How Are Streamers Combating Popularity of YouTube Among Kids?
Fewer originals dedicated to kids and more free content on YouTube seem to comprise the current strategy for streamers like Netflix.
YouTube comprises a fascinating piece of the current media puzzle. The video hosting platform is a huge draw for audiences, especially those who are comfortable with streaming video as opposed to watching on linear TV. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal that indicates that YouTube’s share of streaming viewership among kids 2-11 is 33%, while Netflix’s is just 21%.
- YouTube has a higher percentage of total TV time among all audience segments than any streaming service.
- The problem is particularly acute for streamers among kids, who are increasingly preferring YouTube to subscription video services.
- Streamers are combatting the trend by uploading more content to YouTube to meet customers where they are, and by making fewer originals geared toward kids.
Why is YouTube Consistently Beating Top Streamers?
Kids aren’t the only audience segment that watches YouTube more than it streams top platforms like Netflix, Disney+, or Prime Video. Nielsen's report for the month of November indicates YouTube accounted for 9% of all TV/video viewing in the month, the most of any platform. Netflix had the second-highest share at 7.4%
Still, kids are outpacing other audience segments in their demand for YouTube and other short-form video platforms. As the total amount of video content available increases, kids are seeking ways to consume that video that allows them to see as much as possible in the shortest amount of time, especially considering most parents try to limit screen time when they can.
“These viewers are watching on their iPads or on other platforms that have moved to shorter and shorter segments, and it’s a real issue for the streamers,” Michael Hirsh, co-founder of Canadian animation firm WOW Unlimited Media told the Journal.
What Can Streamers Do About It?
One of the strategies streaming platforms are employing to combat the supremacy of YouTube is leaning into that supremacy. For example, Netflix has begun allowing the release of a few full episodes of kids’ shows like “CoComelon Lane” on its YouTube channel, after long resisting that tactic. Disney+ does not go quite this far, but it does have a robust YouTube channel with shorts, behind-the-scenes content, and curated playlists for its most popular franchises like Marvel and Star Wars.
Streamers are also conceding some ground to YouTube, as can be seen by the number of originals they’re creating specifically for kids and families these days. The Journal cites data from Ampere Analysis which says the eight largest streamers in the United States added 53 original titles catering to kids and families in the first half of 2023, down from 135 in the first half of 2022.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been a leader in paring back kids content among streaming providers. That company once had plans to compete with Disney as a provider of shows and movies specially made for kids, but after the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, those plans were essentially abandoned. More recently, WBD was ready to mothball its already-completed Looney Tunes movie “Coyote vs. Acme,” but public outcry convinced the studio to shop the movie to other outlets instead of dumping it for a tax write-down. It also removed episodes of “Sesame Street” from its streaming platform Max (then HBO Max) in 2022.
It used to be that streaming platforms thought of younger audiences as a hugely important demographic. Having a streamer prized by kids made that streamer much less likely to be canceled, but the growing supremacy of YouTube among younger audiences has streaming services reexamining their strategies when it comes to kids’ programming.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.