The amount of time young people spend online is always a good source of high numbers and strong sentiment. In this no-turning-back-the-clock environment, we asked kids programmers about, among other things, their streaming strategies, YouTube and monetisation.

Kids online viewing habits are always a rich source of high numbers, strong sentiment and, often, dire warnings. New stats are no different. For instance, the amount of time kids in the U.S. spend on online video has doubled in four years, according to U.S.-based research from Common Sense Media. The average young person between eight and 12 years old now spends just under five hours a day on on-screen entertainment. Teens average just under seven and a half hours a day, not including time spent for school or homework. In Singapore, a long-term study from 2011 to 2019 under the auspices of the National University Health System (NUHS) found that nearly 25% of toddlers aged between two and three spent more than four hours a day looking at screens. Like everywhere else, around Asia, the headlines come fast and frequent: “87% of children spend too much time on screens,” Indian daily India Today said in November, citing an international study. “Too much screen time tied to school problems even in little kids,” said Malaysia’s The Star in May. And on it goes...

While research flows and links made between screen-time and everything from first-time mothers to kiddie body fat deposits, the debate continues to rage on good, bad and recommended amounts of screen time for young people, as well as shape-shifting regulations and policies, fierce efforts to protect children’s privacy, an unclear monetisation environment, and predictions of financial catastrophe for kids content creators as a result of new requirements by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission designed to protect viewers under 12 years old.

Against this backdrop, we asked a range of kids programmers to talk about their streaming strategies: questions included if (and how) they’re incorporating YouTube’s ubiquity into their lives, times and businesses; whether or not they have YouTube-first approaches; how they’re trying to spread the risk of sudden policy changes in the streaming video environment; and what else they’re doing to make sure they are monetising young eyeballs wherever they are. Here’s some of that they said. The full interviews are online at www.contentasia.tv

Linsay Brown, Director, International Sales, Genius Brands International
“We understand that kids are on YouTube but for our overall business, it is necessary to have a combination of linear, VOD, as well as strong YouTube strategy. The IP we create always has a consumer products programme to support the content, and traditional television and VOD are still imperative for retailers. That said, we ensure that our properties have a presence on YouTube, which is why we create exclusive content for our dedicated brand channels to help drive awareness for both retailers and our broadcast partners – a win win.”

Solange Attwood, Executive Vice President, Blue Ant International
“The emergence of global SVODs has increased the number of buyers. That increase in buyers has further fueled a very vibrant and competitive content business. We always approach each series individually and pay tribute to editorial, demographics and where that audience lives.”

Sonia Fleck, Founder and CEO, Bomanbridge
“YouTube is a real cornerstone for children and parents’ easy programme access, and it is not to be ignored. But I do not always necessarily feel that long-form series need to be on YouTube. Thoughtfully created shoulder- and short-form content can just as easily give the extension visibility the brands need to get started. Depending on uptake, we then can decide where to go from there.”

Nuno I, Director of Sales, Asia Pacific, Allspark, Hasbro, Inc
“The simple answer is it depends on the show and the brand strategy. We create content for broadcast that can be used for YouTube and YouTube content that can stitched for broadcast purposes. For us, YouTube is always a part of our cross-platform omnichannel storytelling strategy and is an essential ingredient in our overall approach to launching shows on linear and digital platforms.”

Airin Zainul, Director of Digital Asset Management Unit, IP, Animation and Licensing & Merchandising, Media Prima (Malaysia)
“Our strategy for kids content includes a digital-first policy. Alif & Sofia, a pre-school animated short series launched in May this year, is a YouTube-first policy for us. For festive campaigns, an omnibus is created and a musical movie is in the pipeline for 2021. Ejen Ali was a game-based app back in 2016 before launching the series on TV3. To date we have 6.74 million downloads for the games.”

Marie-Laure Roche, Global Head of Sales, Jetpack Distribution
“While we do work with some shows that have been on YouTube first, we generally see this as a secondary platform for exploiting the series after its been on linear TV and SVOD.”

