While there are still many questions to be answered when it comes to the future of kids’ content on YouTube, it certainly doesn’t appear that the audience is going anywhere.
Xilam Animation has fueled rapid growth with the launch of more than 15 new YouTube channels to leverage the studio’s IP, including Paprika, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko, and The Daltons. The increase in content allowed the studio to hit a milestone 15 billion views as it reached 15 million subscribers across its channels on the platform. The company expects to close out the year with a 50% increase in YouTube views over last year.
“We’ve had an exceptional year of growth in the digital space and it’s been thrilling to see such a significant increase in traffic as we continue expanding our multi-platform offering for fans,” says Morgann Favennec, executive vice president of global sales development at Xilam Animation. “Hitting 15 billion YouTube views marks a significant milestone in our digital strategy and as we look ahead to 2020, we will be focused upon harnessing this momentum and maximizing our reach across both new and existing territories.”
The company says that its increase in channel offerings is the result of a new digital strategy created in direct response to the anticipated “upcoming change of YouTube’s business model that should prioritize official kids’ channels over user-generated content [on] which revenues are expected to drop sharply next year.” Xilam says that more than 80% of its views and revenue for company IP now come from its official channels.