Vinayan is a technology executive with over fourteen years of experience in the OTT Industry, working for Fox Networks Group, Comcast-NBCUniversal, Viacom and Astro.
Gothenburg, Sweden, October 14th, 2021 — Vinayan is a technology executive with over fourteen years of experience in the OTT Industry working for Fox Networks Group, Comcast-NBCUniversal, Network18-Viacom and Astro. He started his career focusing on User Experience for Art Age India to then move on to Oracle’s Media team developing solutions for application security for media and streaming platforms.
In 2009, Vinayan moved to Los Angeles and joined Fox Networks Group to manage MySpace followed by FOXNOW (OTT). In 2012 Vinayan joined Comcast-NBCUniversal to lead Xfinity on-demand and advanced advertising for live and VOD content across connected devices. In 2015 he successfully launched Network18’s OTT platforms across PAN India and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining Playground he worked in the leadership team of Astro as the Chief OTT Officer for Astro Go (AVOD) and TribeTV (SVOD).
Vinayan has pursued his studies, taking bachelors and masters in Computer science from California State University and MBA from Wharton Business School in the United States.
“I am happy to see that Vinayan is joining us at Playground TV'', says Daniel Nordberg, founder and CEO of Playground TV. “Vinayan brings broad experience working with several different streaming services and is passionate about getting kids curious about diversity through cartoons”, Nordberg continues.
“I am super excited to be joining the Playground TV team,” said Vinayan Verenkar. “I believe Playground TV has a great business model and talented management team that uniquely positions Playground TV for diverse content for kids.”
About Playground TV
Founded in 2019, Playground TV is a multilingual streaming platform available on iOS, Android and web. Powered by 18 kids channels, 140 animated shows in 8 different languages, Playground TV is accessible in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Italy. Playground TV has a passion for diversity and on a mission to entertain and educate kids all over the world. Our ambition is to build a kids first multilingual media company with a passion for fun & learning technology, belief in online safety and with care for our kids’ childhood. We strive to be the first choice for multilingual families, exploring the world of animation. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the service can be accessed directly on www.playground.tv or from Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore and Huawei AppGallery.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact
Playground TV
Alexander Sem Borrmann at +47 911 03 531 or email alexander@playground.tv
Göteborgsbaserade streamingtjänsten Playground TV vill underhålla och utbilda barn i världen medan de inspirerar deras nyfikenhet i mångfald med flerspråkiga tecknade serier. Nu har bolaget tagit in tio miljoner kronor för att stärka produktutvecklingen och för att lansera Playground TV i Europa i en ny kapitalrunda.
”Vi har en global ambition och har handplockat populära barnserier som är producerade i bland annat Latinamerika, Kina, Iran, Frankrike, Tyskland och Indien” säger grundaren Daniel Nordberg om plattformen som innehåller över 8000 avsnitt av animerat material på snart tio olika språk.
Antalet flerspråkiga barn och unga ökar konstant och idag räknar EU med att över 270 miljoner människor lever i ett land med ett annat modersmål. Bara i Sverige är över två miljoner människor utrikesfödda enligt SCB. Och även om streamingtjänsterna är fler än någonsin producerar dessa i huvudsak material på engelska eller dubbat material. Detta vill den Göteborgsbaserade streamingtjänsten Playground TV ändra på.
”Att låta våra barn behärska fler än ett språk är en fantastisk möjlighet i vårt mångkulturella samhälle. Men vi vet samtidigt att det är utmaning att hitta barninnehåll på modersmålet. Till skillnad från andra streamingtjänster har Playground TV mängder av innehåll på språk som mandarin, hindi, farsi, tyska, franska och spanska” menar grundaren Daniel Nordberg.
Playground TV har några av industrins populäraste barnserier på plattformen som till exempel franska Molang, brittiska animerade Mr Bean, tyska Fix och Foxi, Elefanten Kent på hindi, kinesiska Magic Eye Is back och Thunder på farsi. Grundidén är att skapa en streamingtjänst som är designad och anpassad för barn mellan två och nio år och något liknande finns inte på marknaden idag.
”Våra barnserier är inte bara flerspråkiga utan ofta producerade i ursprungslandet där barnen kan identifiera sig lättare med karaktärerna. Ett exempel är El Reino Infantil, som har fantastiska sånger och animationer på spanska för de små och är otroligt populärt inom den latinamerikanska kulturen. Det är två helt olika saker att se El Reino Infantil på spanska jämfört med Frozen dubbat på spanska eftersom El Reino Infantil bygger på det spanska kulturella arvet medan Frozen bara är översatt eller dubbat. Hemspråket är en viktig ingrediens i hur barnen kan återkoppla till deras bakgrund och vi är stolta att kunna erbjuda över 8000 avsnitt av animerat material på snart tio olika språk.” fortsätter Daniel Nordberg.
