Pocket.watch taps Planeta Junior as European licensing agent for Love, Diana

Pocket.watch has tapped Planeta Junior to be its exclusive consumer products licensing agent for Love, Diana across France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and CEE, as well as support opportunities for the property at a wide European level.

It marks the latest licensing development for the popular YouTube series that recently named Spacetoon its licensing agent and toy partner for the MENA region, and handed global rights to Wow! Stuff last month. Love, Diana is a hybrid animation series from Pocket.watch, the team behind the famous Ryan’s World franchise.

Diana is the seven-year-old super-star behind the world’s third most watched YouTube channel: the Kids Diana Show, which has over 76 million followers. Diana, her brother Roma, and their parents create imaginative videos featuring songs and games. 

Love, Diana features 35 adventure-filled episodes that transport Diana into a new world: The Land of Play, where she is transformed into an animated character: The Princess of Play. The series highlights key values like friendship, leadership, family, imagination and the power of play.

Planeta Junior will be responsible for coordinating Love, Diana’s licensing and merchandising program.

Children’s programming is seeing its biggest demand ever globally, and we are thrilled to bring Love, Diana to new territories after an incredible franchise launch,” said Danny Spronz, managing director EMEA, pocket.watch. “Pocket.watch’s work in the kids entertainment sector has blazed a trail for many creator-led franchises, and we’re excited to work with Planeta Junior to deliver more of what kids and families clearly love.”

Diego Ibáñez Belaustegui, Planeta Junior Chief Brand Officer, added: “We have been bringing consumers the best experiences and products based on their favorite entertainment for the last 20 years.

“Diana is a wonderful character, full of charisma. Millions of children around the world adore her already. This IP is a breath of fresh air for the licensing industry. Planeta Junior would like to thank pocket.watch for the opportunity of working on such an innovative consumer products program.”

Wow! Stuff signs global rights for Love, Diana toys to bring ‘Wow’ factor to latest range

Wow! Stuff has signed the global rights for Love, Diana, the kids’ lifestyle brand based on the YouTube sensation, Kids Diana Show with plans for a range of innovative toy takes on props found throughout the Love, Diana Adventures series.

With over 4,4 billion monthly views on YouTube and over 180 million active subscribers, Love, Diana licensed merchandise is currently in high demand, selling fast across its retailers including Target, Walmart, Amazon, Smyths, Claire’s, Tesco and more.

Wow! Stuff will now be embedding what it calls its ‘Magic-Light Technology’ into the Love, Diana brand’s flagship item, the Magical Wand Haribrush – as used by Diana in the live action-animated series, Love, Diana Adventures. The new launch will allow kids to re-enact what they see Diana doing during her on-screen adventures.

Other flagship props from Wow! Stuff’s tech team will include the Light Up hair Bows featured on every Love, Diana Adventures episode, as well as Diana’s Secret Password Journal – a voice activated electronic journal with its own secret compartment.

Kenny McAndrew, director of product development, Wow! Stuff, said: “Kids Diana Show and the Love, Diana brand perfectly complements our leading tier one pre-school brands. We’ve added our ‘WOW’ point of difference to Diana’s favorite key props, utilising our product development team which has scientists and engineers at its core, all of whom love creating that magical WOW factor in toys.”

Danny Spronz, managing director EMEA, pocket.watch, who co-led the deal alongside Stone Newman, chief revenue officer, said: “Wow! Stuff never ceases to amaze the industry with its ability to create wholly bespoke products that deliver a real ‘WOW!’ to kids. Its innovation and ability to engineer really fantastic products, on brand and in universe, aligns with our aim to ensure Love, Diana brand merchandise stands out from a crowded market sector.”     

Launching Summer 2021, Wow! Stuff’s flagship Love, Diana products SRP’s range from £/$/€9.99  to £/$/€29.99

Spacetoon named master licensing agent and toy partner for Love, Diana across MENA

The family edutainment content producer, Spacetoon, has been named the new master consumer product licensing agent for Pocket.Watch’s Love, Diana brand across the MENA territory.

