Amazon Greenlights Kids Video Series

Creative Galaxy, from Blue's Clues, Super Why and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood creator Angela Santomero, will debut first, followed soon after by Tumbleaf and AnneDroids. All three, along with a separate group of adult-targeted comedy series, were greenlighted by Amazon after their pilots were carried on the company's Prime Video service and feedback from viewers was evaluated."It's all about the customer and creating content that customers will love," Amazon executive Tara Sorensen declared, as she, Santomero and noted TV educational consultant Dr. Alice Wilder gathered for an Advertising Week breakfast roundtable Tuesday morning. While each series entertains with animation or live-action characters, they encourage kids to fire up their creativity and let it rip. An important trait children will have to depend upon more as they grow up and enter adult society, Wilder argued."The world doesn't care about what you know. The world cares about what you do with what you know.," Wilder explained. "What's important now is to develop creators and empathizers. That will be key to making it in the world ahead."If Amazon's programs hit the mark, mothers will enjoy co-watching with kids and participating in the activity they engage in, Santomero said. "You'll feel like picking up a glue stick and be involved." Beyond this initial trio, Amazon plans series where there's more focus on smart, entertaining role models that inspire kids, less on sassy talk and slapstick to grab attention.Thanks to the viewer feedback, classified by Sorensen as "the world's largest focus group," episodes were crafted to meet specific objectives. "We were encouraged to do more of everything--more on-air time for the characters, more information on the artists we highlight on Galaxy, more opportunities for interactivity, even putting together segments with real kids making or doing things, running after the end of episodes," added Santomero.No plans at this time to create supplementary material for all three shows using smart TV or second-screen (smartphone/tablet) applications. That will come down the road, Sorensen promised."I'm excited for the day when I'll ask kids if they're learning while they play, and they say yes," added Wilder.More observations from Advertising Week's passing parade:Less than 24 hours after AOL's Monday night event advocating conversion to a programmable way of Internet/digital video ad buy life, participant Magna Global is going ahead with a venture to bring programmable tech across all media. At a Tuesday lunchtime panel, Magna officially declared the formation of a consortium responsible for crafting new paradigms for multiple media programmable buys. ESPN, A&amp;E Networks, Cablevision Systems, Clear Channel Media/Entertainment and Tribune are charter members. More participants forthcoming, Magna promises.Here's something you rarely see from Advertising Week--a discussion with not a single word, repeat, not a single word about advertising. Amazon's Tuesday morning kidvid breakfast was that rarity. None of the three speakers raised the subject, and given there was no opportunity for audience questions, there you go. Another thing absent from Amazon's panel: a clip from Creative Galaxy to expand on the discussion.Monday we had the CNBC/Fox Business Network video crews and reporters on opposite corners of the Times Center lobby, filing live interviews and reports. Tuesday, Bloomberg West editor-at-large Cory Johnson and crew had the lobby floor all to themselves. Luck of the draw? Your guess.Speaking of Bloomberg's twice-daily hour of high tech and media news, here's something anchorperson Emily Chang, Johnson or colleagues should ask a venture capitalist or angel investor or incubator exec next time they come on. "You invest in Web content and tech, smartphone content and tech, tablet content and tech. There are people who want to create the next generation of TV programming, services and tech.Why don't you invest in them?" Love to see their answer on camera.The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggers.com management or associated bloggers. MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries.

Amazon Greenlights Kids Video Series

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Simon Applebaum