Sesame Workshop, WWF and LEGO take home major wins in Kidscreen Awards 2021

LEGO Duplo, WWF-UK and Sesame Workshop have been named among the winners at this year’s Kidscreen Awards, a high profile awards ceremony that celebrates the best in children’s television and digital media.

Hosted by actor and comedian, Emma Hunter, this year’s awards took place virtually as the global kids entertainment community gathered to highlight and applaud the best that the business has to offer. Winners were determined by two panels of esteemed industry judges who selected winners across more than 50 categories.

Among the winners at this year’s awards were Sesame Workshop who took home the award for Best Live Action Series, Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie, Best in Class, and Best Web/App Series – Branded. Other winners included the likes of BBC Studios’ Bluey, LEGO Duplo, and WWF-UK who partnered with Kids Industries to develop its Amazing Planet app.

The winners of the Kidscreen Awards 2021 are:

PROGRAMMING—PRESCHOOL CATEGORY

Best New Series
Madagascar: A Little Wild 
DreamWorks Animation

Best Animated Series
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia

Best Live-Action Series
Sesame Street (season 50)
Sesame Workshop, HBO

Best Mixed-Media Series
Stories with Sound Effects
Lapost Estudios, Señal Colombia

Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie
Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
Sesame Workshop, HBO

Best Short Film
Love is Love
Hopster Studios, Picnic Animation Studio

Best Inclusivity
Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
Netflix

Best in Class
Sesame Street (season 50)
Sesame Workshop, HBO

PROGRAMMING—KIDS CATEGORY

Best New Series
Tales of Arcadia: Wizards
DreamWorks Animation, Netflix

Best Animated Series
Forky Asks a Question
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+

Best Live-Action Series
First Day 
Epic Films, Kojo Entertainment, ABC Australia, Screen Australia, South Australian Film Corporation, Australian Children’s Television Foundation

Best Mixed-Media Series
Backyard Beats
BGM Sphere, TVOKids

Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
Apple, Studio AKA

Best Short Film
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+

Best Inclusivity
Molly of Denali 
WGBH, Atomic Cartoons, PBS KIDS

Best in Class
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+

PROGRAMMING—TWEENS/TEENS CATEGORY

Best New Series
Locke & Key
Netflix, Genre Arts, Hard A Productions, Circle of Confusion, IDW Entertainment

Best Animated Series
Central Park
Apple, 20th Century Fox Television

Best Live-Action Series
Locke & Key
Netflix, Genre Arts, Hard A Productions, Circle of Confusion, IDW Entertainment

Best Mixed-Media Series
About Sex
Echo Media, CBC Gem

Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie
Adventure Time: Distant Lands
HBO Max, Cartoon Network Studios

Best Inclusivity
The Unlisted 
Aquarius Films, ABC Australia

Best in Class
Central Park
Apple, 20th Century Fox Television

CREATIVE TALENT CATEGORY

Best Directing
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia

Best Writing
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia

 Best Music
Bluey
Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, ABC Australia, Screen Queensland, Screen Australia

Best Animation
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+

Best Voice Talent
Lamp Life
Pixar Animation Studios, Disney+

Best Acting
Locke & Key
Netflix, Genre Arts, Hard A Productions, Circle of Confusion, IDW Entertainment

Best Design
Adventure Time: Distant Lands
HBO Max, Cartoon Network Studios

There is also a set of Kidscreen Awards designed to spotlight the best efforts made by broadcasters to build stronger connections with kids and family audiences around the world. These winners were decided through online voting by Kidscreen readers in December. The winners are as follows:

BROADCASTING CATEGORY

Channel of the Year
PBS KIDS

Best Programming Block
CBC Kids Morning Block
CBC Kids

Best On-Air Host or Hosting Team
Kiruna Stamell—Play School
ABC Kids

Best Kids-Only Streaming Service
YouTube Kids

And rounding out the Kidscreen Awards program is a set of digital categories for preschool (zero to five) and kids (six and up). Here are the winners:

