The market for animation has remained strong over the lockdown period, but partly thanks to global streamers, there is now increased demand for live-action aimed at children.

The live-action production sector has had a tough time over the past couple of years during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the kids’ TV sector it has certainly struggled more than animation.

The latter remains a huge part of children’s programming and always will, certainly helped by the fact that production could continue during lockdown. But nevertheless, live-action content seems to be rising in popularity as these days many kids are gravitating towards programmes aimed at older audiences. Coming out of the pandemic, it seems the opportunities for live-action in children’s TV are increasing.

“Kids are getting older, younger,” says David Michel, founder and CEO of Paris-based Cottonwood Media. “We see this especially with the female audience; girls transition to live-action around the age of eight, sometimes seven, while boys are a little later at age nine-to-10. But it’s a very narrow window we’re looking at because around the age of 14 or 15 they’re not watching TV or the platforms anymore, they’re on YouTube, they’re on TikTok.”

The launch of streaming platforms has helped raise the profile of live-action shows aimed at children and teens, according to Michel, who credits the streamers with allowing “edgier” subject matter and providing more production opportunities.

“Streaming has helped us tackle stories that we would never tackle with linear broadcasters because they’re a little edgier, because they’re more niche and because they’re very local. If you look at some of the Israeli live-action shows, for example, they look very Israeli but have a global audience thanks to Netflix. It’s really widened our horizons creatively,” he says.

“We used to be one of the few companies [making premium content aimed at kids], but now many production companies, both animation and primetime live-action, are developing this type of content and trying to bring it to market. So I’m seeing more competition, but I’m also seeing more buyers. For example, Paramount+ is a player now, and Peacock too.”

Cottonwood recently moved its focus away from animation towards live-action, after which it has produced teen drama series including Find Me in Paris (for Hulu) and Theodosia (HBO Max). This transition means its slate now comprises around 70% live-action and 30% animation, according to Michel. The prodco made this move despite the fact Michel says demand for live-action in the children’s space is “still significantly lower than demand for animation.”

“This is very much so for linear channels because they have very restricted time slots for kids’ programming. They want to focus on animation for children aged four to 10, six to nine. There are a few exceptions, like [German pubcaster] ZDF, which works with us [on series including Theodosia and Find Me in Paris], or [Italian pubcaster] Rai. Overall, though, it’s mostly the streaming platforms that are looking for teen live-action,” the exec says.

Although animation dominates viewing among younger children, live-action has still played an important part in content for this demographic over the years, particularly when it comes to educational programmes.

“We’re seeing great demand out of the Americas and EMEA for live-action kids’ shows,” says Caroline Tyre, VP of global sales and rights strategy at WildBrain in Canada. “About 25% of our slate is live-action right now, but that seems to be growing, strictly based on demand.

“Children want and need to see real people on their screens. In many territories there are long-standing live-action preschool shows or hosts that have played an important role in children’s development – for example Sesame Street, Play School and Topsy & Tim.

“It’s not about switching from one genre to the other; that’s not how kids discover or engage with content anymore. There’s more fluidity between live-action and animated features than ever before and we see this reflected in the movies that resonate with children, such as Marvel, Harry Potter and the Pixar titles.”

Tyre adds that the trend for family co-viewing brought about by the pandemic has also contributed to an increased demand for live-action shows that younger viewers can watch.

“We saw increased demand for live-action family-viewing shows while everyone was at home together and that viewing trend seems to be sticking. We’ve had great luck with some beautiful shows, like Malory Towers [CBBC] and Ruby & the Well [Family Channel], that tell wonderful stories for the entire family,” she says.

“Alongside this is the increasing globalisation of live-action storytelling and we’re seeing international content really breaking through at the moment, as demonstrated by the success of Malory Towers and programming from the wider industry, such as Hardball [ABC Me]. This trend is really being driven by streaming platforms and also by audiences who have been seeking out fresh new content during Covid.”

