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Apps for Kids Factual Programming Family Channel Turns 25 SUPER RTL’s Claude Schmit DHX Media’s Steven DeNure PGS’s Philippe Soutter www.tvkids.ws
MIPTV EDITION THE MAGAZINE OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING
APRIL 2013
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TV KIDS
4K Media • Yu-Gi-Oh! A subsidiary of Konami Digital Entertainment, 4K Media is responsible for managing the Yu-GiOh! brand outside of Asia.This year in Cannes the company is promoting the animated franchise, which has enjoyed success in more than 90 countries around the globe. ZEXAL, the newest installment, follows the adventures of a boy named Yuma, who is learning how to duel. “With YuGi-Oh! ZEXAL, broadcasters can build upon the franchise’s strong and loyal fan base by offering the timeless story line of heroes versus villains,” says Brian Lacey, an international broadcast sales consultant to 4K Media. “Alongside ZEXAL, the Yu-Gi-Oh! catalogue consists of the classic Yu-GiOh! series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, and they will all be front and center in our marketing efforts during MIPTV.” Lacey mentions that the company is specifically looking to expand the brand’s broadcast presence in Europe and Latin America.
“The extensive Yu-GiOh! library is especially appealing for new digital plaforms.” —Brian Lacey Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL
In This Issue
9 Story Entertainment
Hungry for Apps Apps have become a key ingredient for successful brands
28
• Peg + Cat • Nerds and Monsters • Cache Craze
Real Kids The art of producing kids’ factual series
34
Family at 25 Astral Media’s Joe Tedesco & J. Kevin Wright
40
Interviews SUPER RTL’s Claude Schmit
44
DHX Media’s Steven DeNure
47
PGS Entertainment’s Philippe Soutter
49
Celebrating Excellence The International Emmy Kids Awards
50
As a creator, producer and distributor of animated and live-action content, 9 Story Entertainment has many titles for international buyers to choose from. Among the newest properties being presented by the company are Peg + Cat, a new math-oriented animated preschool series about a young girl and her feline companion, and Cache Craze, a live-action competition program filled with adventure. The company recently acquired Nerds and Monsters, an animated comedy for children between the ages of 6 and 11. “It’s a great slate that spans all the age demos, from preschool to family coviewing,” says Natalie Osborne, the executive VP of business development at 9 Story. “Each show is full of humor, kid-relatable stories and is spot on for its age target.” According to Osborne, the trend in children’s programming has been moving away from pure action shows and toward pure comedies or comedy-action hybrids.
GET DAILY NEWS ON KIDS’ PROGRAMMING
“Recently, we are finding ‘edutainment’based shows are traveling very well and kids love them!” —Natalie Osborne
Peg + Cat
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American Greetings Properties • Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures • Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot
Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Managing Editor Joanna Padovano Associate Editor Simon Weaver Online Director
The number one priority for American Greetings Properties (AGP) at MIPTV is to sell the 13x22-minute third season of Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures, which recently made its debut on The Hub in the U.S. “The all-new season features lots of berry exciting new surprises for Strawberry Shortcake fans,” says Gia DeLaney, the company’s VP of program sales. “Not only does each girl adopt her very own adorable puppy, but boy-pal Huckleberry Pie also makes a triumphant return to the bitty screen!” In addition, AGP is hoping to secure further sales for Care Bears: Welcome to Care-aLot, a 26x22-minute series that also airs on The Hub. Given that both brands have been around for decades, DeLaney feels that mothers may find these shows more appealing than newer, unfamiliar programs. “They are trusted brands that moms enjoyed when they were kids themselves,” she says.
“We are hoping to secure additional digital deals for our popular series as well as for our library catalogue.” Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures
—Gia DeLaney
Victor L. Cuevas Production Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Meredith Miller Production Associate Cesar Suero Sales & Marketing Director Vanessa Brand Sales & Marketing Manager Terry Acunzo Business Affairs Manager
Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Kids © 2013 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvkids.ws
Arès-Films • GGO Football The Paris-based producer/distributor Arès-Films recently secured the global broadcast distribution rights to the animated fantasy-adventure series GGO Football. The property blends the excitement of artificial-intelligence technology with the appeal of a global football competition. In the show, the football players are actually artificial-intelligence robots, created with speed, strength and skills that surpass human ability. An ensemble cast of kid heroes, led by the spirited Isaac, come together with their own GGO players, facing hardships, challenges and stiff competition as they compete to capture the coveted GGO International Cup. There are 52 22minute episodes that are available immediately from the company, with a second 52x22-minute series set for delivery in September. This gives broadcasters plenty of time to link up with advertisers and sponsors for the series ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
OUR PLAYGROUND IS GETTING BIGGER
GGO Football
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Breakthrough Entertainment • Rocket Monkeys One of Canada’s largest television production and distribution companies, Breakthrough Entertainment brings its newest animated show, Rocket Monkeys, to this year’s MIPTV.The series revolves around a pair of sibling primates charged with carrying out important missions in space. “While Rocket Monkeys is primarily a show for kids, the series has both the slapstick and physical humor that viewers of all ages will easily be entertained by,” says Nat Abraham, the company’s president of distribution. The animated 26x30-minute program is created by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson, and is produced by Breakthrough Entertainment in collaboration with TELETOON Canada and the animation studio Atomic Cartoons. Breakthrough is also distributing the series, which began airing on Nickelodeon in the U.S. this spring and is rolling out around the globe. “For many regions, the free-TV rights will become available after the initial windows,” adds Abraham.
“The growth of OTT, VOD and IPTV platforms has increased the overall demand for our content.” Rocket Monkeys
—Nat Abraham
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CAKE • The Sparticle Mystery • Space Racers • Clay Kids A sci-fi show for kids, The Sparticle Mystery is a 23x30-minute series set in a world where adults have disappeared due to a faulty experiment. The cast is led by Wesley Nelson, Abigail Hardingham, Karim Zeroual, Megan Jones and Oliver Bell, among other talents. The Sparticle Mystery is among the top programming pushes for the London-based CAKE in Cannes, along with Space Racers and Clay Kids. Created by Javier Tostado, Clay Kids is a 52x11-minute claymation series meant for children between the ages of 8 and 12. The company is also offering up Get Well Soon, a 30x11-minute live-action program that discusses common kids’ ailments using puppetry and music. “All our shows have their individual appeal,” says Edward Galton, the chief commercial officer and managing director at CAKE. “They are compelling, well-made and modern, and all feature characters that children across the world can relate to.”
“We are spending a significant amount of time and energy seeking to secure deals on a global level and it is starting to pay off.” Space Racers
—Edward Galton
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Cyber Group Studios • Mini Ninjas • Mademoiselle Zazie • Zou Based on the Square Enix video game, Mini Ninjas is about a group of ninjas fighting to rescue animals that were transformed into samurais by an evil wizard. “The series, targeted at boys and girls 6 to 10, is the perfect mix of action and comedy, and is actually that kind of rare concept that appeals to both public and commercial broadcasters,” says Carole Brin, the head of international television sales and acquisitions at Cyber Group Studios.The company is also presenting the book-based Mademoiselle Zazie, which centers on the adventures of Zazie and Max, two friends who are 7 years old and live by the sea. “Mademoiselle Zazie, resolutely contemporary, evolves in an environment of diversity—and the main theme, friendship, makes the show appealing to children worldwide,” says Brin. Cyber Group is promoting season two of Zou, which follows the life of a young zebra. The series has a number of digital extensions to complement it, including an e-book, offered in English, French, German and Italian.
