2025 Trend Watch / TV Kids Pioneer Award: Super RTL’s Dominique Neudecker
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Bookkeeper
There were over 389,000 hours of children’s content available to watch on streaming platforms or TV in the first quarter of last year, according to Ampere Analysis.
As Olivia Deane, a research manager at the company, said in unveiling that research at MIPJunior, that is a “staggering amount of television to get your head around,” noting it would take someone 43 years to watch all of it—not accounting for sleep. And that number doesn’t even factor in everything available to young ones outside of the “traditional” ecosystem. Social video has already eclipsed “traditional” content as the preferred choice for audiences 13 to 24, according to a study from Hub Entertainment Research, reflecting a contentious pain point in an industry still coping with SVOD’s new heavily reduced investment levels.
Ricardo Seguin Guise
President
Anna Carugati
Executive VP
Mansha Daswani
Associate Publisher
Kristin Brzoznowski
VP, Content Strategy
TV Kids
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Engagement Games CONTENTS INTERVIEW
So what’s an IP owner to do? I surveyed a range of executives about how they are managing the crisis in kids’ television in this edition and the overarching message was to get creative, because we’re going to be dealing with these shifts for a while.
“We are on the pointy end of media, and we don’t get enough credit for that because any shifts that are happening in the audience or in the landscape start biting us first,” kids’ media consultant Emily Horgan said at MIPJunior. “Any cuts in budgets also hit us first.”
Children and family is the second most-impacted genre when it comes to commissions, Ampere says, falling 13 percent from the first half of 2023 to the first half of 2024, mainly driven by streamers. Per Ampere’s data, the number one consideration for consumers to sign up for an SVOD service is sports, followed by price and available TV shows. “Only 15 percent of SVOD consumers in Q3 2024 reported signing up for a service because it had content their children wanted to watch.”
They haven’t abandoned this segment, Deane stressed, noting, “While streamers are limiting their budget for new, original or even exclusive children’s content, they are also acquiring large volumes of existing children’s content to appease this still very important consumer group.”
16 WHAT’S NEXT?
After a tumultuous year in the kids’ media business, leading distribution executives share their thoughts on what’s to come.
12 DOMINIQUE NEUDECKER
The VP for kids and family at Super RTL’s TOGGO is being honored with the TV Kids Pioneer Award.
Meanwhile, pubcasters continue to support the Euro pean animation sector, with collaboration and new financing models proving to be bright spots in what remains a challenged segment. We explore all of these trends and more in the fifth edition of the TV Kids Festival— be sure to tune in!
Mansha Daswani
9 Story Media Group/Scholastic Entertainment
The Magic School Bus: Mighty Explorers / Juno The Jellyfish / Momoguro
Highlights from the 9 Story Media Group and Scholastic Entertainment joint development slate include both established and new IPs and serve a variety of age demographics. The Magic School Bus: Mighty Explorers is a CGI spin-off for preschool viewers based on the iconic Scholastic book series. Juno The Jellyfish is a CG-animated family sitcom for ages 3 to 6, done in partnership with Crayola Studios, about a 6-year-old jellyfish. “With universal themes of self-discovery, a magical underwater setting and the combined brand power of Crayola and Scholastic, we see Juno The Jellyfish as a unique opportunity in the kids’ space right now,” says Alix Wiseman, senior VP of distribution and acquisitions at 9 Story. Momoguro is a new action-based 2D series for 6- to 11-year-olds based on Baobab Studios’ popular Roblox game.
Aardman
“We have a strong slate of content that we’re presenting in early 2025 across new shows in development, new acquisitions and new seasons of returning favorites.”
—Alix Wiseman
Shaun the Sheep / The Very Small Creatures / Mojo Swoptops
Aardman has on offer a seventh season of Shaun the Sheep , bringing the total number of episodes up to 190. “The broad appeal of the series across generations, with pure comedy and character at the heart of each episode, makes it a fan favorite around the world,” says Alison Taylor, director of licensing and distribution. The Very Small Creatures has a third season available, taking the full episode count to 61. Since the series has no dialogue, it feels “authentic to each country it is shown in,” Taylor notes. Another title on offer, Mojo Swoptops, “delights the audience through action and comedy, with a look and feel that is distinctive and somehow familiar and welcoming, with a message of friendship and kindness at its heart,” she explains.
