Within the industry the term "distribution" has evolved. Kate opens by sharing how WildBrain has pioneered its own Network, driven by TV viewing insights. The company has quietly become one of the dominant operators in kids' FAST channels and on YouTube, holding over 50% of all kids and family channels across major FAST platforms in the US and operating 800 YouTube channels.

We explore how YouTube and FAST serve different but complementary functions — YouTube as a discovery engine, FAST as a destination for fans who already know what they want — and why legacy IP with multigenerational appeal continues to drive the strongest long-form viewing numbers.

1. https://bit.ly/WBMSCapabilities

Episode Summary:

A short bonus episode with Andy and Emily Horgan, recorded to react to a significant announcement from Netflix that landed while Emily was on holiday — which she notes felt like being deliberately trolled. Netflix has launched the Netflix Playground app, a dedicated gaming environment aimed at preschoolers and young children, and Emily has thoughts.

The context matters here. Emily and her team published a Netflix gaming report back in December, identifying two structural problems with how Netflix games worked: first, users had to download games as separate apps and log in via their Netflix account rather than accessing them seamlessly within the platform; and second, kids games weren't available within kids profiles, creating an awkward tension between safety and discoverability. Shortly after publishing, the Netflix gaming team reached out to acknowledge the issues — and Playground is, in effect, their response.

The app is pitched at eight and under, though Emily reads it as skewing younger still. It's ad-free with no in-app purchases, and the integration with Netflix accounts is noticeably more seamless than what came before. The content mix is interesting: alongside expected IP like Peppa Pig and Sesame Street, there are a handful of Dr. Seuss titles, StoryBots (which Netflix owns outright), and — the pick that catches Emily's attention most — Bad Dinosaurs. She reads that inclusion as a signal that Netflix is thinking about underleveraged IP: shows that proved sticky and connected with audiences but were left as one-and-done, with all that demonstrated audience value sitting idle. The same announcement also included a renewal for Trash Truck, a soft preschool show with no new content since 2021 that has nonetheless been quietly hanging around in the Netflix data — the kind of quiet buoyancy, Emily argues, that deserves attention.

The bigger question the episode circles is whether Netflix Playground could become a genuine walled-garden alternative to YouTube Kids. Emily's instinct when she first saw the announcement was that this could be exactly that — a fully curated, safe digital environment for young children. At launch it's games only, with no video streaming, and the games themselves lean gentle: jigsaws, colouring, slow-paced play. Emily is genuinely on the fence about whether combining video and games in a single environment would be a good thing for that age group, and notes that parents she's spoken to tend to want a clear distinction between screen-time modes. But the underlying observation stands: YouTube Kids, for all its reach, is algorithmically curated and carries a lot of content that isn't exactly nutritious. If Netflix were to go further with Playground, there's a real gap it could fill.

The app launched in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand — but not Ireland, which Emily takes as a personal slight.

Key Takeaways:

1. Netflix Playground is a dedicated kids gaming app aimed at eight and under, ad-free and with no in-app purchases — a direct response to the discovery and safety problems Emily's team had identified and published in their Netflix gaming report.
2. The login and access experience is significantly more seamless than Netflix's previous gaming setup, which required separate app downloads and created friction for both parents and kids.
3. The IP selection is telling — Bad Dinosaurs and Trash Truck both signal that Netflix is paying attention to underleveraged content with proven audience buoyancy, rather than defaulting only to its biggest franchises.
4. Quiet persistence in viewing data is worth watching — Trash Truck has had no new content since 2021 yet continues to hang around in Netflix engagement numbers. Emily argues that this kind of staying power without activation is a meaningful signal.
5. The walled-garden question is the big one — Netflix Playground has the potential to position itself as a curated, safe alternative to YouTube Kids, but at launch it's games only, and whether video content follows remains to be seen.
6. Netflix's gaming momentum is deliberate and sustained — this isn't a one-off launch left to find its own level. The Playground app is the latest in a series of iterative moves that suggest gaming is a genuine strategic priority, not an experiment.
7. YouTube Kids has a quality problem that a well-executed Netflix alternative could exploit — algorithmic curation means content of variable quality gets through, and parents of young children are an audience actively looking for something more controlled and curated.

Jo is away in Lisbon for this episode, leaving Andy and Emily Horgan to kick things off with a discussion about a timely YouTube Culture and Trends report — Animation's New Wave: How Independent Online Animators Are Reshaping the Entertainment Industry — before bringing in a guest who feels almost like the report's cover star: indie animator and creator Emily Brundige of Strawberry Vampire.

The episode opens with Andy and Emily Horgan picking apart the YouTube report, which surveyed 614 animation fans aged 14 to 24 and found that the majority prefer watching indie animated series on YouTube over major studio output, and that over half watch animation content in languages other than their own. Emily Horgan is candid about the report's limitations — the sample size is modest, and the framing is clearly designed to serve YouTube's own commercial interests — but argues that the very fact YouTube has invested in packaging and publishing this data is itself meaningful. It signals that independent animation on the platform is something YouTube is actively trying to cultivate, not just observe. The Amazing Digital Circus is cited as the headline proof of concept.

The discussion quickly turns to two creators who are living the indie animation reality right now. Tiny Chef — the beloved stop-motion show that started as an indie project, got picked up by Nickelodeon, and was then cancelled in the fallout from the Paramount/Skydance gridlock — is highlighted as an instructive case study in building an ecosystem around a show. The viral cancellation clip that made it onto Good Morning America was the moment, but what mattered as much as the moment was the infrastructure already in place: the Instagram following, the merch website, the email list, the Fwiend Club membership community. Brand partnerships with Greggs and IKEA have since followed — a smart alignment of the chef IP with food and home brands — though Emily Horgan raises the very real challenge of knowing how to value those deals when you have no background in commercial negotiations and your back is against the wall.

The second half of the episode brings in Emily Brundige directly, joining from Little Toughy Studio for a check-in on Strawberry Vampire. When the pilot animatic launched last Halloween on a channel with just 2,000 subscribers, it got 60,000 views in 48 hours and has since passed 200,000. A passionate fandom has formed around a show that, at this point, consists of an animatic and a handful of shorts. Now, with a second Kickstarter running — this time with a larger goal so she can actually pay her collaborators properly — she's at 79% funded with six days to go. She describes the campaign as a tight basketball match she's still watching closely, but the response has already validated the core question she was testing: whether fans who love the IP would put their hand in their pocket to make more of it.

Emily Brundige is refreshingly open about the reality of being a one-person studio and one-person marketing operation simultaneously. The Substack she launched after her first appearance on the podcast now has over 1,000 readers, feeding back into her YouTube channel and building genuine two-way momentum. The Kickstarter rewards are thoughtfully designed — plushie keychains, pins, stickers, custom painted resin figures by animation industry heavyweights including Penn Ward, Patrick McHale, Lauren Faust, and Jorge Gutierrez — and she's offered ten backers the chance to appear as background characters in the animatic, a clever fandom participation play. The episode ends with Andy and Emily Horgan pledging $150 to get the Kids Media Club podcast a thank you in the credits.

Running through the whole conversation is a broader point about what quality means in independent animation. Both Emilys and Andy observe that audiences — particularly the 14-to-24 demographic YouTube is courting — are perfectly happy watching animatics if the characters and story resonate. The definition of production quality is shifting, and authenticity and community are increasingly the things that build lasting audiences, not polish.

Support Emily Brundige's Strawberry Vampire Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strawberryvampire/strawberry-vampire-help-us-make-the-next-episode

Key Takeaways:

1. YouTube's indie animation report is as much a strategic signal as a data release — the platform is actively trying to cultivate independent animation as a category, and the report is a way of giving that ecosystem legitimacy and visibility.
2. The 14-to-24 demographic is driving indie animation — YouTube's data points to this age group as the primary audience, and notably the report focuses entirely on them rather than the under-13s. The kids designation remains commercially and regulatorily thorny for creators on the platform.
3. Tiny Chef's story shows that infrastructure matters as much as the viral moment — the cancellation clip went massively viral, but the email list, merch site, and community membership already in place meant they could convert that attention into sustainable support.
4. Brand partnerships are a viable revenue lever for indie creators, but knowing how to value them without commercial experience is a real challenge that the industry hasn't yet solved for independent producers.
5. Crowdfunding works best when the audience is built before the campaign launches — Emily Brundige's advice is to start collecting emails well in advance of a Kickstarter, giving fans notice and building a list of people who have already signalled they'll support the project.
6. Building in public creates authenticity and fandom — sharing the process of making a show from the animatic stage outward turns production transparency into a community-building tool, and audiences respond to that inclusion.
7. Quality is being redefined by independent animation — audiences who love a show's characters and story will watch animatics, shorts, and work-in-progress content. Full production polish is no longer a prerequisite for building a devoted following.
8. Creative freedom is one of indie animation's most underrated advantages — Emily Brundige contrasts over a decade in traditional studios, where creators have no say over merch or IP decisions, with the indie model where she can commission a comic, make merch decisions, and shape the universe entirely on her own terms.
9. The ecosystem around an IP matters as much as the IP itself — Substack, YouTube, email lists, Kickstarter, merch, and brand partnerships are all parts of the same machine, and indie creators who build across all of them have multiple ways to sustain their work.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. kidsmediaclubpodcast.com

Gavin opens by telling the story of the Irish Fairy Door Company — half a million units sold at twenty pounds each in Ireland, a business that worked brilliantly at home but struggled to translate internationally because the Irishness was too specific and the product too niche. The lesson he took from it was the need to design for a global audience from the outset. Since then, Innov8 Creative Academy has built a reputation as a rapid trend-identification and commercialisation machine — the Six7 plush is cited as an example of a product that went from a six-hour design turnaround to hundreds of thousands of units sold in a matter of weeks. The model is built on firing small bullets: get to market fast and cheaply, test sell-through, and only scale what lands.

Deddy Bears emerged from a 36-hour design sprint for a Walmart Canada Halloween brief. The buyer initially chose a different product, but when that proved too complex to execute, Deddy Bears got the slot by default — and promptly achieved 86% sell-through in its first season, opening doors to major retailers across 50 countries. The bears come in coffins with death certificates, each character has a backstory ranging from ancient Egypt to the modern day, and the whole thing sits in that now-familiar cultural territory occupied by Wednesday Addams, Stranger Things, and Five Nights at Freddy's: once-alternative content that has been thoroughly normalised for family audiences and is, as Gavin puts it bluntly, extracting cash from people's pockets.

The conversation that forms the heart of the episode is about what happens when these two worlds — fast-cycle toy invention and long-form IP development — collide. Chris describes arriving into a brand that already had a fandom and realising his first job was simply to listen: to go to New York Toy Fair, watch the fans and influencers, understand who was actually buying the bears and why, before writing a single word. What he found surprised him — a remarkably wide demographic ranging from children collecting blind bags to 20-something women forming deep emotional attachments to the characters, caring about packaging, wanting to know the lore. The Giphy page Gavin's wife Aoife created as a half-joke hit 10 million shares within weeks of launch, including a front-page feature on April Fool's Day, and neither Gavin nor Chris fully saw it coming.

