Alix Wiseman’s forecasts about kids’ entertainment

In your speeches, you mentioned that there is now more than 400,000 hours of children’s content available to watch on streaming platforms, without even including YouTube. How can a producer even dream of pitching a new IP in this context?

Proven brands are favored for their existing awareness, helping to break through the crowded market. That’s why we’re excited to bring a new preschool version of The Magic School Bus and a reimagined Clifford series to market, both beloved brands from Scholastic. However, there’s still room for new IP.

The key is knowing your target audience from the start. If you aim to go on your public broadcaster, research whether it is looking for your type of show, and see why your IP would be interesting to them. You don’t pitch a princess show to Disney or a yellow character to Nickelodeon – they already own that space. Avoid developing ideas in isolation without considering the market. It seems dull, but I think a lot of studios start developing great ideas in a silo without looking at the market, and who they might be making it for.

A strong story and engaging characters come first. Then, ensure your budget, schedule, and strategy align for a cohesive business model right from the outset. To find your platform, research what they’re seeking or have recently commissioned. Ultimately, knowing how to position your IP in this landscape is crucial to selling it globally.

A digital-first approach seems almost mandatory today, is that so?

I wouldn’t say it’s a must, and it’s also very difficult for many studios because they have to self-finance, which is usually quite challenging.

In Europe alone, there are still 330 dedicated linear channels, with hundreds more globally. Having your show financed and/or co-produced with a linear broadcaster remains a strong option. The landscape has completely transformed, with YouTube, gaming, and social video taking a massive share of children’s time, presenting a significant challenge. However, transformation and disruption also bring opportunities, especially for creator-driven and digital first content that didn’t exist a few years ago. If you plan to create digital-first content, consider who you’ll partner with to share the risk.

We’re currently working on an exciting digital first project called Paris & Pups, in partnership with Happy Nest Entertainment and Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media. This partnership has not only helped mitigate risk but also sparked highly creative approaches. Digital-first is also a great opportunity to test ideas in the market or innovate with creators, as long as the content is on a platform where it will gain exposure.

Is co-production still worth it, as the audience/financing/producing puzzle gets trickier and trickier?

I think it is one of the greatest solutions.

The best-case scenario is a co-production with one partner, it can be a studio or a channel: co-productions can be really tricky, and it gets more difficult the more entities you have, but it can also lead to great things, especially if you create with partners you trust. It’s a marriage: if you’re with the wrong partner, it can go very, very wrong, but if you find the right match, with the help of feedback from other people who co-produced with this or that company before, you can get more tax credits, more funding, more staff… In my experience, transparency, honesty and trust are key to a good partnership.

What should producers keep in mind to stay relevant today and in the future?

I’ve heard a lot of people saying that they had to “survive until 2025”, or that “things were going to get back to the way they were”. I don’t think so. What I see right now is that the US market is still struggling, and it will take some time to get back on its feet. And we need that market to get back into original content.

In the meantime, European channels are trying to be as supportive as they can. But producers must be rational, considering budgets, deciding whether to go digital first, evaluating YouTube business, pipelines, and helpful techniques like real-time engines and AI for technical purposes.

We’re facing the biggest pivot in our industry, which suits new generations and newcomers. We must enhance mentoring and support programs, and universities should introduce stronger modules on the business side. Graduates today have impressive talent and skills but lack direction. Helping them grasp the business language, so they can tackle what we don’t know, is crucial to staying relevant in the digital world.