Under hösten släpps tjänsten som premiumtjänst i hela Europa och kommer att kosta motsvarande 50 SEK/månad. Samtidigt har Playground TV nyligen plockat in tio miljoner kronor i en kapitalrunda där investerarna är Daniel Johnsson via Quiq Holding, Fredrik Olofsson via Twig Ventures, Ulf Ivarsson samt två utomeuropeiska produktionsbolag i familjesegmentet. Investeringen skall användas för att stärka produktutvecklingen och finansiera en lansering i Europa.
OM PLAYGROUND TV:
Playground TV grundades 2019 och är en flerspråkig streamingplattform för barn tillgänglig på iOS, Android och webb. Tjänsten finns idag i Storbritannien, Tyskland, Frankrike, Spanien, Österrike, Belgien, Danmark, Schweiz och Italien och innehåller 18 barnkanaler, 120 animerade serier på åtta olika språk.
Playground TV vill underhålla och utbilda barn i världen och inspirerar deras nyfikenhet i mångfald. Företagets ambition är att bli en global plattform för underhållning för barn och att bli flerspråkiga barns självklara streamingval med en passion för underhållning och lärande med omsorg om våra barns barndom. Bolaget strävar efter att vara förstahandsvalet för flerspråkiga familjer som vill utforska den animerade världen. Företaget har sitt huvudkontor i Göteborg, Sverige, och tjänsten kan nås direkt på www.playground.tv eller från Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore och Huawei AppGallery.
KONTAKT:
Alexander Sem Borrmann
Tel: +47 911 03 531
Email: alexander@playground.tv
Fantasies come to life with light and happiness for kids of all ages and nationalities with Sunny Bunnies.
Gothenburg, Sweden & London, UK - Playground TV’s latest launch is ‘Sunny Bunnies’ - a show featuring five characters made of beaming spheres of light that can appear anywhere there is a light source. Whether it is in sunlight or moonlight, the Sunny Bunnies bring fun and happiness wherever they go.
Broadcast in more than 160 countries globally, the fun loving Sunny Bunny characters will join Playground TV’s family of cartoons and animation, bringing their exciting adventures and spreading joy to kids of all ages.
In each episode, the Sunny Bunnies appear somewhere different - a circus, a stadium, a carousel, a park, a stage… and as they investigate their surroundings, some madcap fun and mischief begins! At the very end of every episode, the laughter continues with a collection of silly bloopers.
“Sunny Bunnies was always on our target list of shows to bring to Playground TV, says Daniel Nordberg, the CEO of Playground TV. We believe that the happy, playful adventures of these lovable characters will be enjoyed by kids all over Europe using our service.
Irina Nazarenko, co-founder of Media IM, said: ‘We have worked very hard on the multiplatform global roll out for Sunny Bunnies and therefore know that they play extremely well as a cornerstone for digital children’s platforms around the world. It’s particularly exciting to see them reach brand new audiences and we hope that more of the laughter and happiness associated with the brand will be enjoyed by children and their families on Playground TV.
Sunny Bunnies is now available on the Playground TV streaming service under the Little 1 Channels targeted to the younger audience fans in the age 2-5 years.
About Media I.M. Incorporated
Media I.M. Incorporated, launched in April 2014 by former Viacom International Media Networks executives Maria Ufland and Irina Nazarenko, is an international content distribution company specialising in the sale of premium family entertainment and animation to both linear and non-linear platforms. The London-based operation has forged exclusive distribution agreements with several of Europe and Russia’s top animation producers, including Studio Atria, Da Animation Studio, Studio Nebo and Digital Light Studio.
Media I.M. Incorporated is active in pre-sales and identifying co-production and product licensing partners for its animation brands, which include Sunny Bunnies, Robodz, The Bubbles, and Flying Animals. The company’s boutique approach gives it the flexibility to develop 360-degree opportunities around each property to deliver maximum value to both producers and licensees. www.mediaiminc.com
About Playground TV
Playground TV founded in 2019 has a mission to deliver great multicultural and multilingual video content to kids all over the world. We believe that kids identify with their cultural heritage through their mother tongue and this service will enable them to do this, with engaging, entertaining and appropriate content. We strive to be the first choice for multilingual families, exploring the world of animation. Playground can be accessed directly on www.playground.tv or from Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.