“TV channels attach more and more importance to the existence of digital content linked with the series.” Mademoiselle Zazie
—Carole Brin
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Exim Licensing Group • Bondi Band Established in Argentina, Exim Licensing Group has increased its operations to include the principal markets of Ibero-America and has moved its headquarters to Miami. The company’s main territories for sales are Brazil, Mexico, Colombia,Argentina and Chile. “As for emerging markets,Asia has always been our focus, and this MIPTV will give us some opportunities to analyze” that region, says Elias Hofman, the company’s president. Securing sales for the animated property Bondi Band is the main goal this year for the company, which co-produces the series alongside Ledafilms and Mondo TV Spain. The 52x11minute show follows the adventures of superhero bandmates Tony, Laila, Azim, Boris, David and Nina. The series ran on Disney XD in Latin America on Saturdays and Sundays during the middle of last year. “Our series Bondi Band is obviously our priority, but we will be in Cannes with our eyes open wide [so as to] not to miss any new opportunities,” says Hofman.
“Our target right now is to get our new series Bondi Band into EMEA.” Bondi Band
—Elias Hofman
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Foothill Entertainment • Boy and the Dinosaur • G.U.N.K. Aliens • Raz & Benny Foothill Entertainment linked up with global production and creative partners on all three of its top highlights, explains Jo KavanaghPayne, the company’s president. “Boy and the Dinosaur is based in the U.K. with a blue-chip production team from 1461 Ltd that has people who worked on such global hits as Chugginton, The Tigger Movie and Rastamouse, among others. On G.U.N.K. Aliens we are partnered with Gill Carr of Moody Street Kids in Australia, Frank Taylor of Title Entertainment and Donnie Anderson of Gallus Entertainment in Canada, and we are anchoring the European end with Foothill Europe.” She adds, “Finally, with Raz & Benny, we have a U.K.-based creator in Simon Hodgkiss and his partner Will Rockall, our production partner in India, DQ Entertainment, and a production pipeline that involves top creatives in Los Angeles.”
“The days are long gone when one could develop and produce shows with a single-territory focus.” —Jo Kavanagh-Payne Raz & Benny
FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment • Ella the Elephant • Strange Hill High • Tree Fu Tom
FremantleMedia’s Kids & Family Entertainment division has been creating children’s content for the past three years and currently has 15 titles in production. Of these, the company is highlighting Ella the Elephant, a new animated preschool series; Strange Hill High, an adventure comedy show for kids; and Tree Fu Tom, which is a co-production with CBBC. “Tree Fu Tom has done exceptionally well internationally, and we anticipate continued sales worldwide as we head into the second season of the program,” says Andrew Berman, the VP of distribution for FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment.The preschool show “goes over and above just great characters and compelling story lines to encourage children to make movements designed by specialists in the area of motor-skills development,” says Berman.
“We try to set trends instead of follow them.” Ella the Elephant
—Andrew Berman
Guru Studio • Wish Come True • Justin Time • Space Face The preschool series Wish Come True, presented by Guru Studio, follows the adventures of a little girl and her cat.The show is based on a property developed by the art collective FriendsWithYou. Justin Time, another preschool program from the Guru catalogue, is broadcast in more than 70 countries and has been nominated for three Annie Awards. Also on the company’s slate is Space Face, a comedy/action series targeted at children between the ages of 7 and 11. “With Space Face we have focused primarily on getting the comedic timing in the show right for an international audience, and we think it speaks directly to the everyday concerns of being a kid, using the international language of comedy,” says Mary Bredin, the VP of development and acquisitions at Guru Studio.
Wish Come True 244 World Screen 4/13
“We are very excited by the potential of a number of emerging markets such as Russia.” —Mary Bredin
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Mediatoon Distribution • Yakari • Quiz Time • Little Spirou The new season of Yakari, which tells the story of a young Sioux boy with a magical gift, is being showcased by Mediatoon Distribution at this year’s MIPTV. “The iconic Yakari preschool brand, with its values of friendship, adventure, fun and preservation of nature, is becoming more and more famous,” says Jérôme Alby, the company’s deputy general manager. Another title in Mediatoon’s catalogue is Little Spirou, a show about a crafty 8-year-old. The program is based on Spirou and Fantasio, a popular comic-book series that was first introduced 75 years ago. Then there is Quiz Time, which helps young viewers learn about numbers and spatial skills. The latest season of Quiz Time contains 26 episodes that were specifically designed for children with hearing disabilities.
“Our broadcasters and licensing partners want to lean on programs with international values.” Quiz Time
—Jérôme Alby
Mondo TV S.p.A. • The Drakers • Gormiti • Beast Keeper
Co-produced with Giochi Preziosi and written by Man of Action, Gormiti is one of several titles that Mondo TV brings to MIPTV this year. The 3D CGI series focuses on a character named Agrom, who is the prince of the Earth tribe. The 52x26-minute boy-skewed show was inspired by a line of pocket-sized collectible toys from Giochi Preziosi. “Gormiti has demonstrated for the last five years now how strong and popular the characters are,” says Micheline Azoury, the head of international sales and brand manager for Mondo TV. The company is also offering The Drakers, a 26x26minute 2D animated series, and the 52x13-minute Beast Keeper, which is about a boy who possesses the ability to tame wild beasts, use their powers and fuse with them.
Beast Keeper
Nerd Corps Entertainment • Slugterra • Endangered Species • League of Super Evil Broadcast in more than 180 countries, League of Super Evil is a top offering from Nerd Corps Entertainment in Cannes. The company is also showcasing Endangered Species, an original comedy series. “It’s a character-driven comedy that puts three very unlikely friends living together in a tree stump, and they have all kinds of crazy adventures within their surprisingly endless home,” says Ken Faier, the president of Nerd Corps Entertainment. “It’s got that same mix of fun and funny that we’ve seen work so well with kids 6 to 11 around the world, backed by great animation and a unique visual style.” Also on offer is Slugterra, which is rolling out globally on Disney XD.The show focuses on an underground world filled with evil-battling slugs that change into powerful creatures when fired from a blaster.
“We have expanded our online and interactive teams to develop great online gaming and apps for mobile devices.” Slugterra 246 World Screen 4/13
—Ken Faier
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Nottingham Forest • Sendokai Champions • Laland • Jokebox With a second season due to be released next year, Sendokai Champions centers on four children who have been chosen to save the world from an inter-dimensional invasion. Laland is a comedy series about a planet that is inhabited by musical creatures known as Sulfis. “Sendokai Champions and Laland are great properties, full of action and comedy in the case of Sendokai Champions, and comedy and adventure for Laland,” says Laura García Ortega, the head of international sales and licensing at Nottingham Forest. The company is also highlighting Jokebox, a 3D animated short sitcom for teens and adults. “Its sense of humor is fully international and, thanks to its format, it has great multiplatform potential not only on TV but also through other media,” says García Ortega of Jokebox.
“Content consumption by children is changing very quickly and we cannot just focus on the TV screen.” —Laura García Ortega Laland
Saban Brands • Power Rangers Megaforce • Julius Jr. • Digimon Fusion
The hit Power Rangers franchise is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new installment, Power Rangers Megaforce. “The new series delivers mega action, humor, excitement and entertainment,” says Elie Dekel, the president of Saban Brands. The live-action franchise is broadcast in more than 150 countries. “Power Rangers has the universal themes of teamwork, friendship and doing what is right. The core messages of the show resonate with kids around the world.” Also on the company’s slate is Julius Jr., an animated preschool show based on the Paul Frank family of characters, and Digimon Fusion, the sixth installment of the popular Digimon franchise about digital monsters. Julius Jr. and Digimon Fusion are airing on Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon in the U.S., respectively, this year.