Under the deal, Spacetoon will launch a new line of toys and products, bringing Love,Diana items to shelf across the MENA toy market, appealing directly to Pocket.Watch’s growing audience base across the region as it build its global standing.

On top of this, Spacetoon has also secured the rights to localise, dub, and broadcast two of the most successful shows for Diana across Spacetoon free-to-air TV channel and Spacetoon GO online streaming service.

The first will be Love, Diana Adventures – a series that follows Diana into a new world – the Land of Play – where she is transformed from live action into an animated Princess of Play as she acts to protect her friends and family from Boris the Baron of Boredom. Love, Diana Adventures gained more than 10 millions views globally within five of the launch of the first episode.

The second show will be Kids Diana Show Ultimate Mishmash; a mashup of highlights from the Kids Diana Show YouTube channel starring Diana together with her brother, Roma. Diana and Roma take the audience through all of their family-friendly pretend play adventures; including dress up, role-play, and many other scenarios that spark the imagination of little kids.

Collectively, Diana has nearly 5 billion monthly views on her 14 YouTube channels, which provide audiences with family-friendly content in 9 different languages.

Ahmad Weiss, commercial director of Spacetoon, said: “We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with pocket.watch, to bring top-rated, family and kid-friendly content to the region, along with opening the doors for new merchandise related to the Love, Diana brand.

“Love, Diana is very popular among families around the world and the MENA region is no exception. People love this show for being adventurous and taking edutainment content to the next level. We are always open to this type of opportunity that results in bringing purposeful, values-based content and products to Arab families and presenting it in a unique way.”

Danny Sprongz, managing director, EMEA, Pocket.Watch, added: “Pocket.Watch is thrilled to enter into this licensing opportunity with Spacetoon to expand the Love, Diana Franchise in the Middle East.

“The Spacetoon audience, coupled with Spacetoon’s licensing capabilities will be critical to accelerating the Love, Diana brand and continuing to deliver fun and inspiration to young audiences within the region.”

Other Pocket.Watch titles to be made available on the Spacetoon TV channel and Spacetoon GO online streaming service, include the Emmy-nominated series Ryan’s Mystery Playdate and Ryan’s World Specials.

The shows will be dubbed into Arabic and broadcasted on Spacetoon TV Channel, while being made available on Spacetoon GO online streaming service. This will offer a chance to more than 100 million viewers around MENA to spend hours of joy and amusement with their favorite characters.

Epic Story “in discussions” for global toy and broadcast partners for Piper’s Pony Tales as Breyer leads US roll-out

Breyer Horses has been named the master toy partner for North America and LATAM for a new short form kids’ series called Piper’s Pony Tales, an equestrian-themed series developed by Epic Story Media and the production company Milkcow Media.

The content creation company has confirmed that further discussions are currently taken place with other global partners for toy and broadcast placement.

Targeting pre-schoolers, Piper’s Pony Tales takes a look at the life of ponies through the lens of children’s imagination using articulated puppets. The series will launch this month on a dedicated YouTube channel with Epic Story Media handling all licensing, merchandising, and global content distribution.

Breyer has been named the North American and LATAM master toy partner, drawing on its recognition as a premium maker of authentic, collectable model horses in the US since 1950.

Piper’s Pony Tales follows the adventures of Piper who daydreams about having her own pony. Making do with her toy horse, Spark and her stable play-set, Piper turns her playroom into a setting for Pony Tales as she uses her toy ponies to act out adventures alongside her friends Casey and Paloma.

The series taps into themes of fantasy, freedom, and adventure, as well as the universal magic that every child possesses through their imagination. The series makes use of the dolls as puppets and uses visual effects to animate their faces and bring their stories to life.

The show also features DIY, craft-like sets, empowering kids to create their own stories at home. The series has received financial suport from the Shaw Rocket Fund and the Canada Media Fund through the CMF-SRF Kids Digital Animated Series Programme.

