love. A number of shows look at
the little kid against the big wide
world – that too is a pretty universal
experience – as well as teenage angst
and the pitfalls of being a teenager.
I think that kids also like to see a
window on a different part of the
world – something that gives them
a different experience to their own.
Australian programmes very often
celebrate the Great Outdoors and if
you are watching TV in London or
Stockholm maybe it’s appealing to
see that outdoor experience. Some
programmes are enjoyed because
they are relatable and some because
they are a bit of a fantasy.
When we sell a programme, we
deliver a music and effects track
and post‐production script, and so
in places like Japan or Germany our
programmes get dubbed. In some
smaller territories and for example
in Scandinavia it’s more often the
case that they get subtitled.
How do young viewers watch?
The younger the viewers are, the
more likely they are to consume
programmes via the TV – obviously
also on DVD and online. More and
more it’s by going to a destination
that’s specially for children, to
public broadcasters’ digital
children’s channels like ABC3 or
CBBC or CBeebies. We are certainly
finding in Australia that catch‐up
TV online is very big. A show like
Dance Academy
will get a large
audience on ABC3 but almost a
third again will be watching it on
iView – either watching the episode
again or watching an episode they
missed. Distribution of
programmes through iTunes and
Lovefilm and Netflix is increasing
as well.
Dance Academy
did not have
a great presence in the US; it’s been
very hard to make sales in the US.
When it went out on Netflix it was
immediately popular. That’s
indicative of an interesting trend in
that a limited number of
broadcasters may not be the only
gatekeepers in the future.
You contribute to policy
development in children’s TV –
what are the dominant issues?
Australia is unique in that we have
had a system of support for
children’s content. There has been
regulation of the commercial
broadcasters which has required
them to screen a minimum of hours
of Australian children’s content.
However, that quota system is
going to come under question
because it applies to free‐to‐air
terrestrial TV and children are now
going to particular children’s
destinations and are getting their
content from all sorts of other
places. The response has been – and
this is happening all over the world
– broadcasters moving their
children’s content off the mainstream
channels to their digital channels.
This is a good thing because
children can find their content
THE CHANNEL
|
IN CONVERSATION
three now, all hugely popular, in
130 countries. It was intended for
the 11‐14 age group but actually it
is appealing to a wide age group,
from young kids to young adults.
What’s your marketing strategy?
We are a modest outfit so we do
things fairly modestly. We go to
MIP and MIPCOM and also have a
stand at the Asian TV Forum.
Children’s TV is a very collegiate
kind of space – at MIPCOM and
MIPJunior, people come together
and everybody knows everybody
else. The same goes for conferences
like Kidscreen in New York or an
event like Prix Jeunesse. It’s really
about knowing who is buying our
programmes, who’s screening our
programmes and developing long‐
standing relationships with them.
That’s more important than any
amount of money spent on glossy
advertising. We could never
compete with BBC Worldwide or
Warner Brothers so we rely very
much on our brand recognition and
those longstanding relationships
that we have with key broadcasters
around the world.
Which markets are challenging?
Our programmes go to more than
100 countries. We have sold quite a
few programmes to the Middle East
but buyers there can be a little bit
more conservative and discerning
so the outcome will depend very
much on the kind of programme.
The other market that we have
found difficult is the US because
they have so much of their own
content and don’t acquire very
much internationally. The markets
that have worked really well for us
are the European markets, the UK,
Canada and Asia.
Some shows have universal
appeal but sometimes for whatever
reason – whether it’s sense of
humour or subject matter – a
programme won’t appeal in a
particular region. Love is one of
those themes that are universal –
and that’s one of the attractions of
Dance Academy
as it explores
teenage relationships. Children all
over the world are interested in
”
Kids TV
shouldn’t
always
have to
stagger
under the
burden of
having to
be worthy
“
18
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ISSUE 1 2014
|
THE CHANNEL
