MIPJunior 2017: watch and play, interactivity + storytelling

Organizer Reed Midem announced strategic Keynotes, Worldwide Premiers, International Pitch and Matchmaking sessions. Year to year, kids content business shows new and specific challenges, while the industry rehearses possible answers to attend these trends. Let's analyze some of them.

Unlike older audience, experience of being a kid is universal, especially in kids up to 5-7 years old, making all the regions comparable at some point in terms of consumption, but each market is empowered to adjust that plan according to their local needs, like market-specific viewing patterns, schedules of competitors, our business model (FTA vs Pay) and so on.

Kids’ platforms have benefit of scale, but at the same time, need to have the flexibility to be locally relevant. The experience of being a kid is universal but the daily reality of childhood differs. Another big difference is that children don’t need to adapt to changes: they are born at same time that that changes occur.

Trends? 1) formats that appeal to girls and boys in which the hero is not constrained by gender stereotypes; 2) for preschoolers, co-viewing still strongly influences the choice of the programming at home, making parentally approved “watch and play” a very successful model to engage kids, giving them a story to watch and an app game to play alongside it; 3) live-action that mixes romance/drama and music/dance, especially amongst tweens and teens. This concept has always been big in Latin America and is now becoming more established in other markets, that are adapting core Latin America shows for international markets.

Eurodata TV states on its special report published on Prensario MIPJunior issue that across the five main European markets, animated series 'dominated the ranking in the beginning of 2017, taking over 73%', while animation performed 'particularly well' in France, where all but one of the most watched programmes by children aged 4-14 were of this genre.

'Entertainment, educational and game shows were the second most watched genres', adds the study. They were particularly successful on KiKa (Germany) and CBeebies (UK). In Spain, the dynamic entertainment series Lunnis de Leyenda (Clan) and Wooala! (Boing!) appealed to children, while the game show Adventure Time Missione Finntastica inspired by the Cartoon Network’s animated series continued to perform well in Italy.

Fred Seibert, founder of Frederator Networks, CCO of WOW! Unlimited Media and a serial media entrepreneur, and Andy Yeatman, who leads the kids & family programming team for Netflix globally covering all original and licensed content for kids age 2-12, are heading the keynots on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both will talk about the future of kids' industry in and on-demand enviroment.

"View from the Top" hosts on Saturday 10.45am at the Grand Theatre Michael Carrington, Head of Children's and Education, ABC (Australia), Patricia Hidalgo, Chief Content & Creative Officer EMEA and International Kids Strategy, Turner, Paula Taborda dos Guaranys, Head of Content and Programming, Gloob (Brazil) and Janine Weigold, Head of Children's Content, Super RTL (Germany), while "What they watch is what they play: interactivity in storytelling" with Adam Lee, CCO, Toon Goggles (USA), Lydia Chung, head of global business, Bluepin (South Korea), and Laura Tapia, GM, Applicaster (Israel) takes place today at 11.15am.

"The MIPJunior International Pitch" is open to creators and producers seeking financing for projects in development. After reviewing over one hundred projects, collected via the MIPJunior Screenings Library, the jury has choosen five to pitch live: Big Five (TakToon, South Korea), Boxwars (Bogan Entertainment, Australia), Catcha! (UnTref Media, Argentina), Dr. Panda (Dr. Panda, China) and Stinky Dog (Dandeloo, France).

The "2017 MIPJunior World Premiere TV Screening" of Thomas & Friends: Big world! Big Adventures!, by Mattel Creations (USA) is held today at 6pm; and Heroes for Envell, by DTR and Signal Media (Russia), tomorrow at 5.40pm. The Opening Party is held today at 7pm at Majestic Hotel, sponsored by Mattel, and the Closing Party, tomorrow at 7pm at Carlton Hotel sponsored by NBCUniversal Dreamworks.

Nicolas Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara y Rodrigo Cantisano