to greenlight? I think they’re all interconnected, but predominantly, first and foremost, we’re a first-window exclusive pay-TV partner and free to air in Spain, Italy, the Middle East and Turkey. So, it’s certainly a discussion that we can have.”<\/p>\n
Disney also values exclusivity, \u201cbut with limited holdbacks, because we do understand, particularly in the preschool space, that reach is critical to drive awareness and also any retail initiatives that are attached to that content,\u201d Clodfelter said. \u201cWe look to drive awareness on other platforms, particularly in territories where we only have Disney+ as an SVOD platform. We like to be first in line, but we\u2019re happy to share down the road with a limited holdback to build that awareness and have that content in as many places as possible in those territories.\u201d<\/p>\n
For prebuys, SVT looks to have some exclusivity with unlimited rights, Nylander said. “But further down the line, we are also happy to share. It depends on the content, though, because I think it’s easier to share preschool content. It might even be a good thing for a preschool brand to be on several platforms because the kids want to see it all over again, so it doesn’t necessarily affect the ratings in a bad way. For us, when it comes to live-action for older kids, it’s a bit different. We’d like to be exclusive and have a long holdback against other platforms.”<\/p>\n
At the BBC, for any commissions or co-pros “when we have significant investment,” exclusivity is key, but the pubcaster is becoming more flexible when it comes to acquired rights, Taganov said. \u201cWe\u2019re open to sharing rights. We\u2019re open to second windows. We uncoupled iPlayer rights, which wouldn\u2019t be connected to linear broadcast. There are several titles that would benefit from exclusivity, such as Pok\u00e9mon Horizons<\/em> (in the U.K., it is exclusive to iPlayer) or Hey Duggee<\/em>, which is brand-defining. So, it\u2019s really dear to have it exclusive to iPlayer, but otherwise, it is always a bespoke decision.”<\/p>\nWhen using digital to drive awareness campaigns, gaming is paramount, Sands said, referencing the launch of the Cartoon Network Game On Roblox experience. “It’s given us the opportunity to be with the kids where they are, to use digital billboards to cross-promote back to our linear channels. It’s a deeper level of engagement for our fans of Cartoon Network: 27 million unique visitors since it launched in 2023. The kids really do love to socialize in that space, to play and game in that space. They just see it as an extension of what they were doing on another screen.”<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery title is a little different,\u201d Clodfelter added. \u201cWill we launch on Disney+ versus linear first? There are conversations around every bit of content that comes our way. If a digital presence exists, that\u2019s always part of the pitch now. This has generated X number of views. This is sticky, and there\u2019s something here that we could really look at as being an opportunity for us to build out our platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taganov referenced the need to view YouTube and TikTok as friends, not foes, and agreed with Clodfelter that every title requires a bespoke strategy.<\/p>\n
Nylander said that SVT has stopped concerning itself with its linear channel ratings. \u201cWe only look at the digital platform, so we only look at the ratings for the online offering.\u201d<\/p>\n
In competing for a slice of kids\u2019 time today, Sands said it\u2019s about \u201ccatering the experience to the device, the time of day, the location, leaning into the data and allowing that to help shape and inform us so that we can continue to be agile and maybe change and flex where we might need to. It\u2019s really about that branded experience. So, continuing from Roblox, taking them to the linear channel. From the linear channel, keeping them there, but maybe encouraging them from YouTube back to the linear channel. It\u2019s about touching all of those flywheel points.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having a USP is crucial, Taganov added. \u201cOur USP is local relevance. Our big competitors in this market are foreign companies. Commercial broadcasters and streamers very rarely cater to babies and toddlers. That\u2019s what we can offer, and that\u2019s where curation still matters. Parents rely on that. In each platform, the majority of views are driven by a handful of shows. So, the main thing to have is that big kahuna. Fewer, bigger, better is embedded in our strategy. We really want to invest in content that has high production values and is high concept, unique and breaks the mold. That’s what makes the biggest difference.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The fourth edition of the TV Kids Festival opened today with our trademark programmers session featuring Disney\u2019s Rick Clodfelter, Warner Bros. Discovery\u2019s Zia Sands, BBC Children\u2019s Anna Taganov and SVT\u2019s Helena Nylander discussing their content needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":26763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[8928,1351,5750,8929,8926,2259,9024,6485,8927],"class_list":["post-26762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-anna-taganov","tag-bbc-childrens","tag-disney-branded-television","tag-helena-nylander","tag-rick-clodfelter","tag-svt","tag-tv-kids-festival-2024","tag-warner-bros-discovery","tag-zia-sands","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
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