Ken Faier, president and founder of Epic Story Media, said: “We are so proud of Piper’s Pony Tales – from its premise of unlocking kids’ imagination so that they can create magic in their own homes, to the diverse leading cast and the unique style we’re pioneering to bring them to life.

“We are excited to have a strong partner in Breyer, whose expertise has helped us to make sure we remain true to the equestrian way and provided valuable consultation in the development of Piper’s core brand values. We know that this show will connect with all kids who love horses and will inspire a future generation of horse fans as they are encouraged to translate their viewing experience to one of imaginative play with family and friends.”

Tony Fleischmann, president of Breyer, added: “As part of the leading equestrian lifestyle brand of toys, gifts, collectibles and experiences, it is exciting to be part of introducing preschoolers to the enchanting world of horses. Piper’s Pony Tales will create long lasting memories of horse play and a love of horses.”

New high score | Roblox is outpacing broadcast TV for audience reach – Kids Insights latest

Video gaming is setting a new high score for audience reach in the battle for eyeballs among streaming platforms, YouTube, and traditional broadcast TV, suggests the latest data from Kids Insights Media Mix Compass, and now is the time for toy brands to start paying closer attention.

Here, Nick Richardson, Founder and CEO, The Insights People, and Licensing.biz’s Robert Hutchins explore the latest trends and data to be shaping the shifting media landscape.

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The videogame Roblox has outscored all broadcast TV channels in both the UK and US as the most powerful platform through which to reach young audiences, according to the latest insight from The Kids Insights Media Mix Compass

And the implications if this can’t be underestimated. In fact, compounding the popularity of the video games market, which has continued to grow significantly over the last few years, the potential for it to change the way in which businesses execute the marketing strategies for brands and retailers, is enormous.

Advertising budgets should no longer be solely – or even predominantly – focused on television. The world has changed, and video games are all too often the undervalued platforms to core audiences by marketers.

According to our latest data – sourced through a recently launched Media Mix Compass – teens now spend an average of 1 hour 25 minutes per day playing video games. That’s more time than they spend watching TV.

Generally, kids spend 62 per cent of their available time on digital activities. In the US, for example, for kids aged six to nine, Roblox has a Media Mix Score (MMS) of 128 which is higher than Nickelodeon (91), Disney Channel (80) and Cartoon Network (76). The Kids Insights Media Mix Score considers the reach, time spent and preference of 11 different media types and approximately 1,500 different channels in each region.

This past year has found parents discovering new ways to get their kids to play. With that, one of America’s top toy properties LOL Surprise is joining forces with top digital gaming platform ROBLOX – creating a relationship with the 1st Doll World of Roblox on a Global level. Through these two leaders in toy/play coming together, billions of fans can now discover a more immersive and shared gaming experience.

Toy brands are beginning to become savvy to the step change in the importance of such gaming and entertainment platforms. Just this week, international toy manufacturer, MGA Entertainment detailed plans to launch its LOL Surprise brand onto the Roblox platform.

The launch will kick-off with a ‘testing phase’ through which fans can play with and against their favourite gaming influencers as they explore the LOL/Roblox world.

Elsewhere, last week Hasbro detailed the five year extension of its current partnership with Epic Games’ Fortnite to expand on its licensing programme that includes the addition of its GI Joe character Snake Eyes into the Fortnite video game.

Meanwhile, it is equally important to note the growing importance of other new media options, including esports, which now ranks as the third most powerful media type for boys aged 10 to 12 in the UK, behind only YouTube and video games.

Esports is therefore one of the biggest opportunities for advertisers in 2021. Already one-in-ten teens in the US, UK, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Canada use Twitch, the premiere platform in the industry for live video content. While physical sporting events were halted amidst the pandemic, the League of Legends European Championship – streamed live on Twitch – boasted the league’s highest ever viewing figures, raking in an average of 819,400 viewers for the final in April 2020.

Meanwhile, even more traditional areas, such as online chess, has witnessed huge viewer numbers over Twitch, hitting as many as 140,000 viewers at a time and helping to fuel a global resurgence in the traditional game, confirmed by the International Chess Federation, that has seen manufacturers hit new record highs for sales of chess boards.

