Kids’ streamer Kidoodle and parent APMC to be placed in receivership

Kidoodle aimed to be seen as a safe streamer for kids

A Parent Media Co (APMC), the Alberta-based owner of kids’ entertainment platform Kidoodle.TV and sports streamer Victory+, is set to be placed into receivership following a court application from its financial backer, TriWest Capital Partners.

Private equity firm TriWest, which invested in APMC in 2022, has applied to have AlixPartners Restructuring appointed as receiver for both APMC and Kidoodle, claiming both are insolvent and “[lack] sufficient liquidity to fund ongoing operations” in its court filing.

The receivership application, which was set to be heard in an Alberta court on Thursday, comes following a string of damaging press reports in recent months, namely around the collapse of Victory+.

The free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service was focused on National Hockey League games from the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks when it launched in September 2024. In 2025, it added games from Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers and more than 50 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) games, among other sports rights, amid ambitious plans to become a viable sports streamer in the FAST space.

However, cracks began to appear in July as the Texas Rangers terminated its streaming agreement with Victory+, with the Sports Business Journal reporting that it was due to missed rights fees. In July, NWSL also terminated its agreements and Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger exited his post shortly afterwards. Earlier this week, it was reported by various outlets that Victory+ was winding down operations.

Launched in 2014, Kidoodle positioned itself as a safe streaming environment for children, free from the intensely algorithm-driven nature of other general entertainment services. The platform, which was built primarily on licensed content, began as a paid service but shifted to an AVoD model by 2018 and built a robust audience of between 16 and 22 million monthly active users. It is available in more than 150 territories.

Brenda Bisner, the former chief operating officer at Kidoodle, told C21 the whole executive team was terminated on August 19. Remaining employees were subsequently terminated on August 31.

The veteran exec said the initial lay-offs were “completely blindsiding.” She added that the entire staff felt “huge devastation” in the aftermath and praised the “tireless effort and the incredible talent” of the entire workforce.

As it stands, the Kidoodle service remains operational but it is unclear what will happen next. In Canada, licensed programmes available on Kidoodle include Paw Patrol, Franklin, Pocoyo, 123 Number Squad! and Sesame Street, in addition to content from YouTube comedy group Dude Perfect.

Bisner added: “I loved the company, and I’m so proud and grateful for everything that I was able to do. There were so many great people at the company, and it’s a really, really sad day for many.

“We started a movement. When we launched Kidoodle, ‘safe’ was not a word. AVoD was not even a right yet. We came before YouTube Kids. We paved a very important path in this business that so many companies have followed, and for that I’m really grateful because it showed that children matter. The work we were doing was important, and it became a trend and showed that safety matters.”

TriWest Capital Partners and APMC had not responded to C21’s requests for comment at press time.