Returning to Paris, Lionel Marty, MD at APC Kids points out two trends in live-action kids’ programming at the moment: comedy for tweens and action-adventure series. Like WildBrain, live-action makes up around 25% of APC Kids’ slate, with shows like The Wish (24×26’) and Tinka (76×26’) for TV2 in Denmark and France’s Teletoon+.

“The demand for live-action in the children’s area comes from those aged eight to 12, while animation remains the main genre for kids under eight. There are a couple of shows in live-action that came about recently for a younger age, while there is an increase in demand for family shows,” he says.

“Streaming, in particular, has brought a demand for family live-action series that can be viewed by kids as well. The number of shows that exist in the market in this area is relatively small compared with the demand, so there will be a trend for increased production in that space.”

Speaking at C21’s Content London conference last month, Sean Henry, head of content strategy and acquisitions for kids at WarnerMedia EMEA, announced a move by the company into unscripted kids and family originals – a first for the Cartoon Network and HBO Max owner. According to the exec, the strategy allows WarnerMedia to get local people on screen.

“One area we’re really focusing on over the next year is non-scripted live-action for kids and family audiences. It’s really important on HBO Max that we give an opportunity for kids and families from Europe, the Middle East and Africa to be seen by the audience on screen. It’s really important that kids can see themselves on the platform,” he said.

“We’ve got a handful of shows in development at the moment but we’re open to pitches 24/7, 365 [days a year]. We’re looking for gameshows, competition formats and things that would be relevant for our kids’ audience in the way they consume media. At the moment we have a slate of four to five of these originals a year that we’re looking to fill, so we’d love to hear ideas.”

While the streaming platforms have been hailed as the primary buyers of children’s live-action programming, it is still relevant to traditional broadcasters as they look to expand their content offering and meet the demand for family co-viewing.

Speaking alongside Henry at Content London, Anna Taganov, head of content and programming strategy at BBC Children’s in the UK, outlined plans for one “big-ticket” live-action production a year to follow on from CBBC and iPlayer’s upcoming Oliver Twist prequel series, Dodger.

“We are looking at several of those – what would be the next Dodger – one big-ticket item a year. We are probably looking as far as 2025 because they take that long to produce,” the exec said.

In particular, BBC Children’s would like to find a “Downtown Abbey for children,” said Taganov, although she stressed that these productions don’t have to be period dramas but can also be original, modern ideas. “We currently have a very high commitment to diversity and inclusion, so for example we might be looking for a show which has a true diverse representation,” she said.

“We’re also very interested in live-action comedy and light-hearted dramas for kids aged seven to 12. It looks like we don’t have enough of those and we really want something light-hearted, feel-good and bingeable. We’re also after observational documentaries and factual entertainment on world issues like the climate and sustainability.”

Children’s animation might have seen a boost over the past two years, due to its ability to continue production during all the lockdowns, but it appears live-action aimed at kids is now seeing a major uptick in demand.

The market for animation has remained strong over the lockdown period, but partly thanks to global streamers, there is now increased demand for live-action aimed at children.

The live-action production sector has had a tough time over the past couple of years during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the kids’ TV sector it has certainly struggled more than animation.

The latter remains a huge part of children’s programming and always will, certainly helped by the fact that production could continue during lockdown. But nevertheless, live-action content seems to be rising in popularity as these days many kids are gravitating towards programmes aimed at older audiences. Coming out of the pandemic, it seems the opportunities for live-action in children’s TV are increasing.

“Kids are getting older, younger,” says David Michel, founder and CEO of Paris-based Cottonwood Media. “We see this especially with the female audience; girls transition to live-action around the age of eight, sometimes seven, while boys are a little later at age nine-to-10. But it’s a very narrow window we’re looking at because around the age of 14 or 15 they’re not watching TV or the platforms anymore, they’re on YouTube, they’re on TikTok.”
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