“We’re prioritizing our focus on supporting our third-party producers and building key Aardman brands.”
—Alison Taylor
BBC Studios Kids & Family
The Primrose Railway Children / Bluey Minisodes / Horrible Science
The Primrose Railway Children , a BBC Studios Kids & Family feature-length family drama, is based on Jacqueline Wilson’s novel of the same name. Adapted by Tom Bidwell ( The Velveteen Rabbit , The Irregulars ), it is a modern reimagining of E. Nesbit’s classic. There are also 20 shortform Bluey Minisodes featuring Bluey and Bingo. “Bluey is a global TV phenomenon that broke viewing records last year with its extended episode ‘The Sign’ and was the number one most-watched series on streaming in 2024 among total viewers in the U.S., with nearly 56 billion minutes watched,” says Katharina Pietzsch, VP of content sales at BBC Studios Kids & Family. The slate also features Horrible Science, a live-action sketch comedy coming on the back of the hit Horrible Histories.
“We
are excited to bring an array of content to market with a mix of genres that have both multigenerational and universal appeal.”
—Katharina
Pietzsch
The Magic School Bus: Mighty Explorers
The Primrose Railway Children
Shaun the Sheep
Boat Rocker
Dino Ranch: Island Explorers / The Next Step / Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!
Continuing the success of Dino Ranch, Boat Rocker’s Dino Ranch: Island Explorers spin-off taps into the preschool set’s interest in cowboys and dinosaurs. “Combining themes of teamwork, friendship and exploration with action-packed stories, this new series appeals to kids’ dino-sized imaginations as they discover the jaw-dropping new island backdrops—both under and above water—created for Dino Ranch fans,” says Gia DeLaney, senior VP of global sales for kids and family. There’s a tenth season of The Next Step, continuing to follow the ups and downs of a group of dancers at the Next Step dance studio. The animated Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos! is an edutainment franchise promoting childhood emotional development. It follows rhino siblings as they tackle emotional outbursts and learn practical tools to manage their feelings.
Dandelooo
“We remain passionate about producing entertaining content with stories that audiences love, that resonate around the world and become global hits.”
—Gia DeLaney
The Upside Down River / What’s up Eesha? / Hold on Gaston!
The serialized series The Upside Down River, adapted from Jean-Claude Mourlevat’s successful books, is a lead offering from Dandelooo. The story features Tomek and Hannah’s meeting on the way to the Qjar River, the drops from which are believed to prevent death. What’s up Eesha? is a new production by TeamTO slated for delivery to France Télévisions by the end of 2026. “This beautiful CGI comedy series about social-emotional situations highlights a unique new concept that hasn’t been shown until now: the necessary need to be alone from time to time,” says Emmanuèle Pétry, producer and head of international at Dandelooo. Hold on Gaston! is based on a book collection and follows a unicorn whose rainbow mane changes colors according to his emotions.
Mattel
Barney’s World: I Love Me Too / Hot Wheels
“The Upside Down River series stands out for the quality of the underlying book story, unique design and endearing characters and their fantastical quest.”
—Emmanuèle Pétry
Let’s Race / Barbie & Teresa: Recipe For Friendship
The offering from Mattel, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, features a range of new titles for some of its most popular brands. This includes Barney’s World: I Love Me Too, a special with characters from Barney’s World, the company’s revival of Barney & Friends. A third season of Hot Wheels Let’s Race, bringing the toy car brand to life, is on offer as well. Additionally, the Barbie brand has a new special: Barbie & Teresa: Recipe For Friendship . These “titles are packed with adventure and fun while also delivering empowering messages like friendship, love and community,” says Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer. “It’s all about spreading hopeful messages of kindness and resilience, and for us at Mattel, it’s really about connecting with fans across generations.”
“We focus on making every project feel familiar yet fresh to global audiences, with the goal of deepening fans’ emotional connections to our brands and characters.”
—Josh Silverman
Barbie & Teresa: Recipe For Friendship
Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!
