Interviews

TV KIDS: Are linear channels still an important destination for children and families? BONY: In France, kids’ consumption is more and more [moving] to nonlinear. And when it comes to co-viewing, it’s still on the television and linear programs most of the time. We see that the combination of the two is the best way to reach the whole family. It also gives children the opportunity to choose whatever they want at any moment of the day.

On nonlinear, we have developed our catch-up service, Gulli Replay, and we are trying to enhance the volume of programs available on this service. We are also trying to provide some other services, for example, gaming, which is also available on our platform. We have also developed an SVOD platform called GulliMax, which provides about 5,000 videos every month. Gulli Replay and GulliMax are dedicated specifically to children. Our competitors in the streaming business are international platforms. They have very strong programs dedicated to children, but globally, they are general-entertainment platforms. With GulliMax and Gulli Replay, you know that all the programs will be only for children. We think we have to develop a different experience for children on linear TV. Television provides the opportunity to broadcast new animation shows, which, of course, we do, but, in addition to that, we have a lot of entertainment shows, game shows, a lot of things that we can produce.

TV KIDS: How have Gulli and the other brands in your portfolio been helping the French animation market? BONY: In France, we [are lucky to] have many producers and a great ecosystem. We have sustained this system. [Across] all our channels, we have transmitted something like 30,000 hours of French animation all around the world. We are the number one broadcaster of French animation around the world, and we are proud of that. We have about 20 different French animation shows either in active development or in production.

TV KIDS: How competitive is the kids’ TV market in Germany? BRAUN: We have four relevant players in the linear business. Three of them are adfunded, one is a public player, but there are a lot of other options for kids to be entertained and to consume content. The digital platforms, like YouTube, and all the streaming services are also in Germany. There’s a lot of competition in the market, which brings us to the point that we had to reframe our strategy from a linear business to a multiplatform business.

TV KIDS: What sets Super RTL apart from the many other children’s channels and platforms? BRAUN: The USP for us is a multiplatform business. We invested a lot of money and resources in building a proper kids’ web operation. We launched our own radio channel. We invested in our TOGGO tour. We also have a footprint in the retail business through our consumer-products operation. It’s a very broad range of platforms we serve. What we learned in the pandemic is that the kids are using more platforms. TikTok is very interesting for them. The metaverse, like Roblox, is working well. Our approach is to give an offer to the kids wherever they want to go. We are going into the TikTok business, and we plan to get a TOGGO experience on Roblox. We are the only German player building such a multiplatform approach.

TV KIDS: What challenges and opportunities do you see in the next 12 to 24 months? BRAUN: Linear television is under pressure. That’s the most important challenge we are facing. The other is the fragmentation of media usage. The good point is, we have a strategy that is working. Wherever kids are, we are there with the TOGGO brand. The cooperation with RTL will deliver some good points, as we can benefit from tech and data experience. We can also look deeper into areas that in the past were not our focus, especially streaming SVOD.

TV KIDS: Tell us about how the BBC is adapting to stiff competition from the streamers and the move to devote greater resources to fewer titles. HIDALGO: We have been working for a while to offer content to our audience how and where they like it. While we still have the two linear channels for children 0 to 12, we saw last year a lot of success in how our children are consuming our content on iPlayer. We had 1.2 billion hours of our content watched on our streaming platforms. We still commission about 450 hours of original content every year. Our commissions include all genres and formats. We are almost like a general-entertainment channel but for children, and that makes us quite different.

When we say “fewer” titles, we don’t mean producing less. What we mean is that we will commission more episodes of those titles that our audience loves. We make sure that we’re not recommissioning things that don’t have enough value for them.

We also, of course, have acquisitions. When we can’t make everything, we acquire content to supplement the content we commission. We look for global brands that have resonance. It’s not about having a lot of titles; it’s about having the right content and the right mix that our audience wants and that has relevance for them.

