Tony Albert, CEO of Motion Pictures, explains how the company is adapting its strategy to a constantly evolving children’s market, with projects designed to travel internationally and expand onto new platforms. He also previews upcoming productions, including El Niño Electrón and the company’s first animated feature films.
The children’s content industry is undergoing a transformation driven by audiences shifting toward streaming, YouTube, and other digital environments, while international buyers are adopting a more selective approach to new productions.
For production companies, the challenge is no longer just about developing great stories; it is also about finding financing, distribution, and monetization models that allow those stories to reach their audience.
In this landscape, experienced production companies like Spain’s Motion Pictures understand firsthand the importance of offering recognizable properties with franchise potential and multiplatform strategies.
In the following interview with ttvnews, Tony Albert, CEO of Motion Pictures, discusses the identity of the company’s catalog, its commitment to stories that naturally integrate values, and projects reflecting its future strategy, such as El Niño Electrón, a series aimed at families with children who have ADHD, and the development of its first animated feature films.
He also analyzes market evolution and the criteria currently guiding the development and acquisition of children’s content, as well as the impact of new consumption habits, the importance of strong IPs, and the opportunities offered by international co-productions and digital platforms.
How has the demand for children’s content changed in recent years, across both television and digital platforms? Which trends do you consider most relevant today?
Demand for children’s content remains strong, but the market has changed profoundly. Audiences have largely shifted from linear television to streaming platforms, YouTube, and other forms of digital consumption, while buyers today are much more selective and have reduced their investment in new productions. Currently, platforms primarily seek content that carries lower risk and offers significant international potential: recognizable IP, established brands, and projects with franchise potential. At the same time, YouTube has become a crucial outlet for discovering and consuming children’s content, particularly through short-form formats, clips, and content tailored to modern consumption habits.
Key trends include audience fragmentation, the coexistence of long-form and short-form formats, the growth of YouTube and digital content, the importance of family-oriented content or “co-viewing,” and the pursuit of properties capable of generating business beyond the series itself—through licensing, video games, and other extensions.
In short, the current challenge is not a lack of audience, but rather the increased difficulty of financing, discovering, and monetizing new productions in a far more competitive and fragmented market.
What elements do you consider key when developing or acquiring a children’s series or film? What are international buyers looking for today?
When developing or acquiring a children’s series or film, we consider it essential to have a clear, distinctive concept, engaging characters, and a narrative capable of connecting with the audience. We also highly value international potential -meaning the ability to travel well across different markets and cultures- as well as the potential to develop into an IP beyond the screen.
Today, international buyers are specifically looking for projects with a very clear, easily communicable concept, a strong visual identity, and a defined target age and audience. There is also a preference for established properties or projects with some existing traction, as this reduces investment risk.
Furthermore, it is increasingly important for content to be adaptable to a multi-platform ecosystem, including streaming, YouTube, social media, video games, and licensing. Ultimately, the goal is no longer just a good series or film, but a property with audience potential, international reach, and the capacity to become a long-term brand.
How are new consumption habits (streaming, mobile, YouTube) impacting the way children’s content is produced and distributed?
New consumption habits are forcing a rethink of both the production and distribution of children’s content. Today, children consume content across multiple devices and platforms -especially streaming, YouTube, and mobile- so a series can no longer be conceived solely for a traditional television window.
This influences formats, leading to a mix of traditional episodes, short-form content, clips, and “shorts,” as well as how launch and promotional strategies are designed. It is also increasingly important to consider a multi-platform strategy from the outset, adapting content to different windows and consumption methods.
Additionally, YouTube has become a crucial tool not only for distribution but also for discovery and audience building. Ultimately, the goal is for a property to be present wherever the audience is, using a flexible strategy that combines content, promotion, and monetization across different platforms.
How important is brand and franchise building in children’s content today? Are you prioritizing projects with multi-platform potential?
Today, brand and franchise building is fundamental in children’s content. Buyers are increasingly seeking projects that do not rely solely on the broadcast of a series or film, but rather can foster a lasting relationship with the audience and expand into various areas.
Multiplatform potential is, therefore, a crucial factor. A strong property should have the capacity to thrive across streaming, television, YouTube, social media, video games, licensing, and merchandise.
Not every project needs to become a major franchise, but we particularly value those featuring recognizable characters, a distinct universe, and the ability to connect with audiences beyond a single distribution channel. In an increasingly competitive market, building a solid brand also helps generate greater visibility, foster audience loyalty, and create new revenue streams.
What are the main challenges currently facing the children’s content industry (financing, discoverability, regulation, etc.), and where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth?
The main challenges facing the children’s industry in Spain today are the financing of new productions, reduced investment from major platforms, and the increasing difficulty of achieving visibility -or “discoverability”- in a content-saturated market.
There is also greater fragmentation of audiences and distribution windows, forcing producers to seek more complex financing models that combine broadcasters, platforms, international co-productions, public funding, and new digital exploitation avenues. Added to this is the need to adapt to an increasingly demanding regulatory framework and the specific requirements regarding the protection of child audiences.
However, there are also significant opportunities. Spain boasts great creative and technical talent, solid production capabilities, and growing international experience, alongside an attractive landscape of national and regional tax incentives and grants. This makes us an appealing international partner; we see particular opportunities in international co-productions, the development of IP with global potential, and the use of YouTube, digital platforms, and new formats as tools to reach audiences directly.
The major challenge lies in ensuring that content is not only produced but also secures financing, visibility, and a suitable international distribution strategy.
What types of stories or formats do you believe will shape the future of children’s content in the coming years?
We don’t have a crystal ball to predict exactly which formats will be most successful in the future. Channels will continue to bet on established IP, but we believe there will be growth in content capable of appealing to broader audiences—ranging from family co-viewing to animation aimed at teens and adults. Ultimately, the children’s content of the future will be more flexible, interactive, and multi-platform, yet the essential elements will remain the same: great stories, memorable characters, and a strong emotional connection with the audience.
How would you describe the identity of your children’s catalog today? What types of content or genres do you feel best represent the company?
As a Spanish production company, we find ourselves somewhat compelled to produce primarily for public broadcasters, as they are the only ones willing to back our content. Consequently, we mostly produce series that champion values such as friendship, camaraderie, respect, tolerance, inclusion, diversity, equality, hard work, and personal growth. However, the key is to avoid making it feel like a moral or educational lesson; these values must be naturally woven into the stories, characters, and conflicts.
What children’s projects do you currently have in development or production that reflect the direction you want to take your strategy in the coming years?
We are currently developing El Niño Electron (The Electron Boy), a fascinating project aimed at families with children who have ADHD, children who struggle to maintain attention and are hyperactive or impulsive. Our major challenge is to portray these symptoms as a unique superpower that allows them to channel their energy toward incredible goals, leveraging other strengths such as imagination, creativity, talent, and boundless energy. The concept is a series of twenty-six 5-minute episodes, and I believe it aligns perfectly with the type of content international public broadcasters are seeking.
Another challenge we would like to tackle is our first animated feature film; we have been producing animated series for over 20 years, and the time has come to produce a feature. We are currently evaluating two feature film projects, though they are still in the very early stages of development.
