It has also already given a major boost to the number of episodes available across platforms - a 64 percent increase. It’s more about, ‘What can this technology do that people aren’t paying attention to yet?'”Īs part of the 2023-2024 season, the network will debut 26 new series and new seasons of existing series. “But we aren’t jumping into it because there’s revenue gain potential. “We’ve done a lot of innovation and experimentation with our content because when something new happens, we realize this is a chance for us to see what the learning possibility is for it,” says DeWitt. We always want to ensure we’re offering a safe place where they can learn about these topics in an age-appropriate way, guided by input from child development and subject-matter experts, which is so critical when approaching these topics with young kids.”ĭeWitt notes that while PBS Kids doesn’t have the content libraries of places like Netflix or Max, it more than makes up for it in its exploration of new technologies, inclusive content and distribution access.

“Kids are observant of what’s going on around them.

“ Fred Rogers set the foundation for us when he talked directly to kids on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood about tough topics like death and divorce,” DeWitt explains. The kids-focused programming from America’s public broadcaster has been operating for decades, but has always kept to its mission: Bringing educational and exciting non-commercial media - covering everything from climate change to AI - to kids and reaching them in the ways children are looking for content, while also thinking about those who don’t necessarily have access. “When you think of kids media as just a marketing tool or if you think of it as a way to boost your subscribers, you’re missing a huge opportunity to really use the creative potential of these formats to enrich lives, to help kids want to learn more, and to show them worlds that they might not get to see otherwise,” says Sara DeWitt, svp and general manager at PBS Kids. PBS Kids Expands Podcasting Slate With Launch of 'Jamming on the Job' Featuring 123 Andrés (Exclusive)Īs many others in the industry are pulling back in the kids space, PBS is gearing up to do even more.

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