Zodiak Kids YouTube Channels Set for OTT Platforms

Zodiak Kids has partnered with U.S.-based technology and distribution company Future Today to bring its YouTube channels ZeeKay and ZeeKay Junior to a range of OTT platforms.

As part of the deal, Future Today will build, manage and grow viewership for the channels on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and other OTT platforms. Additionally, Zodiak Kids has picked up the animated property GivingTales for the preschool channel ZeeKay Junior and is managing its stand-alone YouTube channel. GivingTales are animated versions of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tales. Twelve videos, including The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Mermaid and The Princess and the Pea, will be available.

The fairy tales are narrated by some of Britain’s best-known voices, including Stephen Fry, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor, David Walliams and the late Sir Roger Moore, who chaired the project at the start in 2015. The news comes as Zodiak Kids’ YouTube Multi-Channel Network (MCN) surpasses 1.2 million subscribers and reaches more than 20 billion watch time minutes consumed on the platforms. Zodiak Kids’ MCN offers channels such as Mister Maker, LoliRock and Little Grey Fergie. ZeeKay Junior started in 2015 and now has more than 220,000 subscribers and releases new videos twice a week, combining clips, unboxing videos, musical sing-alongs and bespoke content tailored to the platform. Future Today currently manages more than 1,000 OTT channels through its cloud-based platform.

Jean-Philippe Randisi, the CEO of Zodiak Kids, said, “We are delighted to be extending ZeeKay and ZeeKay Junior’s reach with this new deal with Future Today; it is a great outlet to partner with. ZeeKay Junior is going from strength to strength, rapidly increasing its subscriber base as we continue to populate the platform with new content from ourselves and our partners, such as GivingTales.”

Vikrant Mathur, co-founder of Future Today, added, “We are excited to be partnering with Jean-Philippe and the Zodiak Kids team to help bring their amazing content to more kids who can now enjoy it from the comfort of their living room. Using our cloud-based platform, the Zodiak Kids channels will deliver a truly engaging experience that is both safe for kids and can be controlled by parents.”