Animation and children's television in the new audiovisual context, analyzed by the Television Academy

The animation experts Yago Fandiño, Belli Ramírez, Guillermo Velasco, Pilar Sánchez and Víctor M. López have participated in a breakfast with members of the Television Academy focused on animation and children's television.

In the quote of the Academy of Television and Audiovisual Sciences and Arts Children's television has been approached from a transversal perspective: how the production and development of content has changed based on new consumption habits; How the distribution of this content has been transformed with the arrival of new platforms, and what trends dominate children's audiovisuals. All these topics have been addressed under the perspective and experience of Yago Fandiño (director of Clan and children's content of RTVE); Bella Ramírez (production director at Mr. Cohl); Guillermo Velasco (partner/founder and business director of the studio Big Bang Box) y Pilar Sánchez (head agencies and family partners Youtube Spain and Portugal). In moderation, Victor M. Lopez (Zinkia Entertainment).

To Yago Fandiño "The relationship between consumers and audiovisual products has radically changed. A linear format such as TV is, for example, being reborn through live broadcasts on platforms such as YouTube or Twitch. Is TV dead? No, we have been rethinking our space for years and we will continue like this for 10 more years." In this sense, Fandiño considers that "the important thing is to make quality content, content with values ​​and that the child can enjoy it regardless of where they connect." “We need to listen to the youngest because there is a brutal generational leap of new creators who were born in the stream and have a completely different approach to content than those of us who were born in broadcast and in on demand. We need more spaces to think,” concludes the RTVE professional.

On the other hand, the producer Bella Ramírez He highlighted that we are at a peak moment in the sector where "the evolution has been spectacular from the point of view of the business model and the tools that allow us to produce with more quality in less time. There are super young, talented people who are creating." Furthermore, he recognizes the need for a paradigm shift regarding the duration of content: "All of us who produce like to tell stories. And for that we need long-term content. Even children increasingly demand longer content. On the other hand, we also observe growth and a way of communicating on networks with short content that keeps us entertained. They are complementary realities."

Markets, audiences and diversification of animation

For its part, Guillermo Velasco, spoke about brand strategies and defended that he continues to "firmly believe that content is King. When there is so much competition, perhaps the stories have to be better and better. I come from cinema where content has always traveled through different windows, which is what we are experiencing now in the sector." "Markets are regulated by demand and not supply. And, therefore, it is demand that determines what needs to be done. If we talk about Artificial Intelligence, for example, perhaps yes for distribution and to understand demand a little more, but not for creating content," he stated.

To Pilar Sánchez There are new ways to reach new audiences: "Working on multiformat is key to adapting to users. You can reach an audience through shorts on YouTube, which work very well, but if we talk about children's content, children also want to watch an entire episode of Pocoyo o Momonsters”. Regarding the opportunities of the new video-on-demand platforms, he highlighted that "the platforms offer you the possibility of starting to try quality content and if it works you can then create a series and sell it to a platform or television. This information is super valuable and shows us the path we have to take."

Victor M. Lopez He explained in his final reflection that "it is clear that the audience is dispersed and increasingly disaggregated. It is no longer concentrated on children's channels as it was fifteen years ago but is now in many more places. Then there is the importance of data and statistics that help us understand what children watch and how the production model is being transformed; this transformation of the industry is affecting all areas." He concluded that “these Academy meetings are essential to listen to all types of professionals in the industry because television is increasingly opening its spectrum.”