PlayKids recharges kids content with new pick-ups

The top-grossing kids app is taking on SVOD giants like Netflix with new content offerings, including shows from DreamWorks Classics.
October 9, 2014

PlayKids may well be the little content engine that could. The video distribution app from Movile, Latin America’s largest mobile content platform, is proving that smaller services can take on giants like Netflix and Amazon. According to app analytics database App Annie, PlayKids is currently the top-grossing app in the App Store for kids in the US.

And to keep the party going strong, Movile is expanding its content offering for the subscription-based app with 12 new shows launching in 11 countries. Preschool classics joining the lineup include Postman Pat, Roary the Racing Car and Olivia, all from DreamWorks Classics, as well as newer titles like The Jim Henson Company’s Dinosaur Train, Cyber Group Studios’ Zou and Tickety Toc from Zodiak Kids.

The content infusion comes as PlayKids reaches six million downloads since first launching in 2013. To date, the company attracts three million active users each month, according to Eduardo Henrique, co-founder of Movile and head of PlayKids.

In terms of next steps, the company will launch new content in Germany in the coming weeks, and it has longer-term plans to expand into Asian markets, especially China and Japan.

As for its top-grossing success on mobile, Henrique points to the fact that the app offers preschoolers the opportunity to watch shows and play games in streaming and offline modes. It offers short-form content that keeps kids captivated, as opposed to larger streaming services, like Netflix, which go for longer-running programming.

“In the kids segment, Netflix is very focused on the living room—so on big screens,” notes Henrique. “Netflix has more money to invest in content. They have a great portfolio, but they are focusing on episodes that last 30 minutes or an hour, so a longer format.”

“We are very focused on mobile. We prefer short episodes, from three to 11 minutes. Netflix is not doing as good a job on mobile. If you put their app in front of a three-year-old or a five-year-old and you put PlayKids on at the same time, you see the difference.”

 

 

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