There's a genuinely interesting structural argument running through the episode about the relationship between content and IP. Chris's view — shaped by coming into a brand that already had proven market demand — is that content doesn't always have to carry all the weight; sometimes it exists to support IP rather than create it. Gavin's perspective is that the toy market has always needed to fire small bullets and test quickly, and that traditional media could learn from this rather than committing millions upfront in the hope that an audience materialises. Both agree that character, not plot, is the fundamental unit of connection — plot matters the first time, but audiences return to hang out with characters they love.

The episode ends with a look at what's next: the YouTube series launches this summer, studio conversations for the feature film are underway in LA, and Gavin makes the point that the priority now isn't a money grab — the IP is already selling — but finding the right partners who respect and bring along the fandom that already exists.

Key Takeaways:

• Irish Fairy Door Company's international struggles taught Gavin a key lesson: a product built on cultural specificity needs to offer something universally resonant underneath, and Irishness alone isn't enough to drive global commercial scale.
• Rapid trend identification and small-bullet commercialisation is a replicable model: Innov8 Creative Academy's approach — spot a trend early, design fast, test at retail, scale only what sells — offers a very different risk profile to traditional IP development.
• Deddy Bears succeeded almost by accident, getting its Walmart listing by default when a more complex design proved undeliverable, but the 86% sell-through in season one validated the concept and opened up major global retail partnerships.
• The "creepy-cute" category is now mainstream, not alternative — Stranger Things, Wednesday Addams, and Five Nights at Freddy's have normalised it for family audiences, and there is clear commercial appetite that the kids media industry hasn't fully caught up with yet.
• Content doesn't always have to come first — Chris's argument is that in IP terms, content should sometimes support and amplify an existing fandom rather than being the thing that creates it. The audience for Deddy Bears existed before a single frame of animation was made.
• Character is the fundamental unit of connection, not plot. Audiences return to hang out with characters they love; plot is only new once. Both Gavin and Chris build from this principle outward.
• Listening to fandom before creating content is essential — Chris spent months observing the Deddy Bears audience before writing anything, recognising that those fans were there before him and that the content has to bring them along, not override them.
• Existing fandom is a golden ticket and a responsibility — the Deddy Bears Giphy page hitting 10 million shares weeks after launch (including front-page on April Fool's Day) is proof of concept, and both Gavin and Chris are focused on choosing partners who understand and respect the community that's already there.
• Traditional media has something to learn from the toy inventor's model — as producers take on more financial risk in a world with fewer broadcast partners willing to fund development, the ability to test cheaply, fail fast, and scale only proven concepts becomes increasingly relevant.
• The consumers want to hang out with their characters — Gavin's insight, crystallised by working with Chris, is that the emotional hook of a toy and the emotional hook of a TV character are essentially the same thing, and the two industries are more aligned than either has historically recognised.

Links referenced in this episode:

• InnovateCreativeAcademy
• TeddyBears
• DeaddyBears
• IrishFairyDoorCompany

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Innovate Creative Academy
• Teddy Bears
• Deaddy Bears
• Irish Fairy Door Company
• Kardashians
• Jam Media
• Stranger Things
• Disney
• Pokémon
• Five Nights at Freddy's
• Wednesday Addams
• Walmart
• Target
• Smiths
• 5 Below
• Amazon

The BBC discussion centres on what the hiring of Matt Britton — who comes from a background in big tech and spent a significant stretch at Google — signals about the direction of travel for the corporation. Andy and Jo read it as a confirmation of the shift from a channel-first to a platform-first BBC, a move already evidenced by the recently announced partnership with YouTube, under which BBC Children's is launching seven new channels to reach younger, social-video-first audiences. The appointment of someone steeped in data, global distribution, and commercial scale feels deliberate. The hope is that Britton brings a more aggressive commercial mindset to BBC Studios — the revenue-generating arm that has historically played second fiddle to the UK public service operation — and that the BBC uses its considerable global brand equity before it erodes further. In an era of AI-generated content proliferation, trusted, quality brands matter more than ever, and the BBC's international reputation is still a real asset, particularly in the kids space.

The Danny Go segment is full of enthusiasm. The YouTube-native kids show — music-led, high energy, and genuinely well-produced in a way Jo compares to the Wiggles — has just been picked up by Netflix, and Andy argues it could give Ms. Rachel a run for her money once it lands on the platform. The broader point the conversation develops is about the YouTube-to-Netflix pipeline and what it now represents. YouTube functions as an incubation layer — a place where creators build audiences, make their mistakes, and prove their concept — before Netflix swoops in once the risk has been de-risked. Crucially, the exclusivity model that Netflix once insisted on seems to have softened: like Ms. Rachel, Danny Go is expected to remain on YouTube alongside its Netflix presence. Andy frames the Netflix pickup as something like peer review, or the moment an online-only brand gets stocked in a major department store — it confers credibility and marks a kind of graduation. The caveat is that Danny Go has been building since 2019, which leads to a broader point about fandom: you simply cannot speed run it. The Savannah Bananas are cited alongside Baller League as parallel examples of IPs that have taken seven or eight years of patient building before distribution deals and mainstream attention arrived.

The episode closes on a note of measured optimism about original IP. Hoppers for Pixar and Disney and Project Hail Mary both get name-checked as encouraging signs that audiences haven't entirely given up on new ideas — that the franchise-only approach, while understandable from a risk management perspective, isn't the only game in town. The hope is that commissioning budgets eventually follow the same signal.

Key Takeaways:

1. The BBC's appointment of a Director General from a big tech background signals a deliberate shift towards a platform-first, data-literate, globally-minded BBC — one that is more willing to treat distribution partnerships with the likes of YouTube as opportunity rather than threat.
2. BBC Studios and the BBC's global brand equity should be leveraged now, before that value erodes — the trust premium on quality, branded content is growing in an era of AI-generated content proliferation, and the BBC is well placed to capitalise on it internationally.
3. YouTube is functioning as Netflix's R&D department for kids content — Netflix is letting creators build and prove their audiences on YouTube, then acquiring those that break through, rather than taking the development risk itself.
4. The exclusivity model appears to have changed — both Ms. Rachel and Danny Go suggest Netflix is now comfortable with creators maintaining their YouTube presence alongside a Netflix deal, recognising that the audience was built there and can't simply be relocated.
5. A Netflix pickup now carries a credibility signal — landing on Netflix after building on YouTube functions like moving from a direct-to-consumer website into a major bricks-and-mortar retailer, conferring legitimacy and reach.
6. You cannot speed run fandom — Danny Go has been building since 2019, the Savannah Bananas since 2019, Baller League for over two years. The IPs that are now doing distribution deals have typically been at it for seven or eight years. Patient, consistent building is the pattern, not overnight success.
7. Original IP is showing signs of life at the box office — Project Hail Mary's strong hold into its second weekend, alongside Hoppers and K Pop Demon Hunters, suggests audience appetite for new stories hasn't been extinguished by the franchise era, even if the studio system hasn't fully caught up with that yet.
8. Commissioning investment into quality kids content remains under pressure, and the concern is that the YouTube-to-Netflix pipeline, while exciting, doesn't fully substitute for a healthy commissioning ecosystem that takes risks on original ideas from the outset.

The trio don't dress it up. Kids Screen Summit has been, as the official announcement itself acknowledges, the heartbeat of the international kids content community for 30 years — the event that defined careers, brokered relationships, and gave the industry its annual gathering point. Its loss, coming alongside World Screen's closure, feels like more than a coincidence of bad timing.

The conversation quickly moves to the why. Andy notes that the most recent Kids Screen Summit was noticeably down on attendance, raising real questions about whether the numbers could ever add up again. Jo and Emily point to the structural shifts underneath: the kids media industry is under sustained pressure across funding, distribution, and monetisation, and the traditional event model — built around large corporate delegations from major broadcasters like Disney who could absorb the cost of sending whole departments — no longer reflects the reality of who is actually in the room. With fewer buyers, a more fragmented landscape, and individual attendees increasingly having to justify the expense themselves, the value proposition has fundamentally changed.

There's a broader point made about what these events were actually for, and whether that purpose still exists. Andy frames it neatly: these conferences were built around the gravitational pull of the big broadcasters, and when that gravitational force weakens, everything orbiting around it drifts. Emily raises the comparison with World Screen's TV Kids online summits, which have continued to attract strong speakers without requiring anyone to get on a plane — a model that perhaps points to where things are heading.

The episode ends on a note that's equal parts rueful and forward-looking, with Jo floating the idea that the Kids Media Club itself might have a role to play in filling some of the vacuum being left behind.

Key Takeaways:

1. Kids Screen Summit will not return in 2027, with Brunico Communications discontinuing its full US events portfolio — a significant moment for an event that has been central to the kids content industry for three decades.
2. World Screen and TV Kids have also ceased publishing, meaning the industry has lost two major institutional pillars in a single day.
3. Declining attendance was already a warning sign — the most recent Kids Screen was visibly down on numbers, raising questions about sustainability that have now been answered.
4. The traditional event model was built for a different industry — when major broadcasters could fund large corporate delegations, the economics worked. With fewer buyers and more individual attendees justifying costs themselves, the model has become increasingly difficult to sustain.
5. This is symptomatic of deeper industry-wide pressure — the loss of these events reflects the same structural stresses around funding, distribution, and monetisation that have been reshaping kids media more broadly.
6. The gravitational pull of the big broadcasters is weakening — and the conferences, markets, and publications that were built around that pull are feeling it acutely.
7. Online events may point to a more viable model — the TV Kids online summits are cited as an example of strong programming delivered without the barrier of travel costs and logistics.
8. A vacuum is forming, and the question of what — or who — fills it is now very much open.

Maurice sets the scene by explaining what makes Animation Dingle distinct from the industry's typical market-driven events. Now approaching its 15th year, the festival deliberately caps attendance at 750 and keeps its split exactly 50/50 between students and professionals — a structural choice that keeps the focus squarely on education and mentorship rather than deal-making. Maurice talks through several initiatives designed to lower the intimidation barrier for students, including the "Pitch and a Pint" session where students pitch directly to executives from broadcasters and streamers, a new confessional-style format for sharing ideas too wild or half-formed for a public pitch, and a "Tell Your Untold Story" stage coaching session. A theme Maurice returns to is the two-way nature of the inspiration: professionals arrive to give, and consistently leave having received something themselves from the energy and enthusiasm in the room.

Karey Kirkpatrick brings a sharp perspective on the state of the industry, drawing on a long career that includes work with Aardman and multiple original features. The central argument she makes is that the entertainment industry has become so risk-averse — particularly as studios answer to shareholders rather than creative leads — that the idea of a "sure thing" has taken over, even though it doesn't really exist. She uses K Pop Demon Hunters as a case study in how a genuinely original, unconventional idea can catch fire when it's given the right platform and timing, but notes that the same idea would likely have been passed over repeatedly in a pitch room. The conversation turns to what this means for emerging creators, and Karey's advice is clear and practical: don't wait to be discovered through a pitch, make things. Streamers in particular, she argues, are increasingly behaving like distribution platforms rather than development partners — meaning the work needs to demonstrate proof of concept before it reaches them, not after. Her summary advice to students is to build the craft fundamentals so that when a door opens, they can handle the pressure that comes with it.

