BackWhat your baby wants to watch on YouTube
The unpredictable online favourites of toddlers are worth millions
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Back in January, I read a report on the top YouTube channels by way of estimated income from advertising, and my first reaction was that of relief followed by bitter jealousy. Occupying the top of the chart was no media mogul or even Gangnam-style Psy-cho. Instead it was a pair of hands with outrageously painted fingernails that I was well acquainted with, thanks to my three- year-old daughter. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the entity ringing in the most moolah on the idiot box 2.0 is the YouTube channel DisneyCollectorBR, whose target audience is toddlers around the world deciding what video on demand most interests them.
The channel is essentially dedicated to toy reviews—not just Disney but everything from Angry Birds to Kinder Joy Easter eggs. In the best traditions of the “Internets", its No.1 hit video is titled Play Doh Sparkle Princess Ariel Elsa Anna Disney Frozen MagiClip Glitter Glider Princesas Magic Clip. This weird mash-up of clumsy search engine optimization and “Spanglish" has alone racked up around 275 million views, which is incredible even accounting for the channel’s 4.5 million subscribers. By way of comparison, our desi comedy troupe AIB boasts 1.1 million subscribers, but has just over 10 million views for its top video—the one featuring actress Alia Bhatt in a sporting parody of herself.
I asked a former TV industry colleague, Sameer Pitalwalla, who now runs an online MCN (multi-channel network) Culture Machine, what the deal is. “A large part of growing up is playing with toys, which can be a solitary experience for many kids," he says. “Such kind of programming provides a social experience, a water cooler around which a kid can watch and interact with other kids and their experiences, and be inspired to create his (or her) own". And creating they are. A host of copycats has quickly sprung up in the “toy review" genre, including eight-year-old Evan (/EvanTubeHD, 1.4 million subscribers), who unlike Disney Collector appears in person and often features his family members.
That’s precisely where my jealousy comes in. In a former avatar as TV producer, I remember the endless nights spent on edit shifts crafting “good television" as taught in journalism school, the keen eye needed to spot “colour correction" and the sheer amount of professional skill that went into camerawork, sound, post-production and graphics. All that work to make a living and provide our offspring with a comfortable life that ostensibly includes YouTube access. Well, thanks to millions like my daughter, unedited videos of dolls and soft toys, shot off an iPhone, with barely intelligible voice- overs, made an estimated $5 million ( ₹ 31.5 crore) last year.
Abhimanyu Radhakrishnan writes and hosts TV shows on technology.
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