Fun Freetime: Kidoodle.TV

In an environment plagued with inappropriate content for children, Kidoodle.TV™ created a safe haven for parents and a fun destination service for children in the U.S. and Canada. When traveling or just needing quiet time, children ages 12 and under can log onto Kidoodle.TV™, click onto their profile as created by their parents, and navigate through nearly 5,700 licensed episodes of popular shows.

Mike Lowe, APMC’s Calgary-based founder, created the service to fill the gap in children’s streaming offerings after his 3-year-old son unintentionally clicked onto adult content programming. He realized the importance of creating a safe environment for kids that featured both entertaining and educational content.  Kidoodle.TV™ currently has long term content deals with Hasbro, DHX, Nelvana, Video Elephant and other global providers for the best kids’ content and is available on Mac and PCs environments, as well as on Android devices (through the Google Play store) and on Apple iPads and iPhones (accessible through iTunes).  The service is priced at $4.99*/month or $49.99*/year (*plus tax) for unlimited viewing and customizable profiles for up to five users. 

I had a chance to interview Mike Lowe to find out more.

Q1. Why was Kidoodle.TV launched?

I knew that something like Kidoodle.TV was needed the moment my 3 year old son navigated his way from cartoons on cable TV into adult content, all on his own, even after I removed the adult channels from the cable box. A new channel had been pushed out by the cable provider without my knowledge and when I stepped into the kitchen to grab a coffee, I thought my son was “safely” occupied in front of the TV. It was both shocking and concerning to find that he had managed to get into inappropriate content in just a few short minutes. After a few other scary online encounters for my son, I knew this was a problem that needed to be solved for parents like me. I set about building a team to create the solution and Kidoodle.TV was born!

Q2. What sets it apart from other kids' entertainment options?

Kidoodle.TV is designed specifically for kids ages 12 and under. There is no adult programming or mature content on the service and there are no ads or commercials. Kidoodle.TV also features robust parental controls. Parental controls include age category filtering and title selection and de-selection, which is a unique feature that allows parents to tailor available content to each child’s needs and to family values. Parents can set time limits on viewing, which is another important feature for users. As well, passcode protection can be applied between Kid Profiles to prevent younger children from accessing older siblings’ profiles. 

Kidoodle.TV is customizable. Kid Profiles can be customized to change up background colors, avatars and profile names, giving users their own unique interface. Each Kidoodle.TV account can be customized for up to 5 users. It is available across multiple devices and is not ecosystem specific. Once logged into Kidoodle.TV, parents simply select a Kid Profile and hand off the navigation to the child, which allows them to use and learn the technology while accessing appropriate content. The content offered by Kidoodle.TV ranges from entertainment to educational, classic to new, animation to science and nature, allowing Kidoodle.TV to aggregate and offer a wide range of shows to its users. Kidoodle.TV content is all licensed, unlike the content on many kids’ apps. As well, Kidoodle.TV continues to expand its range and diversity of content based on user feedback, which we feel strongly about accommodating. Our service was built for children and families and we want to be responsive to their needs. Accordingly, the service is user oriented. 

Q3. How are the shows chosen that appear on Kidoodle.TV?

We have been working with content providers across the globe to identify and license premium titles for kids ages 12 and under. The Kidoodle.TV content acquisition team chooses suitable content within both the education and entertainment categories in accordance with our standards and values to protect children from inappropriate content.  For instance, no nudity and no profanity are a must. We are also not fans of some content due to the lack of respect or innuendo contained within. Age categories for the titles have been pre-selected by the content acquisition team after reviewing the recommendations and guidance of independent groups and the content providers themselves, where possible.  Part of our mandate is to listen to and accommodate user feedback and needs. As a result, we rely on feedback from our subscribers and parental communities to inform our content acquisition strategy. Where parents disagree with the titles selected, the Title Selection feature within the Parents Room allows parents to tailor available content based on family values and preferences about age-appropriateness. Subscribers can look forward to more content rolling out over the coming weeks and months.