The episode closes with Ailbhe Fearon and Muireann Mulvihill, whose Irish-language short Anam — meaning "soul" — won seven awards at the festival, including the overall Student Animation Award. The film, about an old man and a young boy on the Aran Island of Inis Oírr, grew out of a two-week research residency on the island and draws on the philosophy of John O'Donohue and the concept of the inner child. Their commitment to making the film in Irish — not translating an English script but constructing it in the language from the ground up, down to getting the specific Inis Oírr dialect right — gives the conversation a quietly profound dimension. They also share the story of reaching out to musician Brian McGlynn (of New Vagabond) after listening to his album on repeat throughout their residency, and his score going on to win its own award at the festival. Both are newly graduated and keen to stay in the Irish animation space.

Key Takeaways:

1. Animation Dingle is deliberately not a market — the 50/50 student-to-professional split and the cap of 750 attendees are design choices that protect the festival's educational culture and make it distinct from every other industry gathering.
2. Lowering the stakes unlocks participation — the confessional-style pitch format and the "Tell Your Untold Story" session are thoughtful responses to listening to what students actually need, recognising that not everyone thrives in a high-pressure public pitch environment.
3. Inspiration runs both ways — professionals who come to give frequently report leaving re-energised by students' creativity and enthusiasm, something Maurice says has become one of the festival's unexpected gifts.
4. There is no such thing as a sure thing in entertainment — Karey Kirkpatrick's core argument is that the attempt to science-ify creative risk is both futile and damaging, and that some of the industry's biggest successes (K Pop Demon Hunters, Anora) would have struggled to get made under current risk frameworks.
5. Fear is driving creative conservatism at the executive level — the pressure of reporting to shareholders rather than creative stakeholders means executives default to "defensible" choices over bold ones, which is hurting original IP across the board.
6. Streamers are becoming distributors, not developers — Karey's observation that streamers want work that's already beyond the idea phase, already executed with some competence, has significant implications for how emerging creators should be thinking about building their careers.
7. For students entering the industry: make things, build FOMO — the practical advice from Karey is to create a body of work that generates a sense of momentum and demand, rather than waiting for a pitch to land. Proof of engagement is now more valuable than a great pitch alone.
8. The Irish language is a storytelling asset, not just a box to tick — Ailbhe Fearon and Mulreann's insistence on making Anam in Irish rather than dubbing it, and their careful attention to Inis Oírr dialect, is held up as an example of authenticity that audiences and judges responded to strongly.
9. Animation in Ireland is in a strong moment — the quality of student work on show at Animation Dingle, and the international talent it attracts, reflects a wider sense that Irish animation is punching well above its weight as an industry.

Ashley walks through what Zigazoo actually is and how it works. At its core, the platform is challenge-based — kids respond to video prompts by creating their own short-form content, and everything goes through moderation before it reaches the feed. The design philosophy is the inverse of most COPPA-compliant platforms, which tend to solve the safety problem by removing engagement entirely. Zigazoo keeps kids active and social, it just does so within guardrails built by educators rather than pure tech entrepreneurs. The founding team — husband and wife Zak and Leah — bring that dual lens of engineering and digital wellness to every product decision, and Ashley is clear that the mission is read aloud at every team meeting to keep it front and centre.

The moderation conversation is illuminating. Zigazoo started with round-the-clock human moderation but has since developed a hybrid "human in the loop" model where AI handles the initial filtering — including detecting whether a user is a child or adult and flagging inappropriate content — while humans remain part of the process. The addition of a comments feature, which was held back for years due to concerns about intent being lost in written text, was only made possible once AI became reliable enough to support it.

There's a lot of ground covered on what the platform has learned about kids' behaviour online. Notably, Zigazoo found that punishing bad content didn't work as well as rewarding good content — a shift from early notification-heavy approaches to a model that simply surfaces positive posts and lets the algorithm do the teaching. Kids who post well get featured; kids who don't get silence rather than a telling-off, and they adjust accordingly. The existing community of over 1,000 kid creators reinforces those norms organically, policing the platform's culture with a pride of ownership that Ashley describes as one of its most unexpected and valuable outcomes.

The platform's audience data is interesting in its own right. While Zigazoo launched as a preschool app, its core audience has aged with it — 9 to 12 year olds are now its most active creators, and some users who joined five years ago are still on the platform at 15. Rather than losing them to mainstream social media, Zigazoo has had to keep evolving to stay relevant, a challenge Ashley acknowledges openly and with some enthusiasm.

The brand and commercial side of the platform gets a thorough airing too. Over 100 brands — from Paramount and Amazon to toy companies, sports organisations, and publishers — use Zigazoo as a COPPA-compliant way to build genuine two-way community with kids. The platform vets all brand partners for mission alignment and manages their channels directly, which keeps the quality high but also means brands get something genuinely rare: verified, bot-free engagement with actual children. A wishlist feature that sends personalised emails to parents when a child saves a product is highlighted as a standout commercial innovation — formalising the influence kids have over family purchasing decisions in a way no other platform can currently match.

The episode closes on a broader cultural note. Ashley sees the current generation of kids as meaningfully different from their parents — more media literate, more aware of the downsides of social media, and more interested in positive online experiences. Jo echoes this from her own experience as a parent, noting a generational swing away from the open, unguarded approach their own generation took to early social media. The group agrees that banning kids from social media entirely risks pushing them towards unmoderated spaces via VPNs and hand-me-down phones, and that platforms like Zigazoo represent the more responsible path.

Key Takeaways:

1. Zigazoo makes the case for building better social media rather than banning it — the platform argues that keeping kids off social altogether drives them to less safe alternatives, and that the right response is purposefully designed, moderated spaces.
2. The challenge-based model is central to how it works — kids respond to video prompts with their own content, creating active participation rather than passive scrolling, while everything is moderated before reaching the feed.
3. Rewarding good behaviour outperforms punishing bad behaviour — early attempts to notify kids when content failed moderation created a negative experience. Surfacing good posts and letting poor ones disappear quietly proved far more effective at shaping behaviour.
4. AI-assisted "human in the loop" moderation has unlocked new features, including the comments section that was held back for years — a reminder that moderation technology, not just policy intent, sets the ceiling for what's safely possible on kids' platforms.
5. The platform's community polices itself — 1,000+ kid creators model positive behaviour, and when TikTok faced its US ban and new users flooded in, existing Zigazoo users actively told newcomers that this was a different kind of space.
6. Age-gating within the platform recognises that under-16 isn't a monolith — the experience for a 6-year-old looks nothing like that for a 13-year-old, a distinction that blanket social media bans tend to collapse entirely.
7. Zigazoo has become a Gen Alpha trend intelligence platform — with 10 million users and polling features originally built for fun, the platform now has genuine insight into what kids are talking about, buying, and looking forward to, before those trends surface elsewhere.
8. The brand model is built on mission alignment and white-glove management — brands can't self-serve onto the platform, which keeps commercial activity COPPA-compliant and maintains trust with parents and kids alike.
9. The wishlist-to-parent email feature is a commercial innovation worth watching — it formalises child-to-parent purchase influence in a privacy-safe, opt-in way that no other platform currently offers.
10. Parent involvement is baked in from signup, which Ashley argues leads to longer platform lifecycles — a child whose parent has given informed consent is far less likely to be pulled off the platform than one who has found their way onto something their parents don't know about.

The headline finding is that Paw Patrol has taken the number one spot by hours viewed in H2 2025, driven by its first-ever US Netflix window opening in July. It's a significant moment that underscores just how competitive the preschool segment has become — Gabby's Dollhouse held the top spot in H1, Ms. Rachel has climbed from sixth to fourth place, and Cocomelon, while still enormous, is showing signs of decline. The preschool race, as Emily puts it, is very much a ten or fifteen horse race.

Sesame Street's arrival on Netflix gets a thoughtful treatment. Launching with just four episodes, it performed modestly — and the group unpick why. Is it a volume problem? A brand perception issue, with audiences still associating the show firmly with PBS and YouTube rather than Netflix? Or simply that Sesame Street hasn't yet established a home on the platform? Emily is generous in her read of it, noting the brand's smart collaboration with YouTube creator Mark Rober as a savvy move to stay relevant — and Rober's own Netflix show, Crunch Lab, posted strong launch numbers.

That leads into a broader conversation about Netflix's creator economy strategy. The platform has been quietly building a pipeline of YouTube-native talent — Cocomelon, Little Angel, Blippi, Ms. Rachel, and now Mark Rober — and the data suggests the crossover approach is paying off in engagement terms. Jo raises the interesting point that Netflix appeared to step back from kids originals after disbanding its dedicated team, only to start commissioning original and exclusive content with creator talent again. The consensus is that Netflix never fully stepped away — it just got more selective, leaning into broader "family" content alongside its core kids slate.

SpongeBob emerges as one of the episode's most interesting talking points. Generating 143 million hours viewed on Netflix without a US window, Emily argues the Sponge is quietly having a moment that the industry isn't talking about loudly enough. She floats the prediction that SpongeBob could overtake Bluey as the top kids show in US streaming in 2026 — and notes what the strength of both SpongeBob and the Warner animation catalog (Teen Titans Go, The Amazing World of Gumball) could mean in the context of the Paramount-Warner merger.

The deeper theme running through the episode is the extraordinary durability of long-running IP. Paw Patrol at 15 years old, SpongeBob at 25, Peppa at 20 — these shows have entered a multigenerational pass-down mode where they remain fresh enough for new young audiences while carrying nostalgia value for older ones. For anyone trying to break through with a new show, that's the competitive reality they're up against.

The episode closes with a look at Gabby's Dollhouse's prospects for long-term franchise status, and a frank assessment of Cocomelon's decline — which Emily argues is structural rather than a failure of execution, given how narrowly age-targeted the IP is by design.

Key Takeaways:

1. Paw Patrol is Netflix's most-viewed kids show in H2 2025, powered by its US streaming debut — a clear illustration of how much a new territory window can move the needle on an established IP.
2. Preschool is the most competitive segment on Netflix, with Gabby's Dollhouse, Ms. Rachel, Paw Patrol, and Cocomelon all jostling for position. No single show dominates the full year.
3. Sesame Street's modest debut was likely a volume and perception problem — four episodes is thin for a brand of its stature, and audiences may not yet associate it with Netflix given its long history on PBS and YouTube.
4. Netflix's creator-to-streaming pipeline is working — shows like Ms. Rachel and Mark Rober's Crunch Lab demonstrate that YouTube-native talent can drive strong streaming engagement, and Netflix appears to be doubling down on that strategy with original commissions.
5. SpongeBob is underrated in the industry conversation — top animated comedy globally on Netflix without US distribution, and a genuine contender to be the number one kids streaming show in the US in 2026.
6. Long-running, multigenerational IP is the hardest thing to compete with — shows like SpongeBob, Peppa, and Paw Patrol are being passed down from parents who grew up with them, giving them a structural advantage that newer shows simply don't have yet.
7. Cocomelon's decline is structural, not a crisis — its very young target demographic limits its ability to build the multigenerational audience that sustains IP over the long term. Still huge; just not built to grow the way story-driven shows can.
8. Gabby's Dollhouse has genuine franchise longevity potential, particularly if the team can extend the live-action talent into formats that grow with the audience — something Emily sees as a clear opportunity.
9. The "family" designation matters more than it might seem — shows that appeal across age groups, from kids to parents, consistently deliver better engagement numbers and longer shelf lives than narrowly targeted content.

