Oct 12, 2012

Digital Dominance

Buyers and producers were tripping over themselves in Cannes to announce their digital plans, now that digital innovation has been shown to have clear implications for the children’s business. Nico Franks reports. MipJunior, the mini-market dedicated to children’s content that precedes Mipcom, may not be able to compete with the latter for sheer frenzied activity, but it offers a snapshot of where the industry is and where it’s heading. Despite the rising popularity of live-action in kids’ TV, animation remains the name of the game. According to Barbara Uecker, head of children’s programming and acquisitions at ABC in Australia, the market had “more of an optimistic atmosphere” than in previous year’s. Most content screened by buyers during MipJunior was animated, with a preview of MarVista Entertainment, Saban Brands and Brain Power Studio’s Julius Jr (52x11′) the most watched episode over the two days. FremantleMedia Enterprises’ live-action series Alien Dawn (26x30′), being produced for Nickelodeon, was the second most popular, while preschooler Boy & the Dinosaur (52x11′), from US prodco Foothill Entertainment, completed the top three. With comedy seemingly high on buyers’ agendas again, it was fitting that Cartoon Network execs were out in force to celebrate 20 years since the kidscaster began airing. However, this remained an “anxious time” for some working at Turner Broadcasting System’s (TBS) EMEA arm, according to its chief content office Michael Carrington. “We may be 20, but we really haven’t grown up,” Stuart Snyder, president and chief operating officer of animation, young adults and kids’ media at TBS, said in his Media Mastermind keynote on Saturday, as he outlinedplans to experiment with more content online in the future. “I don’t think everything has to be created as a television show first. Things can be developed as shorts, as games or as apps. It’s about the best way of launching new characters,” Snyder said. His collegue, VP of Cartoon Network Digital Chris Waldron, agreed. “We’re continuing to make new games. We’re obviously looking to all the different platforms that are available out there. Wherever a kid is, we want to make sure we have content out there for them,” he said. Meanwhile, CBeebies animation and acquisitions executive Jackie Edwardssaid the network, which has a target demographic of six and under, needs to be “smarter” about “developing projects from a multi-platform point of view” and “thinking from day one how to do that.”