Kids everywhere flocking to Calgary streaming service

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There are a million fresh reasons why a Calgary streaming service for kids is becoming a global hit, the latest being a giveaway involving that amount of cash to worthy public schools across North America.

Kidoodle, which developed the technology enabling kids and parents to access a vast collection of suitable programming across a wide variety of devices, has seen remarkable growth since its launch in 2014. 

In the nine years since, more than 60-million shows, episodes and segments, geared specifically for children 12 and under, have been downloaded across about 160 countries, according to Jeremy Mason, senior VP at Kidoodle.

Recently, the company, a subsidiary of A Parent Media, held a highly successful contest for public schools involving a million dollars in prize money. To be eligible, schools had to submit a video showing what they would do with $10,000 and, if enough supporters then voted for that entry, they got to collect the cash. It was so successful that, in the end, Kidoodle presented the five schools garnering the most votes with $20,000.

“We didn’t put a lot of parameters on it. Schools could make a short video — most were two to five minutes — that we’d put on our service and then they’d encouraged votes. We had a lot of fun,” said Mason, adding that 12 schools in Calgary received prize money.

The million-dollar giveaway is the latest move to help promote the Calgary-based company as a global leader in safe, easily accessible digital entertainment suitable for kids.

It was more than 10 years ago when Calgarians Neil Gruninger and Mike Lowe, both with backgrounds in media and technology, first envisaged a future of entertainment and video distribution separate from traditional cable TV and geared towards an Internet streaming model. What made their vision somewhat different was a decision to build such a model that would appeal to children and their parents.

Today, Kidoodle has more than 130 staff across Canada and the U.S., with about 50 of those employees based in Calgary.

Mason said one of the keys to Kidoodle’s success is the care that goes into ensuring all the content available for streaming is suitable for kids. Unlike similar services catering to youngsters, such as YouTube, it is not open-sourced, thereby allowing Kidoodle to prevent any material being directly uploaded without it being first vetted.

“We have a safe streaming mantra here, one where we vet every piece of video on the service. We actually have a couple of grandparents who watch all the videos and make sure they are fit for family viewing,” he said.

Parents can choose a pay model costing $4.99 a month or a free service that allows advertising — the ads being vetted for suitability in the same manner as the actual entertainment content. They can also block certain shows if believing them unsuitable, as well as put limits on screen time for their kids.

“Parents can decide what content to make available and how long they want their children to be able to watch. We take extreme care of the content to ensure that it’s safe and appropriate for families,” added Mason.

Kidoodle has access to some of the top kids’ shows in North America, such as PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig and SpongeBob SquarePants, as well as unique material from individuals hoping to break into the kids’ market. It also encourages locally produced content from a wide variety of countries, including shows that help children get excited about hearing and subsequently learning a foreign language.

“There’s a plethora of creators out there who want to get their own brand out in front of an audience. Plus, they want to present their work in a safe, closed environment. We provide that,” said Mason.

Kidoodle’s parent company is now moving beyond streaming only for kids, using similar proprietary technology to launch Glitch+, a streaming space where content creators can display their wares to a potentially huge audience. Mason believes it will allow teens and young adults, in particular, a similar experience to those younger children who welcomed Kidoodle so enthusiastically.

He added there are also potential opportunities for the Calgary company in helping larger tech outfits build their own platforms using the technology developed by Kidoodle.

 “First and foremost we see ourselves as a tech company. That technical foundation has allowed us to connect. It is the foundation allowing us to navigate these waters,” he said.