{"id":9283,"date":"2015-11-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/special-report-childs-play\/"},"modified":"2016-01-22T09:19:03","modified_gmt":"2016-01-22T14:19:03","slug":"special-report-childs-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/special-report-childs-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Child’s Play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kids\u2019 content distributors discuss<\/em> how<\/em> their businesses are faring across Asia.<\/em><\/p>\n

The number of platforms for kids to access content is on the rise across the globe, and Asia is no exception. In fact, there have likely been more new platform launches for children\u2019s programming in the region over the last few years than anywhere else in the world. When kids\u2019 programming power\u00adhouse DreamWorks Animation decided to launch its first 24-hour channel, it targeted Asia, with the DreamWorks channel now available in the region. ZooMoo, backed by David Haslingden out of New Zealand, has been expanding across Asia and beyond. The Mandarin-language preschool service Miao Mi was announced this year. CBeebies, Toonami and others have been steadily building on the number of homes they reach in Asia via new carriage deals. And there\u2019s been plenty of activity on the nonlinear front, too, with new services like WeKids and YOU Kids On Demand in China. Hopster has arrived in the region and Netflix, with its growing offering of children\u2019s programming, has landed in Japan and is set to expand further in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsia\u2019s probably the most dynamic territory in the world today,\u201d says Craig McGillivray, VP of distribution at Breakthrough Entertainment. \u201cThere are still places that don\u2019t have full cable penetration yet. But at the same time, there are territories that are passing cable and going right to [online streaming].\u201d<\/p>\n

Digital platforms are potential partners in terms of distribution and, eventually, co-production, notes Andrea Graciotti, the head of sales and co-productions at Rainbow. \u201cKids are becoming decision makers in terms of what to watch and when to watch, and OTT\/digital platforms give them the chance to create their own programming. From the perspective of an independent producer such as Rainbow, these new-media [platforms] increase the exposure of our content and help boost the awareness of our shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about the new opportunities she\u2019s finding with streaming services, Natalie Lawley, managing director of Escapade Media, says, \u201cOver the past 12 months, the OTT\/digital platform conversations and deals have increased significantly. Escapade\u2019s kids\u2019 titles are developed for cross-media exploitation, where different platforms can license different assets of the brand specific to their needs. It\u2019s an exciting time for the expansion of content and we are looking forward to more of those discussions at ATF.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joanne Azzopardi, VP of sales at Beyond Distribution, refers to OTT services as \u201can additional window that we haven\u2019t exploited previously.\u201d Kids\u2019 content, she notes, is a driver for both single-territory and regional digital services. \u201cIn some cases, linear broadcasters will also acquire these rights, so you have multiple players, non-exclusive deals and a whole new revenue stream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gulshan David, sales manager for the Asia Pacific and the Middle East at Imira Entertainment, says the company has developed relationships with some 80 percent of the region\u2019s new platforms. \u201cThey are IP friendly, quick in their selection and decisions, and [they provide] repeat business.\u201d<\/p>\n

David adds, \u201cAs content owners, it is refreshing to find value in [our] library as well as new titles.\u201d<\/p>\n

For content owners, understanding the rights you have to exploit\u2014and knowing exactly how you\u2019re going to window them\u2014is crucial. As is having the kinds of programming that Asian kids want to consume. And that appears to be quite a mixed bag.<\/p>\n

FAMILY TIME<\/strong>
\nRobby Amar, executive director of distribution at MarVista Entertainment, says he\u2019s seen demand for shows that encourage co-viewing, as well as a need for \u201cbranded content, or content that has proven success, particularly in the U.S. In this category we have, for example, our recent movie for Disney XD, Pants on Fire<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

MarVista has done well with its teen movies in Asia, Amar adds, referencing deals in the Philippines for titles like Absolute Zero<\/em>, Meteor Storm<\/em>, My Dad Is Scrooge<\/em> and Cop Dog<\/em>, as well as for family films such as Princess and the Pea, Breaking Free <\/em>and Undercover Kid.<\/em> The company has also been licensing series into Asia, recently inking a deal for Heroes: Legend of the Battle Disks<\/em> with HBO and HBO Family.<\/p>\n