TV KIDS: What are you on the lookout for that you’d like to see the teams deliver? HIDALGO: We want both animation and live-action comedy. We are keen to get more comedy into our slates for all ages, actually. We also want to have more family content. We want our audience to continue to identify with the characters, settings and stories we create. And we are still looking for unique British heritage and cultural values to be in those stories. We also want to develop unique content that has the potential to travel outside the U.K. At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we all work together across our commissions, productions and acquisitions to bring that richness of content across all the platforms.

TV KIDS: Do streaming services provide creative freedoms that you didn’t have in the linear world? GAL: Absolutely. When I worked for linear networks like Disney and Nickelodeon, serialized storytelling was incredibly challenging. The environment was unfriendly to it because they wanted to be able to replay the episodes over and over and out of order. Now, in streaming, you can embrace serialization in a different way. [Given] the volume of animation being done by the streamers, I’m excited to see people taking some risks and trying things that are different.

TV KIDS: Could you give some examples of how you decide on the right home for a given show? GAL: We generally follow the passion of the different platforms. Every platform has its own strategy, but the strategy comes down to the individuals who are the decision-makers at those platforms. We work hard to maintain a broad development slate and a lot of different projects tonally. We have everything from the youngest preschool to bridge to older comedy to serialized adventure for the 6-to-8 age group, and serialized adventure that goes older, to [shows] that lean more teen. We try to manage the platforms by having a lot of different things always percolating up through the development pipeline.

TV KIDS: In your development, how do you balance new ideas against what you can take from the library? GAL: We try to have a healthy mix at all times. It’s hard because sometimes it feels like the business is pivoting one way or the other. Sometimes the market feels very driven by people only wanting known IP and shows that have that built-in marketing advantage. But then, a few months later, one of our buyers will surface and say, We’re craving something brand-new. Every franchise started as an original. Obviously, we’re not going to overlook an opportunity to do something exciting based on DreamWorks or Universal IP. But we’re developing originals.

TV KIDS: Tell us about Studio 100’s animation studios. BOURLON: We have Flying Bark Productions in Sydney that produces toons and series. It also provides animation services for global clients like LEGO, Nickelodeon and Marvel. Then we have Studio Isar Animation in Munich, which we founded. It specializes in CGI production. Both of those studios work very closely together. We have Little Airplane Productions in New York, specialized in original preschool creations. We also have Studio 100 Animation in Paris. All those studios can provide excellent quality series and movies. We are successfully selling them through Studio 100 Media and Studio 100 Film.

TV KIDS: Theme parks have no doubt undergone some challenges recently, but what are the plans looking ahead for this area? BOURLON: We invested a lot of money in the leisure business over the last ten years. More than 3.5 million people every year visit our theme parks. In Poland, we’re creating two new theme parks. We’re looking at some other territories. All are [connected to] our television characters. Our group is unique in that we combine the production of live-action and animated series with the leisure business like theater shows and theme parks.

TV KIDS: How has the L&M segment been performing? BOURLON: There are more direct-to-consumer models and strong e-commerce coming up. Covid still limits the brick-and-mortar retail, and the second challenge is the change in consumer behaviors. We are working on that every day. But in general, we’ve seen a positive development during the last years in regard to regional classics like Maya the Bee and Heidi. There’s a lot of nostalgia around those characters. Parents like to share those emotions with their children. Even grandparents. This guarantees a reliable business. There’s also a new focus on fashion and apparel for those classic brands. And we are focusing a lot on sustainability and the environment.

TV KIDS: What’s the strategy for mining Mattel’s portfolio of characters and franchises for episodic programming and TV specials? SOULIE: At Mattel Television, we believe the best stories have universal themes that transcend generations and languages. Our various franchises are each built on a strong purpose, which creates universal appeal. We also make sure that our storytelling is visually dynamic. Barbie inspires the limitless potential in every child. Masters of the Universe encourages each of us to become the best version of ourselves. Thomas & Friends is all about the importance of friendship. These broader brand purposes are threaded throughout each piece of content we create.

