here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cThere are four areas that drive our success,\u201d Bucknole said. \u201cNumber one is always the content. We have some amazing brands like PAW Patrol<\/em>, Rubble & Crew<\/em>, Peppa Pig<\/em>, The Adventures of Paddington<\/em>, Milo<\/em> and Pip and Posy<\/em>. We have a mix of animation and live action. We have favorites like Thomas & Friends<\/em> and Fireman Sam<\/em>, and then U.K. commissions like Tweedy & Fluff<\/em>, Mixmups<\/em>, Odo<\/em> and The Woohoos!<\/em> and live-action series like Reu & Harper\u2019s Wonder World<\/em> and Animal Care Club<\/em>. There is so much variety. And our brand is really strong. There\u2019s the continuity that we have with our presenters\u2014it\u2019s that daily touchpoint with viewers. We\u2019ve got six presenters and also our puppet, Milkshake Monkey! That means that seven days a week, we\u2019re able to have that connection with viewers and their families. We have a live stage show, Milkshake! Live<\/em>, and a magazine. We also produce a ton of shorts each year that can cover all sorts of different subjects. We cover areas that kids are focused on and encourage them to have a go and also take part. We\u2019re very representative of the U.K. audience and their families. We\u2019re a very safe and trusted brand. We\u2019re on linear. We\u2019re on VOD on 5. We just launched a FAST channel on the 5 platform. We have Milkshake! on Paramount+, our streaming service, and also on YouTube. So, we\u2019re focused on everywhere that kids are.\u201d<\/p>\nBucknole talked about some of the very early lessons from the FAST channel rollout, which has helped to \u201cenhance the viewing experience,\u201d she said. \u201cPlatforms and viewership are evolving in different ways,\u201d she went on to say about shifting consumption trends. \u201cThere is a lot more viewing on the VOD platforms and on YouTube. It\u2019s very title-led; they\u2019re drawn into their favorite shows and the IP that they love, and also new content. We launch new content on the linear platform. We roll it out straight away onto our VOD platform. It\u2019ll then sit on a FAST channel. There\u2019ll be promotions across all of the platforms. It\u2019s about being accessible to that audience. Milkshake! is aimed at a core audience of 2- to 5-year-olds, with a little bit older audience as well. We know kids are agile. They can download and take the content with them. They want to watch their favorite show again and again on the VOD platform. We\u2019re a very habit-based brand because we are on in the morning on 5. We have that regular return viewing of the fans that come back to Milkshake! as well as attracting a new audience all the time. We\u2019ve just launched Tim Rex in Space<\/em> on Milkshake!, and it\u2019s performed very well. We ran a lot of clips and content on YouTube to highlight that the series was coming and then it was launched on the platform. It\u2019s on our VOD service. We will be putting a full episode up on YouTube in due course. It\u2019s about making sure that you\u2019re agile with how you\u2019re presenting that content to your audience so that it suits them.\u201d<\/p>\nBucknole then discussed her commissioning strategy to deliver content that will resonate with preschoolers across the U.K. \u201cWe want to reflect British children, their families, habits, desires and interests. We focus on things that are humorous, have adventure, fun and friendship and can inspire them to be curious about the world and fantastic characters that have great imagination. We follow the Early Years Foundation framework for preschoolers in the U.K. We pick up about two to three brand-new series a year, or it might be a returner. We have a mix of fantastic Nick Jr. content as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acquisitions complement the originals lineup. \u201cWe don\u2019t necessarily require movies or specials unless they\u2019re related to some of the IP that we already have. We also don\u2019t look for shorts\u2014anything under three minutes\u2014because we have an in-house team that produces a lot of that content.\u201d<\/p>\n
She is on the lookout for slapstick comedy. \u201cWe also ensure that we have a sustainable theme in most of our content,\u201d citing as an example The Woohoos!<\/em> \u201cIt\u2019s about having a clear hook and being slightly different. We don\u2019t want the same as what we already have.\u201d<\/p>\nThe conversation then shifted to co-pros, which are key for Milkshake!, Bucknole explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working around these models for many years. Tim Rex in Space<\/em> is our first co-pro with Nick Jr. globally. We\u2019ve also had a co-production with Sky and ZDF, the wonderful Pip and Posy<\/em>. Odo<\/em>, from Sixteen South, is with KiKA in Germany. It\u2019s about how we can access those funding opportunities and also collaborate with multiple partners to make the budget and the finance plan work. We all know that it is very challenged at the moment, so we\u2019re very flexible on rights. We\u2019re very open to discussing how the productions work. We want productions to go ahead. We will be involved at any stage, whether that\u2019s development or a bit later on in the show. We\u2019re open to all sorts of different models, and co-pros are absolutely in the center of how we produce our shows.