The Upside Down River
NJ World
Nelly Jelly
As NJ World celebrates Nelly Jelly’s 15th anniversary in 2025, the company is presenting the series to international markets throughout the year. “The show’s distinctive sevenminute format is ideal for young, modern audiences with shorter attention spans while still delivering rich and memorable experiences,” says Simona Krasauskienė, CEO. “It seamlessly integrates themes like kindness, problemsolving, inclusion, diversity and emotional intelligence with vibrant animation and engaging characters, ensuring broad appeal across cultures and markets.” Later in the year, NJ World plans to debut a pilot CGI episode within the Nelly Jelly universe in partnership with 3Megos, a move that “will elevate the brand, offering a fresh, vibrant look to its already rich storytelling,” Krasauskienė notes.
“Our vision is to bring Nelly Jelly’s heartwarming universe to children globally while continuing to delight and inspire our loyal fans at home.”
—Simona Krasauskienė
Studio 100 International
Gifted / Jungle Book: Cub Club Adventures (w.t.) / DINO MATES
Studio 100 International’s Gifted, a live-action series for ages 8 to 14, “promises a unique blend of adventure, mystery and comedy in a compelling coming-of-age story,” says Dorian Buehr, head of global distribution. It was filmed on location in Scotland. Jungle Book: Cub Club Adventures (w.t.), inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book stories, explores an earlier part of Mowgli’s life, focusing on the adventures he went on before he turned 11. DINO MATES, based on a theme park family attraction at Europa-Park in Germany, “transports kids to a magical world where they tackle everyday challenges like social interaction, problem-solving and helping others,” Buehr explains. “With its engaging stories and relatable characters, DINO MATES empowers young viewers to explore their strengths and embrace the power of imagination.”
ZDF Studios
Superhero Academy / Sam & Julia / Spellbound
ZDF Studios is highlighting Superhero Academy, which has a second season in production. The series welcomes viewers to Superhero Academy, where the gifted learn not just how to save the world, but how to navigate growing up. It celebrates diversity and features a mix of action-packed slapstick and character-driven comedy. ZDF Studios is also presenting Sam & Julia. Coming from a distant island, Julia, a cute and speedy little she-mouse, moves into a residential building (aka “The Mouse Mansion”), where she feels a bit like a stranger. She gets to meet Sam, a welcoming, crafty little he- mouse who also lives there, and they become good friends. The slate is rounded out by the live-action series Spellbound, which follows a ballet student in France who discovers her magical heritage and faces her nemesis.
“Gifted stands out due to its high production values, engaging storytelling and the breathtaking city of Edinburgh that serves as its backdrop.”
—Dorian Buehr
Sam & Julia
Nelly Jelly
Gifted
UDIEEN YO MOV AUDIEN Y
TV KIDS PIONEER AWARD
Dominique Neudecker Super RTL
By Kristin Brzoznowski
It was only a few months ago that Dominique Neudecker joined Super RTL, taking on the role of VP of kids and family for TOGGO, but her experience in the children’s programming industry runs deep. Her previous tenures include The Walt Disney Company in Germany, TV-Loonland and EM Entertainment. Neudecker’s remit at Super RTL sees her with editorial and creative responsibility for the roster of kids’ content under an expanded TOGGO brand that now covers demographics 3 to 13. She talks to T V Kid s about the strategy that positions Super RTL for success in an increasingly competitive kids ’ and family market. Neudecker, Super RTL and TOGGO have been recognized with the TV Kids Pioneer Award.
TV KIDS: TOGGO has been a cornerstone of Super RTL for years. How has the brand evolved to meet the changing needs of its young audience?
NEUDECKER: We are super happy that kids love and accept our brand continuously. As you know, kids are very picky and have a strong sense of what they like or don’t like. At TOGGO, we have a highly professional team of passionate kids’ experts who are always connected with our audience. They know the market inside and out and have been following trends closely for many years. The team stays ahead of new developments, such as trends and zeitgeist phenomena, and reacts to them quickly.
We’ve always adapted our offerings to reflect the changing habits and preferences of kids. Recently, for example, we responded to the growing enthusiasm for gaming. With TOGGO GG, we created a format that’s perfect for gaming fans, and TOGGO Hypezeit is our new weekly trend news show. This format covers everything from influencers to pop culture and social media topics.