TV KIDS: What is the approach for producing programming outside of known IP? SOULIE: Mattel Television is focused on engaging audiences through timely and compelling episodic content and TV movies. Mattel’s purpose across all our franchises is to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. As part of that commitment, we continue to find ways to represent the diverse world we live in through the content we create. It is a priority for us to tell diverse stories authentically, making sure to include subjectmatter experts through all areas of production, in order to design content that reflects the world around us.

TV KIDS: Is live action going to be more of a focus? SOULIE: At Mattel, we have a treasure trove of brands that offers numerous opportunities to create great television across both live action and animation. Live action is definitely a priority for our overall television slate. We are also developing a robust unscripted slate, including a game show based on Pictionary that was picked up for a full season on all FOX-owned stations.

TV KIDS: How did Hamster & Gretel come about? POVENMIRE: We were writing the Phineas and Ferb movie for Disney+. I had this stack of three-by-five cards because we were using them to block out the movie. I was doodling while we were pitching ideas. I had a superhero hamster flying over the city because my daughters had hamsters at the time. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a show.

It’s about a much older brother and a younger sister. He’s driving her to soccer practice. They get stopped by aliens who tell them they have been chosen to receive superpowers. The aliens shoot them with this ray, and the brother is all excited about it. But the superpower has gone to Gretel, his younger sister, and her hamster, who just happened to be in the car, instead of on to him. And as you can imagine, that causes some comedic situations.

TV KIDS: Is humor still an essential ingredient in reaching kids? POVENMIRE: If you can make people laugh, then they’ll tune back in. That’s what I’ve always tried to do; let’s make them laugh on as many different levels as we can, which is why we had a big adult following for Phineas and Ferb. We never [excluded] a joke because we didn’t think the kids would get it. We would put stuff in for everybody. And that’s what we’re doing on Hamster & Gretel.

TV KIDS: TikTok and YouTube didn’t exist when you started out in the business. Do they help you find talent? POVENMIRE: We found voice actors on TikTok, some of whom had never done voice work before but were trying to get into it. You get to see people who are just really self-starters. They’re doing this because they love it, and they’re doing it every single day. If you get them into a [recording] booth, they’re not a one-trick pony. They can really deliver. I found songwriters through TikTok. It’s a good way of getting your talent out there so people like me can see it and say, Hey, would you like to come and do this?

TV KIDS: Why was now the right time to bring The Proud Family back? SMITH: A good amount of time had passed [since the show had gone off-air]. In that period of time, a lot of things transpired. All of a sudden, there’s social media and a whole different attitude in terms of our culture. It felt like the right time. There was really nothing that followed [the show in a similar vein] in the wake of that time period, so for us, it made sense to have our African-American culture on display and in a celebrated way. It made sense for us to jump back into the zeitgeist.

TV KIDS: Tell us about the updated look and how it was achieved. SMITH: The first time around, we were really scrambling once we got the green light. We’d never seen a show like this, so we scrambled with not a lot of money to put something together that we thought at least set the table. So, we had something to go by when we reinvented the show this time around. I’m an animator; that’s my natural artistic gift. I’m a real design freak as well. For a lot of the character-design aspects, I have a specific style and look that I want to go after. Then, I brought in an amazing art director, Eastwood Wong, who built the world around these characters. It has a really rich dimensional look, but it still is very 2D in its approach. It doesn’t look like a 3D Disney film, intentionally—2.5D is what we like to call it.

TV KIDS: What does The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder being on Disney+ versus Disney Channel offer in terms of freedom and flexibility with the storytelling and age targets? SMITH: Disney+ allows us a wider format. When we were a Disney Channel show, we were more of a tween model. But we’ve aged the crew up two years. We’re now dealing with the truest form of teen issues. We take you through those formidable years. There’s so much to chew on that we felt like that was the perfect age to take our kids to. The Disney+ platform allows us to really lean into those aspects of growing up that we think are important.

