Dispatch: New Netflix Data DUMP, Paddington, & Free Insights
Welcome to The Kids StreamerSphere, a regular newsletter where we look at the latest news, deals, and performance data for kids content within the context of global streaming. Comments, questions, suggestions? Please hit me up thekidsstreamersphere@ehorgmedia.com. If you would like this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up on Substack here:
I’m trying something new in this edition of The Kids StreamerSphere, a quick dispatch that summarizes a few of the things I’m looking at and other helpful nuggets I’m seeing.
Netflix’s Latest Data Dump
First up, and very close to my heart, Netflix’s latest data dump just hit, covering the second half of 2024. This is super exciting! Having launched the Netflix Kids Content Performance Report at the end of last year, we’re lucky to have more than a critical mass of excellent clients on board across streaming, licensing, distribution and toy companies. The team is now running the process live for the first time, wrangling the new dataset and updating the database. From there, we’ll build a full, detailed H2 2024 report, complete with in-depth insights and overlays. Some of the stories we’re already tracking include:
Review of key titles across the full two-year period of data
The report’s first look at Netflix Original movies
Key intelligence on the Netflix Roblox footprint
The building picture on how to launch new global girls IP
Plus an excellent depth of third-party data on the kids streaming landscape—we’ve a total abundance of this information hitting the report this time around
It’s going to be packed! If your company is interested in coming on board, please drop me a line at admin@ehorgmedia.com. You can read more about it below…
For non-subscribers to the report, I will be dropping a few top-line nuggets in the coming weeks. But if you’re looking for something fresh off the grill, Kasey Moore, my editor at What’s on Netflix, called it: The Boss Baby wins!
To quote Kasey further from my DMs:
“Kids stuff absolutely dominates, I hope they were paying attention to the recs in your report”…
Thanks, Kasey! I was banging on about Netflix’s challenges with animated film as recently as the last earnings round. As their latest should-be-big animated feature, Spellbound, did not mut the custard.
That’s despite having an all-star cast and highly experienced team at the helm, though these things are never straightforward. Netflix themselves acknowledged the monstrous profile of animated films on the platform (with conspicuous omission of Spellbound) in the release that accompanied the data DUMP. In other news…
Netflix Are Eating YouTube Whilst YouTube Is Simultaneously Eating Netflix…
…in preschool at least. It is an imperfect ecosystem. And this is as data and news that paints YouTube as the winner of TV viewing just keeps coming in. The major issue with this from a kids content perspective is that any new kid-labelled IP starting from scratch on YouTube today (or in the past five years) will really struggle to reach the critical mass of revenue that would see a mom ’n’ pop shop take the jump to full-time creator. It’s brutal. So what do Netflix do when the pipeline dries up?
I wrote up my thoughts on the topic for the wonderful folks at Kidscreen. Here’s the rather glorious graphic they drew up for the Netflix data I pulled on this:
Fancy a Sneak Peek of Data?
Speaking of Kidscreen, and with one last plug on the Netflix data, we had an awesome panel at the recent conference looking at how to win in the new streaming normal. As part of that we circulated a download of insights from the Netflix Kids Content Performance Report, looking at two great engagement success stories, Hot Wheels Let’s Race and Bad Dinosaurs. Thanks to those who downloaded! For anyone who missed it, you can access it here:
https://www.ehorgmedia.com/kidscreen-download
Paddington Proves Horgan Can Write About More Than Netflix…
…could have been the headline on my latest opinion piece. Instead, they went for “Impeccable Paddington offers a masterclass in rebooting a brand,” can’t think why…
But seriously, I have been both personally and professionally fangirling over this brand for a while. Paddington 2. That is all. Paddington 2, Paddington 2, Paddington 2. Paddington in Peru is pretty good too. But what’s best is how perfectly David Heyman calls the tone on exportable Britishness. I was so pleased to meet a fellow Paddingstan in John McCarthy, opinion editor at The Drum. In his words:
“Emily you are welcome to talk about Paddington on my website any day of the week. I am massively interested and the timing is perfect”
And Finally…
One of my favorite free resources in the world of kids streaming has a new edition. The PARK report from Precise TV has had a Winter 2024/2025 refresh of its US-centric data. I’ve been working with the team to grab some bespoke insights for the Netflix Kids Content Performance Report, but their free overall version is available on the below link, with helpful data on YouTube, streaming and gaming.
https://content.precise.tv/en-us/en-us/park_usa_winter_2025_report_landing_page
That’s it from me, folks. Let me know what you think of this style of newsletter!