Robinson to lead YFE roll-out

Former Disney Channels Worldwide and KidsCo chief Paul Robinson has been tapped by German firm Your Family Entertainment (YFE) to take its kids’ TV channels global.

YFE has operated the yourfamily pay TV children’s channel in German-speaking Europe since 2007, while its other channel, RiC, began broadcasting free-to-air in September 2012.

Robinson will lead the international roll-out of yourfamily and RiC beyond German-speaking Europe, targeting the space in the kids’ channels market left since NBCUniversal and Corus axed their KidsCo network towards the end of last year.

“Your Family Entertainment was a content supplier to KidsCo and shares similar values and attributes,” Robinson said. “There is a gap in the market now that KidsCo has disappeared and YFE is best placed to fill that gap for platforms. I look forward to helping to roll out YFE’s channels internationally.”

Robinson has more than 30 years’ experience in the broadcasting business. He was senior VP of Walt Disney Television International and was also founder and CEO of KidsCo, which was at one point available in 98 countries and 18 languages.

Since leaving KidsCo in 2011, Robinson has worked with Andy Heyward at A Squared Entertainment and, separately, helped launch the African kids’ channel Zuku Kids last year. Currently, he is MD of his own consultancy, Creative Media Partners.

“Paul Robinson is the expert in the international kids’ television business. Highly innovative, he manages to set up operations very effectively,” said Stefan Piech, CEO of YFE.