Gotta hand it to under-fives, their iPhone video consumption is controlling app charts

The most recent data coming out of mobile tracking service App Annie offers a clear picture of what exactly preschoolers are consuming on mobile devices - and the answer bodes well for those in the TV and video content production business.

October 15, 2015

It’s well-documented that preschoolers are naturally drawn to television and video content. The world of under-fives is also being continuously defined by mobile usage. So much so, in fact, that just last week the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its long-established denunciation of screen time before the age of two, citing a 2013 Common Sense Media study which found that 38% of toddlers had accessed a mobile device. In the UK, a recent Childwise study found that nearly 75% of UK kids under the age of five use tablet computers and phones – a 46% increase since 2012. And half of these kids use a mobile phone.

The most recent data coming out of mobile tracking service App Annie offers a clear picture of what exactly preschoolers are consuming on such phones – and the answer bodes well for those in the TV and video content production business.

Currently within the US, three of the five top-grossing children’s iPhone apps for kids under the age of five are video players: Movile’s SVOD and gaming subscription-based platform PlayKids at number two, Nickelodeon’s Noggin at number three and BabyFirst Video as the fourth top-grossing app. Disney Junior Appisodes comes in as sixth on the top-10 list. Meanwhile, the two most popular free apps in the under-five demo in the US are PlayKids and YouTube Kids (Nick Jr. and PBS KIDS Video come in at numbers five and six, respectively).

The trend extends to the UK, where under-fives have collectively made SVOD app Hopster, which is in the midst of a global expansion, the number one grossing iPhone app, followed by PlayKids at number three. The top free app among this demo also happens to be BBC CBeebies Playtime.

In fact, video streaming properties are in the number one free app slot in Australia (ABC Kids iView), China (PlayKids), South Korea (Pinkfong Kids TV), Spain (RTVE Clan) and Switzerland (PlayKids followed by kividoo).

The charts below, spanning the US, UK and Canada, offer a clear comparison of how video streaming apps are ranking against gaming-based mobile offerings.

Top 5 grossing iPhone apps for kids ages five and under:

US

ABC Mouse.com

PlayKids

Noggin

BabyFirst Videos

Sago Mini Babies

Canada

PlayKids

Sago Mini Babies

Disney Princess Palace Pets

Treehouse Classic Video