Chris pulls no punches on the subject of child safety online. He walks through the specific tools Club Penguin used — heavy speech filtering, outright bans for serious offences, and a clever technique called "fake send," where borderline messages appeared to send but were never actually delivered to other users. The insight behind fake send is worth sitting with: when bad actors stopped getting a social reaction to their behaviour, they largely stopped bothering.

He's equally candid about the limits of any platform's ability to keep kids safe, and draws a sharp distinction between what he sees as genuine child protection efforts and a broader political movement using child safety rhetoric to push for internet regulation that would affect everyone. It's a provocative argument, and one that sparks a good back-and-forth with the hosts.

Roblox comes up repeatedly throughout the episode, with Chris offering a robust defence of the platform against what he considers unfair criticism. He points out that the most serious harm tends to happen off platform — predators use Roblox to make contact but drive kids elsewhere to avoid detection — and argues that Roblox's moderation efforts are more substantial than the headlines suggest. He also shares some remarkable behind-the-scenes stories from the Club Penguin era, including a DDoS attack during a Star Wars event that exposed Disney's complete lack of cyber protection, and a subsequent investigation that pointed to a potential hostile foreign actor using teenage hackers as cover.

The conversation then shifts to the state of kids gaming more broadly. Chris argues that the market effectively collapsed after COPPA-style regulation created an uneven playing field — legitimate kids platforms had to comply while others with large child audiences didn't bother — and that Roblox and Minecraft essentially rebuilt it from scratch. His framing of Roblox as "the new console" is a headline moment: he believes it represents a genuine architectural and business model shift away from the console and mobile era, not just another platform.

On the creator economy, Chris is optimistic. He sees AI as the tool that finally lowers the barrier to game creation enough that the YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline becomes the norm for gaming too. He also flags that handing development over to creators brings its own risks — notably questionable monetisation mechanics — though he's sceptical of some of the more alarmist takes around loot boxes.

The episode closes with a strong point on parental involvement: platforms can't do it alone, and parents need to be treated as a distributed moderation force rather than passive bystanders.

Takeaways:

1. The Kids Media Club podcast is currently accepting sponsorship opportunities for interested parties.
2. Listeners can engage with the podcast via LinkedIn or the official website for strategic conversations.
3. Chris Heatherly, an influential figure at Disney, shared profound insights during our discussion on children's online safety.
4. The conversation surrounding online safety for children remains critical and unresolved after two decades.
5. The challenges faced by Club Penguin in moderating content are similar to those currently confronted by Roblox.
6. We believe that empowering parents to monitor their children's online activity is essential for ensuring their safety.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. kidsmediaclubpodcast.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

1. Disney
2. Club Penguin
3. Roblox
4. Pinterest
5. Sago Sago
6. Takaboka

Chris traces his journey from overseeing Disney's toy business to becoming the custodian of Club Penguin, the safe, customisable multiplayer world that, at its peak, boasted 200 million registered avatars and 300,000 concurrent players. He talks about the early days of the platform, the innovative toy-to-game codes that predated today's digital unlocks, and how a fan-created myth about blurry in-game artwork spawned Card Jitsu — a trading card game that briefly outsold Pokémon at Toys R Us.

But the conversation goes deeper than nostalgia. Chris reflects honestly on why Club Penguin was ultimately shut down in 2017: a combination of the mobile transition (Club Penguin was built by artists who could code, not engineers), Disney's wider mismanagement of its games portfolio, and — perhaps most tellingly — corporate leadership that simply didn't understand the value of community. "I had suits ask me, 'what's the value of community?'" he recalls. It's a question that still stings, given what platforms built on exactly that principle are worth today.

There's also a moving thread running through the episode about what Club Penguin was really for. Chris describes a mission to protect children's innocence in a media landscape that's constantly pushing maturity down to younger audiences. He shares a quote from a focus group participant — a girl who said that at school she wasn't the most popular, but on Club Penguin she could be whoever she wanted — that became the team's north star. That ethos extended to the platform's charity work too, with millions donated through the Coins for Change initiative, and an unusually rigorous commitment to making sure the money actually made an impact.

Club Penguin may be gone, but as Chris points out, pirate servers running the game today have more active players than ever played during its official peak — and a new generation of lore has grown up entirely after his time. The nostalgia is real, and it's earned.

Key Takeaways

1. Community is a product feature, not a side effect. Club Penguin's lasting cultural impact came from genuine human connection — moderators who replied to kids' emails, a team that listened to its audience, and leadership that treated the playground metaphor seriously. Platforms that stripped out those elements to cut costs never managed to replicate the magic.
2. Artists who code build differently than engineers who design. Club Penguin's charm came from its creative-led origins. The comparison with Disney Infinity — a technology-first project — is instructive: one is still talked about with affection; the other isn't.
3. User-generated culture is powerful, and ignoring it is expensive. Card Jitsu, one of Club Penguin's biggest hits, came directly from fan speculation. Disney's corporate structure struggled to understand how a platform could generate its own IP from the ground up — a lesson that Roblox and Minecraft would later prove at enormous scale.
4. Corporate short-termism kills long-term value. The decision to shut down Club Penguin is presented here as one of the clearest examples of a business prioritising spreadsheet logic over strategic vision. Chris left Disney partly because he refused to be the one to close it.
5. Protecting children's innocence is a genuine editorial position — and a commercially sound one. The longevity of Club Penguin's cultural footprint suggests that audiences — and their parents — are hungry for platforms that hold that line.
6. Part two of this conversation continues next week.

The hierarchy is gone — and that's now official. Both events reflected something the podcast has been saying for a while: TV no longer sits at the top of the kids media food chain. YouTube, Roblox, and broadcast were all on equal footing — on the panels, and in the rooms. That shift from polite tolerance of digital platforms to genuine integration feels like a genuine turning point.

KidScreen got intentional about YouTube and Roblox. Rather than token sessions, this year's programming offered real depth — from 101-level introductions to developer showcases — signalling that the industry has accepted these platforms as core infrastructure for young audiences, not add-ons.

Jonathan Haidt's keynote caused friction. The Anxious Generation author's appearance divided the room, given that the very conference schedule celebrated platforms he believes are harmful to children. It made for an interesting tension — and a useful reminder that the debate around kids, screens, and wellbeing is far from settled.

Social media bans: well-intentioned, but complicated. The team unpacks the nuance that came out of both events and the Children's Media Foundation day. Outright bans may actually let platforms off the hook. The COPPA regulations are held up as a cautionary tale — well-intentioned legislation that may have done unintended damage to the kids content ecosystem, with YouTube monetisation for children's content reduced to around 30% of what it once was.

Kids media is facing a potential market failure. TV commissions for children's content were down 20% in 2025 — more than double the decline seen in other genres. Combined with reduced YouTube monetisation, the financial incentive to make content specifically for kids is shrinking. Some producers are already quietly dropping the word "kids" from how they describe themselves — something the team finds genuinely alarming.

Roblox is getting ahead of the crosshairs. Andrew Bareza from Twin Atlas (the studio behind Creatures of Sonaria and various Lego activations) addressed safety concerns directly and clearly at MIP London — walking through the toolsets Roblox is rolling out and demonstrating how brand-safe, purposeful activation on the platform is very much possible.

The BBC and YouTube partnership: a front door, not a full commitment. Jo hosted the BBC and YouTube in a fireside that got unexpectedly candid. The BBC's suite of seven YouTube channels won't simply mirror their broadcast output — the strategy is promos, tactical full episodes around new series launches, and some YouTube-first commissions (including a Next Step micro-drama). The goal is to use YouTube as a gateway to iPlayer, though whether a generation raised on YouTube will follow that path remains an open question.

The Sidemen are rewriting the rules on appointment viewing. Long-form content, licensed TV formats (a Family Fortunes rework pulled from Fremantle's archive got 3 million views in 24 hours), and a focus on watch time over view counts — the Sidemen's keynote at MIP London was a masterclass in how creators are evolving into something closer to TV studios, and why that matters for the future of format licensing.

Despite a lot of hard truths, both events left the team with a clear impression: the people still in the room are passionate, pragmatic, and not going anywhere without a fight.

In this bonus episode, Andy Williams and Emily Horgan join Eric Calderon of Surviving Animation for a candid debrief straight from the Kids Screen conference floor in San Diego. With a smaller-than-usual attendance, a shifting industry landscape, and more than a few big questions hanging in the air, the three take stock of what Kids Screen looks like now — and what it might need to become.

Key Takeaways:

1. Smaller crowd, better conversations. Attendee numbers were down, but the quality of conversations was up. The frantic "hard sell" energy of previous years gave way to something more honest — people asking each other how they're really doing and what they're trying next.

2. The old guard model is done. The days of "what does Netflix want?" panels are over. This year's conversation centred on anime, K-pop, webtoons, Roblox, and YouTube — and crucially, the buyers in the audience were the ones taking notes.

3. The audience is there. The business model isn't. Platforms like YouTube and Roblox have the kids. Nobody has quite figured out how to build a sustainable revenue model around them yet — and the group are refreshingly honest that no one left San Diego with the answer.

4. Jonathan Haidt stirred the room. The keynote took a hard line against social media and called out Roblox and micro-drama sessions directly. The reaction was mixed — some applauded, some walked out. The group discuss whether a blanket ban approach is too blunt, and make the case for a more graduated, age-appropriate ladder of access instead.

5. Kids Screen itself is at a crossroads. With attendance below a thousand and a move back to Miami on the horizon, the conference is grappling with an identity question: if the traditional buyer-seller marketplace no longer functions the way it used to, what is the event actually for? The group land on a compelling answer — relationship deposits. You're not closing deals, you're laying groundwork.

6. Do the thing, don't just attend the session. Sitting in on a YouTube strategy panel no longer counts as a YouTube strategy. The studios generating the most excitement were the ones actually experimenting on new platforms — making mistakes, learning fast, and trying again.

7. Humility is the new competitive advantage. Whether you're a veteran studio or an independent creator, approaching new platforms with curiosity rather than authority is what separates those who are adapting from those who aren't.

The mood heading into 2026? Cautiously determined. As Eric puts it: stop surviving, find the fix.

Let me know if you'd like to adjust the tone, length, or structure of any section.

