Glance presented its highly anticipated keynote, «Next-Gen Viewing: Trends Shaping Children’s Content.» Led by Romy Nicolas, International Research Manager at Glance, the 20-minute session utilized official audience measurement data and specialist VOD tracking to reveal evolving consumption patterns. Nicolas highlighted 11 successful programs from 12 territories and organized the upcoming trends into three distinct themes: Build for Scrollers, Beyond the Game, and Enduring Appeal.
Addressing the ‘Build for Scrollers’ trend’, Nicolas detailed how screen time distribution changes dramatically as children age. In the UK, average daily viewing varies by only 16 minutes across age groups, but the devices change: the TV set remains primary, yet smartphone usage jumps from 7% among 7- to 9-year-olds to 34% among 13- to 15-year-olds. Video-sharing platforms dominate this space, with YouTube capturing nearly half of the screen time for 10- to 12-year-olds, while TikTok closely trails YouTube among 16- to 18-year-olds (nearly 30%). In response, producers are increasingly adopting social media culture, partnering with digital-native creators, and experimenting with vertical formats to reach young viewers.
Exploring the ‘Beyond the Game’ trend, the session demonstrated how major global events drive co-viewing opportunities. The summer 2026 FIFA World Cup emerged as the top-performing program across all genres in four of the five largest European markets. The UK saw a massive 88.7% market share of 4- to 15-year-olds tuning in for the England vs. Argentina semi-final, while co-host the US reached 2.8 million children aged 2 to 11 for the final. Broadcasters capitalized on this momentum not only with live coverage but also through animated sports-fantasy series, live-action football stories, and unscripted shows.
Despite rapid digital evolution, the ‘Enduring Appeal’ trend proved that classic ingredients remain vital. Animation continues to be the favored genre, with a notable rise in anime-inspired content produced outside of Japan. Musical series and animal-led characters—especially dogs and, increasingly, cats—maintain a strong foothold in children’s programming. ‘The most successful producers are those borrowing the codes of social media while staying true to the fundamentals children have always loved: music, sport, friendship and animals’, Nicolas emphasized.