DIGITAL—PRESCHOOL CATEGORY

Best Learning App—Branded
LEGO DUPLO World
The LEGO Group, StoryToys, Touch Press

Best Learning App—Original
Duolingo ABC
Duolingo

Best Game App—Branded
PBS KIDS Games
PBS KIDS

Best Game App—Original
BookfulBringing Books to Life in Augmented Reality
Inception XR

Best Alternative Game
Scribbles and Ink
WGBH, Global Mechanic Media, PBS KIDS

Best YouTube Channel
PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS

Best Web/App Series—Branded
Sesame Street Monster Meditations with Headspace
Sesame Workshop

Best Web/App Series—Original
The Birthday Show
Hellosaurus

Best Website
PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS

DIGITAL—KIDS CATEGORY

Best Learning App—Branded
WWF Amazing Planet
WWF, Kids Industries

Best Learning App—Original
Square Panda
Square Panda

Best Game App—Branded
GoNoodle Games
GoNoodle

Best Game App—Original
Baba Yaga
Baobab Studios

Best Alternative Game
Baba Yaga
Baobab Studios

Best YouTube Channel
Dodo Kids
The Dodo, Group Nine Media

Best Web/App Series—Branded
Oddtube
Fred Rogers Productions, Sinking Ship Entertainment, PBS KIDS

Best Web/App Series—Original
My Stay-At-Home Diary
Lopii Productions, TVOKids, Shaw Rocket Fund, Canada Media Fund

Best Website
Odd Squad
Fred Rogers Productions, Sinking Ship Entertainment, PBS KIDS

BBC Studios lines up five new US partners for hit kids’ series Bluey

BBC Studios has secured a raft of five new US licensing partners for the popular children’s animated TV series, Bluey, tapping the likes of Spin Master, The Bentex Group, and Jay Franco for new products.

The move to bolster the IP’s US licensing programme follows the successful premiere of Bluey across the region in 2019 and its current surge in viewership upon the Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+. Bluey made its debut into the toy market through partner Moose Toys, while Penguin Random House headed up its publishing slate.

The popular children’s brand is poised to make an even bigger imprint at retail across the US this year, with new introductions from The Bentext Group, Spin Master, Jay Franco, Kurt Adler, and Zak Designs.

Spin Master will launch a range of games and puzzles from this autumn, Bentex will look after apparel and toddler’s clothing, Jay Franco will head up bedding, home decor, bath and accessories, Zak Designs for dining, and Kurt Adler for holiday decor.

“Bluey, Bluey, Bluey! The brand is picking up real momentum in the US off the back of the series success on Disney platforms, and the debut line of toys and books. The upcoming line of products from our new best-in-class partners are poised to help families build upon their Bluey-inspired adventures together,” said Suzy Raia, VP consumer products and business development, BBC Studios.

“We hope parents are eager to expand the Bluey presence in their home – it’s truly a show that continues to resonate with families and that parents are eagerly embracing.”

Bluey is a multi-award-winning Australian children’s series that has taken Australia and the US by storm and is charming audiences around the globe. Loved by parents and children for its heartfelt and funny portrayal of family life and celebration of play, the series follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who loves to play and turns everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.

In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere Bluey on Disney Junior and Disney+ in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand, and Greater China including Taiwan.

In Australia, Bluey is the most watched series ever on ABC iview, with over 480 million plays across series 1 and 2.

BBC Studios launches 40th anniversary Only Fools and Horses stamps with Royal Mail… and they’re lovely jubbly

BBC Studios is marking the 40th anniversary year of the iconic TV comedy series Only Fools and Horses with the launch of a special stamp collection in partnership with Royal Mail.

The collection will see the launch of eight stamps featuring classic Only Fools and Horses scenes and one-liners, while a further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, will depict the main Trotter family characters as individual stamps, including Del Boy, Rodney, Grandad, and Uncle Albert.