Thanks to our team’s innovative ideas and quick implementation, TOGGO continues to deliver exactly the con tent young audiences want. It is about tailor-made content suitable for our audience. That is how we continue meeting our audience’s needs. Since TOGGO’s launch almost 25 years ago, TOGGO has become so much more than just a TV umbrella brand.
TV KIDS: How does the current strategy at Super RTL position it to be better suited to doing business in an increasingly competitive market?
NEUDECKER: Our strategy follows a broad multiplatform approach. Next to linear TV, we invested heavily in building a proper kids’ web business to distribute our content via our own digital platforms and apps as well as the major third-party digital platforms. We also launched a radio channel for kids and families. We travel through various German cities with our TOGGO Tour, and we have a footprint in the retail business through our strong consumerproduct business. Our motto is wherever the kids go, we are there with the TOGGO brand, being the number one go-to destination for kids.
Competition is fierce out there, but we are the only German player to serve such a broad range of platforms, and we will continue to do so and believe in its growth potential. Our recent performance success proves that we’re on the right track. In the TV sector, we have been the market leader among kids aged 3 to 13 for many years, including the full year 2024, even though the German market is highly competitive with KiKA as a big public broadcaster as well as internationally renowned competitors like Disney and Nickelodeon. In the digital space, we’ve also seen strong growth. Over the past 12 months, for example, our social media followers have increased by 130 percent.
TV KIDS: What was behind the strategy to fold Toggolino into TOGGO?
NEUDECKER: We said goodbye to Toggolino as a brand for the very young target group because we strongly believe that a “one-brand” strategy for TOGGO is the best way to succeed in a fragmented and complex market. Kids get to know and love the brand early on and can rely on TOGGO for guidance in today’s complex variety of content at every stage of their age.
TOGGO now represents RTL Deutschland’s unified children’s offering. It’s instantly recognizable—whether on our own TOGGO platforms or, for example, on our streaming service RTL+. When parents see us there, they immediately know it’s a safe digital space for their kids. They know that we stick to our brand promise that the content is carefully curated by our team of kids’ experts.
TV KIDS: Within the demographic that Super RTL and TOGGO serve, what’s the sweet spot, and how are you going after the elusive older end of the demographic?
NEUDECKER: We offer entertainment for all kids between the ages of 3 and 13. We think as broadly as possible and don’t focus on a classic “sweet spot.” We are always interested in programs across all genres. Having strong brands in our lineup is far more important than focusing on specific age groups.
For preschoolers, we rely on well-established brands like PAW Patrol and Rubble & Crew. For kids, we offer iconic brands like SpongeBob SquarePants and Angelo Rules and owned IPs such as our beloved puppet format Woozle Goozle. At the same time, we invest in new, state-of-the-art animated projects. We also invite the kids to actively participate across platforms with interactive offerings, like games or contests. For older kids, our focus shifts more toward liveaction formats—both fiction and factual. For example, we have kids-targeted spin-offs based on popular RTL brands, such as Uferpark—Gute Zeiten, wilde Zeiten, a familyfriendly offshoot of the daily series Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten, and the game competition show Ninja Warrior Kids Our multiplatform content team works hard to produce strong in-house zeitgeist formats. We bond with this very demanding age group through collaborations with popular content creators by tapping into current trends like sports and more—for example, based on American football, TOGGO Touchdown or, based on the gaming hype, TOGGO GG
TV KIDS: Walk me through the programming breakdown between animation and live action.
NEUDECKER: Animation is the core of our programming. At the same time, we’re steadily expanding our portfolio with live-action content. We see live action as a growth area, especially when it comes to reaching preteens, the elusive ones. That’s why live action is increasingly an important part of our strategy.
TV KIDS: What is the general breakdown for originals compared to acquisitions?
NEUDECKER: We believe in the relevance of both originals and acquisitions—as long as everything mirrors the daily life of today’s kids. On the one side, original content with local relevance is a great way to stand out from competitors and offer young audiences something unique, exclusively accessible on our TOGGO-branded platforms, such as
Woozle Goozle and Ninja Warrior Kids. Exclusive TOGGO originals also play a key role on our digital platforms. We developed, for instance, TOGGO GG and TOGGO Hypezeit specifically for our on-demand platforms and YouTube— and both have been huge successes. The incredible response has inspired us to broadcast the formats on linear TV for the first time this year. Additionally, RTL+, our streaming service, has opened up exciting new opportunities, with bigger budgets allowing us to produce more highquality originals. A great example is our fiction preteen series Uferpark—Gute Zeiten, wilde Zeiten
TV KIDS: What’s on your wish list for programming?
