{"id":30749,"date":"2025-10-24T09:45:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T13:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T09:48:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T13:48:08","slug":"wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/","title":{"rendered":"WildBrain\u2019s Kate Smith on the Opportunities on AVOD, YouTube &#038; More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As commissioning remains down across the kids\u2019 business, IP owners with standout libraries are exploring all the avenues available to maximize the value of their slates. WildBrain\u2014which touts a distribution portfolio of hits such as <em>Strawberry Shortcake<\/em>, <em>Teletubbies<\/em> and <em>Caillou<\/em>, as well as newer series like<em> Zip and the Tiny Sprouts<\/em> and <em>L\u2019il Stompers<\/em>\u2014is getting creative to monetize its content and find homes for its deep catalog across the media ecosystem. Kate Smith, executive VP of audience engagement, sat down with <em>TV Kids<\/em>\u00a0to talk about gains in the AVOD business, evolving exclusivity needs, the approach to YouTube and more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0With commissions down, are you seeing platforms acquire more to fill their programming needs?<br \/>\n<strong>SMITH:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re seeing broadcasters and streamers make more library acquisitions in response to the decline in original commissions. We have seen more renewals of well-known series and globally known IP for both commissions and acquisitions. Series such as\u00a0<em>Teletubbies<\/em>\u00a0offer large volume, active franchise marketing and build on high awareness among parents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0What gains are you seeing on the AVOD side?<br \/>\n<strong>SMITH:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re seeing exciting momentum across various AVOD platforms. Broadcasters are increasingly open to AVOD windows, which is encouraging for franchises looking to build their awareness and affinity with kids. We see kids today want to watch what they want, where they want, when they want. The more places a show is available, the more engagement we see across different forms of content distribution.\u00a0<em>Strawberry Shortcake<\/em>\u00a0is a great example\u2014we took the opportunity to widely distribute the library of series with multiple partners in the U.S., and the more we made it available, the higher the franchise engagement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0How have you seen exclusivity needs change?<br \/>\n<strong>SMITH:<\/strong>\u00a0While not as crucial, exclusivity still has a place, especially when it comes to major franchises, originals and brand-building. As more platforms look to build brand loyalty and differentiate in the market, exclusive content can help do that. That said, we\u2019re seeing a shift, particularly in kids\u2019 content and acquisitions. With commissioning down, many platforms are leaning into non-exclusive deals\u2014they\u2019re faster, more budget-friendly and can help fill gaps in programming while still maintaining engagement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0Are there particular genres in demand from the acquisitions side?<br \/>\n<strong>SMITH:<\/strong>\u00a0Well-known IP, strong character brands and franchises that have an active fan base are all in demand. There\u2019s also a growing appetite for \u201ckidult\u201d content, meaning multi-generational content to engage kids and adults alike, such as nostalgic series or seasonal specials around key holidays. Additionally, preschool is always in demand.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0How important is it to have ancillary materials to include with packages that platforms can deploy on their social media channels?<br \/>\n<strong>SMITH:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s become increasingly important to consider promotional materials that will be effective on social platforms and YouTube. We\u2019ve evolved our support materials to include more short-form video content, which is often what these platforms are looking for to drive engagement. In some cases, we\u2019ve even put the first episode \u201cin front of the wall\u201d as a teaser to help build early buzz around a series and drive tune-in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0How are you approaching YouTube?<br \/>\n<strong>SMITH:\u00a0<\/strong>WildBrain has been operating on YouTube for nearly a decade, and it\u2019s become a key part of how we connect with families around the world. Today, we manage one of the largest networks of premium kids\u2019 content on the platform, generating over 17 billion minutes watched per month and over 1.5 trillion lifetime minutes watched since launching in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Our YouTube proposition is brand-safe, with a wealth of broadcast-quality entertainment for families worldwide. We manage and optimize channels for our own and partner brands to deliver COPPA- and CARU-compliant monetization opportunities. In an age where YouTube is a go-to platform for kids, well-run, active YouTube channels are essential, as they provide useful data and insights and an additional stream of revenue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The executive VP of audience engagement discusses gains in the AVOD business, evolving exclusivity needs, the approach to YouTube and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":30750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,21],"tags":[8676,1156],"class_list":["post-30749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-kate-smith","tag-wildbrain","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WildBrain\u2019s Kate Smith on the Opportunities on AVOD, YouTube &amp; More - 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\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WildBrain\u2019s Kate Smith on the Opportunities on AVOD, YouTube &amp; More - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The executive VP of audience engagement discusses gains in the AVOD business, evolving exclusivity needs, the approach to YouTube and more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-24T13:45:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-28T13:48:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/2025-10-24-Kate-Smith.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"395\" \/>\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=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/\",\"name\":\"WildBrain\u2019s Kate Smith on the Opportunities on AVOD, YouTube & More - TVKIDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-24T13:45:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-28T13:48:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wildbrains-kate-smith-on-the-opportunities-on-avod-youtube-more\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"WildBrain\u2019s Kate Smith on the Opportunities on AVOD, YouTube &#038; More\"}]},{\"@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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