The stamps and a range of collectables are available for pre-order via the Royal Mail website, by phone, and across 7,000 Post Offices in the UK. The full set of 12 stamps – available in a Presentation Pack – will retail at £16.20. The stamps will go on general sale this month.

Only Fools and Horses follows the exploits of wheeler-dealer Del Trotter, his hapless younger brothers, Rodney, Grandad, and later their Uncle Albert. The series now has a regular slot on Gold where it remains a firm favourite with viewers as consistently one of the most-watched shows on the UKTV-owned channel.

In 2003, one of the show’s many catchphrases, ‘lovely jubbly’ was listed in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Further partnerships will see the launch of the first official Only Fools and Horses online store hosted by licensee Push Entertainment, for bespoke print on demand gifting, homewares, apparel and stationary inspired by the series. Available soon at www.onlyfoolsandhorses.shop 

BBC Studios has also renewed its Only Fools and Horses plush licence with 8th Wonder which has  had great retail support across gifting trade.

Jason Easy, head of licencing at BBC Studios, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Royal Mail in celebration of the Only Fools and Horses 40th Anniversary to launch this wonderful stamp collection in celebration of the milestone.

“We are also hugely excited to be working with Push Entertainment to deliver the first ever official Only Fools and Horses online store, and to renew our Only Fools plush licence with 8th Wonder. All adding to the Only Fools portfolio for fans and collectors to enjoy.”

BBC Studios launches Bluey: The Album on US streaming platforms in Demon Music Group partnership

BBC Studios has partnered with Demon Music Group Ltd for the US launch of the first album from its hit pre-school series, Bluey across all major streaming platforms. Titled Bluey: The Album, the release will feature singles Keepy Uppy, Here Come the Grannies, and Instrument Parade.

The album will feature 17 original compositions from season one of the series currently airing on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+ in the US. The album has been composed by Bluey’s song-writer Joff Bush and his music team. The soundtrack will initially be released in the US and Australia, with other regions to follow later in the year.

Harriet Newby-Hill, brand director, BBC Studios, said: “Music plays an important part of the storytelling in Bluey and beautifully encapsulates the warmth, energy and humor of the series. We’re thrilled to bring fans of all ages a collection of songs that captures the joyful and heartfelt spirit of Bluey.” 

 Adrian Sear, commercial director, Demon Music, added: “Everyone remembers their first album so we’re excited that this could be the first album for many young Bluey fans and provide the soundtrack for their own played-filled adventures.”

 Bluey composer, Joff Bush, said: “I’m incredibly proud and honored to be a part of something as special as Bluey. This album is for fans young and old and I hope they enjoy listening to it as much as I loved creating it.”

Bluey is a multi-award-winning Australian children’s series that has taken Australia and the US by storm and is currently charming audiences across the globe. Loved by parents and children for its heartfelt and funny portrayal of family life and celebration of play, the series follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who loves to play and turns everyday family life into extraordinary adventures.

 In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere Bluey on Disney Junior and Disney+ in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China. 

BBC Studios launches digital trading cards collection Doctor Who: Worlds Apart on blockchain

Doctor Who has completed its jump into the realm of digital trading cards with the launch of Doctor Who: Worlds Apart, a digital platform that features more than 200 trading cards for Whovians and collectors to obtain.

Developed by a pairing of BBC Studios and Reality Gaming Group, the new collection features trading cards based on characters, scenes, and objects drawn from the entire 57 year history of Doctor Who. Digital card packs are available to buy from today on the Doctor Who Worlds Apart website.

 There are four different packs for fans to purchase, each containing between five and ten limited-edition cards with hand drawn images. Fans can also collect 13 different cosmetic card frames.

