The winds of change are blowing at YouTube.
Nearly two years after the company came to a $170 million settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) in how it dealt with kids’ content and consumption on its platforms, the streaming video giant has unleashed a first look at its new global slate of original programming. The new global slate is part of the previously announced $100 million commitment to “invest in the future of quality kids, family, and educational programming” that was revealed in Sept. 2019.
Unsurprisingly, YouTube turned largely to professionals to create its debut lineup from YouTube Originals Kids & Family rather than connect with more grassroots, homegrown influencers and content creators. According to YouTube, the slate was created “in collaboration with experts across the globe in areas related to child safety, child development, and digital literacy — focused on producing shows that inspire kids’ learning and discovery of their unique strengths and passions while finding their own voice.”
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“Coming from an incredible caliber of creators, our new roster of shows celebrates the diversity of kids and empowers them to pursue their dreams and care for each other and the world around them,” says Nadine Zylstra, head of family, learning and impact for YouTube Originals. “Each of these projects is in lockstep with the tone of the YouTube Originals Kids & Family brand. In essence, shows that are entertaining, compelling, embrace big ideas, have strong takeaways, and ultimately bring the positive spirit of YouTube to life for our youngest audience.”
The content slate launches on March 8 — International Women’s Day — with Kukua’s Super Sema, an African series produced by a female-led team. The series features a young superhero girl named Sema and follows her world-changing STEAM-fueled. adventures.
Eight additional series are set to debut later this year while 25 additional series are in various stages of development.
Select highlights:
- BookTube Jr. builds on the success of BookTube, and will present kids’ authors discussing their books and writing processes.
- The Eggventurers is a “dialogue-minimal show” produced by the former Beastie Boys adversaries at GoldieBlox and features kids building Rube Goldberg machines to help them overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
- YouTube superstar Roi “Guava Juice” Fabito gets animated in The Guava Juice Show from Studio71 and Mainframe Studios as he travels to parallel dimensions in a magical bathtub.
- Kid Correspondent is a new series that focuses on the next generation of kid journalists. The series is produced by SoulPancake and the team behind Kid President and will feature guests, including Robin Roberts, Mandy Moore and Kristen Bell.
- Lottie Dottie Mini is a scripted preschool series from Bromelia Productions inspired by the Brazilian kids’ channel Galinha Pintadinha Mini (Lottie Dottie Chicken Mini in English).
- Millie and Lou is a preschool series from Blue Zoo Animation Studio that focuses on a forest-dwelling girl named Millie and her best friend Lou, a clever cautious little cat.
- Supa Strikas: Rookie Season is a school-age prequel series to the soccer-centric Supa Strikas from Moonbug Entertainment, the company behind Moonbug Kids and Little Baby Bum.
- The Workout Badges pairs Hey Duggee with Joe Wicks of The Body Coach TV YouTube Channel to present exercise routines for preschoolers. The series is a live-action/animated mix produced by BBC Studios.
New series can be found on the YouTube Originals for Kids & Family content hub.
