Over the last 4 months, as a contributor to the Children’s Media Conference knowledge base, we have spoken to ‘the great and the good’ of the children’s media world, from publishers and IP owners to channels and VOD platforms.   

We asked them about the challenges they faced and the solutions they are putting in place to overcome them.  While all contributors to this article remain anonymous, their stated facts and quotes are genuine.  

This is the third in a series of articles that looks at specific, challenging areas across the industry. For this article, we are tackling the challenge of launching original IP. Previous articles have looked at content distribution and commercial models. 

Today’s children's media landscape is increasingly dominated by reboots, spin-offs, and existing IP with over 60% of popular kids content being based on pre-existing franchises. While nostalgia and audience preferences are playing a role, the underlying reality is far more complex: this trend is driven by risk aversion, fragmented audiences, and the challenging commercial situation. 

Creating original IP is immensely risky in today’s market. In the past, traditional funding models would help to de-risk investments, with broadcasters covering a lot of the costs and taking on the risks themselves. However, they now contribute significantly less, often just 10-25% of budgets. This moves the risk profile onto the content creators who need to foot the majority of the upfront costs.  

"Animation is bloody expensive. Still, even with Unreal Engine, AI and all that kind of stuff, it's still hugely risky. There is simply not enough funding available" - IP developer. 

 

Investors and buyers prefer properties with established fanbases and a clear commercial model, making original content a tough sell. Many innovative ideas are shelved simply because they can’t demonstrate immediate and significant commercial returns. One creator observed,  

"It's a real risk putting any money behind a new idea, you might just be throwing that money away"  - Creative Lead 

 

Platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon rarely prioritise risk-taking in children's content. While they understand the value in kids’ content from a retention and ‘viewing hours’ perspective, their goals focus more on adult engagement, prioritising advertisers and bill payers versus the secondary child viewer. They also already have enormous libraries of kids content: Netflix has over 900 shows and films in its ‘children and Family’ catalogue including all the big hits (with the exception of Bluey) removing the need to take bets on unproven IP. 

Audience habits also influence the dominance of existing IP. Children, unlike adults, often enjoy rewatching their favourite shows repeatedly, making evergreen shows particularly appealing.  

"Kids content, particularly, is very small in differentiation. Not only is the same kid very happy to watch the same thing over and over again, but the moment a kid graduates from content, a whole new army of kids comes in, and for them, the old stuff is ‘original’"  - Strategic Lead 

 

Consequently, creators find themselves constrained by an environment where algorithms amplify existing trends rather than introducing new, diverse ideas. Another expert explained this clearly, saying, 

"Digital platforms are not primarily incentivised to promote quality content but rather what 'sticks' or generates 'eyeballs.' Algorithms can promote homogenising content, making it harder for original, diverse ideas to surface"  - IP Owner 

 

Yet, despite all this, industry experts recognise the importance of original content. No one wants the kids media landscape to be awash with homogenised and stale content. Risk taking is essential for a vibrant ecosystem. Innovative storytelling creates IP that is engaging and much more likely to drive larger, ancillary commercial success. Original IP also platforms new talent, those who will drive the whole industry forward in the future. Finally, IP owners can’t just rely on one or two big brands: all brands eventually ‘sunset’. While the market may reward reboots and sequels today, this won’t always be the case, and those not currently investing in new IP may find themselves without a portfolio tomorrow.  

However, the commercial situation ‘is what it is’, achieving success with original IP today requires innovative strategies, such as launching content digitally first (particularly on platforms like YouTube or Roblox) or through publishing. These areas offer lower initial risk, quicker audience feedback, and clearer signals of potential long-term success. As one expert put it 

"Gaming is a great channel, for obvious reasons. It's the Transformers model, game to movie, to game, to content, toy to content. There’s a lot already out there people could invest in and create content around."  - Creative lead 

 

Successful breakthroughs of original IP, such as Bluey and CoComelon, illustrate the effectiveness of strategic distribution and broad audience appeal. Bluey’s global success was significantly boosted by Disney’s backing:  

"Disney Plus picked up Bluey and all of a sudden, that took that show and it went everywhere, it was on Disney Junior all day"  - Strategic Lead  

 

Bluey was also blessed with great timing. Its breakthrough was partly due to the "perfect storm" during COVID, which provided a captive audience desperate for new content and parents much more likely to be co-viewing (which is where Bluey excels), the simultaneous launch of Disney Plus and lack of other standout preschool contenders also gave it an open goal.  

However, we shouldn’t overlook that it was also an excellent show. Bluey’s universal appeal, engaging both children and parents through relatable, high-quality storytelling, made it a dominant brand in both viewership and merchandising. One expert emphasized its broad appeal, 

"Bluey is almost universally applauded, it's very high-quality storytelling"  - Creative lead. 

 

CoComelon, meanwhile, harnessed the power of digital platforms, particularly YouTube, using a volume-based content strategy to dominate viewing figures. Industry professionals highlighted this approach,  

"CoComelon had incredible numbers due to a highly effective digital-first, algorithm-friendly strategy, even if it struggled converting massive viewership into deeper commercial engagement"  - Content Owner 

 

Discoverability has become a key battleground. Where traditional channels once guaranteed visibility, today creators must proactively find their fan base across a maze of digital platforms.  

"The market is hugely saturated, making it incredibly difficult for new brands to achieve discoverability and break through intense competition"  - Content developer 

"Discoverability is everything. Now distribution strategy equals discoverability. A robust distribution strategy is much more important for how I distribute the brands nobody knows, the ones I'm launching tomorrow" - IP Owner 

 

However, experts do believe new IP will emerge. It’s just a matter of timing. As one expert observed, 

“Every three to five years a new mega brand does emerge, Peppa (2010 when it really took off), Paw Patrol (2014), CoComelon (2018), Bluey (2020), so we are overdue one, the current climate might push the time out a little but history tells us there will be a new one along soon” - Creative lead 

 

In today’s fragmented market, launching a new IP is undeniably difficult. Reaching critical mass (and thus commercial success) is harder than ever, therefore investors and content creators have very little appetite for gambling millions of pound and years of work on the spin of a wheel. However, by starting small and building a fanbase through alternative channels like gaming and publishing, studios can create a runway for future scale without incurring early-stage risk.  Time and again, we heard the same message: those who stay flexible, lean, and adaptive are the ones who will thrive. 

We don’t just need new shows. We need a new model. If platforms, investors, and creators can’t re-align around long-term value over short-term metrics, the next Bluey may never break through. 

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