Thursday, May 23, 2019

pocket.watch Looking to Produce Localized Versions of 'Ryan's Mystery Playdate'

Kids’ entertainment start-up Pocket.watch is looking to produce local versions of Ryan's Mystery Playdate, its hit Nickelodeon preschool series fronted by seven-year-old YouTube star Ryan from the hugely popular unboxing channel Ryan ToysReview!


Created and produced by pocket.watch, Ryan's Mystery Playdate follows Ryan as he tackles a series of imaginative, physical challenges and solves mystery box puzzles to reveal the identity of his playdate.

In the live-action series, Ryan, his parents and animated friends Gus the Gummy Gator and Combo Panda, work together to complete unique challenges and unlock mystery boxes that contain hints to help him discover who his mystery playdate is. The series encourages physical play, models positive family relationships and features a creative problem-solving curriculum.

Season one (20 episodes) premiered on Nick Jr. in April 2019 and was quickly renewed for a 20-episode second season after strong ratings.

Stone Newman, chief revenue officer at Pocket.watch, told delegates at Natpe’s LA Screenings Independents Producers Summit in Los Angeles earlier this month that the company wanted to work with young YouTubers around the world on local versions of the show.

“We believe in the power of localisation and taking this very successful format and localising it market by market with local YouTube creators,” said Newman.

Founded by Chris M Williams in March 2017, Pocket.watch creates global franchises from the YouTube stars and characters loved by Generation Alpha. Its chief creative officer is Albie Hecht, the former Nickelodeon executive behind SpongeBob SquarePants. The studio ,

Investors that have helped Pocket.watch generate funding include Nickelodeon owner Viacom, United Talent Agency and individuals such as actor Robert Downey Jr.

The firm recently unveiled its latest slate of original shows, including series with YouTubers such as Marlin Ramsey Chan and the Onyx Family.

The Friday, April 19 series debut of Ryan's Mystery Playdate was No. 1 in its 12:30 PM time period on all TV with kids 2-11. The premiere averaged a 2.1/518,000 with kids 2-11, up 24% over last year and up 11% from the premiere of The Substitute with K2-11. It delivered 999,000 total viewers, a 23% lift over last year’s levels.

Across the weekend (Friday-Sunday), Ryan’s Mystery Playdate reached 2.1 million Kids 2-11 and 5.5 million total viewers. The premiere saw a 33% lift in ratings in Live+3 with K2-11.

The series has quickly emerged as the number-one preschool show on television, and is gaining broader traction with children aged 2-11. Twenty-five percent of the show's audience are new to the Nickelodeon network.

Viewers can catch brand-new episodes of Ryan's Mystery Playdate regularly on Nickelodeon, as well as visit nickjr.com, Like the show on Facebook and follow the series on Instagram for more Ryan's Mystery Playdate.

Since its inception in 2015, Ryan ToysReview (19 million subscribers) has grown to become one of the world’s largest YouTube channels with videos that feature Ryan and his family playing with toys for kids. The channel, along with other channels featuring Ryan and his friends, averages over one billion views monthly and currently has over 18 million subscribers. In addition to videos of Ryan playing with toys, Ryan ToysReview also features fun and easy science experiments, educational content, and videos that document daily life for the family of five, which includes Ryan’s younger twin sisters. Ryan’s World, a companion consumer products line developed by pocket.watch, featuring Ryan and the universe of characters created by Ryan and his parents, launched nationwide last year. Ryan’s Mystery Playdate marks the influencer’s first foray onto linear.

The Ryan ToysReview brand has been growing since 2017 when Ryan’s family first partnered with Pocket.watch on a multiplatform franchise development plan. Today his brand has expanded into publishing, licensing, original programming and merchandising.

Pocket.watch is the new studio that specializes in entertaining and inspiring kids and families through digital-first content and sparking their imaginations with lifestyle products ranging from toys to toothbrushes. The company inspires kids to seamlessly move between screen time and playtime and boasts a growing portfolio of franchises that includes some of the largest kids and family YouTube brands in the world alongside original characters and talent that the company has extended into premium series, consumer products, books, games, live events and more. Pocket.watch was founded in March 2017 by Chris M. Williams and is located in Culver City, CA where it maintains an office and studio. The management team is made up of studio veterans and visionaries from traditional and digital entertainment including Albie Hecht, Stone Newman, Jon Moonves and David B. Williams. Investors include Viacom, Greycroft, Third Wave Digital and United Talent Agency (UTA), as well as notable strategic angels including Robert Downey Jr. (Team Downey) and Jon Landau.

Production of Ryan’s Mystery Playdate for Nickelodeon is overseen by Cathy Galeota, Senior Vice President, Preschool Content.

Original source: C21 Media.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Renews 'Ryan’s Mystery Playdate' for Season 2!
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nick Jr., Nickelodeon Preschool and Ryan's Mystery Playdate News and Highlights!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Have your say by leaving a comment below! NickALive! welcomes friendly and respectful comments. Please familiarize with the blog's Comment Policy before commenting. All new comments are moderated and won't appear straight away.