Preschool has been a strong seller for a number of companies, including 9 Story Media Group. Federico Vargas, director of distribution, highlights a recent pact on Peg + Cat<\/em> and Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighbourhood<\/em> in China with Sunshine Culture and Communication, as well as a volume deal for 130 half-hours covering a range of genres with TV3 in Thailand. \u201cOur content is performing well across several kids\u2019 genres, from preschool to 6-to-11 comedies and from live action to animation,\u201d Vargas adds.<\/p>\n

A particular success for 9 Story in Asia has been Wild Kratts<\/em>, targeting the \u201cunderserved\u201d 4 to 8 set, he says. 9 Story hopes to follow up Wild Kratts<\/em>\u2019s success with its new series Nature Cat<\/em>. \u201cAimed at the same 4-to-8 demographic, the show is part comedy and part adventure, while also teaching kids how to connect with nature. We expect it to do quite well within the Asia Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Rainbow\u2019s Graciotti, \u201cthe real driver to deliver ratings are strong character-driven stories with a high power of identification between the audience and the protagonists of the stories themselves.\u201d Winx Club <\/em>has achieved this, Graciotti continues, \u201cboasting millions of viewers each day through broadcasters on every continent in the world, with massive appeal to girls from 4 to 10 right up to tween\/teen.\u201d He\u2019s hoping to replicate that success with the brand-new Regal Academy<\/em>, which will be on offer at ATF alongside another new series, the tentatively titled My American Friend<\/em>.<\/p>\n

ABC Commercial\u2019s Robyn Campbell, senior sales manager for Asia, Australia and New Zealand, lists the preschool series Bananas in Pyjamas<\/em> as one of her top sellers in Asia. Also drumming up interest is The New Adventures of Figaro Pho<\/em> and a range of content from The Wiggles, such as the brand-new show Emma!<\/em>
\n\u201cWe have licensed exclusive short-form content from The Wiggles on the leading children\u2019s app, PlayKids, which is available in the region,\u201d Campbell says.<\/p>\n

While animation tends to dominate kids\u2019 programming sales into Asia, a number of companies are doing well with live-action content. The Australian Children\u2019s Television Foundation (ACTF), for one, has scored recent deals on the live-action shows Bushwhacked<\/em>, Little Lunch<\/em> and Hoopla Doopla<\/em>, among others. \u201cBroadcasters are always looking for great original kids\u2019 series across all genres and ages,\u201d says Roberta Di Vito, international sales manager at ACTF. \u201cSeries that are story-driven, with likable talent and quality productions, will always be a hit with kids. Asia is a huge region, and while animation remains very popular with some broadcasters, really good live-action comedies and adventure factual series have also been hugely successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

GETTING REAL<\/strong>
\nEscapade, too, has a strong slate of live-action factual fare, including the game show Kitchen Whiz<\/em>, the preschool offering Jay\u2019s Jungle<\/em> and the brand-new CBBC commission Teenage Ice Trekker<\/em>. \u201cOver the last 12 months we have definitely seen increased requests from buyers for natural-history series for children, along with documentaries that appeal to children,\u201d Lawley reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cLive-action tween edutainment has always worked well for Beyond in Asia and continues to do so,\u201d says Azzopardi, citing sales on shows like Totally Rubbish <\/em>and Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom<\/em>. \u201cBoth titles are commissioned by CBBC in the U.K. and we find the educational, entertaining elements for that age group work really well for our broadcasters in AsiaPac,\u201d Azzopardi notes. \u201cLive-action series tend to be difficult to place in Asia unless they have some educational component, especially if that component is science-based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comedy is also a hot commodity, observes Breakthrough\u2019s McGillivray, who mentions the animated Rocket Monkeys<\/em> and Pirate Express<\/em> as having been some of the company\u2019s biggest successes in Asia. Breakthrough also arrives at ATF with a live-action movie, Bruno & Boots: Go Jump in the Pool.<\/em> \u201cFive or six years ago, it would have been really tough to get a live-action comedy series into Asia,\u201d McGillivray says. \u201cBut Bruno & Boots<\/em> is more of an event program, and this is not just slapstick comedy: it\u2019s really a story about kids in high school, so it is relatable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imira has largely been selling animation into Asia, with titles like the comedy Rat-a-Tat<\/em>, a non-dialogue series with some 234 episodes available, and the brand-new Alisa<\/em>, which David says \u201cfills the gap for many who are looking for gender-neutral programming. We already have VOD deals lined up and will conclude pay-TV and free-TV partnerships at ATF.\u201d Imira is also presenting the live-action show Jamillah & Aladdin<\/em>, which David says is \u201cgetting great traction in the region, and we are considering a few offers from Indonesia, China and Malaysia.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many kids\u2019 distributors in Asia, the pan-regional broadcasters have tended to be their biggest customers. But companies are angling to drill deeper with their Asian businesses by reaching single-market channels.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about getting into the specific territories as opposed to strictly focusing on the pan-regionals,\u201d Breakthrough\u2019s McGillivray says. \u201cEspecially in Southeast Asia\u2014so Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand\u2014and then keeping up with what we\u2019re doing in places like Hong Kong and Korea. Japan\u2019s a tough one, as dubbing is always an issue. I\u2019d love to be doing more there, but it\u2019s really challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