“Brands must present an omnichannel approach that delivers content through television, online and mobile.” Power Rangers Megaforce
—Elie Dekel
Studio 100 Media • Maya the Bee • Vic the Viking • Heidi There are new versions of the classic animated series Maya the Bee, Vic the Viking and Heidi available from Studio 100 Media, all of which first launched on television in the 1970s. “With the new CGI versions we have already placed Maya the Bee in more than 130 countries, Heidi in approximately 80 and Vic the Viking in approximately 50 countries,” says Patrick Elmendorff, the company’s managing director. “These sales show that the new animated programs are still very popular internationally and we are convinced that further broadcasters will be inspired by the adventures of these beloved characters in the future.” Studio 100 is also highlighting Supermegahyperpets, an animated preschool show about animals that have the ability to turn into superheroes.
“We are observing an ongoing trend for animation series in CGI, 3D and 2D with strong characters and fascinating story lines.” Heidi 248 World Screen 4/13
—Patrick Elmendorff
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Suzy’s Zoo • Little Suzy’s Zoo • Duckport • Wags and Whiskers The Suzy’s Zoo brand dates back to 1968, when it began as a line of note cards. The property has since grown to feature more than 200 named characters on a wide range of social-expression products. The three main character sets are Little Suzy’s Zoo, Duckport and Wags and Whiskers. “Suzy’s Zoo has proven itself globally again and again over its 45-year history as an evergreen brand that seems to know no cultural borders,” says Suzy Spafford, the creator and CEO of Suzy’s Zoo. “They love and know Suzy’s Zoo in England, Finland, Italy, Turkey, France, Spain, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, China and many other parts of the globe—plus, of course, the United States.” The brand is represented by Lawless Entertainment.
“My life’s purpose is to make people happy, and to share the joy experienced when one remembers what it is like to be a child.” Wags and Whiskers
—Suzy Spafford
Technicolor Digital Productions • The Deep • Atomic Puppet
Based on a graphic novel of the same name, The Deep is an animated action-adventure series aimed at tween-aged viewers. The show centers on a family of underwater explorers. “We like to think of it as Star Trek in the deep seas,” says Alison Warner, the VP of IP sales, acquisitions and co-productions at Technicolor Digital Productions. “Each episode is a combination of adventure, jeopardy and humor with a dose of mysterious fantastical creatures thrown in, which has cross-cultural appeal.” The company is also bringing to market Atomic Puppet, a comedy series for children between the ages of 6 and 11. “Atomic Puppet is an extremely funny animated sitcom about the relationship between a boy and an egotistical superhero,” adds Warner.
“We’ve found that pitching our secondscreen strategy for The Deep, along with the actual content pitch, has been an incredible selling point to the networks.” —Alison Warner The Deep
Telescreen • Mia and me • Tip the Mouse • Dex Hamilton and the Doomsday Swarm With production slated to start in the spring, Tip the Mouse is one of the titles that m4e’s Telescreen is looking to drive sales for. The preschool series was inspired by the internationally successful children’s books about a young mouse living in the woods with his family. The company is also showcasing Mia and me, which combines live action and CGI animation. The first season of Mia and me has already been sold in more than 60 countries around the globe. There is also Dex Hamilton and the Doomsday Swarm, a new science-fiction feature film. “Dex Hamilton and the Doomsday Swarm is a great CGI movie, a rollicking sci-fi adventure that will surely appeal to a broad, young male target group,” says Sjoerd Raemakers, Telescreen’s general manager.
“The market for new-media platforms is growing constantly, so more online players are attending the important events.” —Sjoerd Raemakers Mia and me 250 World Screen 4/13
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Cyber Group’s Zou.
Apps
HUNGRY for
Developing apps has become a key ingredient for building kids’ shows into hit global brands. By David Wood
he children’s television industry has undergone something of a revolution in its attitude toward digital media in recent years. Not long ago, the industry was marked by a cautious approach, a result of the suspicion that developing digital content might turn out to be some ghastly black hole sucking up huge amounts of development cash. Now, digital development in the form of products for the apps market has become an essential component of the marketing plan of any successful children’s property. The sudden enthusiasm for apps is largely due to the phenomenal success of devices such as Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. These have in turn prompted the growth of the App Store, which has provided kids’ producers with an exciting new shop window for their content. FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
There is no real restriction on the type of content that makes a successful app, says Derek Roberto, the VP of new media at American Greetings Properties (AGP), which has launched a number of apps based around its Strawberry Shortcake char252 World Screen 4/13
acter. “There is a whole range, from basic preschool counting and ABCs to storytelling, games, activities and creative apps for tweens,” he says. Ken Faier, the president of the Canadian children’s producer and distributor Nerd Corps Entertainment, confirms that apps for kids can take on many forms. “The type of app depends on the property and the inherent play pattern—for instance, action properties that have gaming elements built in, or literary properties that inspire reading and interactivity.” Nerd Corps launched its first app, Slug it Out!, in early December of 2012. It was based on the company’s animated series for Disney XD, Slugterra. An action puzzle, the app uses a “match three” mechanic to duel. Kids collect slugs, power them up by matching tiles and then fire them at an opponent. “It’s a strong reflection of the core themes of the show,” says Faier. “The ratings and feedback have been extremely strong, and we hit number 15 on the paid list for puzzle games and remain in the top 50 to 100 in action games.”
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On the hunt: DreamWorks Classics’ Where’s Waldo? brand has been a huge hit in the app world.
Ready, aim, fire: Nerd Corps launched its first app last year, Slug it Out!, based on its Disney XD series Slugterra.
At the Paris-based Cyber Group Studios, the chairman and CEO, Pierre Sissmann, has identified 2013 as the right time to take the plunge into the app market. “We have been scouting the market for a year and a half. We didn’t want to waste our resources making a lot of wrong turns, but this year we are going to launch three apps.The first is an e-book based on the preschool series Zou with developer 3DDUO.” The other two are apps for Cyber Group’s Ozie Boo! and Tales of Tatonka, lined up for release later this year. Like Sissmann, many producers have noted that over the last 18 months the launch of a succession of hit kids’ apps has emphasized the fact that demand is high and the potential rewards are huge.
WHERE’S MY APP ETIZER?
AGP’s Roberto observes that “the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets has boosted demand with both parents and kids constantly looking for new content—that’s why there are over a million apps in Apple’s App Store.” That’s good news in one sense, but a major challenge in another: how to get noticed among a million competitors. There are a number of strategies for rising to the top, suggests Nerd Corps’ Faier.“Having a brand that is on TV, in retail and online is clearly an advantage. It’s interesting to note that in the early days of the App Store, known brands did not seem to drive app sales in a significant way, 254 World Screen 4/13
but that is no longer the case. As happens on all platforms as they get more crowded, eventually you need to have a brand that has awareness to cut through.” One company with plenty of brand awareness is DreamWorks Classics, home to established children’s characters such as Postman Pat, Noddy, Casper and Waldo of Where’s Waldo? DreamWorks Classics was early to market with properties such as the Waldo apps, which have been downloaded more than 7 million times and appear in the top 25 paid apps of all time in ten countries. Nicole Blake, the executive VP of global marketing and consumer products at DreamWorks Classics, says that creating a successful app is partly about getting the creative treatment right and partly about finding the best route to market. “Key to designing a successful app is making sure there is a known play pattern or something familiar in the way it works that the demographic you are aiming at will recognize,” she says. “In the case of Where’s Waldo?, the consumer expects it will be a search and find. So we made sure the app delivers on that. Then you need to make sure the brand team works closely alongside the digital development team to make it as true to the brand in terms of attributes and personality as possible.” Another major factor in the success of an app is matching its game-play characteristics to the intended demographic—a successful app needs to be both age and brand appropriate. “Just like developing a TV series for a preschooler, you have to ensure you are testing along the way so you know what your audience gets engaged in, matching its pacing, dexterity, and emotional and intellectual development to the audience,” says Faier. Many apps are built for independent play—a child can interact with games or e-books when he or she is not watching the show. Apps built for tweens, however, often promote secondscreen activities. Tweens are the most switched on to the entertainment values, the playability and the technology involved in apps. Plus, they are very receptive to the attendant social-media channels that reinforce good apps. Jay Bennett, the creative director of Smokebomb Entertainment, a division of Shaftesbury, has launched apps for two of the company’s shows for the Canadian tween network YTV: Totally Amp’d and Unlikely Heroes. “For our tenpart tween series Totally Amp’d we created new content each week, which allows you to play along with the show. The app features a music mixer and design studio, and kids can remix it and sing along. “An important component is the social strategy, which is based around Facebook, Twitter and the YTV site. Users can upload their mixes into Facebook for peer recognition and prizes. It helps bridge the gap between episodes, creating a 360degree experience which drives the audience back to the next episode.”
