The enemy of streaming companies is churn, which is when viewers sign up for a service and then drop it after they’ve watched a particular show. Kids’ shows and movies seem to be the most churn-proof content, so streamers are making big investments in that department.
Disney+ has the deepest library of childrens’ programming, and as such, the streamer sees relatively little churn because they have the movies kids want to watch over and over. In an effort to compete, HBO Max has been hyping its content with Cartoon Network and earlier made a huge deal with “Sesame Street.”
Netflix is also making huge investments in content for kids, including an animated musical based on a book by Lupita Nyong’o.
David Ellison’s company Skydance Animation left Paramount and signed a big deal with Apple this week that reunites John Lasseter with the birthplace of Pixar. Lasseter co-founded Pixar with Apple’s Steve Jobs, and the company was later bought by Disney. Lasseter took over all of animation at Disney, but left the company after allegations of misconduct, and quickly found a new home at Skydance. Emma Thompson dropped out of doing a voice for the Skydance Animation movie “Luck” because of Lasseter coming on board. That film is still in the works and will be part of the deal with Apple.