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Cartoon 2022 – Cartoon Springboard

Industry Report: Animation

Cartoon Springboard delves into Ketnet’s editorial strategy, competitors and target groups

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On day 3 of the event, Flemish content manager Telidja Klaï spoke about the Belgian network’s process of transforming into a 360-degree brand adored by children

Cartoon Springboard delves into Ketnet’s editorial strategy, competitors and target groups
Telidja Klaï during her talk (© Cartoon)

On day 3 of this year’s Cartoon Springboard, an event which unspooled in Madrid from 25-27 October, Ketnet’s content manager, Telidja Klaï, gave a keynote speech titled “Who Is Your Target Group?”

Klaï, a former academic specialising in developmental psychology and sexology, joined Ketnet in 2009. She began: “Never forget the little Peter Pan in yourself. [...] Working in a creative environment with kids gives me a lot of Peter Pan vibes. Listen to them, as they’re your audience!”

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Before 2010, she explained, Ketnet was a linear TV channel with a website, and it controlled, along with Nickelodeon, about 70% of the Flemish market. In 2010, the network knew that Netflix and later Disney would have to come along imminently, and already in 2012, there were 12 dedicated children’s channels, thus the competition in Flanders, a particularly small territory, became fierce. “At that point, we decided to make a change and transform into a 360-degree brand loved by children. We looked at them and decided not to be just a linear TV channel, but rather to be part of their world.”

Today, Ketnet is a transmedia brand that reaches 92% of Flemish kids, and it’s making huge efforts to intercept the remaining 8%. Its editorial activities are digital (for example, platforms and apps), the linear TV channel and the 140 yearly live events, which include both small and large gatherings across Flanders.

Speaking about Ketnet’s current competitors, Klaï pointed out that they are mainly games and gaming platforms (Twitch, Fortnite, Roblox Minecraft), social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Kids, Facebook), streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+) and, obviously, other children’s channels (Disney Channel, Cartoon Network).

The mission of Ketnet, she said, is “to inspire, stimulate and connect the dreamers, thinkers, doers and daredevils of tomorrow by creating and offering, with and for them, a multimedia experience with unique added value […]. Be open to growing with children […]. If there’s no connection with them, you’ll lose them. They’re very fast, and they switch all the time […]. You’ve got to follow them, and they’ll lead you.”

The use of the aforementioned personality types, stemming from various notions of developmental psychology, means “you need to take everyone into account” and that “every child is a VIP […]. It’s not only about accessibility, diversity and inclusion; it is first and foremost [including] everyone with their own personality,” she added.

Ketnet operates within two distinct target groups: so-called Ketnet Junior, for kids aged 1½-6, and the Ketnet one for youngsters aged 6-12. She stressed how it may be necessary to work with a second target group to tap into your own – for instance, families, brands, influencers and so on.

In the last part of her talk,Klaï touched upon the different areas that children’s content can contribute to enhancing: motor development, socio-emotional development, cognitive development (“based on a trial-and-error mechanism” that shouldn’t involve more than three stages, great for problem-solving skills), perceptual development, moral development and imagination development.

She advised: “If you want to be part of the world, think in terms of transmedia, not cross-media. You’ve got your IP; you know what it’s about.” Finally, she suggested “not to play it too safe” and “to try to push the boundaries a little bit” with the help of experts, when it comes to creating new content and tackling more sensitive subjects.

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