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Feature how we can telling a compelling story across all disciplines, and that includes short-form content and apps. Our YouTube channels are also a way for young audiences to find our content. And we are exploring the possibility of original content with one of the new players in the market.” YouTube is not just interesting as a content platform, but also as a form of marketing, Arnesen adds: “When you think about the popularity of YouTube among younger audiences, there’s clearly an opportunity to work with YouTube influencers, as long as there is a way to make them Zodiak Kids’ Zack & Quack relevant to your content.” DHX, Henson and Novel also em“We’re still working with phasise the importance of YouTube. “For us, having a Horrid Henry YouTube the major kids’ networks but channel is a way to give something extra to we welcome the emergence fans and reach new audiences,” says Novel’s of additional platform Watts. “Done well, YouTube channels can partners. For us, the key have a halo effect on the core programming.” In terms of the structure of shows, the advent of mobile devices has created a window of opportunity for short-form content to sit alongside the more standard five, seven- or 11-minute episodes that work for TV and SVOD. FremantleMedia’s Higgins, for example, believes that shorter, more comedic content works better on phones and tablets, because it is harder to engage with audiences for long periods of time on those platforms. “Contrast that with Netflix, where people tend to binge view,” he adds. “In that context, you’re looking for ways to encourage audiences to jump from episode to episode.” Zodiak Kids UK CEO Michael Carrington, whose current slate includes Zack & Quack, Tickety Toc and Dani’s Castle, believes the
issue is to get the right balance between the camps” Finn Arnesen
TV market is just about ready for interactivity: “Our pilot for Amazon, Buddy: Tech Detective, is a pre-school show that will allow children to directly influence the story by touching interactive icons on the TV screen. This is something they are already very familiar with via other devices, so it’s very exciting to bring this immersion to TV sets.” For Carrington, one of the most exciting aspects of digital is the immediacy of the audience’s reaction: “It’s extraordinary how quickly they start to comment or interact with your content. Lots of people upload our content to YouTube and that’s very valuable, because it’s such a real connection. As for the Amazon pilot, it’s interesting for us to get immediate feedback, rather than having to wait 18 month or two years.” E c h oi n g DH X ’s D eNu re, Carrington adds: “We’re thinking earlier and earlier about how we can develop stories across TV, website, apps, games — any digital platform. The challenge for companies is to ensure they have the right expertise, so they are capable of creating both a long-form Netflix has picked up seasons one to three of Horrid Henry for the UK and Eire preview magazine I March 2015 I www.miptv.com
TV script and an app.” Carrington, however, believes the children’s industry has an advantage over other parts of the TV business when trying to address digital “because it has been built on partnerships. If you think about the way it develops licensing and merchandising programmes, or uses co-production to finance shows, it’s well-set for digital.” Hasbro’s Arnesen makes a similar observation: “At Hasbro, we are completely agnostic about where a property might start and end.” While it is clear that the domination of Disney, Nick and Turner has been dented by digital, one question is whether we are witnessing a genuine change in the creative paradigm, or a slight shift to encompass toycos, owners of legacy brands and a few superindie studios, such as DreamWorks and DHX. Pukeko’s Baynton, who is currently developing an animation series called Book Hungry Bears, which is about inspiring kids to read, is optimistic: “The kids audience is passionate about consuming new and different content, but the commercially led processes at big studios don’t always allow them to explore new ideas in the same way as small studios. Digital media is giving creatives a way to bypass the gatekeepers and that’s exciting for the industry.” For those concerned about securing the budgets for new properties, digital even offers alternative forms of finance in the shape of crowdfunding. Animation studio Aardman, for example, used Kickstarter to fund a 15 x 1 min series for YouTube based on its classic character Morph. Similarly, US creator Natasha Allegri secured $800,000 via Kickstarter to fund a six-part series called Bee And Puppycat, which debuted on popular YouTube animation channel Cartoon Hangover. In other words, now is the time to get out there and be creative.
“The challenge for companies is to ensure they have the right expertise, so they are capable of creating both a long-form TV script and an app” Michael Carrington