MarVista is also bullish on Southeast Asia, with Amar listing the Philippines as one of his biggest customers. \u201cWe\u2019d love to be doing more business in Malaysia, which is a strong market that consumes large volumes of content,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur biggest partnerships to date have been with multi-territory pan-regional services,\u201d notes 9 Story\u2019s Vargas. \u201cBut we\u2019ve also seen regional success with Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and India.\u201d<\/p>\n

MOVERS AND SHAKERS<\/strong>
\nImira\u2019s strongest Asian market currently is India, the \u201chome turf\u201d of its parent company, Toonz Entertainment. \u201cOther Asian markets we fare well in are Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and we are gaining significant traction in South Korea and Thailand,\u201d David says. \u201cOur thrust for 2015 will be on China\u2014although we are making gradual inroads in VOD and OTT, other partnerships need to happen. We also are in conversation with Japanese partners and we see an opportunity for bringing more Japanese content back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to Imira\u2019s AsiaPac business in 2016, David highlights local-content investment as being a key strategy. \u201cWe are investing in local IP and co-production. We have a sizeable 2D and 3D studio in India that can cater to this bandwidth. We are currently thinking about starting local offices and partnerships in at least two growth economies, China and Indonesia.\u201d<\/p>\n

McGillivray says that Breakthrough is open to co-producing with an Asian partner, given the dramatic increase in the quality of the animation coming out of the region. In addition to long-standing animation giants Japan and Korea, China, India, Malaysia and Singapore have all developed their own kids\u2019 content creation sectors. It appears, though, that there\u2019s enough business to go around, with distributors feeling upbeat as they prepare for ATF this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market for kids\u2019 content remains strong, and we have solid relationships with many partners whom we anticipate will continue to work with us on our kids\u2019 programming initiatives,\u201d notes MarVista\u2019s Amar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen tremendous growth in the territory over the last year and a half,\u201d says 9 Story\u2019s Vargas. \u201cWe expect this to continue as we make new inroads in vast territories like China and India, markets with exciting growth potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graciotti says that \u201cRainbow\u2019s goal is to take a leading position in Asia in terms of audience reach and distribution. We are confident that our portfolio of content addressing [many] demographics and crossing different genres speaks a universal language that can be appreciated by a worldwide audience. Thanks to these elements, we are working hard to establish a valuable presence in Asia as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Escapade\u2019s Lawley states that \u201cthere are constantly new channels, platforms and opportunities opening up. There are definitely areas where the company would like to do more\u2014India is one of these areas\u2014and not just in program sales, but across licensing and merchandising and VOD platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond\u2019s Azzopardi is looking forward to renewing pacts with existing partners and is eyeing the potential to format some of the company\u2019s quiz series for kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis region is a priority for us,\u201d says ABC Commercial\u2019s Campbell. \u201cWe are actively talking to many AsiaPac partners and constantly looking for new ways to expand the reach of our content. We are expecting significant growth in AsiaPac over the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kids\u2019 content distributors discuss how their businesses are faring across Asia. The number of platforms for kids to access content is on the rise across the globe, and Asia is no exception. 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