Born out of the very relatable chaos of lockdown-era bedtimes, BeddyByes is a new show from Jam Media designed to help young children wind down — and it's been built with real intention, from the ground up. Joining Andy and Emily are John Rice, CEO of Jam Media and co-creator of the show; Richard Goldsmith, EVP of Kids and Family at Blue Ant Media, who handles worldwide distribution; and Vienna Downs, also from Blue Ant, leading consumer products and licensing.

Together, they walk through the full journey of bringing BeddyByes to market — from the initial creative spark and the challenge of pitching a "bedtime show" to broadcasters, to landing deals with the BBC, RTE, Disney Junior, and Moose Toys. The panel covers the deliberate, step-by-step distribution strategy, what it really takes to build authentic consumer products around a new IP, and why owning a clear niche might just be the smartest move a brand can make right now.

It's an honest, energetic conversation about what it looks like to build a franchise the right way — with great content at the centre and the right partners around the table.

YouTube's Quietly Enormous TV Play

The conversation kicks off with something that still surprises people even when they hear the numbers: YouTube has just had its biggest year for ad revenue ever, pulling in $40 billion. Add in the YouTube TV subscription tier — now revealed for the first time in Google's earnings — and the total climbs to $60 billion, making YouTube the second largest TV subscription service in the US.

The team unpacks what this means for how we think about YouTube. It's not the disruptive upstart anymore. It's building tailored content packages — including a kids-specific bundle featuring Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and PBS — and increasingly talking and behaving like a traditional broadcaster. Sound familiar? That's roughly the same trajectory Netflix took, and we all know where Netflix ended up.

The BBC–YouTube Partnership: Who Really Wins?

Closely related to all of this is the BBC's recently announced partnership with YouTube, bringing seven new BBC kids channels to the platform.

The group agrees it's genuinely mutual. YouTube gets the credibility boost of having the world's foremost public service broadcaster as an official partner — no small thing at a moment when social media platforms are under intense regulatory scrutiny. The BBC, meanwhile, gets reach (especially globally, where those three letters carry less weight with younger generations than they once did) and access to YouTube's expertise in creator-led content — an area where the BBC openly acknowledges a skills gap. The Creator Lab initiative and the ongoing Last Pundit Standing project are all part of that upskilling effort.

Child Safety, Age Verification and the Regulatory Heat

Recording on Safer Internet Day (10 February), the team touches on the fast-moving world of platform regulation. Australia — first mover on age restrictions for under-16s on social media — has now requested an urgent meeting with Roblox over child safety concerns, potentially bringing Roblox into the same regulatory frame as other social platforms in France and the UK.

Rather than viewing this purely as threat, the group notes that Roblox, Discord and others are actually accelerating their own age verification and safety rollouts in response. The pressure may be producing faster, better tech than the platforms would have developed on their own timetable. Whether it's enough to get them out of the regulatory crosshairs is another question.

This sparks a broader thought: could regulatory pressure push more platforms towards subscription models, where identity verification is structurally easier to enforce?

Club Penguin: Disney's Most Expensive Missed Opportunity?

From there the conversation takes a wonderfully nostalgic detour into Club Penguin — the beloved, chaotic, genuinely safe online world for kids that Disney acquired and then, the team argues, fundamentally misunderstood.

The diagnosis? Disney saw Club Penguin as a promotional platform rather than as an IP or community in its own right. They didn't invest in a proper mobile transition at the critical moment. And crucially, they couldn't see its long-term potential because they were busy counting Frozen and Star Wars money. The comparison that lands hardest: Club Penguin could have been Roblox. Disney is now investing heavily in Fortnite as its digital parks equivalent — the very thing Club Penguin might have become with patience and strategic vision.

This leads into a broader discussion of Disney's new CEO Josh D'Amaro, the question of whether Disney has a genuine new IP problem (spoiler: the group thinks yes), and what the Eisner era did differently that allowed creative hits to flow consistently. The emerging consensus: Disney Plus could be the incubator for new franchise IP, but only if it's protected from the weight of impossible commercial expectations from day one.

Pokémon at 30, Minions vs Monsters, and the Long Game of Franchise Building

The episode rounds out with two Super Bowl ad appearances from kids IP giants — Pokémon celebrating its 30th birthday and the trailer for Minions and Monsters — prompting a conversation about what it actually takes to justify an $8 million, 30-second media slot. The answer? Roughly 15–20 years of patient capital and multi-generational brand building.

Jo and Andy also flag an upcoming panel at KidsScreen exploring exactly this question — how early-stage franchises like Betty Buys from Jam Media begin the long journey towards that kind of brand scale.

Find Kids Media Club on all major podcast platforms, YouTube, and Substack.

Tags: kids media, YouTube TV, BBC YouTube partnership, children's content, Club Penguin, Disney IP, Roblox, child online safety, age verification, Safer Internet Day, Pokemon, Minions, kids franchise building, public service broadcasting, MIP London, KidsScreen

For international listeners, Sarah begins by unpacking how PBS actually works: a network of 330 member stations across the US, locally run but nationally coordinated, funded through a mix of voluntary public donations, corporate underwriting (with strict nutrition and advertising rules), and federal grants. It's a model unlike anything in the UK or Ireland, and understanding it makes what comes next all the more striking.

Sarah explains the two major federal funding cuts that have hit PBS Kids hard — the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the abrupt termination of the Department of Education's Ready to Learn grant, a $100 million, five-year programme that has quietly underpinned some of PBS Kids' most beloved shows. Super Why, Odd Squad, and the brand new Phoebe and J all owe their existence, in part, to shifting presidential education priorities channelled through that grant. With it gone almost overnight, PBS Kids has cut close to 30% of its content staff and is now looking at halving its development pipeline by 2028 and 2029.

But the conversation is far from doom and gloom. Sarah talks about the extraordinary public response — kids running lemonade stands and sending in their pocket money — and shares that 82% of US voters, including 72% of Trump voters, say they value PBS for its children's content. She's also busy exploring new territory: philanthropic foundations, commercial licensing, and international co-production opportunities that PBS had never needed to pursue before.

There's also a rich discussion about what public service media can do that commercial broadcasters simply won't — from Carl the Collector, a show with a lead character on the autism spectrum that sparked a seven-year-old to ask his parents if he was autistic, to the challenge of creating developmentally appropriate short-form content that pushes back against the addictive mechanics now baked into so much of kids' media.

It's one of those episodes where the hosts keep trying to get back on track and keep getting beautifully derailed — and you won't mind one bit.

Takeaways:

1. In this episode, we discussed Aardman's pivotal shift from a broadcast-first model to a fan-first approach.
2. Emma Hardie elaborated on the importance of audience engagement, highlighting Aardman's dedication to understanding fan expectations.
3. The podcast underscored the significance of innovation within Aardman, particularly in adapting to digital platforms and evolving content creation methods.
4. Aardman's commitment to craft and storytelling remains paramount, as they continue to develop beloved characters that resonate with audiences globally.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

1. Aardman
2. Chicken Run
3. Wallace and Gromit
4. Shaun the Sheep
5. Timmy
6. Powerwash Simulator
7. M&S
8. Pingu
9. Pokemon
10. Lego

In this episode of the Kids Media Club Podcast, hosts Jo, Andy, and Emily reunited in person at London's OTT Question Time event. Between sessions, they carved out twenty minutes to share their insights from the conference, diving deep into Emily's Vertical Video panel and previewing Jo's upcoming Data and Strategy discussion.

Key Insights

Vertical Video: More Than Just Micro Drama Hype

Emily's panel tackled the elephant in the room: vertical video is not synonymous with micro dramas, despite what your LinkedIn feed might suggest. What started as marketing tactics has matured into a legitimate digital commissioning strategy spanning sports content, documentaries, and diverse formats that go far beyond scripted drama.

The timing couldn't be more significant. Just weeks before the event, major industry shifts signaled vertical's mainstream moment: Disney announced their vertical pivot at CES, TikTok launched a standalone micro drama app, Netflix hinted at vertical ambitions during earnings calls, and the BBC unveiled a major YouTube partnership.

Finding Audiences at the Intersection of Niches

Perhaps the most compelling insight came from Paramount's unexpected success with Geordie Shore content. When one cast member shared her infertility journey through vertical video, it transcended the show's typical audience entirely. This demonstrated how platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels curate intersecting niches that connect content with viewers who'd never engage with the traditional format.

Vertical isn't cannibalizing traditional viewing—it's complementary. ESPN's "Verts" app proves this beautifully. Rather than pulling sports fans away from the big screen, vertical content enhances the experience with player deep-dives, stats analysis, and supplementary angles that enrich rather than replace live viewing.

The format's inherent intimacy matters too. Phone-based vertical video creates deeply personal experiences, whether exploring serious topics like infertility or offering fresh perspectives on beloved entertainment franchises.

Traditional Broadcasters Go Fishing in New Waters

Established players like Channel 4, ITV, and the BBC have reached a crucial realization: audiences aren't coming to them anymore. Rather than doubling down on walled gardens and exclusivity, they're strategically "fishing" where audiences actually are—YouTube, Meta, and other platforms. This represents a fundamental shift from trying to corral viewers through forced exclusivity to acknowledging the fluidity of modern fandom.

Data: Powerful Tool or Dangerous Master?

Looking ahead to Jo's panel, the conversation turned to a critical tension in modern media: there's no excuse not to know your audience, yet data can easily become misdirection. While data should inform commissioning and distribution decisions, it tends to measure what's easily measurable—which isn't always what truly matters.

Moonbug's Cocomelon provides the perfect case study. Their YouTube data-driven approach demonstrated analytics' power for IP and franchise building, but also raised important questions about creative vision versus algorithmic optimization.

The real skill isn't drowning in data—it's knowing how to zoom out and distill signal from noise. Ironically, experienced media professionals with 20+ years of instinct are uniquely positioned to thrive in this data-rich environment. Their gut feel, honed over decades, can cut through analytical clutter to find strategic clarity that spreadsheets alone cannot provide.

The sweet spot? Combining analytical rigor with seasoned intuition—letting data inform without letting it dictate.

Recorded live at OTT Question Time in London

The big question now is how to keep demonstrating growth when you've already signed up most of the households you're going to get. Enter: engagement metrics. Netflix wants us to care about hours watched, not just how many people have accounts.

But that’s not the only strategic shift, Emily and Andy look at how vertical content and gaming fit into Netflix’s new playbook.

Meanwhile, the kids' content slate is having a moment. Ms. Rachel and Paw Patrol are quietly racking up serious viewing numbers, proving once again that children's programming might be the steady, reliable workhorse of any streaming service.

And then there's the possibility of Netflix acquiring Warner assets—a move that could beef up their content library and give subscribers more reasons to stick around. As Netflix figures out its next chapter, it's clear the playbook is evolving from "grow at all costs" to "keep people engaged and happy."

Takeaways:

1. The recent Netflix earnings report reflects a shift in focus from subscriber growth to content engagement metrics, indicating a new strategic direction for the company.
2. Despite a slight year-over-year increase in engagement, the overall performance remains underwhelming, suggesting challenges in sustaining growth in a saturated market.
3. The introduction of vertical video content is a significant move for Netflix, aiming to capture mobile viewership and compete with platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
4. Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. may provide necessary content diversification to enhance engagement and strengthen their position in the streaming market.
5. The Netflix kids' programming landscape is evolving, with significant shows like Ms. Rachel and Paw Patrol demonstrating strong audience engagement and popularity.
6. The ongoing development of Netflix's gaming strategy highlights their commitment to retaining viewer attention across multiple formats, enhancing overall user engagement.