As with physical trading cards, some will be rarer than others, for example, the TARDIS will be rarer than the Silurian. Collectors will be able to trade their cards in the marketplace launching early next year, giving fans another opportunity to trade their favourite character with other collectors

Each card is secured and protected on the blockchain, which means there can be no copies or disputes about ownership.

From next year collectors will be able use their cards to go head-to-head with friends in turn-based contests in the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart card game, a free-to-play tactical card game which will be released for PC in 2021.

The game will be action-packed, with battles fought on digital tabletop boards depicting recognisable locations from Doctor Who. Collectors will play a Time Lord, strategically outsmarting their opponents by building decks that are able to combat a wide variety of tactics.

Morten Rongaard, co-founder of Reality Gaming Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards.

“The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

John Kavanagh, licensing manager, gaming and interactive, BBC Studios, said: “We’ve worked closely with Reality Gaming Group to deliver a fantastic opportunity to collect and own these beautiful cards and use them in a unique game experience.”

The digital card packs are available to buy now from $4.99 RRP on the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart website at https://doctorwho-worldsapart.com.

BBC Studios details raft of UK licensees for Bluey as the pre-school series lands on Disney+

BBC Studio’s popular pre-school animated series, Bluey is making its mark on the UK consumer products space with a new raft of licensees spanning toys, apparel, bedding and accessories as the series makes its arrival on Disney+ this year. Bluey has already been met with a ‘phenomenal response’ in Australia and the US.

Global master toy licensee, Moose Toys, will debut Bluey plush and plastic toys at UK retail in autumn next year, where it will hope to mirror the success it has found in the US and Australian markets, where products have been selling at a record rate.

Lucy Wynn-Jones, head of licensing, Europe, Moose Toys, said: “We are thrilled to bring our toy range for the much-loved Bluey series to fans in the UK. We have no doubt that the toys will be loved by kids big and small.”

The master toy range will coincide with the launch of a line of puzzles from Ravensburger, while a selection of softline partners has also been lined up for the UK. TDP & Aykroyd will deliver on nightwear, swimwear and essentials, Dreamtex will develop bedding and home textiles, William Lamb will launch footwear and bags, and Roy Lowe & Sons will serve up socks.

Rikesh Desai, licensing director for merchandise, partnerships and interactive, BBC Studios, said: “The response to Bluey in Australia and the US has been phenomenal and we’re very excited to introduce the brand’s licensing portfolio to the UK hot on the heels of its arrival on Disney+.”

Forbidden Planet partners BBC Studios and Titan Merchandise on ‘most ambitious Doctor Who merch project ever’

Geek pop culture and hobby retailer, Forbidden Planet has partnered with BBC Studios and Titan Merchandise to launch an exclusive apparel and giftware range for Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious, in what it has billed its ‘most ambitious Doctor Who merchandising project ever.’

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious is a multi-platform adventure that tells its one story across a range of books, magazines, audio, comics, vinyl, games, escape rooms, immersive theatre, figurines and t-shirts.

The first announced retailer special is a variant edition of Titan Comics’ Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious #1. This exclusive design combines the Daleks and the iconic Forbidden Planet rocket logo and is available now via the Forbidden Planet website.

It is limited to just 500 copies and is part of the celebration for the 42nd anniversary of Forbidden Planet in 2020 – a milestone number with some significance to fans of British science-fiction and fantasy.

There is also an exclusive glow in the dark Brian the Ood t-shirt, featuring text written by James Goss. This narrative ties into the overall Time Lord Victorious story, offering fans the chance to learn who Brian really is, and how to hire him. Alongside this one of a kind t-shirt is further apparel featuring the Dalek Emperor, as well as Lee Binding’s Time Lord Victorious Iconic image.

Anthony Garnon, licensing and special projects manager at Forbidden Planet, said: “The most ambitious Doctor Who merchandising project ever, finds a home at Forbidden Planet. Fans are excited, and we’re delighted to offer them the entire range of releases in one easy to navigate home – the Time Lord Victorious microsite at ForbiddenPlanet.com. Thanks to James Goss and the team at BBC Studios for making this happen.”

