Daniel Riddell, CTO of A Parent Media Co. Inc., shared insights into the challenges and strategies associated with monetizing children’s content on one of the final conferences at ATF 2023. The session also featured Adam Woodgate, Senior VP, Media Insights, Dubit Limited, as the moderator. The discussion centered around Cadoodle, a platform under A Parent Media Co. Inc., and its unique journey in the competitive realm of kids’ content.
Riddell started the discussion by providing an overview of Kidoodle, a platform that has been in operation for approximately 10 years and is currently available in 160 markets globally. The platform, launched in 2014, was born out of a negative experience that A Parent Media Co. Inc.’s founder, Mike Hill, had with his child while watching kids’ content on YouTube. This experience led to the creation of a safer alternative for children’s content consumption.
‘The platform’s programming strategy involves offering popular brands such as Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Cocomelon, and Blippi, many of which originated on YouTube’, expressed Riddell. Kidoodle primarily targets parents, providing a safe alternative for consuming content compared to free platforms like YouTube. The platform’s demographic skews towards lower-income families, offering a secure space for children’s content.
Regarding the monetization model evolution, the executive mentioned that platform initially adopted a subscription-based model, and pivoted to a primarily ad-supported model in 2018 due to subscription fatigue in the market. ‘The platform’s business model focuses on ad-supported content, addressing the challenges associated with monetizing kids’ content’, said.
Riddell also remarked the challenges associated with lower-income households and rural areas with limited bandwidth. ‘Kidoodle offers content in lower-quality streams to accommodate such households, with a significant emphasis on connected TV as the primary platform’.
The platform incorporates parental controls and addresses privacy laws such as COPPA and GDPRK. A key innovation is the development of Safe Exchange, a business unit focused on ad quality and metadata, ensuring a safe advertising environment. The latest product, Accurate, provides real-time ad metadata for informed decision-making.
Advertising categories and granularity:
Kidoodle collaborates with advertisers through spot ads, sponsorships, and in-app takeovers. ‘The platform’s audience research indicates a strong presence in the preschool demographic, attracting advertising from age-appropriate theatrical releases, travel destinations, and consumer packaged goods. The granularity of advertising involves a curated approach, ensuring a positive viewing experience’, explained.
Despite the competition, Kidoodle has also achieved top positions in publisher trust rankings, attributing its success to consumer trust. The service’s commitment to solving challenges associated with sensitive audiences has contributed to its growth in global markets.
As for one of the strong points, content acquisition, Kidoodle employs a dual strategy of acquiring exclusive content through commitments and general content deals. With a vast library of 45,000 episodes, the platform strategically targets top titles in each market to maintain a strong brand association. The platform constantly evolves its content strategy to cater to the changing needs of children across different age groups.
‘With distribution being a critical aspect, we established revenue-sharing partnerships with major TV manufacturers worldwide. The focus on connected TV companies, such as Roku and Samsung, has facilitated effective monetization of kids’ content. Partnerships with legacy players like Comcast further enhance Kidoodle ‘s distribution reach’.
