Amazon Is Reportedly Giving Up On Original Kids’ Series
As the battle for streaming supremacy heats up, one competitor appears to be making a tactical retreat. Amazon Studios is losing interest in developiong original kids’ series, according to anonymous sources who spoke to The Los Angeles Times.
The report describes a clash among Amazon executives over the future of its streaming service, Prime Video. Some, such as former Amazon Studios head Roy Price, saw kids’ tv as a crucial growth area. Others, including founder Jeff Bezos, are said to disagree.
Many customers get their subscription as part of a broader Prime membership package. According to the report, some at the company have argued that parents will keep their memberships regardless, for other benefits like fast shipping on diapers. They conclude that high-profile prestige fare aimed at older and general audiences would make for a sounder investment. To that end, Amazon recently revealed a teaser for its original adult-oriented animated series, Undone.
Amazon Studios has declined to comment on this specific debate, but it did issue the following statement:
“When we looked at our customer feedback, we identified a need to expand and broaden our audience targets and have decided to focus on developing content for families inclusive of but not exclusively for kids. We are also continuing to develop animated content that will target young adult audiences.”
These ambitions are echoed in a subtle change at the company. Last year, Melissa Wolfe was named head of kids programming at Amazon Studios. She is now the head of animation and family programming.
Prime Video currently boasts around 20 original kids’ series, including Lost in Oz, Niko and the Sword of Light, and The Stinky & Dirty Show. It also features a whole roster of licensed programs, among them Spongebob Squarepants and Shaun the Sheep. Most are animated series. Amazon confirmed that it has no plans to discontinue any of them.
The Los Angeles Times’s report comes as Disney and Apple prepare their own streaming services, which are due to launch in the fall. Disney has a particularly vast library of child-oriented programs to draw on, but it has also indicated that it will be acquiring content from external producers. In December, Apple announced a deal with DHX Media to produce original programs based on the Peanuts property, and the company nabbed Tara Sorensen from Amazon to head up its kids programming, suggesting that it has ambitious plans for the space.
Meanwhile, Netflix continues to lead all streaming services with its investment in kids’ content, which is estimated to reach $1.1 billion in 2019 (around 11% of its overall content budget). The streamer is focused both on producing original series (including upcoming series like Mighty Little Bheem, Motown Magic, and Kid Cosmic) and licensing existing series from producers around the globe.