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Sticking to the basics: American Greetings Properties has launched a number of apps around its veteran Strawberry Shortcake brand.
Making the app was a good learning experience, recalls Bennett. “Initially we tried Totally Amp’d with all the episodes within the app when we launched. We found our users watched them all and popped up on social channels asking, “What’s next? By launching everything at once we removed our ability to tell a story and continue to build that audience. In retrospect, a ten-week release might have been more effective.” TECH TRIALS
On Nerd Corps’ Slugterra, the app launch was pushed back when tests revealed that the introductory tutorial side of the game needed more work. “It was a great learning experience for us, and our subsequent ratings and reviews prove it was probably wise to hold off on the launch until the game was perfected,” says Faier. It’s here that developing apps departs from the web experience, Faier continues. “With the web you are told it’s best to get something out there and iterate. In the app world, it’s more important to game test and put it out when it is fully fleshed out. If you don’t hit in the first few weeks, it is hard to get any traction at all.” Assuming that the creative treatment is right, finding the right leverage to make sure your property gets seen is also critical. In terms of technology, focusing efforts on Apple’s iOS platform is the most effective strategy, largely because Apple has a significant lead in device adoption for kids with handme-down phones, tablets and their own iPod touches, says 256 World Screen 4/13
Faier, although he concedes that Android is developing rapidly as another important mobile platform. “We look for app partners with a built-in network so they can cross-promote our app with their other products,” adds DreamWorks Classics’ Blake. “It’s a helpful way to drive success at a launch and give visibility. Platforms such as the App Store or Android work in a similar way to physical retail stores. In retail the most successful products are at eye level at the front of the store—it’s the same with the App Store’s merchandising, where the most popular is the most prominent.” Smokebomb’s Bennett agrees: “Getting in the featured apps section is the name of the game because it really increases visibility and downloads.” For Blake, developing good relationships with “key retail storefronts is all-important. It really helps with your promotion and placement. To get to be the most popular you need the best promotional spaces, so you need to focus everything on getting onto those best-seller lists.” Anecdotal reports indicate that a prominent position in the App Store can increase sales by 3,000 percent. Another route is to make the most of a broadcaster’s own digital platform, stresses Bennett. “YTV already has 1 million eyeballs a month, so assuming we can get 25 percent of that audience to pay attention, perhaps one in ten might download our app. That’s 25,000 downloads. Not a bad start.” One of the most exciting features of the app market is that brands can be created, according to Nerd Corps’ Faier. “We feel it is important to focus on our own brands initially rather than create original IP specifically for apps,” he says. “But while TV is still our core business, we do see ourselves evolving over time to a point where we could launch a new brand in the mobile space using that as a launchpad for TV. “In addition to our first-ever Slugterra game for the App Store, we have also developed a multiplayer game for our comedy series League of Super Evil for launch later this year. We have learned a lot about marketing apps and want to make sure we put that learning into the launch.” COUNTING COSTS
General budgets for quality app development are in the $50,000-to-$200,000 range, with most being above the $100,000 mark. It’s important to realize that the creation and development of the app is potentially ongoing. If there is demand for a product it is necessary to update it with new content, potentially creating a new revenue stream. “If you are charging 99 cents per download, less 30 percent for Apple, you have to hit a few hundred thousand downloads to make this a viable standalone business,” says Faier. Faier concludes that while everyone is still very much in the early stages of developing children’s apps, much has been learned, such as making sure the level of innovation in any product is in step with the development of the market. “The device manufacturers are focusing their support and promotion around apps that drive the use and adoption of their smart devices and new technologies,” explains Faier. “However, focusing exclusively on innovation can also leave your market behind. Success is about striking the right balance between providing something that is very recognizable but at the same time unique.”
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ry Hunters.
Beyond’s Histo
R E A S D L KI Producers and distributors weigh in on the fine art of producing By Juliana Koranteng factual series for kids. apturing the attention of young viewers is becoming increasingly difficult, given the plethora of channels, websites, apps, video games and more available to them. And for factual shows in particular, the road to luring viewers is a tough one as they face off against the surfeit of animation, live-action comedy, drama and movies on generalentertainment and kids’ networks. Whether the subject is science, history, outdoor activities, natural history, wildlife or current affairs, factual programs and documentaries aimed at schoolchildren, tweens and young teenagers have much to compete against to gain budgetcutting broadcasters’ notice. But the fact that global reality-TV hits such as MasterChef and The Apprentice have successfully created youth-oriented spinoffs ( Junior MasterChef and Young Apprentice) is ample evidence that, when conceived correctly, kids’ factual shows can be ratings winners. 258 World Screen 4/13
“Factual [content] has been aimed at adults because it acts as a whole family’s entry point to a show’s brand,” notes Vince Commisso, the president and CEO of 9 Story Entertainment. “With kids’ factual, it is an entry point for young viewers and broadcasters are looking for more content like this.” One show that has managed to attract the interest of kids across the globe is Horrible Histories, produced by Lion Television. It’s a series of comedy sketches based on true, noholds-barred historical events—gory, yucky details and all. “I don’t think any subject is too boring or too difficult for kids,” says Richard Bradley, Lion Television’s joint managing director. “It’s how you tell the story. For them, Horrible Histories is not a history lesson but a story with weird characters, terrible events, all those bits of human life that are indiscreet to talk about, such as that in medieval times, people used to throw poo out of their windows.”
