Streaming companies are looking to double down on kids and family-friendly content due to novel high demand. The services are eager to label themselves as family-friendly entertainment alternatives and many plan to invest in a lot more kids content.
According to Parrot Analytics, in the last month, three out of 15 of the most popular shows across all streaming platforms have been kids’ series.
Between January 1 and March 31, data shows Peacock and NBCUniversal (1.2%) are lacking viewership demand for kids content compared to competitors. Netflix’s demand was 22.3%, Amazon Prime Video’s was 16.9%, Paramount+’s was 16.4%, Disney+’s (15.3%), Hulu’s (15.2%) and HBO Max’s was (12.7%).
Chris Williams, founder and CEO of Pocketwatch Inc., a digital media studio that specializes in extending kids and family YouTube stars and characters into global franchises, says “I think the big thing [streaming services] have realized is that the value of kids and family content goes beyond retention.”
Investors have been keeping an eye on kids’ content companies. For example, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish told investors children and family entertainment “was the top genre on Paramount+ for both acquisition and engagement in the quarter.”
Netflix has been catering to younger audiences for quite a while. Netflix recently launched a new iOS feature, “Kids Clips” as a way to promote its content to children by using short snippets and clips.
YouTube TV has had wild success with the genre. In 2020, the Ryan’s World franchise had 30.8 million subscribers and generated more than $250 million in sales. Also, in the same year, Pocketwatch reached a deal with seven-year-old Ukrainian YouTube sensation, Diana, whose series, “Kids Diana Show,” is one of the most subscribed-to channels in the world.
Related: 6 Best Streaming Services for Children
What’s clear is that if streaming companies want to compete at the highest level, they will have to offer family-focused programming in spades.