Syahrizan Mansor, Vice President, Nickelodeon Brand, Asia, Viacom International Media Networks
“Currently, our YouTube strategy is focused on using the platform as a consumption and marketing tool vs long-form distribution platforms. For example, we premiered the first episode of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on YouTube to create buzz around the show, but ultimately drive viewers to catch the subsequent episodes on our linear channel. We also need to protect the interests of our affiliate/streaming partners, so we don’t premiere everything on YouTube. The YouTube-first strategy is something that we are exploring in order to build reach, which is what advertisers are looking for. There are still questions around YouTube but we hope it will deliver a service that is a safer place for our kids shows to be made available.”

Federico Vargas, VP, Distribution, 9 Story Media Group
“When it comes to YouTube, we tend to customise our approach depending on the property and the platforms. Often, broadcasters are now turning to YouTube first to help build an audience for series premieres. We saw this with PBS Kids for Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum as well as with Nickelodeon for Top Wing. For us, it is important to make connections with kids wherever they are watching.”

Do you think it will become easier to monetise kids content in 2020?

“We were very successful in 2019 monetising our kids content, but we carry a powerhouse of tried and proven brands, from Oddbods to Care Bears as well as our Japanese anime Inazuma Eleven and Yokai Watch. It’s not clear what will happen in 2020, as YouTube is changing its monetisation policy and I know this will hurt many IP owners. Broadcasters also became more comfortable with sharing those windows with YouTube as the revenues ultimately helped the franchise production budgets. There will be again a chaotic truth and tell on where funding will come from for these brands moving forward.”
Sonia Fleck, Founder and CEO, Bomanbridge

“The kids business has continued to grow for us year over year, whether it is our edutainment fare or co-viewing family-friendly series. It’s tough to accurately predict the future, but we continue to see growth across our kids and family offering.”
Solange Attwood, Executive Vice President, Blue Ant International

“2019 provided more exciting opportunities to be more strategic because there are more VOD players in the Asian marketplace now. In 2020, with so many new streaming platforms launching (Disney +, HBO Max), there is an increased demand for high-end kid’s content, and we see this as an opportunity to diversify our partnerships.”
Linsay Brown, Director, International Sales, Genius Brands International

“Monetising kids content globally and specifically in Asia has always come with its difficulties and challenges, and 2019 has been no exception. Again, as media consumption habits change so does the monetisation of kids content. Our strategy is to focus on more creative approaches to finding new homes and slots for our content. In 2020, as the market continues to re-align with the new streaming era, there will be more and more stable slots and niche-focused platforms for kids’ content. However, this space has always come with challenges and monetising kids’ content will require fresh, creative approaches.”
Federico Vargas, Vice President, Distribution, 9 Story Media Group

“Our shows are well known worldwide, and because of this, platforms and broadcasters have been somewhat dependent on us helping them drive viewers and awareness to their platforms or channel – so our strategy in monetising our shows has not changed. And yes, I do think it will become easier to monetise kids content in 2020.”
Nuno I, Director of Sales, Asia Pacific, Allspark / Hasbro Inc

“If anything, monetising kids content in Asia was easier in 2019 as there were more players in the market. In 2020, we hope it will become even easier. Especially if international broadcasters continue to acquire locally... The big players are buying for local audiences which is great. The threat would be if the global market becomes homogenous.”
Marie-Laure Roche, Global Head of Sales, Jetpack Distribution

“With less foreign content in China, platforms have become more selective, as they are unable to acquire as much volume as before. In the rest of the region, we hope to conclude more VOD deals, especially in India, with the launch of more VOD platforms. We need to be flexible, ensuring our deals maximise revenue and exposure while ensuring we remain sensitive to different windowing requirements.”
Julien Farcat, Sales Manager, Cake

Published in ContentAsia's Issue Seven 2019, 4 December 2019