ForbiddenPlanet.com will act as an official retailer, stocking all items and offering exciting first looks at merchandise. It will feature strictly limited edition comic books and merchandise specifically created for the retailer.

More exclusive reveals coming soon to ForbiddenPlanet.com, highlighting characters and concepts from across the Time Lord Victorious journey. 

For more information please visit: https://forbiddenplanet.com/promotion/doctor-who-time-lord-victorious/. 

Penguin Random House to bring Bluey book series to the US and UK in BBC Studios partnership

Penguin Random House has been appointed the master publishing partner for the popular global pre-school brand, Bluey. Working in partnership with BBC Studios, the publishing house will be launching the first three books in the series to the US market this October, before rolling them out to the UK in the second half of 2021.

The Emmy-winning animated series, created by Ludo Studio, will be landing on Disney+ in the UK next year. With the global rights in all languages (excluding China and Chinese languages), Penguin Random House will be launching two storybooks and one activity book to regions across the globe.

Jan Paterson, the head of book and audio publishing at BBC Studios, said: “We are delighted to partner with Penguin Random House to bring Bluey from the screen to the page for a wonderfully varied collection of fantastic story and activity books for little ones around the world.”

Suzy Raia, VP consumer products and business development, BBC Studios – Americas, said: “Love for Bluey continues to grow among families with young children around the US, and we are looking forward to bringing the stories beyond screens into beloved books we know pre-schoolers will enjoy with their parents.

“The partnership with Penguin Random House is a wonderful addition to a growing licensing program that started with Moose Toys last month. There are many more exciting things ahead for our favourite Blue Heeler.”

Penguin Random House Australia already holds the publishing rights to Bluey in Australia, where the books have enjoyed phenomenal success, selling one million copies in only seven months. The first three Bluey titles, which launched in November 2019, were the second, third and fourth-highest selling Australian children’s books of the year.

Since their launch, titles from the Bluey franchise have held the number one position in Nielsen BookScan’s official Australian bestseller charts a total of 24 weeks (out of 42 weeks).

Francesca Dow, managing director at Penguin Random House UK Children’s, added: “We are thrilled to be publishing Bluey and bringing a bit of the Australian sunshine to the UK. Bluey has a unique charm that appeals to children and adults alike. Her stories are full of boundless energy, brilliant adventures and fun and, most important, are rooted in family experience, which is why they’ve been such a hit with viewers so far.

“We are excited by the unparalleled success in Australia and look forward to creating the same sensation here in the UK. Our wish is for all young children and families to fall in love with Bluey, as we have done.”

The Bluey books have received industry recognition when Bluey: The Beach was awarded the 2020 Book of the Year – the first time in the history of the Australian Book Industry Awards that a children’s picture book has won this prestigious award.

Bluey follows the adventures of a lovable six-year-old Blue Heeler, who lives with her dad, Bandit; mum, Chilli; and four-year-old little sister, Bingo. In each episode, Bluey uses her limitless Blue Heeler energy to play elaborate games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun.

Bluey is the most watched series ever on Australia’s ABC iview, with over 261 million plays for series 1 and 43 million plays for series 2.

In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere the first two series of Bluey on Disney Junior and Disney+ in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

BBC Studios takes first steps in blockchain gaming with Doctor Who: Worlds Apart

Reality Gaming Group has secured an exclusive global license from BBC Studios to develop and publish a ground-breaking digital trading card game based on global hit television series Doctor Who.

The partnership will enable fans to collect and trade digital versions of their favourite characters for the first time, before adventuring through the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart game as the Doctor, battling friends in turn-based contests. The new title also marks the BBC’s first move into the blockchain gaming space.

Each trading card a player collects will be tokenised into a non-fungible token (NFT) secured and protected on the blockchain, which means there can be no copies or disputes about ownership. Doctor Who: Worlds Apart players will own unique digital collectable items which can be used in the game or traded with other players.

