KID_1012_DEMAND_EUR_1006_ELLENDER 9/24/12 9:10 AM Page 8
Full speed ahead: The IPTV kids’ platform Toon Goggles has a content deal with Your Family Entertainment, bringing Heroes of the City, among other titles, to the service.
Hodge believes that Toon Goggles plugs a gap: “Platforms like Netflix and Hulu and Crackle speak to adults, but there isn’t an IPTV platform that speaks to kids. We’re hoping to fill that void.” He is also hoping to fill it before too many others have the same bright idea. “Statistics are beginning to show that TV viewing among kids has gone down but that online viewing is up,” he says. “Every network will have to adjust to that. I think, in the long run, on-demand is going to prove to be the dominant way of distributing content.” Hodge observes that the consumer-electronics industry is increasingly driving and shaping content creation and consumption, and points to the tablet as a genuine game-changer. But he also doubts whether children differentiate between linear and other devices: “They are growing up in times where they just expect everything to be available on everything. In their innocence, they don’t understand why their favorite TV show isn’t also available on their tablet or cell phone or PC.” A COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH
On balance, most children’s players are choosing to see the new platforms as an opportunity and are working hard to harness the synergies between on-air and on-demand to bolster viewing across platforms. Beecham, for example, says that Sprout’s new “strategic scheduling” provides children with a compelling reason to visit all its destinations, from linear through Sprout On Demand to SproutOnline.com. “As mobile devices, tablets and technology continue to develop, I believe that, for preschoolers, linear TV will remain dominant, with online and on-demand playing a complementary role, deepening the experience for our audience,” he adds. In the end, it all comes back to content, maintains Philippe Soutter, the president of the Paris-based distributor PGS Entertainment. “For me, this is more about new ways to consume product rather than a different product. It’s still about the same thing—quality content with strong values and a great track record.” In other words, the sort of gold-standard content in which PGS specializes. The company has built an impressive portfolio in just four years, representing such animation power players as Method, Marvel, Samka and Studio Hari. Its top titles include The Little Prince, now launching into its third season; The Jungle Bunch, set to debut as a longform series; and Marsupilami Hoobah Hoobah Hop! Soutter is refreshingly unruffled by the new digital order. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he says, “and for us, it’s not that much of an issue.We will continue to invest in the best possible content and supply it to the partners that suit it best, whether that’s linear, DVD or online.” His take-away point is equally robust: “I think it’s important not to have too high hopes or too low hopes. The new platforms are not the end of the world as we know it, and they’re not something magical, either. Good content will always make good money regardless of screen or platform—and bad content won’t.”