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The trick is to acquire an instinct for understanding what makes contemporary storytelling tick with kids, Bradley adds. Apply that to nonfiction TV entertainment and they will tune in again and again. SURVIVAL SKILLS
“There are two key elements to consider in the production of kids’ content,” says 9 Story’s Commisso. “The ‘mirror’ that reflects how kids see themselves; and the ‘window’ through which they see what they aspire to. With factual, they see themselves being put in challenging positions but with fun, twists and consequences that are very funny.” 9 Story’s Survive This with Les Stroud, who hosted Discovery Channel’s Survivorman, aims to introduce 14- to 17-year-olds to life in the wild. It started in 2009 on Canada’s YTV and has since been sold to numerous territories, including the U.S. on Cartoon Network, Australia’s ABC, Sweden’s SVT, Norway’s NRK, Boomerang in Latin America and Discovery Kids in Asia. Turkey-based Minika TV and Zee Learn in India recently snapped up 9 Story’s Making Stuff, a live-action factual series aimed at demonstrating to curious children how everyday items are designed and made. The show is already on air in Canada, Israel and Portugal and has been sold for transmission in Malaysia and Brunei. A new factual show on 9 Story’s books is Cache Craze, a 10x1-hour adventure documentary centered on geocaching—the popular GPSaided treasure hunt that requires players to find items hidden by other players in obscure places in any part of the world. Cache Craze sets up “insane” challenges during a ten-week competition to see which of the participating families completes the tasks to locate craftily hidden treasures. It has been commissioned by YTV to premiere this spring and will be available at MIPTV. “It is a competition set in a physical social media setting, and you register your success online,” Commisso says. “It appeals to broad family audiences because there are technical challenges, adventure, treasurehunt elements and mental challenges and kids watching will want to do it themselves.We also like to think our young participants will walk away feeling positive for at least taking part.” So where is the demand for children’s nonfiction programming most prevalent? “The Asia-Pacific region, in particular, is very proactive in kids’ factual content and they all want long-running series,” says Munia Kanna-Konsek, the head of sales at Beyond Distribution. “We have been able to place large packages of programs with assorted broadcasters in assorted territories.”
Spinning wheels: Cache Craze is the latest addition to 9 Story’s stable of factual shows for kids.
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Comic chops: Prank Patrol Australia has been a major hit for ABC3 and has been sold worldwide by MarVista Entertainment.
Among the kids’ “edutainment” shows in Beyond’s portfolio are titles like Steam Punks, Lab Rats Challenge, Kid Detectives, Backyard Science and Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild! “All have at least 50 episodes, teaching kids how to do things, all set challenges and stimulate the mind,” Kanna-Konsek says. On Beyond’s MIPTV slate will be Junior Vets and History Hunters. “Junior Vets focuses on animals but, in this series, it shows the kids receiving hands-on training at a veterinary school. It is entertaining, heartwarming and life-affirming and all the while never losing sight of the intense training program these kids have entered into.” History Hunters explores customs, inventions and discoveries from bygone years. It educates kids through entertainment. FINDING THE FUNDS
Those involved in the business of factual television for kids observe that financing these shows can often be a challenge. “There is little funding here in Australia for this type of programming for children,” admits Bernadette O’Mahony, the head of development and production at the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF). O’Mahony notes that until the public-broadcast kids’ network ABC3 launched, networks were not commissioning kids’ factual content on a regular basis. Among the limited, but growing, locally produced fare is Bushwhacked!, which is ACTF-executive produced and airs on ABC3. “It’s not where the government funding in children’s tends to be aimed at; funding is more widely available for the live-action dramas and animation, which have higher budgets and employ larger numbers of people. It would be great if there was more funding for kids’ factual programs as they can be difficult to finance here in Australia,” says O’Mahoney. ABC3, which is aimed at 7- to 15-year-old viewers, accounts for a significant share of kids’ factual in Australia. In addition to Bushwhacked!, another popular nonfiction series on the network is Prank Patrol. In its debut season it was the number one live-action show on ABC3, and its second garnered a 23-percent share among 5- to 12-year-olds across all free-to-air channels. Now in its third season, Prank Patrol Australia, adapted from the successful YTV series, has been licensed by MarVista Entertainment to CBBC, ZDF and RAI, among others. The cost of kids’ nonfiction productions varies, depending on the objective. 9 Story’s Commisso estimates that costs can range from $250,000 to $800,000 per hour. In Australia, Tim Brooke-Hunt, controller of children’s TV at ABC Television, notes, “These shows range from high-volume, low-cost series with budgets under A$50,000 ($51,715) per half-hour to low-volume, high-concept series with budgets over A$100,000 ($103,430) per half-hour.” Inevitably, any content owner targeting kids will have to step into the digital-media domain. For example, Lion Television has created digital vignettes to accompany Horrible Histories. “If a TV show is successful, young viewers want an extended relationship with the brand; they don’t want it to end with just the TV,” Bradley says.
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an environment where kids can celebrate everyday life, where they can do it in a fun [way]. Spontaneous comedy is a big component of our brand. But what’s also important is that [the channel] is parent-approved. Kids, in particular in that [tween] age group, still like spending time with their parents. Offering an inclusive destination where they can enjoy entertainment as a family is something they highly value. TV KIDS: You’ve also evolved into being a multiplatform
offering. TEDESCO: Absolutely. We started with launching Family
Family at 25 Astral’s Joe Tedesco By Mansha Daswani
Celebrating its 25th birthday this year, Astral Media’s Family Channel has carved a niche for itself as a destination for fun, engaging live-action comedies for tween audiences across multiple platforms. With roughly half of its programming slate licensed from Disney Channel, the channel, reaching 6 million Canadian homes, fills out its grid with hit original series as well as select acquisitions, all parent-approved and celebrating the everyday joys of family life. Joe Tedesco, the senior VP and general manager at Astral Kids, tells TV Kids about what’s propelled the service over the last 25 years and how it aims to stay relevant in the future.
OnDemand four years ago. It started out as a set-top product and then evolved online. Now we’ve extended it into mobile and tablets, etc. Obviously, [the TV set] is still by far the single most important platform in terms of the way people consume TV, but that world is evolving and changing and people are using other devices.We think it’s critical that we’re responsive to those changing consumer preferences. Linear TV viewership is still huge, but many of our viewers want to be able to get content wherever, whenever and on whatever device they want to get it.When we have big event-type programming now, we don’t start analyzing viewership until we get the sevenday numbers, which includes PVR viewing, because we know that linear viewing is just one part of the equation. TV KIDS: How do you capture, and keep, your audience’s attention in an increasingly cluttered media environment? TEDESCO: The competitive landscape has grown exponentionally. When we launched the channel we were in a 15- to 20-channel environment. It really gets down to staying relevant, understanding your consumer, understanding the environment that they enjoy, and having the content that speaks to them. We’re very fortunate to be aligned with Disney, who is the most prolific producer of content of that genre. We take care to augment that with our own Canadian content. Also, given that [kids] are using a variety of devices to consume content, it also becomes key that you are making yourself available on those platforms so you can keep them engaged. TV KIDS: You mentioned original content; many of those
TV KIDS: How has the Family Channel brand evolved over
shows have also sold well internationally.
the last 25 years? TEDESCO: Family Channel started as a pay service, not very highly penetrated because of its packaging and price point. Its mandate was to be more of a general-interest family-type service, appealing to a broad segment of kids and parents. Over the years it’s gone through a significant evolution. The first big step for the channel was in 1998 when we migrated onto a much more broadly distributed tier, which dramatically increased our distribution. In 2001, when Astral took control of Family, one of the first things we did was look at repositioning the brand.That’s when we started to target the tween segment, a demographic that wasn’t being well served at the time. Our brand repositioning was also a better fit with Disney’s successes in live-action comedy programming such as Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens, and our Canadian original content was supplementing that as well. Part of the repositioning was the development of the “Never a dull moment” tagline, which was an expression of everyday life and families. Over the years we continue to evolve our brand. One of the key priorities for us is to make sure that the brand stays relevant. Our aim is to create
TEDESCO: We’ve had a number of shows that we’ve pro-
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duced that have gone on to major international success. It’s an area that we pay a lot of attention to. Sixty percent of our schedule comes from Disney. We have a 30-percent Canadian content component, so ensuring that we have programming that resonates with our audience is really key. We’re also focused on developing a local star system, because it’s good for our country, but it’s also good for the network—we can access this talent base and leverage the actors for many of the grassroots activities we execute. There’s a real dual purpose in my mind to producing content that engages viewers and creating recognizable talent that can then help with our brand-building activities. TV KIDS: What are your thoughts on how OTT services like Netflix are affecting the ratings for kids’ channels? TEDESCO: Any time there’s an opportunity for someone to consume content somewhere else, it means increased competition. But at the end of the day it comes down to the content experience. What’s most important to us is that our content is
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Astral’s
J. Kevin Wright As the senior VP of programming at Astral Media, J. Kevin Wright is tasked with ensuring that Family’s acquired and commissioned content keeps kids engaged, and entertained, on television, online and on-demand. He tells TV Kids about his approach to delivering the best content for Canadian tweens.