The Perfect Storm (In a Good Way)

Jesse drops a perspective bomb early in the conversation: while traditional media is facing seismic changes, he genuinely believes we're entering "an interesting and great moment" for the industry. Why? Because creators no longer need permission to build audiences.

"If you've got a great idea or you are a great creator, you can go out and learn what works," Jesse explains. The empowering nature of new platforms means you can test and refine before spending €10 million on a 50-episode series. Revolutionary? Absolutely.

The Creator Burnout Crisis

But it's not all sunshine and viral videos. Jesse pulls back the curtain on a troubling reality: many successful digital creators are exhausted and burned out, trapped in a world of low CPMs (cost per thousand views) with no sustainable revenue model beyond grinding out content.

The solution? Studios and creators need each other now more than ever. Traditional media professionals bring crucial skills in brand development, monetization, and long-term value creation that many creators desperately need but don't have the bandwidth to develop themselves.

Rethinking the "Kids' Audience"

Here's where Jesse gets provocative: he questions whether the traditional definition of a "kids' audience" was actually created by commercial television rather than reflecting what children genuinely want.

His evidence? When given true choice, kids increasingly watch content made for broader audiences. His own research revealed young viewers gravitating toward shows like "Heartland" (a Canadian horse ranch drama) because there's "no punching and killing"—not because it was marketed to them as children's programming.

"I wonder whether this definition of the kid audience is also a product that we used for media in the commercial television age," Jesse muses, challenging fundamental assumptions about age-appropriate content.

The Power of Niches

Forget mass audiences—Jesse sees the future in passionate, engaged communities around specific interests. His favorite example? Werewolf romance fiction is "killing it" with tens of millions of readers, yet virtually no one is creating werewolf video content.

The math is simple: going from broad, low-engagement audiences to narrow, high-engagement niches means higher lifetime value (LTV) per fan. Plus, we're not limited to local markets anymore—you can reach every werewolf romance fan in the world.

"The goldfish and the water," Jesse says. "We've been swimming in the world of low-hanging fruit local markets. We're not in local markets now—we're in the world."

5 Key Takeaways

1. Permission is Dead: You don't need a commissioner's approval to build an audience anymore. Create, test, learn, iterate—then scale.
2. Creators Need Studios (and Vice Versa): Digital creators have audiences but often lack monetization expertise. Traditional media professionals have those skills but need to understand platform-native content.
3. Value Has Shifted: Historical kids' media companies like Nickelodeon made most of their money from licensing and merchandising, not the TV shows themselves. That model still works—just on different platforms.
4. Rethink Your Audience: Age-based demographic targeting may be a legacy TV construct. Focus on interests, values, and what genuinely resonates rather than arbitrary age brackets.
5. Play the Long Game: Build communities, not just view counts. Engineer awareness through the "primordial soup" of social platforms, then nurture what evolves.

The Primordial Soup Theory

Jesse's closing metaphor brilliantly captures the new creative landscape: platforms like YouTube and Instagram are the "primordial soup" where millions of content ideas compete to evolve. Most will die away, but a few will succeed and thrive.

His role? "Watching the shoreline and waiting... oh, that one looks like it might evolve. And then you run in, grab it, help it up onto land."

Why This Matters Now

Jesse’s argument in a nutshell: Traditional TV commissioning is contracting. Streaming services are tightening budgets. But direct-to-audience platforms are exploding. For creative professionals willing to adapt, learn new skills, and genuinely listen to what audiences want (rather than what we think they should want), the opportunities are enormous.

What do you think? Is Jesse's optimism naive or strategic? He's seen both worlds, from BBC commissions to digital-first studios, and he's betting on a future where authentic engagement beats mass distribution every single time.

Listen to the full episode of Kids Media Club wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe for weekly insights from the brightest minds in children's entertainment.

Key Takeaways

The Regulatory Shift: After years of minimal oversight, 2026 looks set to bring significant changes to how children's content is managed online. Multiple jurisdictions are finally catching up to long-standing concerns about kids and social media.

YouTube's Opaque AI System: YouTube's AI now determines whether content is "suitable" for young audiences, but the decision-making process remains unclear. Creators face potential demonetization or restricted reach without understanding the benchmarks, making commercial viability increasingly risky.

The "Social-Only" Gamble: Creators who went all-in on YouTube as their sole platform now face a precarious position. Diversification across multiple platforms—once considered smart strategy—is becoming essential again as the regulatory landscape shifts.

BBC's Opportunity: As YouTube becomes a financially high-risk space for quality kids content, publicly funded broadcasters like the BBC have a chance to prove their value. Charter renewal debates may gain new context when commercial platforms struggle to sustainably serve young audiences.

Content Duration Concerns: The rise of ultra-short-form content raises questions about optimal viewing lengths for developing brains. Even tech founders are reportedly limiting their own children's screen time—yet clear benchmarks remain elusive.

Bottom Line: The permissive era of creators freely making kids' content on YouTube is closing. Welcome to the new regulated reality.

We revisit conversations with industry professionals who share honest insights on being transparent and staying scrappy in tough times.

Featured Topics:

1. Building resilience as a content creator in 2026
2. The importance of self-advocacy for aspiring creators
3. Breaking through in a competitive creative environment
4. Practical advice from writers, producers, and industry professionals

This year-end episode we highlight key takeaways from guests who opened up about the realities of working in kids media in 2025.

Episode Breakdown

🎅 Netflix's Christmas Movie Empire

Emily kicks things off celebrating Netflix's "pure and lovely" commitment to churning out Christmas content. This year brought Champagne Problems, My Secret Santa, and Jingle Bell High Speed, with classics like Klaus (Jo's favorite from 2018) getting their annual boost.

Key insight: Christmas is genius brand strategy—it's an open-source brand everyone can leverage. Andy points out it's smart business too, giving A-list talent a chance to do "something warmer and family-friendly" while earning sweet residuals that come back every year.

Cultural gem alert: Emily introduces the Late Late Toy Show, an Irish institution that's been running longer than US late-night shows. Picture kids staying up past midnight to watch toy reviews, celebrity surprises (Roy Keane hassling kids this year!), and wholesome chaos. It's basically a three-hour commercial that somehow works because it's cultural heritage.

🎬 2026 Animation Predictions 

The hosts get into crystal ball mode for next year's releases:

Andy's calls:

• Toy Story 5 - Will dominate (though Emily wonders if Lightyear's underwhelming performance signals franchise fatigue)
• Hoppers (Pixar's robot-consciousness-transfer story) - Will underperform and struggle to cut through
• Live-action Moana - Big winner, demonstrating the power of established IP

The Illumination juggernaut: Super Mario Galaxy movie + Minions 3 dropping in 2026 could net them $2-3 billion at the box office. Emily notes we're firmly in a "sequel world."

The dark horse: Disney's Hex (November 2026) about a teenage boy discovering magical powers. Emily thinks there's appetite for well-executed magic content after Spellbound missed the mark.

📱 The Creator Economy Shake-Up 

Emily gets passionate about YouTube kids creators needing to "hold their nerve" on streaming deals. The economics have gotten tougher since YouTube's COPPA restrictions five years ago made it harder for mid-tier creators to sustain careers.

The Australia wildcard: The social media ban for under-16s could be a game-changer. While challenging for creators, Emily sees it as "tough medicine" that might force better economic models and push creators toward premium streaming deals. YouTube Kids could become more crucial, and platforms like Discord might benefit unexpectedly.

Miss Rachel mention: As an example of intentional content strategy—no shorts, calm and steady vibes, less dopamine-focused approach that resonates with parents.

🎤 Wild Cards & Sign-Offs 

The hosts wrap with a joke about whether the wheels will come off the Kids Media Club podcast itself in 2026 (they won't), and acknowledge it's been "a busy year" with their heads "slightly blown off" by industry moves like Netflix buying Warner Brothers studios.

Quotable Moments

"Christmas is a brand that nobody owns and everybody can leverage." - Emily on Netflix's strategy

"I want 5,000, not a fiver. It's renting the audience I've built." - Jo on creator economics

"Sometimes you take the medicine." - Emily on Australia's social media ban

What to Watch in 2026

• Toy Story 5 vs Hoppers performance
• Illumination's potential $2-3B year
• Creator economy deals as social restrictions tighten
• Whether magic-themed family content finds its footing again

Next episode: TBD (they're taking a Christmas break!)

Perfect for: Animation industry watchers, kids media professionals, anyone curious about streaming strategy, and people who need their yearly dose of Late Late Toy Show content

Key Takeaways

🎯 Why Netflix Wanted Warner Bros

• Unlocks merchandise and theme parks—two areas Netflix never had access to
• Adds massive legacy IP including Harry Potter, DC Universe, and Cartoon Network
• Completes Netflix's transformation from tech company to full-spectrum entertainment studio

🎬 Cinema Under Threat

• Warner Bros films are tentpoles of the theatrical box office
• Netflix's anti-cinema stance could devastate theater chains
• Two-week window releases might become the new normal, worrying directors like James Cameron

📺 The Producer's Dilemma

• One fewer independent buyer in an already consolidated market
• Netflix may focus budget on legacy IP management rather than original programming
• Could producers be waiting years for attention to shift back to new shows?

🏢 Industry Consolidation Accelerates

• Paramount's hostile counter-bid adds drama to an already complex situation
• UK broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky) may follow with their own mergers
• The era of distinctive brand voices (Cartoon Network vs Nickelodeon vs Disney) may be ending

🎪 The Walmart Effect

• Netflix becomes the "entertainment supermarket"—so big it can't have a distinctive voice
• Homogenization risk: will everything start to feel the same?
• The monopoly question intensifies as the third-biggest streamer disappears

⚡ Wild Cards

• What happens to CNN under Netflix ownership?
• Could this deal actually be blocked on monopoly grounds?

Bottom Line: This isn't just a business deal—it's a fundamental reshaping of how entertainment gets made, distributed, and consumed. For kids' content creators, the golden age of multiple competing buyers may be coming to an end.