NEUDECKER: At the top of our wish list are fiction series, mainly animated, but, as I mentioned before, we are also increasingly focusing on live action. We very much favor brand-based concepts, but at the same time, we are always open to a strong, convincing original idea. Content should be fun! Characters must be authentic and relatable with distinct personalities. Genres like comedy and big adventures remain a key priority. We believe in building cultural bridges through strong, diverse and optimistic storytelling. We are always open to getting inspired and impressed by all those passionate and highly talented producers out there, and we are so happy and grateful to collaborate with so many of them.
TV KIDS: How important is local content in keeping German kids engaged?
NEUDECKER: Keeping kids engaged is a promise we take very seriously. Our main priority is to offer our audience the best content that resonates with kids in general—whether it’s developed nationally or internationally is secondary. For us, it is always about strong and meaningful storytelling and charming and distinct characters. However, with
Mattel’s Monster High is available on Super RTL’s TOGGO.
live-action formats, whether fiction or nonfiction, there are a few advantages to local content. We believe local content can help kids identify more strongly with our program offering and the TOGGO brand. Local formats and shows enable kids to interact and bond more; for example, when they meet the protagonists in real life at our TOGGO Tour or get in touch and interact with our TOGGO GG and TOGGO Hypezeit faces via our digital platforms. So, the goal is to have a convincing and competitive mix of relatable content offerings. The final decision is always based on a case-bycase evaluation.
TV KIDS: How is the team expanding the touchpoints for Super RTL and TOGGO?
NEUDECKER: First and foremost, within our multiplatform approach, linear TV plays a key role for us, but we have various crucial touchpoints. There are still a significant number of kids who love watching TV, and we want to engage them with our multiple content offerings. We’ve always been very ambitious, and we still are. Our goal is to maintain the highest market shares in the industry through a competitive content strategy. We also use TV’s broad reach to strengthen our entire ecosystem by promoting our other various touchpoints for kids, such as the TOGGO App, TOGGO Radio and the TOGGO Tour—and vice versa. We fully believe in synergies [across] all different touchpoints. In the digital space, for instance, our team is constantly working to expand our technical reach and make our products available on even more platforms. At the same time, it is obvious that kids love short content and games, so another part of our strategy is to create content specifically designed for digital consumption to reach new audiences and increase opportunities to bond with the brand.
In addition to TV and digital TOGGO platforms, we have the kids’ section of RTL’s streaming platform, RTL+. This is also a very important touchpoint based on an SVOD business model, offering new opportunities to engage with kids. We’ve created TOGGO Radio, an award-winning station that accompanies families throughout their day. With the TOGGO Tour, we even have our own “festival,” which tours ten German cities during the summer months. Other important touchpoints are realized by our team at RTL Consumer Products. They ensure that TOGGO fans can bring the beloved characters from our series into their homes through toys or other licensed products. Our consumer products business also includes audiobooks, which we can produce ourselves through an in-house audio label.
TV KIDS: Where do you see Super RTL and TOGGO in the next five years, and how will they continue to shape the German kids’ TV landscape?
NEUDECKER: We’ll continue to closely monitor our market, including all opportunities and challenges in the entertainment industry, which are undoubtedly quite complex. It will be all about agile and open-minded thinking and anticipation, and we will respond early to any trends we see coming. Besides that, we already have a quite promising and robust programming lineup for next year and beyond. We are confident that with high-quality content, we will maintain our market leadership in linear TV and extend our reach and success on digital platforms. The synergies between TOGGO and RTL+ play an increasingly crucial role, positioning us as the national streaming champion for kids in the digital space. We may also need to be brave and take investment risks, but all of this together enables us to shape the future of kids’ entertainment in a positive and recognizable way.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Dandelooo’s
Max & Bunny
After a tumultuous year in the kids’ media business, leading distribution
executives share their thoughts on what’s to come with Mansha Daswani .