TV KIDS: What is eOne Family Brands’ content strategy? DUMONT: We’re developing and producing shows based on existing brands like My Little Pony, PJ Masks, Peppa Pig, Transformers and Power Rangers, as well as completely new original properties such as Kiya and more in our development pipeline. Most are in animation, but we also have Power Rangers, a live-action series. Our slate covers the full spectrum of demographics and genders, always with a strong commercial angle to them. We’re looking to develop properties with significant licensing and merchandising potential. And this is not really the result of anything new post the Hasbro acquisition, as we’ve always developed properties with strong commercial potential.

TV KIDS: What are the most effective ways of developing and rolling out a brand in today’s multiplatform environment? DUMONT: It’s super hard to break through, so it’s critical to have brands with content rolling out on as many platforms as possible, in order to register with the target demographic. This means creating more short-form and interactive content to complement the traditional content produced for linear and VOD. That’s the piece that is probably more difficult for smaller companies. Having deeper pockets [helps] when it comes to marketing these brands, to make sure you’re directing consumers to these different platforms.

On preschool brands, you have the effect of all boats rise; the more exposure you have on different platforms, the more each of these different platforms does well. We’ve seen this time and time again on our different brands. For example, Peppa Pig is very strong on linear, on various SVOD platforms and YouTube. That boosts the awareness for the brand and allows it to remain relevant commercially despite the masses of preschool shows constantly launching.

TV KIDS: What are you and your teams looking for in acquisitions and content partnerships? BORKENT: We’re flexible. In the past, we were pretty prescriptive about what we needed: two 11s, 22 minutes, maybe some short-form. We’re looking for shows that still very much fit the Nickelodeon ethos: making the world a more playful place, comedy, laughter and grounded in reality for kids to recognize themselves. Mainly, what we will be looking for in the animation space is comedy. Action-adventure is also going to be of some interest to us, given that we are launching Transformers: EarthSpark with our partners at Hasbro. We’re looking for what more we can do in that space. We’re looking at [Teenage Mutant Ninja] Turtles in a new iteration. We announced Avatar Studios, where we are looking at the Avatar world and how we can bring that back for Paramount+ and potentially for linear services.

TV KIDS: What areas of growth have you identified for the kids and family business? BORKENT: We know our content is incredibly popular on YouTube, and we know kids are on YouTube in vast amounts. We’re really looking at YouTube as a platform to bring our content to [an even wider audience] in a different format. Gaming is another really important part. We’re doing a lot in that space, mainly around our key franchises. Pluto TV is a huge opportunity to dig into our library of content. Some of that content no longer lives on current linear services, but there’s still a real appetite for some of those shows on Pluto.

TV KIDS: You’ve been in the kids’ business for a long time. What still excites you about serving this audience? BORKENT: The content we create puts smiles on kids’ faces. They love our shows. Despite the proliferation of platforms, they still come to us. I always say change is good. There’s always something to look forward to.

TV KIDS: Tell us about the approach to content acquisitions. DEBERTIN: As a public broadcaster, we provide content for 3- to 13-year-olds that educates, informs and entertains. So we are looking for a variety of programs for the different age groups. It is important that children can both relate to the programs from their own experiences and are taken beyond them to see other children’s lives locally and across the world. While it is crucial for us to locally produce fiction and nonfiction programs to ensure our viewers can find themselves represented on-screen, we are excited to offer them co-productions and acquisitions from further afield. We are interested in fiction and nonfiction programs that are entertaining and informative, that bring joy to our viewers and promote values such as empathy, kindness, community, open-mindedness, diversity, inclusion, sustainability and creativity, without indulging in stereotypes or merely ticking boxes.