As with physical trading cards, some will be rarer than others, and all will feature Doctors, companions, allies, and enemies from across Doctor Who’s expansive history.

Limited edition packs containing five digital cards will be available for fans to buy from October 2020. Once these limited-edition cards have sold out, they will not be available to purchase again, except by trading with others.

The accompanying Doctor Who: Worlds Apart trading card game will be released for PC in 2021 with mobile to follow, allowing players to go head-to-head with their card collections. More cards will also be made available at launch.

UK-based publisher Reality Gaming Group’s Digital Asset Trading (DAT) Platform uses blockchain technology to turn any IP into a rare and collectable digital asset that can be traded between fans using dedicated marketplaces. Its debut title, mobile AR combat game Reality Clash, was released in 2019 and has been noted for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible when AR, VR, geo-location and blockchain technology are combined.

Tony Pearce, co-founder of Reality Gaming Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards.

“The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

John Kavanagh, licensing manager, gaming and interactive, BBC Studios, said: “This is what BBC Studios does so well, exploring new technologies and bringing our most iconic brand to an area of the gaming industry which we’re sure will engage and thrill fans.”

More information about Doctor Who: Worlds Apart can be found at: https://doctorwho-worldsapart.com

How Step Inside Productions is breaking new ground in the experiential licensing market

Having made a name for itself amid the Escape Room explosion of the past half a decade or so, Theseus, and moreover its live experiential division, Step Inside Productions is about to embark on a project that makes use of one of the newest formats within experiential licensing at the moment.

Nine years into its business venture of developing the Escape Hunt franchise, Theseus recently unveiled its plans to develop a touring CBeebies-themed interactive pop-up experience for children and parents; a concept that will feature some of the channel’s most popular IP, including Hey Duggee, Something Special, and Sarah & Duck.

Called CBeebies Rainbow Adventure, the concept – one that is already scheduled for regional locations across the UK for the first six months of 2021, but has plans in place that cover at least the next five years – is what the team of IP experts at Theseus has billed as somewhat of a boundary-pushing strand of content consumption for modern audiences.

Just as this is team of experts who have built careers on pioneering in emerging content platforms, including the first VOD deal struck for Warner Bros back in 2003, or the establishment of BT Television and subsequent launch of BT Sport, Theseus and Step Inside Productions is a meeting of talents from across the space, with the aim of innovating in the relatively nascent experiential market.

Licensing.biz takes the chance to catch up with Victoria Molony, director of business affairs at Step Inside Productions to talk about the future of experiential licensing, and how its CBeebies partnership is setting a new precedent in the market.

Hi Victoria, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Let’s start then, by exploring what Theseus and the Step Inside Productions division is…

Theseus was set up back in 2011 by Dan Marks. We have worked together over the years, originally when I was at Warner Bros, then at Universal, then we worked together at BT for a long time, and we have consulted on a variety of different IP brands since then.

Theseus came out of the last bit of work we were doing which was in the Escape Room world for a business called Escape Hunt. From setting up BT Vision and the launch of BT Sport, we have been at the forefront of new ways of exploiting content over the years, looking at and helping IP owners with the latest new route to market.

Dan was part of the team that devised The Wizarding World as the way in which to link Harry Potter with Fantastic Beasts from JK Rowling. I was on the legal side, and we were working for a business called Blair Partnership who owned Pottermore.

Through our work with Escape Hunt, we brokered a deal with BBC Studios for Doctor Who, and that kickstarted an ongoing conversation with the team there.

Aha, and from there, it wasn’t long until Step Inside Productions was born, and you looked at tapping into the rise of the live experience market?

Yes, we felt that the market place is moving and brands are looking for more innovative ways of reaching the consumer. There’s a push back against simply consuming content digitally with brand owners looking to find a more physical connection with their consumers; coupled with the fact that we have reached peak ‘stuff’, and people are looking to spend their disposable income more on experiences rather than on more things.

