Scratchbuilding | SB-04: KidsCo 1.0

Originally Posted by Jeff Harris

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The fourth voice.

That's what the individuals behind the creation of a brand new global children's endeavor called their ambitious plans. They want to create "the fourth voice" in children's entertainment, just behind Time Warner, Disney, and Viacom's Nickelodeon brand. In a crowded marketplace where there are many players and yet fewer outlets, three individual companies, Sparrowhawk Media, Corus Entertainment, and DiC Entertainment, founded KidsCo, a new children's network that they hope will become a major part of the global dialogue of popular kid-friendly brands. By creating programming alliances with Entertainment Rights, TV Loonland, and Taffy Entertainment, KidsCo launched 24-hour networks throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

The KidsCo partners did decide one thing at the launch of their endeavor. They wouldn't launch networks in Canada and the United States. They wouldn't launch in Canada because Corus Entertainment, one of the three partners, already have YTV and a 50% stake in Teletoon. The reason they're not launching in the United States is a little less obvious. Corus's Nelvana is a partner in the qubo programming block and digital channel. DiC programs the three-hour Saturday morning block on CBS. Sparrowhawk doesn't have any connection to the US marketplace aside from their core business was spun off from the Hallmark Channel.

As the networks began propping up throughout the globe, the partners changed, but the mission remained the same. Sparrowhawk is now owned by global powerhouse NBC Universal, and DiC was recently purchased by Cookie Jar Entertainment, a large children's entertainment company in their own right that has programming all over the planet. With both NBC Universal and Cookie Jar becoming more international as well as increasing their presence in the US market, one would think these two entities will convince each other to bring the fourth voice where the it could be heard the most . . . in the United States.

As we're entering a new transitional period in American television, the need for variety is becoming a necessity. The partners behind KidsCo are in a position to create a channel with a huge back-library of thousands of hours of programming and access to facilities to produce new series. They've also created a new brand that needs to be introduced to the United States.

America . . . meet KidsCo. I know a way they could bring the fourth voice to the United States, but first, they need to acknowledge a major hurdle.