\u201d<\/p>\nBucknole said that she\u2019s also open to reviewing shared rights. For commissions, \u201cwe have to have the first broadcast on 5. The windows, we discuss at the point of commission. For acquisitions, it\u2019s a little bit different. We share many shows that might be on different platforms, whether that\u2019s something like Chip and Potato<\/em>, which is on Netflix, or Thomas & Friends<\/em>, where we take the first-run and then it\u2019s on other platforms around the world as well. It\u2019s thinking about what the IP is and how it fits in with our brand and what the funding model is.\u201d<\/p>\nBucknole is not super prescriptive when it comes to what she\u2019s looking for, but did encourage creators to think about engagement, relatability, authenticity and sustainability themes, and consider how content will live on different platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing that we would like to see more of is\u2026a well-rounded digital launch proposition. Content that you can roll out across YouTube and social media that enhances the shows that you have on the other platforms. [You need a] well-thought-through strategy of how you can reach an audience and be discovered in this very fragmented world that we have for kids. We\u2019re always competing for kids\u2019 time. You\u2019ve got to be present on the platforms they\u2019re on. Looking at that as part of your production plan is something that is interesting to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being on YouTube is essential, Bucknole said. \u201cIt\u2019s about discovery and engagement, and social media and YouTube are often the entry point for some kids into new brands. We have recently been releasing full episodes on YouTube. We have short-form and other assets on Milkshake! on YouTube to drive that engagement and awareness. Linear and VOD are still key\u2014we have to drive those ratings. We\u2019re a commercial business. But we understand that the engagement from kids happens in different ways. The linear block on 5 in the morning is so important because it\u2019s part of their routine of the day. In the afternoon, they can then catch up on our 5 VOD platform, or they might want to go onto YouTube. Kids will go wherever is suited to them. Particularly for preschoolers, where the parent and caregiver are the guardians, safe platforms are important. We know that YouTube and our linear and VOD platforms are well-curated, and they follow all of the compliance guidelines. We look to develop that further. For Nick Jr., we\u2019re seeding content on YouTube to see how that develops. For example, Kid Cowboy<\/em> is being released on YouTube. We are trying to ensure that we are in step with the audience.\u201d<\/p>\nBucknole and her team are also looking at the creator economy following the success of Go Green with the Grimwades<\/em>, a series built around an influencer family. That commission has been followed up by Reu & Harper\u2019s Wonder World<\/em> and now discussions are underway for a new show that originated on YouTube. \u201cWe will lean into all of that experience and what YouTube has to offer to enhance the viewing experience and the brand.\u201d<\/p>\nAs the session wrapped, Bucknole said she remains optimistic about the kids\u2019 media sector\u2019s ability to survive this current turmoil. \u201cEverybody who works in kids\u2019 media is so passionate about the audience. They\u2019re a brilliant audience to work with because they give you such honest feedback straight away. You will know whether a show is going to go well or not because an audience will connect with it very quickly. It is tough right now for creators and producers. That\u2019s something that we\u2019re mindful of. Content models are changing. But we get so much feedback about how much the audience enjoys Milkshake!; we see it from our viewing figures. Milkshake! has grown 2 percent this year. It grew last year on linear. It was up 24 percent on VOD. We know that the audience wants the content. There is a supportive and celebratory community in kids. We ensure that we are very much part of that and agile in how we work with different partners.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Opening the TV Kids Summer Festival today, Louise Bucknole, senior VP for kids and family in the U.K. and Ireland at Paramount, outlined her programming strategy at Milkshake! across acquisitions and commissions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":29754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[7147,272,10985],"class_list":["post-29753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-louise-bucknole","tag-milkshake","tag-tv-kids-summer-festival-2025","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
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