You also have this situation on the high street where people are rarely going into shops, and the retail landlords are really looking for ways to drive footfall into their shopping centres; you have town council improvement schemes looking for ways to bring people into town.

It takes that holy trinity of things – the wish for physical expression, the wish for people to spend money on things they are connecting with, and the wish for town centres and shopping centres to drive footfall – through which you have this fantastic opportunity to create experiential concepts that draws all of those things together.

So what does your portfolio look like now?

At the moment, we are very focused on the CBeebies partnership, which will be touring the UK for the next six months certainly, and we have the 2021 schedule complete. We plan on having that on the road for up to the next five years. 

We have been really pleased with the interest and demand that some of the regional venues have driven. I think people in the smallest towns and cities around the country aren’t used to getting really high quality entertainment like this. It usually all goes to Manchester or Birmingham, but not so much Hull or Ipswich.

We have other clients in the advisory stage, who are just at the beginnings of their foray into the experiential, and a number at the start of their concept. What we would really like to do is use this as an entertainment format in the same way that TV shows are created, then you use them as vehicles to present content.

Oh, that’s an interesting concept… could you expand on this idea?

Well, we will be looking to find other IP owners as partners to take a similar sort of touring concept on. We believe that live experiences have become a new strand of content consumption for audiences.

We took our cues from the theme parks who do experiential extremely well, such as Disney, Universal, and Merlin. But we wanted to do something that was much more attainable for the majority of brand owners; something that wouldn’t drive all of their budget as a theme park would, but something that ticks that hour or two activity box for families. So, it’s a morning activity, it’s not a day out. It’s something more attune to going to the theatre or an exhibition.

Meanwhile, if you look at the Escape Room concept, you have six or eight people maximum in a group, and most of those sites only have six escape rooms, so you have somewhere between 50 and 70 people per hour attending an escape room. We wanted to do something that is more in the 150 to 200 people an hour, which enables you to be driving revenue to allow yourselves to create something that is a bit more of an in-depth immersive experience.

In the context of CBeebies, it’s such an iconic brand that at its heart has educational entertainment enjoyed by children and parents, and has so much to offer the experiential. Coupled with the fact that you have a consumer market place that is available seven days a week, all year round – we leapt at the chance to work with them.

We wanted, and the BBC wanted, something that would showcase the CBeebies channel, as well as the programming on the channel; so we see the experience we have created as the manifestation of the CBeebies channel, with five different brand experiences within it. We came up with the idea of creating a touring showroom, and the BBC loved it because it fits so well with their public service commitment.

The more ways that you can really connect people with your brand, the stronger the link is, and there is no better way to form a connection with anything than to do it face to face and in person.

How have you seen the experiential market evolve or how is it currently evolving and what changes are being brought about?

The experiential market itself is in a very nascent state really. Theme parks have been around a long time; while the escape room sector has gone from nothing to an enormous number of players across the world in a relatively short period of time. It is probably close to reaching – it maybe too strong to say saturation – but probably looking at some consolidation around the big players refining their offering.

I do think the market place for revenue generating experiential activity is relatively nascent. It’s been popular from a marketing activation standpoint for brands, but not so much as a means of generating revenue. We like to see ourselves as being at the forefront of leading some of the content creation around that, in that middle market of course.

What does the future hold for the experiential market, and its ongoing relationship with licensing in that case?

This is something that all of the major IP owners are looking at. Anecdotally, experience sits within the consumer products arm with many of the Hollywood studios, and they are looking at rebranding and recreating those divisions to really drive experiential, alongside their historic merchandise operations.

I think there will be a trend to consolidate with people pulling together the new formats that we are looking at in the way that escape rooms came out of nowhere. There will be new formats that come in all of the time, and we see our touring model as being one of those.