Warner Bros. Head of Kids and Family Programming, Amy Friedman, commented on an interview during MIPTV Digital 2021 that form part of a workgroup that is pivoting decisively towards streaming, due the launch of HBO Max.
In addition, the exec commented that there is still a lot of emphasis on growing the company’s flagship kids brand Cartoon Network in the pay-TV space and digital interface: ‘My team has been tasked to mean more to more audiences. So we are expanding the Cartoon brand into pre-school and we are focusing more on girls aged 6-11. Previously we concentrated more on animation targeted at boys in that particular demographic’.
According to Friedman, around 80% of commissioning or acquired content will be displayed on both linear channels and HBO Max, though exact windowing will depend on the job that Friedman’s team believes a particular brand can do for the Warner Bros. ecosystem. Also, the same team is responsible for commissioning across linear and streaming.
The expansion into pre-school will primarily, according Friedman, be driven by animation but she also has a soft spot for puppetry. Explained that animation will also remain the ‘driving force’ for Cartoon Network among older kids, although there is likely to be room for live action as the company pursues girls.
‘The tag line is «always animated but not always cartoons». It could be live-action comedies and dramedies, movies as back-door pilots for series. Limited series are more likely because I’m not sure long runs are right for streaming’, added.