However, marketing to kids is not a one-size-fits-all activity. In the UK, teenage girls are still tuning into Broadcast TV with ITV recording a score of 124 and Channel 4 hitting 99, making Broadcast TV the second most powerful media type with this demographic.

But streaming services and video games took a huge piece from the tasty audience pie. Each year with a growing variety of different online entertainment, the trend for kids to opt for digital platforms over the traditional ones will likely continue.

We also should keep in mind the growing influence and decision-making power of kids within the home being greater than with any other previous generation. Children have their own opinion over many other new categories, such as the purchase of a new car (which 54 per cent more kids say they influence in 2020 compared to 2019).

Although reaching this audience is more important than ever, it is increasingly difficult to do so. Growing up as digital natives, this generation have a far greater choice of what they consume and when they consume it than ever before. Therefore, kids’ attention is fragmented across a huge range of (increasingly niche) platforms, making it harder to reach a mass audience.

Brands spend just 37 per cent of their budget on non-digital spending, yet kids spend a huge 62 per cent of their time on digital, resulting in a mismatch that will cost advertisers $1.15bn in 2021.

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For more information on the Kids Insights Media Mix Compass, and to receive complimentary access to the tool and a copy of an example report please visit www.kidsinsights.com/mediamix

To learn more about the attitudes, behavior and consumption patterns of kids, parents and families, and to get freemium access to the Insights People real-time data portal, please visit: http://www.kidsinsights.com/toynews

YouTube channels Braille Skateboarding and Trinity and Beyond land second series toy roll-outs following fan demand

Semaphore Licensing, the licensing and merchandising specialist in the online content creator and influencer market, is ‘thrilled’ with the current response and consumer demand for licensed products and toys for its Braille Skateboarding and Trinity brands.

Reception to product launches from Bonkers Toys, toy partner for both Braille Skateboarding and Trinity and Beyond has fuelled a second wave release, as both brands now continue to bolster their US retail offering across Target.com and Target stores across the country.

Series two toy lines for both Braille Skateboarding and Trinity and Beyond feature elevated versions of initial releases. Braille Skateboarding is currently the number one skateboarding channel on YouTube and has just released a fresh series of blind bags featuring collectable mini skateboards, as well as a mystery two-pack and a mystery six-pack of mini skateboards.

Meanwhile, Trinity and Beyond has release a new series of buildable miniature figure blind bags along with a mystery figure two-pack and a mystery figure six-pack.

According to Semaphore Licensing, these latest releases have been met with much excitement as fans look to their favorite virtual buddies to help keep them entertained while much of their activity is still limited to play time at home amid the pandemic.

We are thrilled by the fan response to the licensed products from Bonkers Toys for Semaphore YouTube stars Braille Skateboarding and Trinity and Beyond,” said Lisa Berlin Wright, senior vice president of licensing, Semaphore Licensing Solutions.

“Semaphore Licensing is delighted to represent some of the best social media stars on YouTube and other dynamic platforms.”

Maurizio Distefano Licensing named Italian licensing agent for Moonbug’s CoComelon, Blippi, and Morphle

Maurizio Distefano Licensing has partnered with Moonbug Entertainment to become the licensing agent for CoComelon, Blippi, and My Magic Pet Morphle across the Italian market.

The move is the latest in Moonbug’s continued licensing push for a portfolio of brands that within just two years, has helped the firm become a powerhouse in the children’s programming sector. Moonbug currently boasts a librayr of more than 550 hours of content, distributed on more than 100 platforms globally.

CoComelon teaches children how to take on everyday activities and role models positive behavior with a sense of enthusiasm. Kids can easily relate to the universal themes and everyday narratives such as eating your vegetables, learning to tie your shoes and getting ready for bed.

