Couch potato. Coined in 1976 and popularized in the 1980s, this phrase refers to people (including kids) who sit slumped on the sofa, passively absorbing copious amounts of programming— and ads—on TV. It may be used less often these days, but the term best describes a type of viewer who is also becoming rarer: one who is easily reachable and who willingly spends time actually watching a ton of content.

As those voracious viewers seem to be vanishing, content producers and distributors are searching for something that will capture and retain the attention of modern-day audiences. Rather than relying on a passive experience, a few innovative companies are experimenting with content that requires active engagement, hoping to provide such a compelling experience that viewers will habitually seek out new episodes and rewatch old ones. And although it’s certainly too early to say if interactive TV will prove to be a success on both the storytelling and the technology fronts, it’s an attractive enough concept that the kids industry is giving it a try.

TAKING CONTROL

Viewers want to control how they consume content, whether it’s a series or an ad, and Stornaway.io is one of a growing number of technology companies powering the creation and distribution of interactive TV—including a brand of choose-your-own-adventure specials representing a trend that’s picking up steam, according to market research.

Interactive TV is in its infancy now, but the genre’s global revenue is expected to grow from US$19.3 billion in 2023 to US$39.8 billion in 2032, according to Dataintelo. Stornaway’s co-founder and co-CEO Ru Howe has a rich background in tech that includes a stint as head of production workfl ows at the BBC. He’s seen plenty of companies wanting to introduce interactivity but lacking the tools—or being forced to use tools that lock content into a specifi c platform (like Netfl ix). Howe wants to solve both of these problems under the auspices of the Bristol-based company he launched in 2020 with producer and co-CEO Kate Dimbleby.

Stornaway’s goal is to provide producers with a tool to easily and inexpensively create interactive content. Powered by a game engine, with a simple-to-use interface and pre-designed templates, the software lets producers drag and drop interactive elements into their projects, without requiring engineering or programming experience.

So far, most of the company’s business comes from corporations wanting to produce more engaging and personalized training videos. But Stornaway also expects to benefi t from the TV industry’s eventual swing back to more commissions and production, says Dimbleby.

Prices for the service range from a free plan with limited features—including a cap of fi ve projects—to US$100,000 for large enterprises that need support with production and meeting broadcaster editorial standards and regulations. And there are options in between that could range from US$500 to a few thousand dollars for smaller creative teams.

Stornaway’s client list includes 9 Story Media Group, Plimsoll Productions and Bristol-based Drummer TV, the producer of CBBC series Gym Stars.

Going behind the scenes into the lives of young UK gymnasts, Gym Stars has attracted a wide range of viewers who tune into the show for different reasons, depending on their ages. The younger audience is interested in the competitions, while the older kids are keen to follow the gymnasts’ relationships.

Gymnastic tutorials from the Gym Stars professionals have racked up millions of views on YouTube (for example, a 2019 video called “How to Handstand” has more than 5.2 million views), and CBBC premiered season five of the popular show in June 2023.

But during the pandemic, Gym Stars had such a wide six-to-13 demographic watching, and the Drummer TV decided to test out non-linear interactive episodes so different age groups could check out the parts they were most interested in. Drummer turned to Stornaway to produce interactive versions of the series’ live-action episodes as a proof of concept for CBBC—an experiment that worked, highlighting the potential of interactive TV for the kids industry specifically, explains Dimbleby.

Using existing footage, Drummer and Stornaway created episodes that, at set points in the story arc, let viewers choose what they wanted to see next—the competitions or the relationships. It’s a new digital approach that breaks with the tradition of just splitting up an episode into multiple clips for YouTube. In the case of the Beeb, kids are already gravitating to YouTube to watch clips, and this strategy could bring them back to the broadcaster, says Dimbleby.

The initial test was successful enough that the two companies plan to continue the experiment and create additional proof-of-concept episodes using new software known as Voyager, which Stornaway released in a beta version in September.

Interactivity can be a game-changer for broadcasters and streamers, says Howe. “I’m excited to be able to open that up for people who are working on tight budgets.”

REACHING EVERYONE

Preschool series Mixmups is Channel 5’s first foray into “ultra-access episodes” that let kids personalize how they watch the show, including lowering background noise, simplifying the visuals and adding content to enhance comprehension.

As a broadcaster, Channel 5 doesn’t have the luxury of worrying about the reception of a single show. Instead, it has to consider its full lineup and its entire audience, including viewers with physical and mental challenges. To make its programming as accessible as possible, the UK net turned to Stornaway to create what it calls “ultra-access episodes,” starting with its new preschool series Mixmups.

As Louise Bucknole, GM of kids & family at Paramount UK & Ireland, explains, ultra-access means kids can personalize the episode delivery in several ways, including adding subtitles and sign-language interpretation, adjusting the sound levels, and activating introductions that outline the plot. Depending on how the audience responds, it might extend this type of treatment to other productions.

“We wanted to ensure the series could be enjoyed by every child in their own way,” says Bucknole. “We are really excited about these episodes for Mixmups. It’s a totally new approach and something that has never been done before, so we’re keen to see how they land with the audience and the disabled community.”

Produced with Mackinnon and Saunders, Mixmups is a 52 x 11-minute stop-motion series about friends who imagine various pretend-play scenarios—such as delivering packages or having a machine that grants wishes. Two of the show’s main characters have visible disabilities (one uses a wheelchair and the other is partially sighted, has glasses and relies on a guide dog), while the third has anxiety.

