The Hookup: What Israeli kidcaster Kan Kids wants

Channel director Omer Manor is looking for series and movies that can help young viewers understand everything from living with disabilities to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.

June 27, 2023

Kidscreen checks in with new, established and evolving kids content buyers to find out what they’re looking for right now. For more of this type of intel, check out our Global Pitch Guide.

Meet Kan Kids! Since relaunching five years ago—after its parentco, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), replaced the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA)—Israel’s public TV channel for children has focused its programming strategy on domestic and international educational content that reflects real life through comedy and drama.

But it wasn’t always this way. Established in 1966, Kan Kids originally featured “black-and-white educational programs that…taught math, physics and literature,” explains channel director Omer Manor (pictured below). Its new format debuted in 2017, when the IPBC launched three new ad-free channels: main broadcaster Kan 11, Makan for Arab audiences and Kan Kids.

Aimed primarily at six- to nine-year-olds, with a secondary focus on preschoolers and kids ages 10 to 14, today’s Kan Kids features comedies, dramas and documentaries in Hebrew. Its programming aims to help viewers understand topics ranging from disability, to religion, to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. Because this content is often sensitive in nature, it’s rigorously reviewed by psychologists and linguistics experts as part of the development and production process.

The channel’s main goal is to feature shows that not only entertain, but accurately represent societal issues, says Manor. “We believe in the power of TV to encourage discussion and tackle the important issues in our country, [to] better our society as a whole.”

What is Kan Kids looking for?

Without any in-house production infrastructure, most of Kan Kids’ content comes from local Israeli studios. The channel has commissioned more than 35 series since 2018, including Milan High (Sumayoko), Lovely Butterfly (Dori Media), Number Ville (PitchiPoy), The Babysitters (Beyond Creative), The Why Show (Shenhar Productions) and Who’s the Boss (United Studios Israel). “Kan Kids has stories based in classic locations like schools, but that reflect real situations,” says Manor. For instance, the channel is currently running Paran Studios’ Madrasa series (pictured at top, 20 x 25 minutes), which is set in a bilingual Jewish-Arab school where kids live, study and play together.

Kan Kids is looking to acquire emotional and non-didactic content to make the viewing experience fun and easy. The channel is interested in acquiring all types of international programming, but especially animation. “[Animation] is a very small market [here], and very expensive,” says Manor, noting that Kan is in the market for series with 16 to 20 episodes that are 15 to 25 minutes in length.

Future releases

Domestic series premiering on Kan Kids this year and into 2024 include the third season of Cramel (40 x 25 minutes), about three orphaned siblings living with their adoptive mother; season two of Magnificent Sheli (20 x 25 minutes), starring a soccer-mad girl who joins a mixed-gender league; and the fifth season of Saving the Wild Animals (81 x 15 minutes), which centers around a wildlife rescue team.

Fast Facts: Israel