The mantra for many in the international distribution business last year was “survive till ’25,” on the assumption that 2024’s recalib ration would pave the way for better market conditions. The kids’ sector is kicking that can down the road a little bit, well aware that an industry in this much transition needs a lot more time to get back to anything feeling like normal.
In its offer to acquire the Cyber Group Studios assets, United Smile, a toy company, maintained that the “industry needs to reinvent itself and integrate the ability to produce films and series for children, to broadcast them on the platforms on which children spend most of their free time and to develop video games, connected toys and immersive experiences in augmented and virtual reality.” Committing to investing up to €5 million over the next few years to get Cyber Group Studios back on track, United Smile said it wanted to prepare the business for “the upturn expected in 2027.”
The downfall of Cyber Group and fellow French powerhouse TeamTO were among several signs of the industry’s travails in 2024.
“Last year, the kids’ content industry felt the ramifications of market shifts, with declining budgets in general and the lack of streamer investment in kids and animation taking its toll,” explains Delphine Dumont, chief commercial officer at Banijay Kids & Family. “Overall, funding in this genre is an ongoing challenge and one that makes smaller labels particularly vulnerable. Subsequently, we anticipate increased collaborations, co-productions and consolidations in our space.”
Sophie “Kido” Prigent, head of distribution at HARI, expresses a similar perspective, noting, “Some major platforms shifted much of their focus to growing their general entertainment business. The U.S.-based linear channels bought a lot less and the overall impact contributed to an already slow market.”
French outfit Dandelooo, on balance, had a fairly good year, reports Emmanuèle Pétry, producer and head of international, citing three greenlights: Max & Bunny for CANAL+, Billy the Cowboy Hamster season two for France Télévisions and Hold on Gaston! for TF1. “Having said that, international sales revenue did decrease by roughly 10 percent, mainly because of the linear channels’ budget restrictions and because of some screens disappearing,” Pétry adds.
With the big-budget global SVOD commissions now few and far between, IP owners are relying on old-school coproduction techniques to get shows funded.
“It felt like 2024 was simply a continuation of the previous few years where production companies were faced with tight funding budgets and decreased levels of content buying,” observes kids’ media consultant Jonathan Abraham. “This just meant that producers had to get creative in pulling together the financing, and it is truly amazing to see how
many were able to handle such a shift in the entire content ecosystem. The challenge the industry has faced over the past few years has been met with an incredibly ambitious and relentless group of people.”
Having a track record of being able to cobble shows together is certainly beneficial, Dumont notes. “Since there are fewer opportunities to source singular funding without having to sacrifice our rights position, I anticipate another year of creative financing deals, working with multiple partners across multiple markets. One of our core strengths is that our footprint spans key territories where tax credits and incentives are in play, meaning we can directly access these benefits to get projects off the ground.”
Tax credits continue to help underpin the viability of the French animation ecosystem, Pétry explains. “In France, the virtuous system of original program production quota obligations is increasing, which means that there should be more commissions happening and helping the industry develop and produce more high-end programs. We are thankful to our lobbying experts who actively protect our production model.”
Public broadcasters, too, remain at the heart of the indus try, “and their commitment has been consistent despite market disruptions,” Prigent says. “In addition, our initial commercial partners are now the established homes of IPs such as Grizzy & the Lemmings, benefiting from its success and growth. It’s a virtuous circle, as their support helps us sustain and expand the franchise, maintaining momentum in a shifting funding landscape.”
Prigent also stresses the need to find additional revenue streams, namely in L&M. “This requires mass exposure, making YouTube a key platform. And while FAST platforms aren’t acquiring as many kids’ channels as they once did, they represent opportunities for both exposure and revenue in this evolving landscape.”
THE DISCOVERY GAME
As Prigent explains, being on YouTube and FAST and anywhere else kids may be spending time is imperative for solving the discovery conundrum. Amid a sea of options, getting kids to find your show remains a herculean task.
“The way we approach each piece of content is different, but we will continue to pursue a multiplatform approach to our IP wherever possible to reach increasingly disparate audiences,” Dumont says. “This could be through marketing, with smart activations like those we did in 2024 with Totally Spies! and Super Happy Magic Forest on Roblox, or through distribution, retaining the rights to widen the reach of our content through the likes of YouTube and FAST channels.”
