With ongoing COVID-19 issues to contend with, this was a challenging year for everyone in the kids entertainment industry. But content production continued to boom, which laid the groundwork for many companies to actually thrive, rather than just survive. These efforts and achievements were recognized as the votes for this year’s Kidscreen Hot50 rankings came pouring in.
In a Hot50 first, Disney+ and Netflix tied for number-one in the broadcasting category this year. The Mouse House streamer had a big year, racking up 118 million-plus subscribers worldwide and commissioning more regionally—including an animated film anthology called Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (pictured bottom) featuring the work of African creators—as part of its plan to spend US$9 billion on locally sourced content by 2024. And Netflix, which has had seven consecutive solo wins in the broadcasting category, had another record-breaking year in kids and family content. Among its accomplishments, the streamer nabbed 12 Daytime Emmys—the most won by any broadcaster or platform in the kids space—and Sony feature The Mitchells vs. The Machines (pictured top) became its most-watched animated film to date.
9 Story Media Group—and its production arm Brown Bag Films—returned to the top of the Hot50 production list for the first time since 2018 on the strength of a record 18 greenlights, including Karma’s World for Netflix and Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show for Apple TV+. Also notable, Irish indie Daily Madness Productions (Goat Girl)—new to the Hot50—landed in the number-four spot on the production list.
UK-based Jetpack earned its first Hot50 crown in distribution, achieving 16% year-over-year revenue growth and an 18% profit jump with a much bigger content library. The LEGO Group defended its number-one ranking in licensing by freshening up familiar brands like LEGO Super Mario, and PBS KIDS owned the top spot in digital media for a third consecutive year by making it easier for kids to access content including its new digital-first interactive series Team Hamster.
Here are the complete rankings:
BROADCASTING
1. Disney+
1. Netflix
3. PBS KIDS
4. BBC Children’s and Education
5. Cartoon Network/HBO Max
6. Nickelodeon
7. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
8. TVOKids
9. CBC Kids
10. Apple TV+
PRODUCTION
1. 9 Story Media Group/Brown Bag Films
2. Moonbug Entertainment
3. Netflix
4. Daily Madness Productions
5. Sinking Ship Entertainment
6. Blue Zoo Animation Studio
7. WildBrain
8. Atomic Cartoons
9. DreamWorks Animation
10. Guru Studio
DISTRIBUTION
1. Jetpack Distribution
2. 9 Story Distribution International
3. WildBrain
4. Moonbug Entertainment
5. Sinking Ship Entertainment
6. Sesame Workshop
7. CAKE Entertainment
8. Boat Rocker Media
9. Australian Children’s Television Foundation
10. Aardman Animations
LICENSING
1. The LEGO Group
2. WildBrain
3. Mattel
4. Spin Master
5. BBC Studios
6. Moonbug Entertainment
7. Aardman Animations
8. Sinking Ship Entertainment
9. Sesame Workshop
10. Jazwares
DIGITAL MEDIA
1. PBS KIDS
2. Moonbug Entertainment
3. WildBrain Spark
4. BBC Studios
5. CBC Kids Digital
6. 9 Story Media Group
7. Amazon
8. Sesame Workshop
9. Sinking Ship Entertainment
10. Cartoon Network
This year’s Hot50 companies are featured on the Hot50 microsite and in a special digital issue that’s available for download here. The number-one ranked companies will be honored at the 2022 Kidscreen Awards ceremony taking place during Kidscreen Summit in Miami on Tuesday, February 15.
Now in its eighth year, the Hot50 rankings are determined by an industry vote that Kidscreen’s 16,500-plus print and digital subscribers are invited to take part in.
Join our crew of
top-notch talent
