Kike Palacios, Manager, Marketing and Content Acquisition at 2BeNamed, discusses the growth of KidOO in Latin America, the value of safe and curated children’s programming, and the company’s plans to move toward developing its own intellectual property.
In an audiovisual landscape defined by a proliferation of platforms and audience fragmentation, 2BeNamed offers a proposition that combines entertainment, learning, and safety for young children. Through KidOO -its children’s channel- the company brings content and characters already well-known to children in the digital space to television, offering a curated, ad-free viewing experience designed to provide peace of mind to families.
This strategy addresses a specific market need: providing parents and children with a reliable viewing experience that still aligns with the habits and preferences of the new generation. By integrating dynamic formats, international franchises, and educational content, KidOO demonstrates that linear television still has room for growth, provided it can adapt to current demands.
In line with this, the channel continues to expand its reach across Latin America, where it is now available in over 8.5 million households.
The catalog also reflects 2BeNamed’s commitment to blending globally recognized properties -such as CoComelon, Little Baby Bum, and Morphle- with a diverse range of content that promotes values like inclusion, creativity, and environmental stewardship. At the same time, the company views new technologies, including artificial intelligence, as tools to optimize production and distribution, always prioritizing quality and editorial responsibility when it comes to young audiences.
In the following interview with ttvnews, Kike Palacios, Marketing, Management, and Content Acquisition Manager at 2BeNamed, analyzes opportunities within the children’s segment, the evolution of consumption habits, and the role of curation in an increasingly competitive market. He also discusses the keys to KidOO’s regional growth, shares the company’s vision for the future of children’s content, and outlines upcoming initiatives, including the development of original intellectual property and the creation of an inaugural animated series.
What is 2BeNamed’s perspective on the current state of children’s content, and what opportunities do you currently identify within this segment?
Today, there is an enormous amount of children’s content available, which is precisely why we believe curation is more valuable than ever. The opportunity lies not necessarily in offering more content, but in selecting it better. At KidOO, we aim to combine entertainment and learning within a safe, ad-free environment, featuring programming designed to accompany children throughout different times of the day. In an increasingly fragmented ecosystem, we believe there is a significant opportunity to provide families with a simple, reliable space-a place where parents can rest assured that their children are watching appropriate content, without the need for constant supervision.
Children’s consumption habits have changed significantly in recent years. How does 2BeNamed adapt its development and production strategies to these new ways of viewing content?
Today’s children grew up consuming content on YouTube, digital platforms, and in much shorter, more dynamic formats. KidOO is built precisely on that reality: we bring elements of that digital language and content to the pay-TV screen, but within a curated and safe environment. We aren’t looking to change how children consume content; rather, we aim to understand it. That is why we incorporate short-form content, characters, and franchises that children are already familiar with from the digital world, organizing them into a programming lineup that parents can let run with complete peace of mind.
What elements do you consider essential for a children’s production to connect with today’s audiences without losing its educational or cultural value?
The primary requirement remains entertainment. If a story, character, or song fails to capture a child’s attention, it is unlikely to convey anything else. From there, we strongly believe in the concept of “edutainment” and learning while having fun. The best children’s content integrates learning, creativity, values, or knowledge about the world in a natural way, so that children don’t feel like they are sitting through a lesson. And if the content also creates opportunities for shared moments with parents, its value is even greater. Entertainment and education shouldn’t compete; they should complement each other.
Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are transforming the audiovisual industry. What impact do you think they will have on the creation and distribution of content for children?
Every new technology brings challenges, but also tremendous opportunities. Artificial intelligence can help produce, adapt, localize, and distribute content more efficiently-it can even enable the development of ideas that once required massive budgets using far fewer resources. Yet, when it comes to children’s content, one thing remains constant for us: technology cannot replace a good story, compelling characters, or a responsible editorial vision. When creativity, human oversight, and clear quality standards are in place, AI can become an extraordinary tool. The key is ensuring that efficiency never comes at the expense of quality or the care required when catering to a child audience.
KidOO has already reached over 7.5 million households in Latin America. What were the keys to achieving such growth in such a short time, and what lessons were learned from this expansion?
Yes, and now that figure is 8.5 million. I believe the main factor was that operators grasped the value proposition very quickly. KidOO addressed a specific need: bringing content that children already consume and recognize from the digital world into a safe, curated, and ad-free environment within the pay-TV ecosystem. We encountered this same need in virtually every market we engaged with. For us, this confirmed that there is still plenty of room for linear television, provided it offers a clear value proposition and solves a real problem. And we continue to grow: with the recent addition of Mundo and Entel in Chile, KidOO now reaches over 8.5 million households across Latin America.
2BeNamed has maintained that there is a place for safe, curated, and ad-free children’s television. What family needs did 2BeNamed identify that were not being met by major platforms or the broader digital ecosystem?
We primarily identified a need for peace of mind and trust. Parents want to be able to let their children watch content without having to constantly worry about what might appear next, what an algorithm might recommend, or what advertisements might interrupt what they are watching. At KidOO, curation is a core component of the product. There is no advertising, and content is pre-programmed with the audience in mind. For children, this means being able to enjoy their shows without interruption; for parents, it means reclaiming something that has always been vital in children’s television: knowing exactly what their children are watching and having confidence in the viewing environment.
2BeNamed has added content from brands such as Moonbug-including well-known franchises like Little Baby Bum and Morphle to its catalog. What role do global brands play in KidOO’s current programming strategy?
They play a very significant role. We work with globally recognized companies and franchises -such as Moonbug (with CoComelon, Little Baby Bum, and Morphle ) and Iconix (with Pororo and Tayo)-because these are characters that children are already familiar with and actively seek out. Furthermore, starting in October, KidOO will add well-known properties like Pocoyo and Maya the Bee, along with other content from Animaj, bringing in a total of over 40 additional hours of programming. However, we don’t want KidOO to be merely a collection of big-name brands. Our strength lies in the mix: combining established franchises with new content, productions from various parts of the world, and Latin American offerings like Flinko and Canticuénticos. Today, children naturally consume stories from Korea, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, and our programming aims to reflect that very diversity. In addition to entertainment, KidOO has incorporated offerings with an educational focus and a social impact-such as Future Chicken , which centers on environmental awareness.
What role do you believe children’s content should play in shaping values and habits?
It plays a very important role. We are engaging with children at a critical stage of their development; therefore, we believe that content can both entertain and reinforce values such as respect, friendship, inclusion, curiosity, and environmental stewardship. Future Chicken is an excellent example, as it addresses topics related to sustainability and caring for the planet through humor, adventure, and an optimistic perspective. We do not aim to replace the role of parents or formal education, but we do believe that KidOO can support them and contribute positively to that process.
Looking ahead, what is the next step for 2BeNamed in the children’s market: increasing distribution, developing original productions, or expanding into new platforms and formats?
These are complementary paths. On one hand, we want to continue expanding KidOO’s distribution across Latin America, reaching new markets and platforms. At the same time, we are embarking on an exciting new phase: the development of our own intellectual property. We are already working on our first animated series, and we look forward to sharing more news about it later on. For us, this is a natural evolution-having gotten to know our audience closely and gained an understanding of what kind of content resonates with them, we now want to begin creating our own stories and characters.
