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AMPERE ANALYSIS
A Conversation about Fandom and Branding During the 5th edition of the International Kids Licensing Days (Bologna, March 31 - April 2, 2025), Olivia Deane, Research Manager at Ampere Analysis, shared some valuable insights about the compelling role of fandom in the brand-building process and in shaping the content industry dynamics.
Olivia Deane Research Manager, Ampere Analysis
Can you give us a quick overview of the state of the children’s media market, and how it has changed in the last year? At the beginning of 2024, the children’s media market was in a tough spot streaming growth had stalled, with fewer original projects being greenlit. However, over the past year, the market experienced some encouraging signals of growth, with the Western European market bouncing back better than any other region. Between the second half of 2023 and 2024, the number of children and family titles increased by 13%. However, commissioning activity still remains below the peaks seen in 2021 and 2022. As a result, creators need to be strategic with their time and resources to secure commissions and a strong return on investment. What are the main reasons for the children’s media market recovery in Western Europe?
A few key events caused the decline in the children’s commissioning market, including industrial action in North America and slowed growth of subscription video on demand. While children may not be a significant subscription-driving factor, streaming services have significantly reduced their emphasis on original kids’ content. This fails to consider that, although children might not be the primary consumers in these dynamics, they play an important role in preventing adults from canceling their streaming subscriptions. Ampere’s research data about viewing hours on Netflix show that children and family content was the second most viewed content in the second half of 2024. As a result of this, in 2024 streamers focused on growing their catalogues of acquired children’s content. Netflix, Apple, Peacock and Hulu commissioned a lower volume of children’s titles, but the number of acquired kids content grew