always not to appear derivative when you’re doing live-action shows, because as you’re creating content other people are creating content too, and sometimes things come up in the zeitgeist—everyone says, Let’s do a show about kids taking over a TV station, and suddenly there are seven of them in the works! You do have to take risks and do things that maybe aren’t expected. TV KIDS: How do you stay relevant with this demo
that seems to have so many other distractions? WRIGHT: We fully accept that kids have the great
TV KIDS: What do you look for in shows for Family? WRIGHT: It’s twofold. First we ask ourselves, is it a
fit for our strategy, and is it something that looks like it would be at home amongst the Disney content? The kinds of things we look for generally are liveaction comedy series. That’s a large component of what we get from Disney and what works for our audiences. The other thing that’s important is the ability to extend that property across other platforms, because Family is available across broadband, on settop, on-demand, etc. TV KIDS: Tell us about your development process, and how you fine-tune projects to suit your needs? WRIGHT: It’s very difficult sometimes to see the finished product during the concept stage. We start by defining in our own minds clearly what our programming strategy is. We ask ourselves, what’s the specific demo that we’re targeting? What kind of format do we think is most effective to hit that target? We look at content that we’re getting from other sources. And then we communicate to our independent producers what our needs are, and the types of things that are working for us. Then they come back with ideas, and we develop those ideas. We’re very active in the scripting stage and the conceptdevelopment stage.When we feel it’s appropriate we commission pilots, so we can test the idea, flesh it out and put it in front of a focus group and see how it looks and how kids react to it. TV KIDS: What are the specific challenges you encounter in developing live-action kids’ content versus animation? WRIGHT: There are challenges with animation— obviously, there’s the lead time and animation is a less flexible process; in live action you can tweak on set if something isn’t funny or doesn’t seem to work. It’s tricky though, because animation tends to have a better shelf life, so you do aim for a certain level of currency with live-action shows. The challenge is
capacity to multitask. It’s in our interest [to] find a multiplatform angle to engage the kids while they’re watching the service. For example, we’ve developed a new show, The Next Step, that launched in March. We have multiplatform content as well as an after show. We’re trying to come at the show from different angles—from a social platform, from an incremental content standpoint—so that kids can get to know the characters and have a social connection to [the series]. That’s all assuming you’ve got a good show to start with.You can have all the multiplatform additional content in the world, but if the show is not very good to start with, if you don’t have a likable cast, then you’re not going to be successful. TV KIDS: How important are co-productions? WRIGHT: Most of our original productions are
done either as co-productions or are financed through a variety of other sources.Very rarely do we 100-percent commission programs; they’re just too expensive! Co-productions allow us to access financing from other regions, and also the talent. Canada has world-class talent but there are other talent pools out there that we’d love to work with. TV KIDS: What’s the art to a happy partnership? WRIGHT: There are two things. One is, being upfront
at the very beginning about the type of show that you’re trying to create. If someone is targeting a different age demo [than you are], that’s a recipe for disaster. If someone is looking for a more serious show or a lighter show—you have to make sure right up front that the agendas are aligned. And then it’s a matter of having really open lines of communication.We try to communicate with our partners on an ongoing basis so that we don’t send the producer conflicting notes, which I’m sure happens more often than we’d all like to admit! And then we’ll do postmortems after each season to say,What are we happy with? What worked and what didn’t work? How can we make the show better and make sure we’re all on the same page?
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exclusive to Family Channel—you can’t access our content from any other service provider in Canada and that gives us a competitive advantage. Currently, we don’t see OTT as a major threat because our content is exclusive to our channel. This enables us to embrace nonlinear devices and platforms as an extension of the linear channel, like we have done with Disney XD on Xbox, and this has proven to increase engagement and drive viewership. TV KIDS: What have been your main
pro-social campaigns? TEDESCO: One initiative that we’ve been most focused on and that we’ve supported for ten years is bullying awareness. We’ve been very committed to that. One of the things that makes social-responsibility programs successful is staying focused and committing resources. That’s why we started our Stand UP! to bullying campaign.We chose that initiative in particular because when we went out ten years ago and were looking at causes we could involve ourselves with, the issue of bullying really emerged as one that was top of mind in our age group. Back then not many people were talking about it. The awareness surrounding the issue has exploded now, and that’s fantastic. Our continued focus will be on bullying awareness, and we do a lot of work in terms of extending that program into the schools across the country and working with other partner agencies that are involved in that cause. TV KIDS: What are your overall goals
for the Astral Kids portfolio? TEDESCO: We’re always focused on
becoming number one in the categories that we operate in.That’s what we strive for and what gets us excited every day. We are in a mature business, but to remain a healthy business you have to find new opportunities to grow, whether that is working with our affiliates to grow subscriptions to our channels or growing advertising revenues— we have one ad-supported channel, Disney XD. We are also looking to monetize our presence in alternative platforms as well. We continually invest in research to develop an intimate understanding of our audiences so we can ensure our content and brands stay relevant to them, and we engage them in whatever platform they choose to consume entertainment content.
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SCHMIT: We are a little schizophrenic at SUPER RTL.We have one time slot from 6 o’clock in the morning to 8 o’clock at night, which is the kids’ and family entertainment block. So the target there is primarily kids, secondarily adults. As of 8:15 p.m., which in Germany is the switching time—where the news from the public channels [ends]—our slate is different. We don’t target kids, we target a [broader] family audience, or what we call heads of households with kids. We are trying to do new things in daytime and we are also trying to do new things in prime time. In daytime we want to become a little bit more German, and a little bit more educational. That’s a USP [unique selling point] of SUPER RTL and it’s one of the main USPs also of the public channel, which is relatively strong. In prime time we are the number one kids’ channel, but we are not the number one adult channel, unfortunately— but that’s never going to happen! Here we try to be family-oriented, especially in the first two hours of the evening, from 8 to 9 and then from 9 to 10.We are trying to get a little more female- rather than male-oriented.
SUPER RTL’s
Claude Schmit By Mansha Daswani
Facing increasing competition from both linear channels and new-media platforms, SUPER RTL has managed, over the last 15-plus years, to maintain its leadership position among German kids’ TV services. Claude Schmit, the CEO of the joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and RTL Group, knows, however, that maintaining that position requires innovation and a keen understanding of how children are spending their time with media these days. He recently sat down with TV Kids to talk about refining the daytime schedule, experimenting with nonlinear platforms and bolstering the channel’s prime-time slate for families.
