Australian preschool broadcaster ABC Kids and internet TV service ABC iview have launched ABC Kids iview, a new free iPad app targeting preschoolers that offers a robust library of popular content in an ad-free, parent- and caregiver-controlled environment.

Hit series available on the app from Australia and around the world include Play School, Giggle and Hoot, Bananas in Pyjamas, Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, and Octonauts.

The app features a child-friendly design, a grown-ups section where parents can control what their kids watch and provide feedback and recommendations, as well as an automatic favorites function that moves most-watched shows to the first page of the app.

ABC Kids iview is also expected to launch on additional digital platforms in due course.

The launch comes as more leading online companies and kidcasters, including YouTube with its new YouTube Kids app and Nickelodeon with its upcoming preschool streaming service Noggin’, zero in on the growing mobile viewing habits of the industry’s youngest audience.

In other ABC news, the former ABC 4 Kids brand has been refreshed with a new name, ABC Kids, across broadcast and digital content, as well as consumer products (DVDs, books, licensed products, music, magazines, events).

The brand’s new logo features an updated design of the popular apple, bee and carrot icons.