TV KIDS: With the global streamers taking all rights, how has that impacted KiKA’s access to the best content? DEBERTIN: The best approach here is not to fall into the trap of competing with them. Instead, we go on building our strong programs and brands as we have done for 25 years now, with the help of our shareholders and partners at ARD and ZDF, and through appropriate co-productions with local producers in Germany and Europe as well as worldwide.

TV KIDS: Tell us about the co-pros strategy. DEBERTIN: Early involvement is key for ensuring that a project, for example, from another continent, will work for our audiences. At the same time, we also keep an eye on its international appeal. This makes co-productions successful—for us locally and our partners abroad. The result is that our co-pro partners will be interested in doing more shows with German co-pro partners. I always feel truly satisfied when the shows work for our audience and pay off for our various co-producers internationally, too!

TV KIDS: What role do acquisitions play for the POP portfolio? NEWINGTON: They’ve been 95 percent to 100 percent of our content. We are trying to do more prebuys where possible so that we can broaden our rights and plan future strategies a little bit better. We are also now diving into the world of co-pros and commissions. We also have our AVOD offering, the POP Player, which incorporates catch-up content. For that, we are looking to introduce exclusive content that doesn’t feature on the linear channels.

TV KIDS: What sorts of things are you looking for? NEWINGTON: We’re free-to-air, so we have a broad socioeconomic audience. We’re keen for our channels to be all about diversity and broad representation. We want [audiences] to feel that the channels are genuinely inclusive and reflective of them. Volume is very important, so 26 half-hours minimum. POP targets 6- to 10-year-olds, with a focus on the 6-to-8s. And Tiny Pop is 4 to 6, so it’s very much the upper-preschool end. Anything too slow-paced or too young would not be right for Tiny Pop, and anything with imitable behavior. Anything all-out educational is quite hard for us to schedule. At POP, the key ingredients are comedy, pace and adventure.

TV KIDS: Is exclusivity a make-or-break deal point? NEWINGTON: We are aware that cross-pollination is really important when it comes to the brand getting as many eyeballs as it possibly can. If you’re going to launch a commercial franchise, you want to be across as many platforms as you can. We will share rights if it’s already gone to a pay-TV or SVOD platform; we will come on as the second window and take the free-to-air rights. The issue there for us is that we get such limitations on digital rights. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to comply with five episodes only [on-demand] at any one time. If we want to increase our digital offering, we’re going to need to be brutal and reject content that we would love to have.

TV KIDS: What are the challenges in voicing animated characters compared to onscreen acting? BELL: It’s a bit of a paradox: Animated characters are infinitely easier and infinitely harder than on-screen characters. It’s easier because I get to go in my pajamas, and there’s no hubbub around the whole thing. There’s no hair and makeup. Eliminating the visual component reduces the strain immensely from my point of view. But the challenge is that I have one tool to tell the story with and engage the audience with: my voice. I have learned a lot of tricks, which have mainly been gut instincts, about the tone and pace of my voice, how I’m forming the vowels in my mouth versus how they sound, to try to engage the audience and tell the maximum amount of emotion with a sound.

TV KIDS: What have you learned about the importance of music education for young ones? BELL: Engagement with a show like this will help them learn music fundamentals because the show is talking about, under the guise of entertainment, music theory and vocabularies like beats, lyrics and tempo. It can help create an interest in music from an early age. The developmental benefits of music education don’t just inspire a love and appreciation for music; from a braindevelopment perspective, it gives them a head start on so many other things, including cooperation and sharing. Music can make you feel a certain way, so there’s social-emotional education.

TV KIDS: What are some of the underlying themes? BELL: Cultural exposure and learning from it. When you’re popping your bubble and not limiting your exposure, you have a greater sense of empathy and compassion for sharing Earth. From an emotional standpoint, from an intimate, interpersonal standpoint, music can affect the way you feel, and you can use it as a tool. It has the ability to change your feelings, exposing kids to the fact that there are tools out there to help them along the way.

Photo: Ricky Middlesworth