Key Discussion Points:

• Ethical marketing practices in children's content
• How media consumption affects kids
• Using creativity to differentiate in a competitive market
• Creating meaningful, responsible content for young audiences

Guest Expert: Louis Grenier shares marketing insights and fresh perspectives on kids' media

Hosts: Emily Horgan, Jo Redfern, and Andy Williams (Kids Media Club podcast)

https://www.kidsmediaclubpodcast.com/

https://creativelycurious.substack.com/

https://thekidsstreamersphere.substack.com/

https://joredfern1.substack.com/

Louis Grenier’s website

https://www.stfo.io/about

Key Takeaways:

• Mischievous characters create powerful entry points for emerging readers
• Illustrations aren't just for "struggling" readers—they're a legitimate storytelling medium
• Testing culture is crushing reading joy (and what we can do about it)
• Give kids real choice in what they read—it matters more than you think
• Children's publishing needs more risk-taking, diversity, and yes, anarchy

https://louiestowell.com/

https://www.kidsmediaclubpodcast.com/

Key Guests

• Melly Buse - Boutique content producer discussing COPPA's impact
• Cory Williams - Creator of Silly Crocodile, a YouTube-first kids IP
• Nic Cabana - Claynosaurz, discussing transmedia approaches

Major Themes

The COPPA Crisis

COPPA regulations have devastated YouTube revenue for children's content, with some creators experiencing drops from £8,000 per month to just £300. Channels marked as "made for kids" earn approximately 20 times less than adult content, making sustainable production nearly impossible through YouTube revenue alone.

The Monetization Reality

Despite impressive metrics, revenue remain a challenge. Silly Crocodile, with nearly a million subscribers and 13 million monthly views, earns only $5,300 per month - highlighting the stark disconnect between engagement and revenue for kids content.

Survival Strategies

Diversification is Essential: Creators must expand into merchandising, publishing, and retail distribution. Platform dependency is increasingly risky.

Transmedia Approach: Claynosaurz creates content across multiple platforms simultaneously. Their 39-episode series uses seven-minute formats optimized for YouTube while remaining adaptable for European distribution and streaming.

Building in Public: Successful creators involve audiences early in development, building trust through authentic behind-the-scenes content - similar to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings development journals.

Creator-Led Model: Direct audience relationships and active community management are crucial, with founders maintaining presence "in the trenches" to gather feedback.

Key Takeaways

1. YouTube alone won't pay the bills - Diversify revenue through licensing, merchandising, and distribution
2. COPPA decimated revenue without clearly improving child safety
3. Meet audiences where they are - Success requires content across multiple platforms, not single-format bets
4. Community is currency - Early fan engagement creates loyal audiences and valuable feedback
5. Think transmedia from day one - Don't build for just TV or film; build for everywhere

The Bottom Line

Creating successful kids IP on YouTube requires resilience and strategic diversification. While revenue challenges are severe, creators who embrace transmedia strategies, build authentic communities, and operate outside traditional studio models can still thrive.

• Nickelodeon is launching new shows on YouTube FIRST before linear or streaming
• Kid Cowboy marks their flagship YouTube-first series
• This represents a 5-year evolution, not a sudden pivot

Why It Works:

• Leadership buy-in from the top (Brian Robbins understands digital platforms intimately)
• Tight integration between creative teams and data analytics
• Platform-specific content strategy rather than repurposing linear content
• In-house production for speed and cost efficiency

The Strategy:

• Launch new IP on established YouTube channels (Kid Cowboy debuted on Blaze and the Monster Machines channel)
• Use data to identify what audiences love (robots, gadgets, races)
• Create format-first content tailored to YouTube viewing patterns
• Build trust and iterate based on performance data

Full Episode Summary

The Evolution to Digital First

Nickelodeon's digital first strategy didn't happen overnight. Alex Reed (SVP Business and Operations) and Marc Cantone (VP of Preschool Digital Content) explained that this has been a gradual five-year journey.

The progression was natural:

1. Building up the YouTube network
2. Early seeding of new shows
3. Sampling episodes on the platform
4. Finally, launching shows YouTube-first

The Kid Cowboy Case Study

Kid Cowboy represents Nickelodeon's first major YouTube-first launch. Key decisions included:

• Strategic placement: Launched on the Blaze and the Monster Machines channel, which is the #1 preschool vehicle channel on YouTube
• Audience alignment: The show features robots, gadgets, and races—all elements that Blaze audiences love
• Format adaptation: Instead of straight narrative, they created "Guess the Gadget Rescues" using gamification formats that resonate with the existing audience
• 24 episodes: Currently have 24 four-minute episodes planned

The Data-Driven Creative Process

The team emphasized that platform specificity is underrated. Their approach balances:

Data inputs:

• Computer vision analysis of content performance
• YouTube Analytics providing granular insights
• Identifying trending elements (specific characters, themes, formats)
• Testing and iteration based on real-time feedback

Creative excellence:

• Multi-hyphenate producers who are writers, composers, designers, and animators
• In-house development and scripting for speed and audience knowledge
• Maintaining Nickelodeon's storytelling standards
• Creating repeatable formats that allow for efficient production

Overcoming Internal Challenges

The biggest educational hurdle wasn't with executives but with show creators who needed to understand that:

• YouTube isn't "just YouTube"—it's a strategic platform for building franchises
• Digital content serves the IP across all platforms
• Data insights can inform long-form production (example: Blaze learned robots are popular, incorporated them into later seasons)
• This approach leads to more season pickups

Production Philosophy

Speed and efficiency without sacrificing quality:

• In-house creative team eliminates external approval cycles
• Most time in production is spent waiting for decisions—they've minimized this
• Reusable animation, props, and sets
• Mix of 2D and 3D techniques
• Clear runway from leadership to execute quickly

The mantra: "We're here to make really great content just for this platform, which is very specific."

The Broader Portfolio Strategy

Beyond Kid Cowboy, Nickelodeon is:

• Doing light reboots (Backyardigans with modern pop music and updated animation)
• Testing new series on existing channels (Barnyard Daycare on Blue's Clues channel)
• Launching Bubble Guppies reboot
• Developing two more original YouTube-first properties

The YouTube Question

Can you build a kids brand today without YouTube?

The consensus: It's really difficult. They point to Bluey as perhaps the last example of the "old model" that rode Disney+ success, though even Bluey had a YouTube presence. The team believes platform specificity and YouTube presence are now essential for scaling kids brands.

Why This Model Works for Nickelodeon

1. Leadership understanding: Brian Robbins built Awesomeness TV, understands digital platforms intimately
2. Trust built over time: Five years of proving the digital team serves the IP, not just "chopping up content"
3. Integration: Digital team isn't an appendage—they're deeply connected to show creators and executives
4. Proven track record: Blaze and the Monster Machines channel success led to season pickups
5. Clear mission: Being wherever kids are (echoing Nickelodeon's founding DNA)

Future Outlook

The team expects:

• This won't be a one-size-fits-all model
• Acquisitions might follow different strategies
• Age groups will require different approaches (easier with younger audiences)
• YouTube will always play a role, whether for development or early seeding
• Format-first thinking will continue to drive original YouTube content

Key Quotes

"We're not just putting a video on YouTube. We're doing it strategically and creatively." - Marc Cantone

"Platform specificity is underrated... what people are there for and how they engage and what the platform rewards, they're all different." - Alex Reed

"If we're not having fun making what we're making, kids aren't going to have fun watching it." - Marc Cantone

"The majority of time spent in making something from pitch to launch is spent waiting for people to make decisions." - Alex Reed

The Three Pillars of Success

According to the team, every decision considers:

1. The Business - sustainability and growth
2. The Audience - what kids actually want
3. The Platform - what works specifically on YouTube

This balanced approach, combined with creative excellence and data-driven insights, positions Nickelodeon to build franchises in the modern media landscape while staying true to their mission of being wherever kids are.

Takeaways:

The industry is facing significant layoffs and challenges.

Emily Brundige's success story serves as inspiration for creators.

Building a network is crucial for career longevity.

In-person experiences are becoming increasingly important.

Stage productions are evolving as part of IP strategies.

Fandom engagement is vital for sustaining interest in content.

K-Pop Demon Hunters is a case study in modern fandom dynamics.

Content plans are essential for the longevity of IP.

SpongeBob's resurgence highlights Nickelodeon's enduring power.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Sponsorship Opportunities

01:56 Industry Layoffs and Their Impact

05:43 Building in Public: Lessons from Emily Brundige

09:42 The Evolution of Stage Productions in Kids Media

13:22 Experiential Opportunities and IP Revivals

17:02 Fandom and Community in Cinema Experiences

18:24 Crafting Theatrical Experiences from IPs

21:00 The Evolution of Fandom and Engagement

24:36 The Impact of Algorithms on Fandom

27:44 Depth of IP and Content Planning

34:18 SpongeBob: A Case Study in Longevity

39:40 Reviving Legacy Brands and Future Prospects

https://creativelycurious.substack.com/

https://thekidsstreamersphere.substack.com/

Also, quick plug for Emily’s brilliant and incisive substack, which we mention on the episode: https://thekidsstreamersphere.substack.com/

https://sillycrocodile.com/

This question prompts a deep dive into channel fragmentation, advertising revenue, the creator economy, and the centrality of Kids content within the current battle between legacy media and social media.

It's a fun, no hold bars, discussion, so grab a tea and sit back and enjoy.

Oh and a small disclaimer - as Ian always says, none of the opinions expressed here constitute investment advice! :-)

• We explore how brands are moving beyond traditional ads, using gameplay as storytelling and Roblox as a long-term engagement strategy. From licensing opportunities to community-driven development, this episode unpacks the new frontier of digital marketing and interactive media.

Key Takeaways:

• Roblox is transforming digital marketing—shifting from a novelty to a core strategy for audience engagement.
• Barrier4's journey: From a niche magazine to a major Roblox content studio serving global brands.
• Gameplay meets brand storytelling: Why integrated, interactive narratives drive deeper user connections.
• Roblox as a platform for IP growth: Opportunities for both emerging and established franchises.
• Community-first strategies: Why successful brands treat Roblox as a living ecosystem, not just a campaign.
• Licensing potential: Explore how brands can tap into and collaborate with Roblox’s vast creator community.

In this episode, we sit down with Lucy Smith (Entertainment Division Director, RX France; Director of MIPCOM) and Carole Ollardissen (Content & Conference Manager, MIPCOM & MIPJunior) for an insider look at how the world’s leading entertainment markets are evolving to meet the demands of a shifting industry — from the rise of streaming to the explosion of the creator economy.

Together, Lucy and Carole discuss the strategic changes coming to MIPJunior 2025, its deeper integration with MIPCOM, and how both events are designed to fuel connection, innovation, and opportunity in an increasingly competitive and global content space.

🔍 In this episode:

• Lucy’s 20-year journey through media transformation — from the DVD era to the streaming age
• Why MIPCOM and MIPJunior are more relevant than ever in 2025
• How the events are tackling the biggest challenges in kids and family content
• Major format changes at MIPJunior 2025, including:
• Physical integration with MIPCOM (no longer separate venues)
• Smarter, dedicated matchmaking tools
• Stronger alignment with broader MIPCOM initiatives
• New YouTube partnership and a focus on the creator economy
• Why MIPJunior is no longer just the “room where it happens” — it’s a collaborative launchpad for the future of kids content

Whether you’re developing IP, distributing content, building partnerships, or navigating the digital-first world of kids media, this episode offers an essential preview of what to expect at MIPCOM 2025 — and why it remains the beating heart of global entertainment deal-making.

They unpick the strategies behind the birth of a new mega kids franchise, check out the fan created content on Roblox and Youtube, and learn about the science and craft behind the chart topping songs.

