Dispatch: SpongeBob, Streaming Strategy, and KPDH’s Billion-Minute Moment
It’s a quick dispatch format from me this week as I attempt to balance our deep analysis for the next Netflix Kids Content Performance Report with the dying embers of the school holidays. Summer is nearly done… BOO! But also, Summer is nearly done, YAY! I’m planning travel to BLE and MIP Junior, both in early October so drop me a line if you want to grab some time there to talk Netflix insights: admin@ehorgmedia.com .
In other news…Paramount
Paramount have had a busy week. Leadership team announcements, press wrangling, UFC, Legendary, Duffer Brothers. Thankfully a kids and family strategy has been part of the rhetoric too so hopefully Nickelodeon won’t become another kids casualty of the streaming wars like Cartoon Network. There are a few data signals giving bedrock to the reasons Paramount should absolutely take their kids business seriously. The $16B franchise that is SpongeBob being just one, plus more to unpack on what might happen with theatrical animated features. Shout out to Pam Kaufman for delivering truth about the journey of growing SpongeBob as a franchise:
“That was during a time when it was okay to keep a show on without getting blockbuster ratings. It gave shows time to build and breathe.”
Pam Kaufman, Paramount President and CEO of International Markets, Global Consumer Products and Experiences
Those were the days Pam!
Binge-Watch or Weekly Drop
I spoke to Katie Kasperson of Observer.com on the merits of binge-watch vs. weekly drop strategies.
The key thing, as it relates to the kid audience, is that discovery in premium streaming is largely an uncharted frontier. Platforms have figured out strategies that work for big marquee titles and 28-day metrics, but creativity beyond that for other genres or audiences seems largely unexplored. Kids, sitcoms, documentaries, how many of these shows hit disposability because they simply don’t fit the 28-day mould and audiences haven’t been cultivated? Per Pam Kaufman above, it takes a build. I wrote about this recently as it pertains to Bluey. In linear there was a toolbox for all of these genres. That’s how channels like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Discovery all thrived. In streaming this has yet to be written. Here’s hoping the focus on longer term engagement metrics for Wall Street re-prioritises solving this conundrum.
KPop Demon Hunters continues to slay
Speaking of longer-term engagement metrics, would you look at the legs of KPop Demon Hunters!? Continuing to gain ground on all fronts. First Netflix Global numbers:
I know the uptick looks modest folks, but we simply have never seen this type of performance trajectory of a movie before, where things are going up. When we look at US Nielsen, the closest thing is Encanto, which yes, hit hotter than KPDH, but it was a highly marketed, Lin-Manuel-Miranda-soundtracked Disney movie that had a hybrid COVID release which fully milked the stay-at-home streaming factor of the 2021 holidays:
KPDH just hit its first billion weekly minutes but will it continue to gain? School holidays are ending which might have an impact, but also the limited theatrical run for this weekend is sold out. I don’t think the hype is done yet.
Frustrated with challenges in the kids media industry? Want to do something that might actually help?
The kids media industry is in crisis. YouTube dominates kids viewership but doesn't generate enough revenue for quality production. Traditional commissioning is drying up. Per above, discovery for kids on premium streaming platforms is broken. And while YouTube's discovery works well, child protections there are a dumpster fire. The frustrating thing is that there are plenty of examples of strong commercial success coming from the kids business, I dedicated not one but two newsletters to this recently.
Meanwhile, policymakers try their best to legislate safety and quality. Well-intentioned but often poorly executed so they need your help. The UK government has launched an inquiry into "the provision of children’s TV and video content in the UK and what can be done to ensure future generations continue to have access to high-quality British-made programming." ." We chewed it on the most recent Kids Media Club Podcast and intend to submit a response. If you have any sort of interest in UK kids programming, you should too. There you go, some weekend homework to sign off the summer. The deadline for submissions is September 4th.
Thanks for reading, happy Friday everyone.