CoComelon attracts children aged one to four to sing and dance along with Baby JJ and his siblings as they learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors and more. It is available on all major platforms including Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Roku and Netflix and has surpassed 100 million subscribers on YouTube and garnered nearly 100 billion views on the platform.     

Meanwhile, Blippi is an energetic and loveable character clad in orange and blue that jumps off the screen with his goofy mannerisms and friendly demeanor. He’s taught millions of kids how to count, colors, letters, and much more. In just a few years since his inception, Blippi has become a global sensation with over 11 million YouTube subscribers and 700 million views per month.

Blippi is also available on some of the largest premium streaming services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, Roku, Virgin Media and Kidoodle.

Morphle is a magical red pet who can morph himself into anything – a sweet puppy, a giant truck, a cool dinosaur or anything that his human companion Mila’s playful mind can imagine.

The series is aimed at children aged three to six and is available in 12 languages. With over 250 episodes in its library, the show teaches preschoolers the themes of friendship, problem solving and creativity, and is available on a range of digital platforms including YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV, and most recently, was part of a deal to be shown on Virgin Media platforms.

A hit with tots and their families worldwide, the Morphle YouTube channel has 9.6 million subscribers and has had over 6 billion views since it was established in 2011.

“The relatable content in these properties makes them highly accessible, involving both children and parents in their first learning phases,” said Maurizio Distefano, president of MDL. “The successes that these series have collected since their inception demonstrates their strength, and we’re excited to help fans access products that include their favorite characters.”

Cats vs Pickles sets paws down in UK to mirror US success through plush and licensing plans

Cats vs. Pickles, an international children’s IP that has rocketed to fame on YouTube, is looking to mirror its US success as it prepares to set all four paws down on the UK’s shores this year.

Made available to the UK market through Paul Fogarty’s TWO IN 1 Direct, Cats vs Pickles will introduce its eclectic range that spans more than 100 different styles of Cat and Pickles collectable plushies, Kitty Condo Habi-cats, themed special editions, Jumbo Plush, character pillows, and more.

It follows a soft launch for the brand here in the UK that, through a limited roll-out of the collectable plush range before Christmas, was met with ‘an impressive response,’ and reports of retailers selling 1,500 units within just a few weeks.

In the US, the demand for Cats vs Pickles has been driven by a large volume of bespoke online content created by Cepia. Short form video content on YouTube has generated more than 110 million views from a global audience, with more than 16 million views in the UK alone.

According to Fogarty, average sales of the Cats vs Pickles range have hit over 30 units sold per week, with many major outlets hitting as high as 50 units per store, per week.

Fogarty said: “Cats vs. Pickles is a long-term brand with much more to come from the range later in the year, including licensing. Cepia will be supporting the collection with a comprehensive and heavy marketing schedule, including TV, pre-roll and influencer activity. It’s going to be big.”

WildBrain Spark: How kids’ viewing habits changed in 2020 (and how to prepare for 2021)

As we quickly approach the end of a year heavily affected by Covid-19, and look optimistically toward a post-coronavirus horizon, toy companies and brands have a lot to think about in terms of their 2021 strategies, especially when it comes to advertising in kids’ entertainment. 

WildBrain Spark’s Executive VP and MD, Jon Gisby explores how this year has changed kids’ viewing habits and how to prepare for 2021. 

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As one of the largest premium kids’ and family-content publishers on AVOD platforms, the thing we get asked the most from advertisers is: Where can we make the biggest impact based on Covid viewing trends in the digital kids’ space?

Some of our latest discoveries provide telling answers. Key findings and trends from an analysis of all our WildBrain Spark content, reveal shifts that brands and advertisers would do well to note in kids’ and family viewing habits from before Covid (December 2019 – February 2020) compared to after its arrival (April – September 2020).

CTV viewing overtook mobile and tablet for the first time

One of the first trends we discovered after analysing consumption data and patterns for WildBrain Spark content since April 2020 was that connected TVs quickly outpaced all other types of devices as the primary way to watch video content for children.

