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Slugterra comes with an array of related content including apps and games
“I think we’ll start to see some really interesting projects now that digital is bringing the publishing and TV worlds closer” Martin Baynton or offer them some kind of related content between series.” For Baynton, one implication of this is that children’s properties need to have sufficient depth to sustain a 360-degree creative treatment: “Thunderbirds has it because of its rich history. But it also explains why established book-based properties often lend themselves well to adaptation across platforms. I think we’ll start to see some really interesting projects now that digital is bringing the publishing and TV worlds closer.” Henson’s Stanford agrees. One of her company’s new properties, Enchanted Sisters, started life as a book from Henson’s new publishing division. It is now in the process of being adapted for other platforms including TV. “We take a 360-degree approach to everything,” Stanford says. “Social media engagement with kids is key.” Alongside the issue of 360-degree development, another challenge that digital brings to the kids’ industry is how to cut through the clutter of competition. With so many entertainment choices, it is noticeable that the bigger players — Disney, Nickelodeon, Turner — are investing heavily in established brands as a way to capture children’s attention, says industry veteran Andy Heyward, chairman
and CEO of Genius Brands International. “Disney, for example, has an extraordinary range of content thanks to acquisitions like Marvel, Lucasfilm and former Henson properties such as The Muppets,” he adds. “So the question for companies like ours is how to find a space where it is possible to be competitive and stand out.” Genius’ answer has been to focus on “content with a purpose”. Heyward adds: “We have animation like Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, which is an entertaining series that has science at its core. With parents concerned about what their kids are actually watching on digital platforms, our answer has been to provide shows that are not just empty calories of storytelling.” The notion that kids need to be protected from the unregulated nature of digital
media has also resulted in a series of business launches on the platform side of the business. In December, Myke Crosby, co-creator of Bin Weevils, launched OobEdoO, an appbased SVOD service that enables pre-school children to watch shows and play pro-development games associated with those shows in a safe environment. The available on OobEdoO include Angelina Ballerina, Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom, Bob The Builder, In The Night Garden, Pingu, Teletubbies, Thomas & Friends, Timmy Time and Tractor Tom. Explaining the rationale for the service, Crosby says: “Pre-schoolers have an incredible aptitude for devices like iPads, and that can have upsides and downsides. Our aim is to help parents by controlling the kind of shows their children have access to and the amount of time they can access them.” As an example of what Crosby calls “digital parenting”, he adds: “We have devised a way for the app to switch itself off, so the parent doesn’t have to step in and take the iPad away from the child. That’s much more likely to prevent any temper tantrums. As for the games and activities on the platform, they have been
“Our answer has been to provide shows that are not just empty calories of storytelling” Andy Heyward
Henson’s Chatter Zoo Group launched as an appisode preview magazine I March 2015 I www.miptv.com