TV KIDS: How have you been able to remain the market
leader in the German kids’ segment for more than 15 years? SCHMIT: Fortunately, we have been able to find exactly the
type of programming that was required by our audience. Obviously, that’s changed over the last 15 years. We were lucky to be able to pick those shows we needed for a specific time slot in our schedule. TV KIDS: How do your programmers commission and
acquire shows that will be able to sit alongside the library of content that comes to the channel from Disney? SCHMIT: It’s nothing mathematical.You cannot say, I need 25 percent of that kind of material and 25 percent of that kind—that doesn’t work. Our people are running around the markets, they are looking at everything and they know there is a specific time slot [to fill], a specific [audience to] target: I need preschool, I need live action for older kids, etc. Since they know what they are looking for, it is relatively easy to spot the right things that are available on the market. TV KIDS: You mentioned late last year that increasing your
share of viewing in the 14-to-49 segment was a priority. Why is this important, and how are you looking to achieve this goal? 268 World Screen 4/13
TV KIDS: Tween audiences in particular have so many
opportunities to be entertained elsewhere, be it on Facebook or watching Glee. How do you keep up with them? SCHMIT: Well, for example, we broadcast Glee. That helps. I totally realize they are a very, very difficult target group. And they are the least attached to television, as such. We have to be very careful not to focus too much on that demographic. We have a few others that are also very important: preschoolers and 6 to 9, 10 or even 11, 12. So we have to make sure our portfolio is balanced, because it’s not even that the advertising market is one third, one third, one third. It’s a little bit more complicated. We have to make sure that our offer is balanced according to the needs of the market. We know the 10 to 13 target group is very difficult to deal with; we have to offer interesting programs for them, but not necessarily on television, because they are not necessarily the main users of television. We have to make sure we’re offering adequate platforms for them. TV KIDS: What have you learned about how kids engage
with the SUPER RTL brand on new-media platforms? SCHMIT: We are at the very early stages. It’s too early to
extrapolate. Obviously, what we see is that media consumption is changing, so we have to be present wherever our target group is.We still believe that TV as such is going to continue to play a dominant role in media consumption. Second-screen applications [will be used], but it’s the second screen, not the first screen. We have to see how our audience is going to play with these different systems. Honestly, we don’t know yet. We are learning by doing, we are learning by watching them, we are learning by trying to understand how they function. I’m going to be honest: it’s not that we are generating a huge amount of
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money with these additional platforms. Our revenues are still driven 80 percent by TV advertising. It hasn’t changed much over the last [few] years. I remember ten years ago everyone was saying,“TV advertising revenues are going to disappear, they are going to be replaced by non-TV advertising revenues.” Honestly, I haven’t seen it yet. Maybe our station is the only exception in the world where that hasn’t happened yet—I’m slightly doubtful about that; it’s relatively common. So that’s why we say, We have to be present, [but] we’re not going to invest huge amounts of money as long as there isn’t a corresponding business model behind it. For the time being we are playing in every field. We’ve launched free apps, we are launching paid apps. Again, it’s not that we’re selling hundreds of millions of apps, but [we need to] be present to see how our target group is coping with these new offers. TV KIDS: You mentioned traditional TV advertising. How has the market been over the past year, and what are your projections for the year ahead? SCHMIT: Here again we have two markets we cater to: the kids’ advertising market and the adult advertising market. The kids’ advertising market in Germany is not growing by double digits every year. Those days are over. We suppose it’s going to be similar in 2013. However, the biggest part of kids’ advertising revenues goes through our books. And that has not changed over the last years. Prime-time adult advertising revenues—it’s difficult to say. Obviously, everything there depends to a large extent on the general economic conditions. Fortunately, in Germany these are good, all the indicators are relatively positive, but again we’re not expecting double-digit growth rates. TV KIDS: Advertising is 80 percent of your revenues—what makes up the other 20 percent? SCHMIT: It’s an interesting mix of merchandising revenues and Internet revenues as well.We are operating a couple of pay platforms, which is an interesting business to be in, and we’re very lucky we launched them almost ten years ago. That business model has come under pressure as well, because a lot of free platforms have launched where kids can watch the same thing they can watch on our pay platforms. If you don’t have to pay for it, obviously that’s a very strong USP. The good thing is, revenues and [impact on profit] are two different things. Even if our revenue base is still strongly based on TV advertising, obviously all the other businesses have a different cost structure attached to them.We have very limited costs [for the Internet platforms]. So these businesses account for more than [20 percent] of our [profit]. That’s the name of the game—it’s not turnover, it’s profit.
TV KIDS: What’s your sense of how the competitive land-
scape will change should Netflix or another OTT operator delivering kids’ content arrive in Germany? SCHMIT: I see a threat, definitely, because every kid who watches programs on a different platform isn’t watching SUPER RTL. But it’s also an opportunity—would we be willing to launch similar platforms in Germany under our own brands? That is totally possible. Again, I don’t see the business model yet. It might come one of these days, but for the time being I don’t think it’s a very profitable business. That doesn’t say we’re not doing it—we have to defend our position. We are considering entering into that market as well. TV KIDS: What are the main issues you’re focusing on for
this year and next? SCHMIT: We have to defend our market-leadership position. We have been market leader for nearly 16 years in a row. That is something we have to continue: remain the key number one channel for kids in Germany. But it has to be a profitable business as well. And we are very profitable.We have to see what are the general circumstances surrounding us in the future. Are we still going to be as profitable as we were in the past? If not, what can we do to achieve that high profitability? These are the main challenges. There is one in particular which raises some concern: the EU Pledge [a voluntary initiative by various food and beverage companies to limit kids’ advertising in the European Union, particularly for products lacking nutritional value]. That is something we are following very closely. TV KIDS: Disney has acquired Das Vierte, another channel in Germany.What are the implications of that for SUPER RTL? SCHMIT: We have read in the press that Disney bought a television channel and I suppose they are not going to broadcast soccer games! We have made some assumptions of what they are going to do and we shall react accordingly; whether these are correct or not, I have no idea. We shall see.
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Science of success: SUPER RTL offers its audience a mix of imported content and locally originated series such as Woozle Goozle, a science magazine.
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Born in 2006 with the merger of DECODE Entertainment and Halifax Film Company, DHX Media is today one of the largest independents in the kids’ programming business. Following its acquisitions of, among others, Studio B Productions, W!ldbrain and Cookie Jar Entertainment, DHX has amassed a library of more than 8,500 half-hours of kids’ content, a volume that has allowed it to aggressively target opportunities with digital-media platforms. Steven DeNure, president and COO of the company, shares the thinking behind building a family media powerhouse.
TV KIDS: What led to the acquisition of Cookie Jar last year? DENURE: We created DHX Media six years ago, initially
from the combination of DECODE and Halifax Film. We had an idea to roll up a number of independents to create a consolidated company with a larger catalogue that was well capitalized. Content comes in and out of fashion, but we’ve had a steady belief that in a world where viewers are able to watch whatever they want, when they want, with multiple distribution opportunities, owning content is key.The acquisition of Cookie Jar was part of our long-term strategy to be able to not only create and sell, but to own content on a worldwide basis. Interestingly enough, Cookie Jar, under Michael Hirsh and Toper Taylor, had been doing almost exactly the same thing, in quite a different way. Cookie Jar is ultimately a combination of a number of different catalogues over the years, including CINAR, DIC and FilmFair. The acquisition of Cookie Jar and the integration into DHX is part of the ongoing consolidation of the industry, and in our case creates the largest independently owned kids’ catalogue in the world, outside of the studios. Currently, DHX is a real combination of the skillsets, systems and people from both companies, and from past acquisitions like Studio B and W!ldbrain. Cookie Jar has been a leader in not only developing the digital sales opportunities, but also in delivering to those new customers, and DHX is now able to capitalize on that experience. TV KIDS: Given your experience running DECODE, what
are the benefits of now being part of this larger entity? DENURE: DECODE was a small independent that was driven
creatively, but with a real focus on sales—that’s the ethos that we wanted to preserve at DHX.The goal is to be creatively adventurous, skilled at selling and, at the same time, be smart and careful financially. One of the key advantages of being part of a larger organization is access to the capital markets.While lots of independents think they understand something about the capital markets, [these are] actually skill sets that you don’t naturally get from the business of creating, producing and selling television shows. As an independent, you tend to go out and try and raise funds for your project when your project is ready for production. But that is not always when the capital markets want to give funds to people in the content business.The capital markets ebb and flow—sometimes media and content are in favor and sometimes they are not. One of the things we’ve been able to do is time it so we’re raising money when media is in favor in the capital market. TV KIDS: You have studios in Vancouver, Halifax and Los Angeles—do they collaborate on projects? DENURE: Most of the projects are done independently within each studio, although we are working to increase collaboration.
