TBI Weekly: UK kids TV shake-up

Kids television has been on the agenda this week as the industry gears up for Cartoon Forum and MIPJunior.

Kids shake-ups galore

News broke that Kay Benbow would leave the children’s division of pubcaster BBC as part of a major team shake-up. Cheryl Taylor will now lead the team in a newly created role of content chief. She will be joined by Helen Bullough, who is getting an expanded role encompassing preschool-focused CBeebies, meaning Alison Stewart is also out.

After the appointment of Sarah Muller, Channel 5 has experienced an overhaul of its preschool block Milkshake!. C5 heads have focused on the block due to its marked popularity in 2016. This year has seen Milkshake! go through a rebrand, make new hires and most recently acquire shows such as Puffin Rock and Gigglebug (pictured).

Young adult online group AwesomnessTV has also been in the news, hiring ex-Endemol Beyond exe Bonnie Pan after Endemol Shine shut down its digital video studio Endemol Beyond USA, leaving Pan without a role.

Also in the news…

BBC Studios is set to produce five new comedy pilots for BBC One, Two and Three including Mister Winner, Famalam and The Pact.

Bunim/Murray Productions joined forces with YouTube star Glozell Green to launch GloBugz!, a new children’s brand and entertainment channel dedicated to educating pre-schoolers on YouTube.

GRB Entertainment announced sale of its popular entertainment docu-series Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter to MNET Africa, Foxtel Australia and Adrenalyn Media in Spain and Andorra.

Armoza Formats announced that its docu-reality Play Date was acquired in North America by two production companies, Magilla Entertainment and ComediHa!.

UK-based Silverlining Rights picked up the rights to represent series five of the dock-soap GPs: Behind Closed Doors.

The week’s top TBI stories:

• Sony named new TV chiefs: Jeff Frost, Jason Clodfelter and Chris Parnell
• Protests have been planned as the Endemol Shine Turkey dispute expands
• Benbow exiting the BBC in a children’s TV shake-up
• Viacom temporarily eyed cash Scripps takeover
• Nat Geo hired HBO’s Chris Spencer amid company changes