To be launch during Q2, Sensicalwill offer expansive, curated library of age-appropriate short form videos filtered through a rigorous rubric based on the most comprehensive child development research available. Free, ad-supported service will be available via branded app and live streaming channels on all major OTT platforms and all mobile devices at launch.
Common Sense Networks, a for-profit affiliate of Common Sense Media and a Public Benefit Corporation, announced the service will offer thousands of age-appropriate, short-form videos for kids 2-10. With a mission to set a new standard in children’s digital media, the ad-supported service thoughtfully filters for quality through a rigorous and proprietary rubric and evaluates content based on the most comprehensive child development research available.
Headed by Common Sense Networks CEO Eric Berger, Sensical will answer parents’ essential need for entertaining, age-appropriate content that nurtures the specific emotional, social, and cognitive needs of their children. The immersive and handpicked library will be organized and tiered into three distinct categories:Preschoolers (ages 2-4), Little kids (ages 5-7) and Big kids (ages 8-10)
Berger underlines: ‘As a free platform offering only age-appropriate fare, we remove every obstacle to accessing a comprehensive, trusted resource for entertaining short-form video from the best possible content creators. Every family can afford to add Sensical to their personal bundle and we couldn’t be more excited to create a distinctive alternative for parents and partner with them in their goal to raise good humans’.
Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, adds: ‘Over these past few years we’ve seen an explosion in commercial products and services directed at the audience we serve, but not always with their best interests in mind. We believe there is a meaningful opportunity for Sensical to fill a massive void in the current ecosystem and for Common Sense Networks to innovate in the space for the long-term benefit of kids and families’.
Sensical’s interface will encourage discovery and exploration by giving kids the opportunity to select from 100s of defined topics/passions when searching for content. In addition, parents can take the reins of their kids’ personalized queue with an option to select a specific age range, introducing kids to titles that a) are an inherently better fit for their unique personalities and b) will foster deep connections whether families are co-viewing or children are watching independently.
The kids OTT will introduce strict ad guidelines that shift the marketplace narrative by exceeding expectations around current standards and practices and offer solutions that still work for brand partners. The free, branded app will lead with protection of kids as its main theme, ensuring digital privacy, featuring clear parental consent options and a clear line of distinction between commercial and noncommercial content.
Berger remarks: ‘Parents don’t trust how short-form video is presented to their young children. They often find themselves in a position of hall monitor, trying to steer kids in the right direction, giving them guidance on what is appropriate and hoping they don’t take a wrong turn in the process. By leading with our age-appropriate, passion-based approach, we take the guesswork out of the equation and by doing so, raise the bar not just for Sensical, but also for the industry at large. As kids 2-10 lean in more heavily to their affinity for short-form, we want to embrace it but need to do so with a trained eye for selecting videos that give parents real peace of mind’.
Brands and popular franchises from leading content providers will be featured on the service with plans to add thousands of videos to the library every month from digital-first creators like Azevedo Studios (Funtastic TV), Bounce Patrol, Hevesh5, Sockeye Media (Mother Goose Club), Cosmic Kids Yoga, New Sky Kids, Skyship Entertainment Company (Super Simple Songs), StacyPlays (DogCraft) and Whistle (No Days Off); and studio/distribution partners including ABC Commercial (The Wiggles), Awesome Forces (The Aquabats), Big Big Holdings LLC (It’s A Big Big World), Boat Rocker Studios (Ollie The Boy Who Became What He Ate), CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, Hoho Entertainment (Shane the Chef, Cloudbabies), Jetpack Distribution (Yoko, Kitty is Not a Cat), Millimages (64 Zoo Lane, Molang), Nelvana (Mike The Knight, Bakugan), 9Story Distribution International (Ruby’s Studio, Zerby Derby), One Animation (Rob The Robot, Oddbods), Sesame Workshop (Pinky Dinky Doo, Sesame Studios), Serious Lunch (Operation Ouch, Art Ninja), Studio 100 (Maya the Bee, Small Potatoes), ZooMoo Networks Pte Ltd (ZooMooPedia) and more.
