Like everywhere, kids content consumption online has soared. That doesn’t mean programmers are buying less. Or that free-TV consumption in every market is equally impacted. Malena Amzah spoke to kids specialists from across platforms & around the region about their habits and activities.

 

Our conversation with kids programming distributors is at https://www.contentasia.tv/features/set-sale-conversation-kids-rights-distributors

 

Kids content consumption in Asia continues to grow online/on-demand...and linear lives on, stronger in some markets than others but alive and viable alongside ramped up digital offerings. That’s the strong message from programmers across Asia in the run up to this year’s Mip Junior (15/16 Oct).

“FAST is showing that linear is far from dead,” says Fabien Lotz, COO of digital brand, Pops Worldwide.

The sentiment is echoed across the region.

“I don’t think Japanese kids have moved completely away from broadcast. Yet, I agree that more and more children turn to PC, tablets and smartphones to watch NHK content,” says Takako Hayashi, senior producer at Japanese public broadcaster NHK’s Content Value Development Center. NHK caters to more diverse viewing habits by updating services such as VOD “while continuing to programme to best suit viewers’ daily activities,” she says.

In Malaysia, Media Prima Television Networks, which operates the country’s biggest free-TV networks as well as online service tonton, also doesn’t believe broadcast has become irrelevant to young audiences.

CEO Khairul Anwar Salleh strongly disagrees with blanket statements about kids having abandoned anything that’s not streamed/online. “Of course there has been an opportunity for streaming services to capitalise on kids content, understanding that children can be very influential. Having said that, kids still watch broadcast as the numbers are still high. TV will always be a safe bet because parents know everything is curated and it’s going to be family friendly and safe,” he says.

In Singapore, where Mediacorp has followed a multi-platform agenda for years, “broadcast TV continues to reach a sizeable audience, and as such, remains for us an important channel for engaging our young viewers,” says Barry Toa, the national network’s assistant lead, strategic partnerships.

At the same time, Mediacorp has significantly ramped up kids content on streaming platform meWatch and on the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel, following the shift in content consumption from broadcast to online/VOD, especially among kids aged 7-12, Toa says.

Mediacorp’s acquisitions strategy is shaped by Singapore’s four official languages – English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil – rather than by geography. “We are open to sourcing content from around the world, as long as it resonates with our audiences,” Toa says.

Mediacorp also has a keen eye on investment in original content, such as animated series Lil Wild, Leo The Wildlife Ranger and The Deep, targetting 4-12 year olds. Live action, such as sci-fi comedy drama series What on Earth, is another key genre within the commissioning mix, along with experimenting with durations and formats for online audience. Toa points to non-dialogue comedy animation, The Misadventures of Cubemelt (2021), with each episode slightly under three minutes long, for meWatch and YouTube.

Like Mediacorp, regional programmer Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) focuses on fans and ecosystems rather than delivery platforms.

“This ecosystem spans the entire portfolio, including both linear pay-TV channels and direct-to-consumer services,” says Christopher Ho, WBD’s head of kids in Southeast Asia & Korea. In Southeast Asia, YouTube is also part of the mix, with kids destinations such as DC and Cartoon Network, as well as consumer products.

No one is admitting to cutting kids content acquisitions, but they’re not ramping up in a significant way either. At best, acquisition volumes are level with the previous two years across online, streaming and broadcast.

The obvious exceptions are newcomers, including new blocks from familiar brands, and distributors eyeing an opportunity for educational content in an environment no longer constrained by linear broadcast schedules.

There’s more slot availability and a rising appetite for educational content, says Mariani Abdullah, head of acquisitions for DM Don Square Entertainment, based in Brunei.

For the first time in Asia, Cartoon Network – through its new Cartoonito programming block – is on the hunt for pre-school content. “While original content like Batwheels and Bugs Bunny Builders are pillars of the schedule, we’re looking to complement these titles with pre-school show acquisitions regionally in Asia Pacific, in addition to other kids and family content,” Ho says. About 40% of WBD’s kids acquisitions come from Asia.

Kids content for the entire age group, from pre-school to tweens, is a key pillar for streaming newcomer, Qalbox, which launched commercial services inside the global Muslim Pro app this month. “We are ramping up our efforts to acquire kids content”, with priority given to animation and puppetry, says operations head, Junaidah Khan.

Children’s programming is more than an expected component of Qalbox’s Muslim-focused general entertainment promise, which is “to celebrate Muslim identities and cultures” and aims to deliver “a comprehensive, curated, and diverse scope of genres for the global Muslim community”.

“Many Muslims believe that family life is the foundation of human society, providing a healthy and nurturing environment for growing children,” Khan says. “Through children’s programming, parents/families are able to pass on, develop and reinforce human virtues such as love, kindness, mercy and compassion. This is why expanding partnerships in the acquisitions and production community of the children’s genre is crucial”.

So far, a significant portion of Qalbox’s children’s content originates from Asia, including Malaysia, Pakistan and the UAE. Khan is, however, looking everywhere for all content, including kids. Titles acquired so far include Men Around the Prophet, Oriental Scholars and Lantern’s Tales. “Editorially, it’s important that the characters and stories are relatable to and reflect the values of the Muslim community,” Khan says.

Mobile platform Pop TV, promising a relaunch, is also buying more, particularly non-dialogue, says director Ben Heng.

The biggest difference in acquisitions in Asia is, perhaps, the expansion of rights requirements. “Like all content deals, the demand for securing all rights for kids content – linear and streaming – for regional or global exclusively continues to increase,” WBD’s Ho says.

Malaysia’s two major platforms – Astro and Media Prima, the home of Malaysian superhero, Ejen Ali – are maintaining acquisitions levels.

Media Prima caters for 4-12 year olds within daytime/early evening slots, focusing on local animation and non-dialogue/non-verbal cartoons as these have “measurable cognitive benefits for kids development and growth, says Media Prima’s Salleh. About 80% of Media Prima’s kids acquisitions are local. The other 20% comes from Indonesia, Korea and France.

Astro also moves into 2023 with similar acquisitions levels than in the previous couple of years, and with an eye out for anything new and fresh from Asia or elsewhere . “Kids content has been a key differentiator for Astro in Malaysia covering both local vernacular and international kids content/IPs, and we will continue to build on this proposition for our customers,” says Sharmin Parameswaran VP, VOD/PPV and international.

Japan’s NHK also moves into 2023 with similar levels of acquisitions as the past two years, with a keen awareness on delivering diversity from around the world. “We are looking for content that let Japanese children learn about the diverse cultures and values of the world,” says Hayashi. NHK’s acquisitions are split evenly between Asia, Oceania, South America, Middle East and Africa, with the other half from Europe/North America.

Like programmers in Malaysia and Japan, Singapore is also keeping acquisitions similar with the past few years. “However, there is a shift towards more VOD content, in line with the preferred platform and consumption patterns among kids,” Mediacorp’s Toa says.

AVOD monetisation challenges have driven down kids content acquisitions in some quarters.

Pops Worldwide’s Fabien Lotz says monetisation of kids content on AVOD platforms such as YouTube was struggling anyway, and was further dented in August this year with the guidelines’ update on users between 13 and 18 years old.

Lotz says he’s always looking for edutainment programming. About 50% of Pops Kids content comes from Asia, primarily Japan, including Doraemon.

For all the other changes, kids programmers are as staunch as they ever were on safety. As Lotz says: “As a popular kids channel in Asia Pacific and the top kids brand in Vietnam, Pops Kids is “committed to building a safe environment for our children.”

A version of this feature appeared in ContentAsia's October 2022 magazine for Mip Junior/Mipcom