Spotify is boosting its audio lineup for kids and families, including a new story-time show under an exclusive multiyear agreement with CoComelon, the YouTube children’s content powerhouse.
The new “CoComelon Story Time” podcast — CoComelon’s first spoken-word original programming — will premiere Jan. 24 exclusively on Spotify. The show will comprise 42 beloved storybook classics, available globally in four languages: English (American and British vocabulary), Spanish, German and Brazilian Portuguese.
“CoComelon Story Time” will be joined by three new Spotify-produced kids’ originals: “Gardenkeeper Gus,” “100 Cinderellas” and “Deep Blue Sea.” The new kids’ audio content will be available in the main Spotify app in the Family and Kids Hub, as well as on the Spotify Kids app.
It’s the first major content pact for CoComelon since its parent company, Moonbug Entertainment, was acquired last fall in a $3 billion deal by Candle Media, the media venture led by ex-Disney execs Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer and backed by private-equity group Blackstone.
Since launching its standalone kids’ app two years ago, Spotify has highlighted age-targeted audio content for parents and their children. Now the audio platform is stepping up its investment in exclusive content specifically created for kids and families.
“Gardenkeeper Gus,” launching Jan. 31, is aimed at families with preschool-age kids. It follows the “delicately narrated” adventures of 6-year-old Gus and his squirrel best friend, Rel, as they explore and understand the endless and larger-than-life garden behind his family home. “100 Cinderellas,” launching Feb. 14, is an anthology series of Cinderella bedtime stories from around the world. “Deep Blue Sea,” launching Feb. 28, consists of episodes where listeners will visit an underwater oceanic laboratory, Sea Lab Alpha, that has an impeccable view of sea life.
“CoComelon’s goal has always been to inspire positivity and nurture a growth mindset for kids around the world, and this helps create a fun and new way to entertain and support our global audience,” said Patrick Reese, GM of CoComelon at Moonbug Entertainment. “We look forward to creating more content beyond the screen that speaks to children and parents as they learn and grow together.”
The Moonbug pact “is a major win for us as we continue to expand the scope of our podcast ambitions and help to drive the exponential growth of the audio industry,” said Max Cutler, Spotify’s head of new content initiatives at Spotify. “Spotify is the only platform with the scale and infrastructure necessary to enable a partner like CoComelon to grow beyond their millions of highly loyal, passionate and engaged fans and transcend into podcasting.”
Before it was acquired by Candle Media, Moonbug bought the company behind CoComelon in 2020. Moonbug’s kid portfolio also includes Little Baby Bum, Blippi, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime With Twinkle, Gecko’s Garage and ARPO.
Listen to the trailer for “CoComelon’s Story Time” on Spotify:
