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YouTube is significantly expanding its original kids programming this year as it looks to grow its audience in the growing global market for family entertainment.
The Google-owned video giant told The Times on Monday that it is launching nine new, mostly animated kids shows this year, up from two in 2020.
The move comes as many streamers are leaning into programming directed at kids, seen as a key way to attract more families to tune in with repeat viewing and build a new generation of viewers.
Many parents and kids already go to YouTube searching for free, ad-supported educational videos or entertainment. The company’s YouTube Kids app dedicated to content for children has an audience of 35 million weekly users.
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Mainframe Studios president Michael Hefferon couldn’t have known it, but he was already preparing his Vancouver-based operation to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic before it arrived.
A major upgrade to Mainframe’s technological infrastructure was part of the animation studio’s strategic plan, which included collaboration with a studio in Singapore and the need to accommodate major office renovations.
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That paid dividends when the nice-to-have, work-from-home option suddenly became a must-have mandate, right on time for a new burst of demand for the family-friendly animated content that Mainframe produces.
Update: We received word from Sony that
Ratchet & Clank: Life of Pie does not serve as an official canon prequel to the PS5’s
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and is not related to the upcoming game. The TV short is a standalone license special created by Mainframe Studios, but has no canon bearing on the PS5 game’s narrative.
Original: Aside from a beloved series of games,
Ratchet & Clank has spawned manga, comics, books, toys, and even a feature movie. One thing it hasn’t produced is a television series, which is why the sudden and quiet appearance of a 23 minute TV short,