Programming Profile

Selina She, director of children’s IP development and programming at Tencent Video, outlines the Chinese streamer’s international programming plans and the shows the company is offering to buyers worldwide via C21’s Digital Screenings this week.

What can you tell us about the shows on Tencent Video’s new slate?
We’re really excited about our slate, which has a range of shows across live action and animation aimed at kids of varying ages.

Shasha & Milo (52×11’), a CGI action animation coproduced with Zodiak Kids & Family and Pingo Entertainment, features 12-year-old twins Shasha and Milo as they juggle school and home lives with a secret new role as the Crescent Island Guardians. Imbued with the power to transform between human, cat and a formidable hybrid form, Shasha and Milo are tasked with protecting Crescent Island from the dark forces that lurk beneath it, while navigating the daily complexities of pre-teen life.

We’re also excited about Supertato, our collaboration with the BBC and BBC Studios. The 52×7’ 2D-animated comedy series is based on a bestselling book series of the same name by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet. It revolves around the world’s first potato superhero and his supermarket battles against the villainous Evil Pea. Bright, bold and colourful, the hilarious and fun-filled series is sure to make kids love their veg.

The Coop Troop (52×11’) is an animated series aimed at five- to nine-year-olds coproduced with Sixteen South, France Télévisions and Mikros, and is nearing completion. Fast, farcical, feathery and wildly funny, it shows how with friendship and teamwork, you can solve any problem as its unlikely bunch of farmyard heroes set out on a mission to help animals in trouble – and to relieve the boredom of life in their mobile chicken coop.

Monsters in the Forbidden City (78×10’), a live-action and animated series produced by top Chinese animation studio Original Force, vividly brings to life a wondrous world of mythical monsters. When an ordinary girl, Rain, picks up a mysterious gem in the Forbidden City, she gains access to a parallel realm where monsters, gods and spirits live in harmony. She is tasked with helping these extraordinary beings solve tricky problems to save this world of scared beasts.

Rainbow Bubble Gem (52×11’), a coproduction with Live Fun and Campfire Aniworks, is a delightful 3D animated fantasy aimed at children aged six to nine, which has been pre-bought by EBS in Korea. It follows the magical adventures of seven mermaid princesses who must go to school on land to search for enchanted jewels to save their undersea realm from an evil witch.

What demographics are you trying to reach with this new content?
We’re excited to be producing content that will appeal to both boys and girls of all ages, so some shows, like Supertato, are aimed at preschoolers, while others, such as Rainbow Bubble Gem, are for slightly older children. And the likes of Monsters in the Forbidden City and Sasha & Milo are skewed more towards tweens. We want our content to be engaging and compelling for children globally, so our shows reflect themes that are universally recognised and enjoyed by our audiences, whatever age group they fall into.

How has your coproduction strategy evolved over the past year?
We have been collaborating on international coproductions for over three years now and are thrilled with the results to date. We are learning a lot along the way with each new partnership and gaining the confidence to be more proactive and expand our reach with further collaborations.

While initially the ideas have been generated by our partners, with the majority of our copros produced in Europe, our aim now is to evolve so that we are creating our own ideas and becoming more involved in the production here in China. However, we are still committed to telling compelling stories with globally appealing characters, to produce content with wide-ranging appeal that will engage and entertain children while also helping them to learn and grow.

What shows do you have in the development pipeline at the moment?
We have a few more live-action shows in development now, including the adaptation of children’s bestseller The Story of Mi. There are also another two international cooperations, covering preschool and the seven-plus demographic respectively, that hopefully we’ll be able to announce very soon.

How important is diversity/inclusion in Tencent Video’s kids’ content?
It’s crucial. From a commercial point of view, we want to be seen as producing great kids’ content for everyone, wherever they are in the world. The more we can reflect diversity in our content, the more relatable it will be and will open wider markets. But it’s also an important message for children. By reflecting these values in our content, we are showing kids that they should treat everyone with kindness and respect, whatever their background, and that our differences are things to be embraced and learnt from. After all, it’s what makes the world such an exciting and amazing place.

What does the data reveal about the ways in which kids consume your content on your platform?
We’re seeing that kids are increasingly looking for additional content over and above the shows themselves, and interactive content is hugely popular. Add-ons such as exclusive clips, singalong songs, offline activities and games are driving consumption.

How has the move into original content changed the importance of acquired kids’ programming for Tencent Video?
While we are less reliant on acquired programming as we continue to expand our own original content, we still want to provide a premium viewing experience for our audience and offer them the best available kids’ shows. We’re extremely proud of our own shows, but obviously our portfolio is still relatively small, and there are so many wonderfully talented production companies worldwide making fantastic programmes that we are happy to be able to introduce to our audience.

Quality content is pivotal in driving subscription growth and viewership, and our curated content has made us the leading online video streaming platform in China. With more than 122 million subscribers, we are always looking for compelling new content to grow that number even further.

With all the recent mergers and takeovers, what new opportunities do you see in the market?
It’s an interesting time at the moment and there are certainly new opportunities to be had. The pandemic saw a surge in demand for children’s programming, and that is being sustained, so the market is hungry for quality content. The plethora of new platforms that are springing up also drives demand, and the evolution of technology will no doubt continue to open up exciting new avenues to connect viewers with content.

Please tell us about some recent programme sales or investments Tencent Video has made.
On the animated series The Adventures of Little Penguin, we’re working with French distributor Superights, which is a wonderful partner and has already signed a bunch of sales deals. The series follows Oscar, a young penguin looking to explore the world. With no dialogue, the series is aimed at kids aged between four and six.

Looking ahead, how do you see demand for kids’ content changing in 2023 and beyond?
Demand is only going to grow further. Family viewing has become common again following the pandemic, platforms are reassuring parents with safety tools for appropriate viewing, and kids’ content is proving to be a key driver in growth for streaming services. It generates huge loyalty from its audience – helped by the merchandising opportunities it creates, which differs from most adult shows – and also tends to have a longer shelf life.

The depth of talent around in the industry today means quality is consistently high, while technology is making it simpler, quicker and less costly to create amazing content. And with the trend towards content that is educational, teaching life lessons as well as being hugely fun and entertaining, there’s a huge appetite from parents as well as kids for engaging new material.