K-Pop Demon Hunters really is THE hit movie that has taken everyone by surprise. When even tennis champion Novak Djokovic is doing the soda pop dance at the US Open for his daughter, you know this is one of those cultural explosions that happen very rarely.

We talk about the aims of the survey, share our honest thoughts on what’s working, what’s not, and what the future of kids' media could look like. From funding challenges to the impact of social platforms, we unpack it all.

🎧 Tune in for a real-time industry check-in from three people who care deeply about children’s content.

#KidsMedia #ChildrensTV #GovernmentSurvey #KidsProgramming #DigitalKids #KidsMediaClub

We dive into the evolution of children’s media, discussing the shift from traditional TV to platforms like YouTube, the opportunities this brought for IP creators, and the challenges that followed due to COPPA regulations and monetization changes.

Whether you're a content creator, producer, or fan of children’s programming, this episode is packed with insights into the creative and business sides of kids’ media. Tune in now! #KidsMedia

#ChildrensTV

#KidsContent

#TVProduction

#Screenwriting

#MediaForKids

#ContentCreation

#CreativeIndustry

#KidsEntertainment

Meme Chaos or IP Gold?

Tune in to find out!

Yes, that's right, we enjoyed our hosts' natter so much we decided to do another one straight away.

Here's what we chat about in this episode of the Kids Media Club:

Emily has just seen Rachel Zegler as Evita in the West End - we get her thoughts on the show and discuss the buzz around Zegler's performance. After the Snow White fiasco is this her emancipation?

The British Media regulator Ofcom has published their advice to public service broadcasters on YouTube and other social video platforms - we discuss whether broadcasters need to be all in on YouTube or follow a more nuanced strategy.

Finally we talk about kids media brand extensions from Pokémon teaming up with Aardman to Bluey targeting grown-ups.

Here are the topics we discuss:

The success of "K-pop Demon Hunters" on Netflix

Sky Kids' decision to end original content commissioning and the Implications for the industry

Insights on "Ms Rachel" on Netflix

Comparison of the MAD Marketing Festival in London and CMC in Sheffield

Feel free to share your thoughts on this episode and suggest topics you'd like us to explore in future shows!

Normal service will be resumed next week, in the meantime enjoy this episode - it's a cracker!

We discuss:

Greg's background at YouTube

How Animaj are using AI to manage production in a way that empowers creatives rather than replaces them

The challenges of raising investment at a time when the kids media business is considered broken.

Why the industry is so stuck and Animaj's plans to fix it.

At a time when people can often despair about the challenges the industry is facing, Greg’s positive, practical, and innovative approach to kids’ content is truly refreshing.

Kevin has built a huge following on all the major social media platforms from LinkedIn to Youtube. He regularly gets viewing numbers networks would envy!

In this episode, Kevin chats about making stop-motion animation go viral, the power of behind the scenes content, and why he likes to think of his audience as a 'network' of collaborators rather than 'followers' and 'subscribers'.

Connect with Kevin

https://kevinparry.tv/

Instagram: @kevinbparry

TikTok: @kevinbparry

YouTube: @kevinbparry

In this episode, we cover:

• How Christian kickstarted his YouTube channel
• What he’d do differently if starting from scratch
• Why data is a game-changer in content creation
• His experience partnering with Moonbug

Nursery rhymes have become one of the biggest genres on YouTube, captivating young children and their parents while spawning major entertainment franchises. In this episode, we sit down with Liz Gonzalez, an expert in children's digital content, to explore how nursery rhyme videos became such a massive phenomenon. We'll discuss the unique challenges of creating production pipelines for this type of content, and address the frequent criticism about whether this type of content represents quality output. Whether you're a producer, content creator, or just curious about the business of kids' media, this conversation offers fascinating insights into one of YouTube's most successful - and sometimes controversial - genres.

AI in animation is a contentious topic, sparking heated and polarising debate. The hosts even imagined hordes of angry animators, pitch forks in hands, marching up to their podcast studio at the merest mention of the word.

Incorporating AI successfully into a company’s production pipeline while finding common ground among artists takes a delicate and careful touch, akin to a bomb-disposal expert deciding which wire to cut to stop everything blowing up. Tom has thought long and hard about the best way to approach this topic and it was a wonderful opportunity to discuss the issues and concerns swirling around AI in animation.

What do you think about AI in animation? Have Blue Zoo struck the right balance? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

https://www.precise.tv/kidsmediaclub

https://www.precise.tv/

https://www.emilybrundige.com/

Dreamworks is extending its Roblox integration with the launch of the new Shrek game. It's a sign that Roblox is becoming a key part of a big brand's flywheel and IP eco-system. Is it a trend or is Roblox here to stay? In this episode, Jo, Andy, and Emily chatted to Bill Kispert, SVP & GM, Games & Digital Platforms at Universal Products & Experiences, and Marcus Holstrom, CEO The Gang, to unpick how to build successful Roblox games that grow huge brands.

What do you think? Would you have suggested some different ones? Let us know in the comments.

Settle in for a short chinwag with your favourite kids media pundits.

They discuss :

How listening behaviours are different for a kids audience

What shows are hits with young audiences

The discoverability challenge for kids podcasts

And why podcasts are the ultimate sandbox to try out new ideas.

So if you want to know more about what's happening in the audio space for kids and family, tune in, listen and learn.

Their new preschool show Kid Cowboy launches first on YouTube. Nickelodeon's mission is to be where kids are and it's a reflection of the sesmic shifts in the industry that more than ever that place is YouTube. How does a big kids TV brand adapt and innovate, but stay true to their storytelling roots? Listen in and find out.

A former executive at Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Asia, Netflix, and BBC Worldwide, Ed has a comprehensive understanding of the global kids media market. Join the chat, as he shares his vision for moving beyond an exclusively western focus to discovering the universe of stories from across the globe.

Jo, Emily, and Andy share their thoughts on the mood at the conference and which of the sessions they're excited to attend. Along the way, they also hear from other delegates and get their views on the conference and what it might mean for the kids media industry.

They discuss how the Wiggles began, what they feel are the secret ingredients to their success, and some of their surprising celebrity fans.

This is an inspirational chat about building an internationally successful children's brand and a must listen for anyone looking to create tomorrow's kids media hit.

Jo, Andy, and Emily also talk about the new Netflix report and the continued dominance of YouTube.

Download your free copy of the report https://go.theinsightsfamily.com/download-future-forecast-2025 or

visit https://theinsightsfamily.com/ for more information

Topics covered:

1. The consequences of the potential TikTok ban
2. What is and isn't popping on Netflix
3. WWE and live programming on Netflix
4. Thoughts on Kidscreen and Toyfair.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Animation-Nation-Built-Cartoon-Empire-ebook/dp/B0DFTVVS7D

Jo, Emily, and Andy test each other's knowledge of Christmas movies past and present, and compare notes on two new Netflix animated movies, 'Spellbound' and 'That Christmas'.

https://theinsightsfamily.com/

https://eshap.substack.com/p/all-the-tea-vee

They discuss:

* How the film industry is leveraging UGC platforms like Roblox to support box office as we’ve seen with KF Panda, Minions and Beetlejuice.

* Roblox and Sports – what is the opportunity for rights holders?

* The Roblox brand partnerships hub, will all companies have a 3D space in lieu of websites? How soon?

* What do brand owners or IP creators need to bear in mind when activating on Roblox

They discuss:

1. The Netflix commissioning process with Bad Dinosaurs?
2. How did they develop the show?
3. Producing a language-less comedy.
4. The reception of the Bad Dinosaurs.

Join us and find out just what it takes to hatch a series like BIG LIZARD.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024gkv

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024gkv

In this week's episodes of the podcast, Andy, Jo, and Emily nerd out about nerd culture. The chat covers the waterfront. They dive deep into the world of fandoms - from comics to trainers, from Star Wars to Marvel, from gaming to Lego. This show is for everyone who is proud to be a nerd and anyone interested in understanding geek culture.

Keep tuned for some awesome interviews coming up in the next couple of weeks

First up, they tackle the phenomenon of sport fandom and through the lens of Roblox, exploring how incorporate virtual kicks and digital cheers are shaping the next generation of sports enthusiasts.

The conversation then moves seamlessly into the cinematic fortunes (or misfortunes) of "Ryan's World: The Movie." - Is it a blunder of epic proportions? The gang debates whether Ryan, the YouTube sensation, failed attempt to move his brand into the world of movies, is a set-back for other YouTubers looking to diversify their personal brands.

Finally, the trio share their nervousness over the upcoming "Moana 2." Will the magic of the original be recaptured, or will this sequel be a wash out?

In this episode, Kevin chats to Jo, Emily, and Andy about making stop-motion animation go viral, the power of behind the scenes content, and why he likes to think of his audience as a 'network' of collaborators rather than 'followers' and 'subscribers'.

Connect with Kevin

https://kevinparry.tv/

Instagram: @kevinbparry

TikTok: @kevinbparry

YouTube: @kevinbparry

#KidsMediaClub #Podcast #BrandonKatz #AndrewRosen #EntertainmentStrategyGuy #Netflix #DataDump

They kick things off by getting Jo's impressions on the recent Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, highlighting what caught her attention there and how it compared to the Kidscreen Conference in San Diego.

Next, they dive into the groundbreaking release of the Ryan's World movie and speculate whether this could be part of a wider trend.

Finally, they discuss the recent news of Mr Beast's TV deal with Amazon and ponder what this means for entertainment in the future. Are we seeing a changing of the guard here?

If you want to learn more about these topics, be sure to check out "BooSnoo!" and "Mixmups". Thanks for listening and be sure to tune in for our next episode!

https://www.boosnoo.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-67168408

Sign up in support of the children's media foundation here: https://www.thechildrensmediafoundation.org/responding-to-the-crisis-of-childhood

And check out the sessions from the Children's Media Summit here https://www.youtube.com/@thechildrensmediafoundation

Nimona Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_fuHRyQbOc

Kung Fu Panda Obby Game on Roblox: https://roblox.fandom.com/wiki/Kung_Fu_Panda_4_Obby

You can download a report from Precise TV about video consumption amongst US Gen Alphas here:

https://content.precise.tv/en-us/en-us/park_usa_2024_report_landing_page

In this week's episode, we sit down with Simon Clarke, to dive into the latest changes to BBC Studios, advertising trends, and new partnership opportunities. Simon gives an insider's view on shifts in the industry and how BBC Studios is adapting and evolving its partnership strategies.

📢 Spread the Word! 📢

Remember to share this episode with your friends and fellow kids media enthusiasts! 🌟

#KidsMediaUnplugged #Podcast #ChildrensEntertainment #BBCStudios #Advertising #PartnershipOpportunities #SimonClarke #IndustryInsights #TuneInNow

Listen to this episode to discover:

• How Christian began his YouTube channel
• What he'd do differently if he were starting it all over again
• Why data plays a key role in content creation
• Christian's experience teaming up with Moonbug.

Like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

Secret Story Draw

https://www.instagram.com/thesecretstorydraw

https://www.thesecretstorydraw.org

If you're interested in the current state of animated movies, cinema, and streaming platforms, you won't want to miss it.

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