DR’s New Approach to Children’s Programming
is a Game Changer

And nobody knows this better than Morten Skov Hansen, B&U chef at DR.

He says:

We used to be the biggest in the market, so we could cherry-pick the best ideas and the best shows and just wait for those programs to come along.

But now the market has completely changed, and we have to be aware of Netflix and Disney+ and the other streamers and what they are doing.

We don’t have time to wait three or four years for new shows: we need to move more quickly, we need exclusive rights, and we need high quality.

WA: You were a very early supporter of Monster Loving Maniacs, which just got picked up by the BBC.

Yes, Monster Loving Maniacs was one of the first projects we funded with this new strategy.

I love the pace and humor of the show, and it manages to combine monsters and characters you know, like vampires, and also build new stories that are totally unique.

One thing we really liked about the show is that the siblings are the main characters, and you follow them as they navigate this very strange world.

They are much more open and curious about this monster-filled world than the grownups are, and very interested in what is right and what is wrong. The level of script writing is really very good.

It’s also one of the projects I use as a case study, to show others the kind of content we can create in Denmark.

It showcases our high ambitions in capability and quality, and Ja Film has been so good at every step of the process. 

If we are to continue to create successful projects like this, we need the production companies and the talent pool, and we need to make sure that the rights and the funding meet the need.

We need to make sure that, at least in Denmark, animation is supported just as well or better than live-action or movies. 

I hope that what we are doing with DR and B14 helps create more support from other sources as well.

If you have the production companies who can make it, and the broadcaster who is asking for it, and potential for international sales; those are all the necessary elements to make something that is sustainable, and should help create more support for animation. 

It’s been a long journey, but to be honest I am super proud of what’s being produced in Denmark right now.  

Still from the 52 x 7″ animated series “Team Nuggets” @Sparre Productions ApS

WA: Is locally produced animation important? 

There’s a huge need to focus on what animation brings, not just from a Danish, or Nordic, but from a European point of view.

Kids are seeing more animation than ever before, and there are so many great American shows like Adventure Time, and shows I really truly love.

But we need to give them animation that has a deeper connection to Danish or Nordic or European history and culture and stories.

We need to give them that option as well, so they don’t always have to choose between either Asian or American animated content.

It should be more diverse than that. 

So we are continuing to put new projects in development, and moving projects through the pipeline.

We are also continuing to connect with other public broadcasters and find new ways to collaborate.

Although this model has worked well in the Nordics, we need to expand it to other countries, because we are all facing the same challenge.

Every public service broadcaster I talk to, from Belgium to Holland or Spain, they are all having the same experience of being disrupted due to the streaming services.

So we can take the fight to them one by one, or we find a new way to collaborate, and the truth is that we have so much potential. 

Still image from “Femlingerne” – an animated TV-series by New Creations.

WA: Is there a difference for an animation company working with a streamer as opposed to a public broadcaster?

The old days when public broadcasters were the major players are over, so we need to make sure that producers and creatives feel that we are the best match for their project.

And that means building a strong network, telling a strong story, and making sure that we have ambitions when it comes to animation.

There is a big difference between something that is a public service, and something that is commercial.

When you are in public service, you have more creative freedom than commercial players, because you don’t have to recover the money on every project every time.

You can be more brave, and explore new and different areas that kids might be ready for, or relate to, or be able to use.

One of the best and most important things that public broadcasters can give a generation of kids is the shared laugh.

The thing they all recognize and can talk about in the school yard… a shared joke, a laugh, a reference, a saying…

We want to create content that they can meet around, that they know and can talk about with each other.

That’s part of what it means to be local and public service, because we can make the things that connect kids.

There is so much different content out there, and so many different stories, different characters, different universes, and that’s great, but how can we give them a shared connection as well?

This is also a type of public service, and one of our main tasks: building a strong culture for kids that grows from their world, that they can use and find value in.