KIDS FIRST! Partners with Xerb.tv to Launch Family Streaming Service March 1, 2019

KIDS FIRST! and Xerb.tv are proud to announce the launch of a new, ad-free digital streaming service for high quality children’s programming, on March 1, 2019. The content is curated from filmmakers from all around the world and the bulk of the revenue from the channel will go directly to the filmmakers. The rapidly growing Xerb.tv, which launched in January, 2019 is providing KIDS FIRST! a platform to deliver a collection of family-friendly content that is inspirational, enriching and motivational.

“What the KIDS FIRST! Digital Channel (https://xerb.tv/channel/kidsfirst) offers families is engaging, informative and fun content with pro-social values that both kids and parents love,” comments Ranny Levy, founder and president of KIDS FIRST! “It’s not so easy to find programming like this in the jungle of digital channels, but KIDS FIRST! has 28 years experience in doing just that.”

The partnership came about when Levy met Xerb.tv founder, Eric Streeper, at a film event in Santa Fe, NM, where both companies are headquartered. Streeper, a Santa Fe native, spent eight years working in tech/entertainment in Los Angeles. The idea to create Xerb.tv came after working for a wildly popular YouTube star who, despite having a very large audience, wasn’t generating very much revenue from the platform. Streeper saw an opportunity to help filmmakers take control of their work and develop an audience to support it. While visiting his hometown two years ago, the creative and entrepreneurial energy there impressed Streeper and he realized it was the ideal place to launch his new media company. “Our goal is to level the playing field for creators,” Streeper proclaims, “and help them access the same resources that the big entertainment companies have.” When he met Levy he thought, “What a great way to give families access to programming that has been vetted by parents and kids reviewers alike through their extensive review process.”

KIDS FIRST! has a team of more than 100 kids and adults who review and recommend films with no algorithms involved. The KIDS FIRST! reviewers go through extensive training to assure continuity in film selection. The films on the channel represent the diversity of the filmmakers who made them –  from a documentary following the first Roma/Gipsy youth soccer team in Italy to one about educating girls in India. A high school student has created an animated series about the Mars Rovers. A Spanish film follows a 9-year-old boy dealing with loss. Another short is about a girl and her pet pig. A music video tells what it’s like to be an engineer. A feature film explores a changing mother/son dynamic and another one reveals the true story of an 11-year-old foster child with brittle bone disease who overcame his problems and directs his first musical. For a quick overview of the channel, check out the trailer at https://bit.ly/2T5LL1f

Links

KIDS FIRST! Channel: https://xerb.tv/channel/kidsfirst
KIDS FIRST! website: https://www.kidsfirst.org
Xerb website: https://xerb.tv
KIDS FIRST! and Xerb assets: https://landing.xerb.tv/assets

Stats

Number of films: 93
Number of filmmakers: 45
Number of countries: 15
Number of languages: 12

Price: $5.99/month

ABOUT KIDS FIRST! Digital Channel

KIDS FIRST! Digital Channel, a project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, is an online space where kids and families can watch movies that both inspire and teach – and where parents don’t have to worry about what their kids are watching. The Channel features original animated programming – music videos, feature length films, shorts and international programming from 15 different countries, teaching about people and cultures world-wide. You can access the channel at https://xerb.tv/channel/kidsfirst

About Xerb.tv
Xerb.tv is a streaming service, similar to Netflix, but different. Xerb.tv allows independent filmmakers and organizations to create tailored subscription channels and share them with a devoted fan-base. Xerb.tv is  changing how creators get paid online, how they build their audience, and how they collaborate with each other — all in an incredibly simple way. The future of content is independent. Are you a content creator, or want to run a channel? If you want to engage directly with an audience that loves your work and build a sustainable business around what you’re passionate about, we want to hear from you! Send us a message and come join our beta partner program. Xerb.tv is built for you.

Eric Streeper, Xerb.tv; eric@xerb.tv; 310-978-7944

About KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children’s Media

The KIDS FIRST! Film Festival is a project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media (CQCM), a national, nonprofit organization that promotes quality children’s media. The CQCM was founded in 1991 by a group of parents, educators, and filmmakers who were concerned about the lack of quality children’s media available. The CQCM’s mission is to teach children critical viewing skills and to increase the visibility and availability of quality children’s media. The CQCM accomplishes this mission through a variety of programs, including:

● KIDS FIRST! Film Festival
● KIDS FIRST! Film Critics
● KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions podcast
● KIDS FIRST! website