Children’s videos have emerged as a major part of the YouTube ecosystem. In January 2016, for example, toy channel Ryan ToysReview scored more than 667 million views, and seven other channels aimed at young viewers found cracked the top 20 within our monthly chart.
Now, there is a new network looking to connect advertisers to that massive, burgeoning audience. It’s called Kidfluencer, and it is run by British ad company SuperAwesome.
Kidfluencer is built off SuperAwesome’s status as a company that can help advertisers reach young viewers online. In order to extend that service to YouTube, it has teamed up with several channels. According to the Wall Street Journal, early Kidfluencer partners include FamilyGamerTV and TaDaKids.
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“Some of these creators have struggled with a lack of monetization options,” SuperAwesome CEO Dylan Collins told the Wall Street Journal. “So we’re trying to find the best creators and the right brands, and make sure that brands engage with kids properly.”
While its launch partners may not be the biggest children’s channels on YouTube, Kidfluencer is promising to connect brands and creators in a safe and ethical way. The proliferation of branded children’s videos has been a problem for YouTube, especially since the launch of its specialized YouTube Kids destination in February 2015. Advocacy groups have complained that some branded videos on that app are deceptive toward children, and Kidfluencer addresses that issue by wrapping its own sponsored content with a “safe ad” banner.
SuperAwesome launched in 2013. Last year, it supported its platform by raising a $7 million Series A funding round.