Kids are naturally curious, Dandelooo’s Pétry adds, “and caring parents foster this intelligence in their children to make them stronger for their challenging future. This means we think that there is still a space for discovery.
Eyeballs love to watch the same programs over and over again, but there is a moment when kids need to grow into other universes to feed their need for change. This demonstrates the importance of choosing the right thumbnail images, which are tiny (but huge) teasers that grab the viewer’s attention and encourage them to click.”
“Linear broadcasters and SVOD platforms remain essential to the discovery of a show,” HARI’s Prigent says. “Their unparalleled expertise in selecting, nurturing and programming content, coupled with their extensive reach into households, ensures that new series connect with broad audiences. Additionally, parents trust these platforms to provide high-quality, age-appropriate content, making them a cornerstone for building lasting audience relationships.”
Prigent continues, “At the same time, kids are increasingly watching their most loved series on connected TVs, which makes FAST channels and YouTube critical in growing both brand exposure and loyalty. It’s always about being where kids and families are. Licensing deals with their favorite retailers and restaurants will not only help discovery but also help build brand affinity. TikTok and Instagram are key for engaging with kids and parents. What’s most important t oday is delivering across a complementary mix of media. Developing and executing a multiplatform, multiwindow, multidevice and multilocation presence ensures we meet audiences wherever they are and creates deeper and longer-lasting connections.”
Abraham refers to YouTube—kids’ preferred platform across the globe—as “a blessing and a curse to the business. YouTube and social media platforms must be a part of your content plan, and while many have found new revenue streams for their library content, it has taken a large demographic away from the content houses that production companies rely on to help finance their productions. This is especially true for animation and the older kids demo.”
Understanding how best to use YouTube will remain top of mind for IP owners as the kids’ market continues to twist and turn this year.
“As the kids’ business continues to futureproof, we’ll most likely see wider market consolidation,” Banijay Kids & Family’s Dumont predicts. “And, with significant shifts in cable TV and subsequent changes to the landscape, we will continue to diversify our business to counter these headwinds. We benefit hugely from being part of a wider group and are investing in complementary areas like
brand licensing and digital innovation so we can leverage our brands, amplify their presence across multiple sectors and platforms and cater to shifting market demand.”
Dumont is also keeping an eye on how AI will reshape the sector and continues to see demand for known IP, “but as always, there are still opportunities to launch original shows.”
FUTURE FORECASTS
At Dandelooo, the team is emphasizing the curation of a stable of “ ‘must-have’ projects and programs that complement not only our own slate but also fill in the needs of broadcasters,” Pétry says. “We cannot (and don’t want to) compete with the top brands and CGI action-adventure shows. We want to continue to pursue our own route with meaningful programs that drive strong social-emotional topics. Our distribution team only takes on projects that are close to our heart because our sales endeavors need to be sincere, enthusiastic and unique. We also have to widen our horizons because, realistically, we must close more ‘small’ deals to keep the objectives aligned with the previous numbers.”
In line with those widening horizons, Dandelooo established two new divisions last year, one for animated feature films and one for animated shorts for those 15-plus.
HARI has been laying the foundations to drive gains across L&M, YouTube and FAST, Prigent explains, relying on its known brands. “ There is a market requirement for big franchise shows such as Grizzy & the Lemmings, so we’ll prioritize their expansion and focus on the sales of previous seasons, providing a high volume of established and popular series. Our core expertise lies in creating original series and growing these into franchises. Grizzy & the Lemmings is a great example, and Mystery Lane is well on its way. We are confident that our future IPs, such as The Weasy Family, will follow a similar path, even if it takes more time in today’s market. Content is king, and we use our established franchises as flagships to drive the development of new properties with equal potential.”
On major trends she sees impacting the sector, Prigent highlights continued demand for social gaming with more platforms emerging. “The industry’s preference toward big franchises will likely mean we see more big consumer product partnerships with key retailers and entertainment outlets. While some things change, some stay the same. Kids will continue to be a most discerning audience, craving quality content that makes them laugh and that they can relate to.”
The Weasy Family is a new CGI series from HARI for France Télévisions and Super RTL.