This isn’t the first time Channel 5 has inserted subtitles and audio descriptions, but previous efforts didn’t take into account kids with neurodiversity or visual, audio and comprehension needs. Working with Stornaway enables the broadcaster to further tailor kids’ viewing experiences to be just as inclusive as the content itself, says Bucknole.

“Conventional TV access has been just subtitles, audio description and British Sign Language,” adds Rebecca Atkinson, the creator of Mixmups. “Now, children will be able to watch the show with lower background noise, simplified visuals and additional content to [help them] access TV on their own terms.”

THE NEXT FRONTIER

Planet X, by Justin Hounkpatin, courtesy of DreamFlare.

Fledgling San Francisco-based streamer DreamFlare AI has gotten in on the ground floor of the interactive push by creating a platform that lets producers develop—and then share—interactive content with the assistance of the other hot technology trend of the moment: AI. “We’re in a new frontier of entertainment where you’re not just sitting and passively watching,” says DreamFlare creative director and co-founder Rob Bralver.

The sharing aspect is vital, according to the company’s other co-founder, CEO Joshua Liss. Bralver and Liss saw a need for a platform like DreamFlare after recognizing how several media trends—including a much tighter financing landscape, the rise of AI and a growing demand for personalized content—are changing the industry.

While the platform may attract its fair share of amateurs and people who are new to video production, its founders are striving to position it as a useful tool for professional entertainment producers. Creators can use DreamFlare to make proofs of concept that will strengthen funding pitches and presentations for content made either on DreamFlare or by other means. Successful industry veterans who are struggling because of the recent strikes and the downturn in available financing can also use it to keep making (potentially revenue-generating) content, adds Liss.

DreamFlare’s subscription streaming service launched in stealth mode in April 2023, and then opened up to the wider industry this past July 2024. It initially featured six hours of original proprietary content, and the company has been adding 50 to 75 new titles a month, including a handful of kid-skewing ones such as Little Red & The Cursed Locket (a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale) and a Snow Queen adaptation called The Ice Queen Chronicles.

Interactivity comes through viewers being able to tap their screen and choose what happens next in the story. Imagine all of Netflix’s content as Bandersnatch, and you’ll get an idea of what DreamFlare is building.

The long-term goal is to grow this offering into a kids & family service, complete with a ratings system so families can find entertainment that’s appropriate for young viewers, and possibly stream interactive educational content.

To allay industry and consumer concerns about the type of output AI produces, DreamFlare’s team curates everything and only accepts “top-quality” content, says Liss. In the short term, the company is looking for projects from established and talented creators.

DreamFlare offers a subscription model where some content is available for free every week, with a US$9.99 annual premium level that unlocks a wider library. Creators get a share of the revenue, and can also crowdfund their projects through the platform, which already has more than three million subscribers.

The company has raised US$1.65 million in a pre-seed round, but that funding is just the start. The hope is that the next big franchises to land major licensing and broadcast deals are born on DreamFlare, says Liss, drawing in viewers and generating ongoing revenue for the company.

“Producers can prove out concepts and [test-drive] the scripts that are sitting on their desks. We’re an extension of the entertainment industry—not a replacement, but a new way to experience content.”

THE FUTURE IS INTERACTIVE

As the founder and CEO of New York-based interactive content creator Adventr, Devo Harris imagines a future similar to the world in the movie Minority Report, where you can touch and talk to your content. But the key to making this possible is distribution, he says.

Adventr is solving for this by providing tools to produce interactive content, and by making sure its clients’ creative work can be converted into formats that are shareable anywhere, including websites, social media and video players.

The company is already working with Disney Channel, Paramount and NBCUniversal. In the game Disney Channel Besties, kids choose which friends from various Disney Channel shows they want to see, and then watch clips featuring those characters. And in Paramount’s interactive trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog 2, kids can choose their favorite character and make decisions for them.

Beyond just clicking the screen, the company took interactivity to a new level in a recent collaboration for NBCUniversal’s series The Voice, allowing players to move a video forward by singing along with celebs such as John Legend (who is also an investor in Adventr).

Interactive TV is enabling what advertisers have been craving for the last decade—kids spending more time watching content and getting increasingly engaged with it, says Harris.

For the last six years, Adventr has been focused on the advertising industry because that sector has big budgets and quicker go-to-market timelines, he explains. It’s also easier to quantify success in the ad business. For example, Adventr’s interactive ads generate a 1,300% increase in click-throughs and 271% more time spent than static ads, he notes. Seeing an actual return on investment makes paying for the technology and service a much easier proposition, especially for advertisers. Prices range from US$99 to US$300 per month, and there’s a customized enterprise level, too.

Adventr is also creating original content (in part as a proof of concept), including a fully interactive feature film for kids that’s currently in development. In 2022, the company produced an original 15-minute short film called Lab Rat. Using their smartphones, theater-goers were able to vote on plot choices, and the majority ruled to drive the story forward. The movie has since been played at festivals and conferences around the world, including SXSW Sydney, DC Black Film Festival and Dream Con in Texas.

Adventr’s larger goal is to support businesses, including the kids TV industry, in either creating new content or adding interactivity to a back catalogue, adds Harris. “Young people expect to be able to interact with their content. We are enabling what we feel is inevitably coming—a future where all content is personalized for you.”

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen’s Q4 2024 magazine issue.