Owners of character-based properties for children have recently been investing in the creation of robust YouTube channels that support their properties with new content and reach their young consumers in a place where they spend significant time.
Examples of licensors that have recently launched, relaunched, or expanded YouTube channels or multi-channel platforms based on their property or properties — or are about to — include Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Fred Rogers Productions, Penguin Random House (for Who HQ), Scholastic, and Sesame Workshop. These and other examples are adding their names to a growing list of properties backed by solid and strategic YouTube programs.
The initiatives vary, with different target age groups, different types and number of properties supported under the channels’ umbrella, different content frequency and formats; and variations in other specifics. But, collectively, their experiences offer several takeaways, as gleaned from conversations with executives behind such programs:
- While there may be spillover interest from adults for some of the channels, the core target of recent initiatives is typically children, from toddlers through tweens. Preschoolers have been a group of particular note, both in the number of initiatives targeting them, and in that group’s strong viewership.
- Most of the sites have seen consistent growth in viewership, at least in their relatively early days.
- The audience is global, with strong viewership growth in regions such as Southeast Asia.
- Cross-promotion of other brand initiatives is important, as the channels serve as integrated components of broader content and brand ecosystems. Many of the sites seem to be having a positive impact on sales of merchandise and/or other brand or property ventures.
- Content collaborations work well on this platform, as YouTube-centric properties with similar audiences make visits to each others’ channels, generating interest from fans of both.
- Consumer behaviors, including what viewers are watching and for how long, give IP owners good data to help determine which themes, characters, and storylines might translate to merchandise.
It will be interesting to see how current strategies evolve as licensors experiment more, tweak their strategies, and learn from their experiences as time goes on.
If you haven’t yet checked out our coverage of the trends spotted at Licensing Expo 2026, you can read it here.
Comments are closed.