HITN´s Edye was born out of the need to create an SVOD service in Spanish for preschool-age children (2 to 6 years old) in the US and LatAm, in a safe environment approved by parents.
“This has been a labor of love for more than two years. We noticed that on our linear channel, during the block for children, ratings went down and down. After a great deal of research, and intuitive comprehension of children, we realized that particularly preschool-age children are early users of the TV at any hour, anywhere. They don´t have the patience to sit and wait for a program to be aired on a linear channel. That is how the idea of Edye was born,” explains Erika Vogt-Lowell, Director of Programming and Acquisitions at HITN.
Several of the contents that Edye presents are from Sesame Workshop, including The Furchester Hotel, Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck, Pequeñas Aventureras with Abby Cadabby. From The Henson Company, they present Sid the Science Kid, Doozers and Pajanimals. From DHX Bo On the Go, Franny´s Feet and Lunar Jim all the way to the remake of series such as Little People. From Studio 100, they have the remake of Maya the Bee, as well as Heidi and Vic the Viking, as well as others that are coming. From Millimagesthey have Molang. “The contents range from science to comprehension, learning and social development,” detailed Vogt.
When consulted on Ray, the pet that identifies the platform, Vogt expressed that they wanted to create an original character for the service. “Ray is an original production. We are working on several different elements with him,” she explained.
Vogt added that Ray´s and his owner, Annie´s entire world comprise everything the app has around the service. When children enter the service, they are in this environment and are guided through the different areas with Ray.