Nearly five years after it split into three companies, kids content specialist Sixteen South (Coop Troop) is now re-combining its trio of distinct arms dedicated to originals, production and rights.

The Belfast-based producer-distributor is set to unify its Sixteen South Originals, Sixteen South Studios and Sixteen South Rights divisions, Kidscreen has confirmed. 

According to Sixteen South, the strategy to recombine the units has been in the works for some time, aimed at focusing more on original development and production while shifting away from service work, which was the previous focal point of the Studios unit. The company says the new structure should help facilitate closer collaboration and continued input from the Rights team about today’s TV marketplace challenges. 

It’s not yet clear as to how staffing will be impacted, if at all, by the restructuring.

This refreshed vision will also involve Sixteen South taking a small but significant step towards third-party distribution. The company is looking for one external series to add to its stable, marking a shift from only shopping its own productions.

While Sixteen South is firm about acquiring only one show at the moment, it’s open to reviewing animated or live-action projects at any stage of funding—with a preference for stories featuring positive role models and targeting the upper preschool or six-to-nine age brackets. Producers with projects that align with these preferences can reach out to rights@sixteensouth.tv.

The company’s development slate currently includes two yet-to-be-announced preschool series as well as a high-end special that should be unveiled by the end of the year. Sixteen South also has a feature film in the works based on its popular series Odo (pictured).