Channel 5 (U.K.) announced Thursday that it is ramping up the amount of free kids’ content available on its multiplatform preschool brand Milkshake!, in a bid to help keep kids occupied at home. The additional content across VOD, social and on-air comes at a time of nationwide school and nursery closures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Across the week, 250 additional episodes of Milkshake! content will be uploaded onto Channel 5’s VOD service My5, joining the 500 episodes already on the platform. These will include additional series of Mr Men, Mofy, Meet the Hedgehogs, Secret Life of Puppies, Secret Life of Kittens and Angelina Ballerina. Series one to four of Milkshake! Monkey will also be added, making all five series available on My5 for kids to enjoy. All of the content will be made available on the Amazon Firestick via the My5 App.
On social platforms, an additional two hours of content will be uploaded to the Milkshake! YouTube and/or Instagram page each week. New uploads will take place every morning, following the linear transmission of the block, extending the fun for kids at home after Milkshake! comes off air. Brand new content will include Milkshake! Activities and Milkshake! Move & Shake shorts led by Milkshake! presenters, as well as new fact and mindfulness posts. The content will supplement the 22 hours of shorts and posts already made available on Milkshake!’s social platforms, covering birthdays, craft, dance, music, story time, keeping fit, food, celebrations and learning about new things.
On-air, there will be a brand new episode scheduled everyday between March and August, including the launch of Daisy & Ollie and Ricky Zoom, in addition to new episodes of Abby Hatcher, Floogals, Little Princess, Sunny Bunnies, Butterbean’s Café, PAW Patrol, Noddy, Shimmer & Shine, Becca’s Bunch, Mya Go, The Day Henry Met, Wissper, Thomas & Friends, Top Wing and Nella the Princess Knight. As well as long-form content, 21 brand-new Daisy & Ollie Nursery Rhymes will be made available on air from April 4, as well as new YouTube craft shorts Milkshake! Makes, which will be edited for broadcast from April 11 onwards.
“The Milkshake! team is working around the clock to deliver a broad range of additional free content across our platforms, helping kids and families to stay entertained as they navigate through these unchartered waters,” Louise Bucknole, VP Programming Kids, ViacomCBS Networks UK, said. “We know how hard it is for parents and carers stuck at home indoors with their children. All of our content is designed to help keep young kids occupied in a fun, safe and learning environment, providing the adults with a much needed break or co-viewing option with their little ones!”
Meanwhile, over on Nickelodeon, stacks of top-rating shows including Henry Danger, The Thundermans and Horrid Henry will now play out during the week, with extra specials and films made available at the weekends. Favorites including Peppa Pig and Paddington will be ramped up on Nick Jr. with the brand’s ‘Make It & Bake It’ stunt making a return, alongside a daily tune in singalong slot and Ready Set Dance shorts. On digital, 450 interactive and educational games will be made freely available across Nickelodeon’s sites and apps to super serve families stuck inside, whilst social platforms will be used to encourage laughter and light heartedness, tapping into trending conversations and encouraging fans to keep active along the way.
The extra activity forms part of the wider international Nickelodeon campaign launched last week titled #KidsTogether. The global prosocial initiative is using Nickelodeon’s most popular characters and talent to provide tips for staying healthy and fun ideas for families at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.
On Friday, it was announced that Apple TV will host Nick Jr.’s learning subscription service Noggin in the U.K., alongside 24 other territories. The Apple TV app will host Nick Jr. preschool shows such as PAW Patrol and Shimmer and Shine, with characters from these shows also set to appear on the service’s educational content.
