In a Hari to board YouTube
Sophie ‘Kido’ Prigent, head of distribution at French animation studio Hari, discusses the company’s strategy around YouTube and why the platform is essential for brand awareness.
The Grizzy & the Lemmings YouTube attracted more than nine million subscribers
Paris-based animation studio Hari is evolving its distribution strategy to attract the millions of children spending their time on YouTube. Earlier this year, the prodco launched two channels on the platform, one in French and the other in English, for its CGI kids’ series Mystery Lane.
Hari had already launched a YouTube channel for its series Grizzy & the Lemmings, which has amassed more than nine million subscribers and attracts 1.3 billion views per year. Following that success, the company launched a dedicated geoblocked US-only YouTube channel for the show, which reached hundreds of thousands of views per day after just a few weeks.
Grizzy & the Lemmings is available on Netflix, where it is the most-watched six-plus kids’ show worldwide, according to Hari’s head of distribution Sophie ‘Kido’ Prigent. Under the Netflix deal, there are some restrictions on what content can be posted to YouTube, but a few episodes, clips and compilations are allowed. The series is also broadcast on linear channels including France Télévisions and the BBC in the UK.
“YouTube is essential because it’s a major element in the creation and support of brand awareness. That’s because kids use it so much. In the US, according to recent research, 83% of kids went on YouTube recently, well ahead of any other platforms or channels in the country,” says Prigent.
Sophie Prigen
The idea of putting kids’ content, which can cost a lot of money to produce, on YouTube for free has caused quite a controversy in the children’s media business. But the platform is unrivalled when it comes to creating awareness of brands, which is imperative at a time when there is so much children’s programming available on the multitude of channels and platforms that now exist.
“The brand awareness benefits the traditional broadcasters and digital platforms whether they’re free or pay. For pay broadcasters, it has the same impact free television exposure has. The top-performing shows on Disney+ or Netflix, such as Bluey or CoComelon, have great exposure on YouTube and demonstrate that content kids love on YouTube will get them hooked, and encouraged past the paywall. And for free-to-air broadcasters, it keeps the IP in kids’ minds, so much so that it is crucial to be on YouTube,” says Prigent.
“Mystery Lane is a huge success in France. We amassed one million views in only six weeks for an original show that kids had never heard of, and that is a milestone. The show has been in the top five for France Télévisions’ free VoD platform Okoo since its first broadcast in August last year.
“Launching the French YouTube channel to support the popularity of the show is a must and we are doing so with certain episodes, clips and compilations of clips, as allowed by our contract with France Télévisions, who will also benefit as it will drive the audience to France 4 and Okoo.”
The English-language YouTube channel for Mystery Lane aims to support the show’s broadcast on ITV in the UK and ABC in Australia, and also to reach a wider audience globally, including in the US.
Hari will draw viewers to the Mystery Lane YouTube channel via cross-promotion from Grizzy & the Lemmings.
“We are not talking about standard YouTube cross-promotional content through thumbnails. This is specifically designed content, by Hari, where Grizzy & the Lemmings characters introduce Mystery Lane’s characters. The difference is critical because kids identify with their favourite characters and see them in the same way that we might see ‘influencers.’ So this endorsement will captivate kids’ attention even if the content is different,” Prigent says.
“We’re also looking at stats provided by YouTube to understand what works best and what kids love the most in terms of themes, characters, stories and environments. We will investigate using this information for the creation of future content for all platforms.”
Hari appointed digital distributor Soupir to help develop and grow its global digital content strategy for both Mystery Lane and Grizzy & the Lemmings. Soupir handles the YouTube broadcast and programming side, while using software to generate a deeper understanding of how the content performs in various markets and how to adjust programming to best serve global audiences.
Hari launched English and French channels on YouTube for CGI series Mystery Lane
“Soupir has developed proprietary software to streamline digital distribution processes, which can be tedious and time consuming. This software automates all manual tasks with minimal added value, allowing us to focus on editorial work and programming strategy. Furthermore, their software goes deeper by helping us understand our audiences better, which guides the decision-making processes. It also analyses extensive data to optimise the content delivered,” Prigent says.
“Soupir uses AI [artificial intelligence] and data to build a model for predicting content performances. In essence, they collect contextual information from episode synopses and scripts, along with historical performance data related to the episode and similar content from different sources.”
Hari’s strategy is to develop more exclusive and shortform digital-first content for YouTube, including thematic clip compilations, some full episodes, live streams and thematic excerpts. The company also plans to launch local channels in other countries where its shows are present.
Prigent says: “It makes sense to develop local channels wherever possible to support the broadcast, sustain the momentum and build the IP. We are producing a special Christmas episode of Mystery Lane that we will tease on YouTube as well. And we are signing licensing deals, including a publishing deal with Hachette in France for their youth-focused collection, which attests to the growth in brand awareness and popularity.”
