Elevating Kids Entertainment with Catered FAST Experiences

Generation Alpha, children under the age of 12, are born into digital. They are more comfortable with consuming content than any other demographic segment and it is therefore critical to ensure their safety in an increasingly digitized world. This, in combination with an unwavering belief that children deserve better, is the driving force behind Common Sense Media’s direct-to-consumer, ad-supported service, Sensical.

With a very clear vision in mind of what it wanted to achieve, Common Sense Media selected Accedo as a partner to deliver a service that meets the needs of both children and their parents. It provides kids with a rich catalog of on-demand content categorized by age groups and topics, as well as three different FAST channels. It also incorporates tools for parents to track consumption and viewership, so that a safe media environment can be maintained. All in all, Sensical makes consuming content a positive experience for both children and their families.At this year’s CES in Las Vegas, I sat down with Eric Berger, CEO of Common Sense Networks, to discuss how Sensical was developed and brought to market, the impact it is creating in the kids entertainment space, and what has made the service such a success.Here are some of the key highlights from our discussion:‍

The importance of a clear vision

‍Common Sense Media was able to articulate its vision for the service: kids deserve better, and the marketplace does too. Accedo bought into this vision, and a very close working partnership allowed us to translate it into a service that enables Common Sense Networks to achieve exactly what it set out to do.‍

No compromises

‍It was critical that the Sensical app delivers a premium and high-quality user experience, and that the service is ubiquitous across all platforms, including mobile, connected TVs, and the web. Collaboratively, we ensured that the applications were designed meticulously to meet the target audience’s expectations of UX, intuitiveness, and design aesthetics. The benchmark was set high and emulated across all device platforms.‍

Setting new standards

‍The objective behind Sensical differs greatly from that of most other kids’ applications. Common Sense Networks is establishing a new standard for kids and families, by providing a safe and appropriate way to access high quality entertainment and setting the benchmark for kids digital entertainment experiences for years to come.

FAST is only just beginning

‍The trend for FAST services and other ad-supported streaming models has just begun, and we’re likely to see more media companies owning and operating their own FAST channels alongside distributing their service to aggregators. Gen Alpha is a really interesting demographic that needs to be taken seriously. To find out more about the positive impact that Sensical is creating, and how Accedo has contributed to that, please reach out.