ABC launches kids app

Australian public broadcaster ABC has launched a free iPad app designed for pre-schoolers, featuring series such as Peppa Pig and Shaun the Sheep.

ABC Kids iview arrives following high viewing figures for ABC’s catch-up player iview among two- to five-year-olds down under.

Nielsen’s Australian E-Generation Report, released in December, said 63% of the age group is already using an ABC service online, while younger children are watching internet TV more frequently than older children.

The ad-free app, currently only available on Apple devices, features local series such as Play School, Giggle and Hoot, and Bananas in Pyjamas alongside acquired toons like Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and The Octonauts. Launches on other devices are planned, ABC said.

It comes with a feature that allows parents to control which programmes their children can watch.

“We know that young children and their parents are the most active users of tablet and mobile content, and ABC Kids iview places them at the heart of the viewing experience,” said Rebecca Heap, ABC’s head of TV strategy and digital products.

Last week Google launched YouTube Kids, a child-friendly version of the video-sharing platform.