YouTube checks into Furchester Hotel

MIPJUNIOR: The Furchester Hotel, a copro from UK preschool pubcaster CBeebies and Sesame Workshop in the US, is to be made available globally on YouTube, as it steps up focus on original kids’ content.

Sesame Workshop will make episodes of the 52×11′ series available on its own channel on the video-streaming site from November 14 around the world, excluding the UK and Ireland.

The live-action show, which was made at CBeebies’ production hub in the north of England, began airing on the channel last month and sees familiar Sesame Street characters such as Elmo and Cookie Monster operating their own hotel and solving problems.

Terry Fitzpatrick, chief content and distribution officer at non-profit educational organisation Sesame Workshop, described the distribution strategy as “groundbreaking” at MipJunior here in Cannes earlier today.

The company already hosts episodes of Sesame Street on a dedicated YouTube channel and Fitzpatrick said its relationship with the streaming site has “grown phenomenally” recently.

“There’s been a lot of trepidation by broadcast networks vis-à-vis YouTube,” Fitzpatrick said. “But it’s been a great complement to our broadcasts on PBS and Sprout, increasing relevance and accessibility. I believe it isn’t cannibalising the broadcast; it’s actually helping it.”

Sesame Workshop has not yet announced any other international broadcast partners for the The Furchester Hotel. However, a spokeswoman for the company told C21 that its international roll-out will begin next year.

The US company last month hired former Hit Entertainment CEO Jeffrey D Dunn as its new president and CEO, succeeding Mel Ming, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

The deal comes as the digital player looks set to appoint its first head of family entertainment and learning and capitalise on the huge audience of digital-savvy children that it is able attract.

The YouTube Originals team works with creators and partners on development, production and acquisition of content, ranging from scripted comedy and drama to reality, family entertainment and learning.

The Google-owned company says it is aiming to work with individuals or firms with a “proven track record building fan bases and creating entertainment beloved by YouTube’s audience of one billion monthly unique viewers.”

YouTube also recently recruited Gaumont Animation exec Cédric Petitpas as its manager, content partnerships, education/family entertainment in Northern Europe, based in London.

The company is expected to launch a ‘safe’ version of the video-sharing site specifically designed for kids aged 10 years old and under in the near future.

One report earlier this year claimed YouTube had been approaching producers looking for preschool and pre-tween content to put on the new site, which will be walled off from adult content.

Parents and carers around the world have consistently voiced concerns over the ease with which children can watch unsuitable content on the site, despite a ‘safety’ filter that disables comments and inappropriate material.