Smart TVs became the viewing device of choice for families starting in April and continue to be so, with 46 per cent of WildBrain Spark content watched on these devices even in October 2020. Connected TVs were already growing in popularity before Covid, but the pandemic has pushed families in the direction of co-viewership on larger screens.

Our recent report “Making Screen Time Family Time” in partnership with nScreenMedia, an independent digital TV analyst company, confirms this trend. Of the 3,000 US families we asked, 62 per cent of parents say the smart TV is the most popular platform for co-viewing, with 48 per cent using a connected TV device.

In the kids’ entertainment space, co-viewership on connected and smart TVs is likely to continue well into 2021 and beyond. Two-thirds of parents said they expect time spent with their kids watching TV/movies to remain the same or increase once the pandemic is over.

When preparing strategies, toy companies and brands should be sure to prepare spots optimised for larger screens, and partner with media companies that have a solid presence in the CTV market.

Viewing sessions increased on long-form content

In addition to the shift to co-viewing, we also discovered that viewing sessions on kids’ content have increased by 23 per cent since Covid began, particularly on long-form content of 10 minutes or greater in length. In fact, 57 per cent of all views since Covid began were on long-form content.

For example, the average watch time on long-form WildBrain Spark content between December 2019 and February 2020 was 3.7 times the amount of time spent on short-form content. Since April 2020, this ratio jumped 17 per cent, taking it to 4.3 times the amount of time spent on short-form videos.

This is a major shift in family viewership habits resulting from the rise of viewing on CTV during the pandemic. These trends show that kids and families are officially watching longer videos instead of shorter ones on larger screens for a more premium entertainment experience.

Toy companies and brands should keep this in mind when looking to partner with publishers: Aim to advertise against and sponsor longer-form content to help you reach a more receptive, family-friendly audience.

Media companies caught up to kids’ influencers and creators

While creators and influencers in the kids’ space often pull in billions of views a month, we saw a different viewing habit among children and families during the peak of the first lockdowns and stay-at-home measures in April 2020.

Essentially, premium content from media companies and publishers outperformed creator content, seeing a +22 per cent average view increase versus just a +3 per cent view increase for creators and influencers.

Some genres in particular saw a substantial increase in viewership. Kids’ music jumped 41 per cent from April to June 2020 compared to views garnered between December 2019 and February 2020. Kids’ animation saw a 32 per cent bump in views across these same months, while children’s TV properties came in a close third, at 30 per cent.

This increase of premium content views appears to be here to stay. The rise of premium content shows it’s important to expand advertising strategies to partner with media companies who have known favourites and premium shows that kids and families have turned to this year. This will diversify reach and improve the chances of getting in front of new audiences.

As 2021 draws near, make sure you’re ready to address this new kids’ entertainment market head on. In short, toy companies and brands should prepare their advertising strategy so it’s easily viewed on connected TVs, appears against longer-form content, and can be found alongside premium content from top media companies.

Semaphore Licensing celebrates global reach as pandemic fuels influencer evolution

Semaphore Licensing is celebrating a milestone anniversary, having continued to hit upon global success throughout a year that has been fraught with unease and uncertainty owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The company has said that it is now ‘well on its way to creating market disruption,’ despite those challenges.

Having worked with YouTube talent for over a decade through its sister company, Semaphore Business Solutions, the Semaphore Licensing team has secured deals for a portfolio spanning names such as Braille Skateboarding, Blogilates, SUperHero Kids, and Trinity and Beyond.

Following a year that has seen a ‘dramatic shift’ in the placement goal for product from in-store to online, Semaphore Licensing is priming itself to see the trend continue as ecommerce continues to grow ‘at a rapid rate.’

“The impact on influencers is rapidly evolving as well, as their roles and responsibilities as public figures take a new shape in our pandemic changed global community,” suggests the firm.

We’re well on our way to creating market disruption despite the pandemic challenges of 2020,” said Michael Bienstock, founder and CEO, Semaphore Licensing Solutions.

“We accelerated throughout a tumultuous time, and connected fans with their creators when the need for connection was at an all-time high.”