DHX Media’s
Steven DeNure We also outsource some production, both to animation studios in Asia and to other independent studios in Canada. What we’ve tried to ensure is that each project is made in the studio that is right for it. TV KIDS: What are the key initiatives you’ll be spending time on over the next year? DENURE: There are a number of different priorities. One is to focus on the catalogue and to continue to sell those rights wherever possible, including the ongoing development of the digital client base, which has been a significant area of growth. The second key thing is increasing proprietary production, and we have consolidated our development slate under Stephanie Betts. She has a mandate to work with partners to create more proprietary content that we can feed into the distribution arm, which is run by Josh Scherba. We are also focused on working with other producers to help finance and distribute projects that we’re not necessarily producing or co-producing—projects like Rastamouse and SheZow. Third, we are working to grow our licensing business on the international side through CPLG and by focusing domestically on key properties like Yo Gabba Gabba! and Caillou. TV KIDS: What challenges and opportunities do you see for
DHX in the current climate? DENURE: We think there’s tremendous opportunity on the digital side, particularly SVOD, as new services launch around the world. There is an overall challenge in the business with respect to funding new content, as there is some erosion of broadcast businesses, and broadcasters either buy less or pay less. That’s the real challenge facing us all, big or small. 4/13 World Screen 271
By Mansha Daswani
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Founded five years ago, PGS Entertainment has been working to provide kids’ programming producers with the support and international distribution network needed to ensure the global success of their shows. The company has aligned itself with a number of leading producers in the industry, amassing a catalogue that contains several iconic brands, among them The Little Prince and Iron Man: Armored Adventures. Philippe Soutter, the co-founder and president of PGS, is intent on focusing purely on the distribution and brand-management of third-party shows. He shares with TV Kids his view of the current children’s television industry.
TV KIDS: What has been the strategy for growing the business? SOUTTER: The biggest contributing factor to our success
has been our singular focus on the distribution of quality kids’ programming. We aren’t producers and we don’t plan to get into that business. Our aim is to be producers’ most reliable and trusted partner. We are able to offer them our experience and market understanding of what buyers are looking for around the world and, in turn, we offer buyers only the highest-quality kids’ programming brands. TV KIDS: What qualities does a project need to have in order
to join the PGS catalogue? SOUTTER: We look for strong characters, strong story lines and
great graphics. Beyond that, we look for shows that have that little something different, something that makes it stand out. We think we’ve found that standout quality in TAT Productions’ seriesThe Jungle Bunch.The main character is a penguin that thinks he’s a tiger and he’s raising his tiger-fish son to be the next King of the Jungle. It’s very funny and was recently nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award. We also look for iconic brands, which is where we’ve had the most success. Our long-standing partnership with Method Animation has afforded us the opportunity to represent such incredibly well-known character-driven brands as Iron Man, The Little Prince and Chaplin & Co. We also recently started working with Andy and Amy Heyward’s A Squared (A²) Entertainment, which is focused on unique “content with a purpose” for the 6- to 12-year-old demographic. Again, this is something a little different. The current mindset is that entertainment and educational programming is only for the preschool demo, but A²’s The Secret KidVenture Club is a great example of how programming for this group can be entertaining and purposefully engaging. TV KIDS: What types of brand-management support does
PGS offer a producer? SOUTTER: While brand management has always been on
our minds, it has only been within the last year that we began offering a total rights-management package to our clients.We didn’t have the resources to extend that option at first, but now we are off and running. As we are always trying to approach things differently, we have launched a “creation hub” for the brands we represent that replaces the old concept of a style guide and offers a well-thought-out array of possible products and concepts ready for manufacture. We believe that our job as a brand manager is to enhance the brand experience, not just slap a logo on a T-shirt. We think proactively about the DNA of a brand and the best brand-extension platforms for that brand.
PGS Entertainment’s
Philippe Soutter TV KIDS: How has PGS gone about securing such iconic brands for the catalogue? SOUTTER: We always knew there was strength in brands that were household names around the world. In order to work with the people who created and owned those brands, we had to gradually build trust and prove that we were the right company to represent these valuable, iconic brands.We took that approach and built relationships with people like Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam at Method Animation, Samuel Kaminka at Samka Productions, and Ken Faier at Nerd Corps Entertainment. These were our very first clients and, after four years, we are still working with all of them.This is great validation that PGS is an excellent partner for the individuals and companies we work with. TV KIDS: What are broadcasters looking for in this market? SOUTTER: In difficult times, buyers always look for what
makes sense for their audience as well as their bottom lines. That’s why iconic brands are deemed a safer bet. But they are also looking for something different...the proverbial “breakout hit.” This mix of safe, trusted brands for the whole family and shows that help them stand out from the competition is the magic potion for networks in today’s global economy. At PGS, we are prepared to provide buyers with just the right mix. 4/13 World Screen 273
By Kristin Brzoznowski
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Eddie Izzard
the best in kids’ programming produced outside the United States. The Inter national Academy of Television Arts & Sciences teamed up with presenting partners TV Kids, Shaw Rocket Fund, Hasbro Studios, SVT/DRTV and Ernst & Young for this event. Entries into the kids’ competition ran concurrently with the International Emmy Awards competition. In the end, six winners—representing Argentina, Japan, Norway and the U.K.— took home Emmy statues. Bruce L. Paisner, the president and CEO of the Academy, opened the event by welcoming attendees and introducing the New York City Children’s Chorus, who performed for the crowd. Among the evening’s other presenters were the British actor and comedian Eddie Izzard; Canadian actress Vanessa Morgan, star of My Babysitter’s a Vampire; Swedish and Danish kids’ television hosts Ylva Hällen and Jakob Stegelmann, respectively; Australian entertainer Sam Moran, a former member of the children’s band The Wiggles; and FDNY firefighter Daniel Glover, who was joined on stage by the Transformer Rescue Bot Heatwave. The award for Kids: Series went to Junior High School Diaries: Harmony of Two, from Japan’s NHK. Norway’s Energy Survival, from Fabelaktiv and NRK, won for Kids: Non-Scripted Entertainment. Argentina’s El Jardín de Clarilú won the category of Kids: Preschool. The CBBC in-house production Newsround: My Autism and Me brought home the first of three wins for the U.K., this one in the category of Kids: Factual. In another win for the U.K., the Emmy for Kids: Animation went to The Amazing World of Gumball, from Cartoon Network Europe, Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media and Studio Soi. The U.K.’s Lost Christmas picked up the win for Kids: TV Movie/Mini-Series. “With this new event solely dedicated to kids’ programming, the International Academy is proud to be the premier global platform for excellence in children’s television,” said Paisner. “We congratulate [all the] winners for their outstanding achievements.”
CELEBRATING
EXCELLENCE By Kristin Brzoznowski
This year marked the first annual International Emmy Kids Awards, with a competition and stand-alone ceremony organized by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A bevy of luminaries from the children’s programming industry gathered in New York to celebrate the nominees and winners at the inaugural event. The gala, which took place at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, was packed with creators, producers, distributors, channel executives and others who set out to celebrate the best of 274 World Screen 4/13
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