Genius Brands Acquires Ameba TV and launches Kidaverse

Genius Brands International confirmed plans to launch the streaming platform Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse on 15th April of this year. “Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse is expected to revolutionize children’s entertainment, because it will include all of the popular animated programs of a children’s channel, metaverse features and, most importantly, it will be fully curated and child safe,” said Genius Brand Chairman and CEO, Andy Heyward. The subscription-based service, designed using  first-in-class technology, is set to cost $3.99/month. Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse will be anchored by technology from the acquisition of Ameba TV, a rapidly growing children’s video streaming service that brings a first-in-class technology platform.

Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse will be led by Jon Ollwerther, President of Kartoon Channel!, who will oversee its rollout across North America. Former Managing Director of Disney Channels Worldwide and now Managing Director of Kartoon Channel! Worldwide, Paul Robinson, will lead the launch throughout the remaining territories.

Some of the features include custom avatars and emojis for kids, exclusive games, branded Kidaverse VR goggles, immersive content and NFTs for kids (“KFT”s). The platform will also offer collectable digital cards based on many of the channel’s popular characters, including those from the upcoming Stan Lee Universe, debuting in Q4 2022, and a digital currency for kids called Kidaverse MetaBuck$. Additionally, the Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse is planning to introduce child-safe messaging, podcasts, music, and more. Additional featuere will roll out in Q3 2022. “The single strongest message we receive from parents is the concern about safety for children on screens, whether it is program content or roaming around the internet and various apps," Heyward continues. "The premise of the Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse is to provide children with fun, positive, engaging digital media AND to provide them with a safe and parent-controlled product.”

In addition popular Kartoon Channel! branded shows, such as "Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Rainbow Rangers," "Peppa Pig," "PJ Masks," "Minecraft," "Surviving Roblox," and "My Little Pony," Kidaverse will add another 13,000 episodes under license to Ameba, including hit brands, such as "Casper The Friendly Ghost,"" Donkey Kong Country," "Gummy Bears," and "Rescue Heroe"s. The platform will also become the home to the several thousand hours of animated content available through its recent acquisition of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media and strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment (YFE),  with over 20,000 animated titles under license.

The content will be under the constant supervision through the Kidaverse Safe Content Code, as recommended by Stanford University Professor Emeritus, Don Roberts, former Chair of the Stanford University School of Communications. “It’s a digital playground whose content and attributes will be fully supervised,” said Professor Roberts. “Absent will be bullying, violence, inappropriate language, or negative stereotypes. The programming ethos, like Kartoon Channel!, is one of enrichment for our audience.”

“As Kartoon Channel! has grown, many of our viewers have asked for a commercial free version of the experience,” said Jon Ollwerther, Kartoon Channel! President. “While our free, ad-supported platform will still be available to consumers, the subscription-based Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse will address that market need, while also building the 360 degree kid’s digital media platform of the future. We believe it will be a unique entertainment experience that simply cannot be had anywhere else.”