Gothenburg, Sweden and Munich, Germany — Spearheading the launch is the beloved children’s entertainment brand ’Fix & Foxi’. It is part of Munich-based Your Family Entertainment AG, one of Europe’s leading independent kids content companies. Originally created by Rolf Kauka, the cartoon characters Fix and Foxi have their own popular television channels on 4 different continents: a German-language version in the German-speaking region, an English/Arabic version in the Middle East/North Africa region, and an English/Neutral Spanish version distributed around the world.
“The German language is important as the native language of almost 100 million people around the world. With a dedicated new channel in German on Playground TV called “Die Kleine 9”, powered by German hit cartoons from Your Family Entertainment AG, we will be able to let the German-speaking kids across Europe enjoy cartoons in their native tongue,” says Daniel Nordberg, CEO of Playground TV. Playground’s Chief Editor, with German heritage, grew up watching Fix & Foxi as a child and is also thrilled to see Fix and Foxi among others added to Playground’s offering of multilingual cartoons.
Bernd Wendeln, CEO of Your Family Entertainment AG adds, “We are very excited to work with Playground TV. The platform’s commitment to providing kids all over Europe with cartoons to help them strengthen their language skills fits perfectly with our focus on fun and educational content.”
“Die Kleine 9” channel will launch with hundreds of episodes in German. Available titles include Fix & Foxi, Die Drachenjäger, Sherm! and Da Boom Crew among others, all provided by Your Family Entertainment AG.
About Your Family Entertainment AG
The German company Your Family Entertainment AG ("YFE") (WKN [German security code number]: A161N1, ISIN: DE000A161N14, Abbreviation: RTV) is one of the leading producers and distributors of high-quality programs for children and families. It owns and operates one of the largest independent libraries in Europe, including well-known series such as "Enid Blyton", "Fix & Foxi" and "Altair". YFE focuses on engaging, educational and entertaining content, which is free of violence. Furthermore, YFE operates the award-winning pay-TV channel "Fix&Foxi" on four different continents, the free-to-air channel "RiC", its international pay-TV version "RiC.today" as well as several mobile TV streams and digital channels worldwide.
About Playground TV
About Playground TV Playground TV, founded in 2019, has a mission to deliver great multicultural and multilingual video content to kids all over the world. We believe that kids identify with their cultural heritage through their mother tongue and this service will enable them to do this, with engaging, entertaining and appropriate content. We strive to be the first choice for multilingual families, exploring the world of animation. Playground can be accessed directly on www.playground.tv or from Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.
Rattic, the curious, playful and adorable rat character created in Ukraine and distributed by MKMG (former MK Media Group) is now available to kids of all ages to stream for free in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Kids across Europe can now watch the show which features over 60 exciting episodes in a dedicated safe streaming service specially created for kids to watch their favourite shows.
“We are thrilled to introduce kids to Rattics exciting world of adventures and misfortunes as he explores his living neighborhood, the old attic” says Daniel Nordberg founder and CEO of Playground TV. We think Rattic is beautifully animated and very funny, so kids of all ages will enjoy his amusing behavior. As Rattic is a non verbal show, all of our viewers will be able to enjoy his escapades and laugh along at his little misfortunes.
We are delighted to work with MKMG to present a show that is entertaining and inclusive of all children, and one which fulfils our mission to provide children with easy and safe access to animated shows.
“We are excited to enter partnership with Playground TV as we have similar values and goals to present shows for kids that are entertaining and high quality,”” says Olena Shkrobot, Director of MKMG. “We know that Playground audiences will love Rattic - he’s a funny character with lots of adventures to share and we are confident that children of all age groups will enjoy the show” adds Olena.
