Fans of the sensational children’s television series “Bluey” fear that their favorite show will end this Sunday with the third season finale. There’s a lot of money at stake and if the series continues, it will face challenges down the line.
Win hearts
“Bluey” is an Australian preschool show featuring a family of Australian cattle dogs or “Blue Heelers”: Bluey, her younger sister Bingo, and their parents, Bandit and Chilli.
The show became very popular in the United States. According to Nielsen data, it ranked as the top kids’ show in the country last year and the second most-streamed series after Suits.
It took off with viewers because it is funny, appeals to the masses and addresses real issues that many families face. Episodes focus on how children learn about the world through play and how parents can have fun and help their children overcome challenges while dealing with their own problems.
“Bluey is aimed at both parents and children and uses humor and realistic situations in its storytelling,” Yalda Uhls, founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA, told Business Insider.
“Sesame Street is similar in that parents don’t mind watching it with young children.”
The creator and writer of the series is Joe Brumm, father of two young daughters. It is produced by Ludo Studio, its distributors include the commercial arm of the British BBC and it is available on Disney Plus.
The final episode focused on Bandit preparing Bluey and Bingo to move, and ended with the appearance of an ominous “For Sale” sign on the lawn of their family home.
This weekend’s season finale is titled “The Sign” and will last 28 minutes, eclipsing the usual 7-minute episode length. The special’s unusual size, game-changing subject matter, and the fact that a fourth season has yet to be announced have fueled concerns that this could be the end of the series.
Earn money and grow
This is a big deal, not just for the fans but also for “Bluey’s” business. A valuation expert told Bloomberg the brand is worth about $2 billion. Another source claimed that Disney had considered acquiring the property.
Those behind “Bluey” have capitalized on its immense popularity by licensing its characters. There are now endless amounts of merchandise – this father of a toddler already owns ‘Bluey’ books and toys and is considering a ‘Bluey’ themed doctor playset – if only he could trust the family dog so as not to chew the stethoscope.
If “Bluey” stops playing on screens, a lot of money could be left on the table. Consider how Disney monetizes hits like “Frozen” by releasing sequels and spinoff TV shows, and featuring characters like Elsa and Olaf in toys, books, clothing, video games, theme parks, cruises and resorts.
But if “Bluey” endures — which it almost certainly will in one form or another, given its enormous popularity and relative youth as a franchise — it will have other hurdles to overcome.
Capturing new viewers as existing viewers scale is likely to be a significant challenge.
“As with any show aimed at children, the audience is going to grow, and if it doesn’t create storylines that capture the attention of a new audience, it risks losing viewership,” Uhls said.
The show’s reliance on Brumm could also make it difficult to scale and limit the price a buyer will pay for it. Too much success, too quickly, could also cause the series to lose its way.
Whether Sunday’s episode is a goodbye for now or a permanent farewell for “Bluey,” it will be interesting to see what happens next.
businessinsider