About MKMG
MKMG [MK Media Group] is a Ukrainian group of companies that specialize in distribution, media consulting, production and adaptation of content since 2008. Our values are friendship, quality, simplicity and freedom. We build friendly relations with clients and partners based on respect and trust. We value quality work, so we strive to ensure that the path of quality content from the right holder to the client is simple. This is the only way for every market player to gain freedom to choose and create only quality content. Freedom to enjoy our work. www.mkmediagroup.tv
About Playground TV
Playground TV founded in 2019 has a mission to deliver great multicultural and multilingual video content to kids all over the world. We believe that kids identify with their cultural heritage through their mother tongue and this service will enable them to do this, with engaging, entertaining and appropriate content. We strive to be the first choice for multilingual families, exploring the world of animation. Playground can be accessed directly on www.playground.tv or from Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact
MKMG
Anna Verbovska, Head of Sales and Acquisitions, at anna (at) mkmediagroup.tv
Playground TV
Alexander Sem Borrmann at +47 911 03 531 or email alexander (at) playground.tv
Captain Migol, Lookout Popodom and Engineer Drod - three adventures animated characters based on the popular board-game are ready to entertain and amaze children of all ages and nationalities with their wacky and fun travel through space. The three friends featured in the first and second season with a total of 36 episodes are out on a journey where they bump into unusual problems and solve every obstacle they meet in a fun and kids friendly way, now available to stream on Playground.
“Our mission is to create a streaming platform that is safe, easy to discover and inclusive, Space Yoghurt adventures animated characters fulfill that promise in addition to entertaining and educating kids of all ages” says Daniel Nordberg, founder of Playground TV. Playground is a dedicated multilingual streaming service that provides kids access to video content in their native language safely and easily.
"The response and success we’ve had with our animated show has been very rewarding, and now to bring this fun and wacky show to more platforms by partnering with Playground help us to reach more kids across Europe and the US as the service gets rolled out.” Says Christer Hägglund, Founder and Animation Produced at Atem Entertainment.
Founded 2014 by Maria Avramova and Christer Hägglund, Atem Entertainment is a company that develops and produces IPs. Space Yoghurt is one of the company's biggest brands with growing interest around the world.
About Playground TV
Playground TV founded in 2019 has a mission to deliver great multicultural and multilingual video content to kids all over the world. We believe that kids identify with their cultural heritage through their mother tongue and this service will enable them to do this, with engaging, entertaining and appropriate content. We strive to be the first choice for multilingual families, exploring the world of animation. Playground can be accessed directly on www.playground.tv or from Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact
Atem Entertainment
Christer Hägglund at +46 73 905 2468 or email christer(@)atementertainment.com
Playground TV
Alexander Sem Borrmann at +47 911 03 531 or email alexander(@)playground.tv
Playground TV is a dedicated multilingual kids streaming service featuring a wide range of content targeting children between the age of 2-9 available free of charge. The streaming service was launched on 5th of November, 2020 for all kids across the UK and from 2nd of December 2020 kids in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland get full access to 14 channels that includes over 100 series and 5,000 episodes in French, Spanish, English, Hindi, Mandarin and Persian. The service is planned to launch in the US early 2021.
“Our mission is to make content discovery easy and safe for children in their own native language wherever they live” says Daniel Nordberg Founder of Playground TV. Furthermore “Our partnership with StoryZoo is at the core of our mission with their series across three different major languages in English, French and Spanish that are both educational and entertaining” adds Daniel.
StoryZoo was founded by Johannes Gropp in 2016 with the vision to create an international kid’s brand for children between the age of 3 and 8 years old, whereby watching the StoryZoo episodes, kids will continuously learn something new as they grow. One of the featured characters, a parrot called Pepper speaks English as his main language and introduces the English language to children in a playful way.
“Being a father of two kids that are both growing up bilingual, I am impressed how easily the kids can pick up the first words and sentences by watching an episode on StoryZoo.” says the founder & CEO of StoryZoo Johannes Gropp.
Gropp continues,” we have further evolved our creative ideas by collaborating with partners such as the Van Gogh Museum or the European Space Agency (ESA) to take children on a learning journey about art and space that is adjusted to their age. We create content using storytelling about our collaboration partners in a child-friendly and playful way using the StoryZoo characters Bax, Toby and Pepper in the “StoryZoo adventures” series. We travel to the moon, we learn about the solar system, we get to know Van Gogh’s favourite colors or learn that a beaver has yellow teeth.”
Gropp concludes, “the parents of the kids that are watching StoryZoo appreciate our overall aim to educate the kids and we see a very strong international growth as there is a lot of kid’s content on a growing number of platforms, but does’t always meet an important criteria of having a safe environment that is designed with kids in mind. Playground meets the safety and privacy criteria in addition to being a dedicated platform that provides high-quality and playful environment”.
Playground TV was founded in 2019 with a mission to deliver great multicultural and multilingual video content to kids all over the world. Children identify with their cultural heritage through their mother tongue and this service will enable them to do this, with engaging, entertaining and appropriate content. Playground can be accessed directly on www.playground.tv or from Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.
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