Moonbug Entertainment, which produces CoComelon, the most popular children’s show on Netflix, thinks it has found its next big hit.
Moonbug has acquired Little Angel, a network of child-focused YouTube channels that generate about 1.5 billion views a month.
The company did not disclose the terms of the transaction, which is its first deal since it was acquired by Candle Media, an entertainment company run by two former Walt Disney executives.
The main Little Angel channel produces animated videos set to nursery rhymes and songs for children and has about 27 million subscribers on YouTube. Another channel, Little World, also specialises in songs but has a much smaller audience. In all, its channels have almost 90 million subscribers.
Moonbug buys children's shows that first become popular on YouTube and builds them into global entertainment franchises.
It produces TV episodes based on the characters from CoComelon that rank among the most-watched programmes on Netflix in the US. The company has also licensed CoComelon and another show, Blippi, starring Stevin John and Kaitlin Becker, for toys and other merchandise.
Little Angel has many of the same attributes as those properties — animation, addictive songs and a growing audience. But its current owner, Valnet, has yet to expand it much beyond YouTube or market the show in many territories.
“We are putting it into our machine,” Moonbug chief executive Rene Rechtman said. “We’ll create more content, we’ll internationalise it and we’ll start distributing it on global platforms.”
Mr Rechtman said Little Angel reminded him of CoComelon when his company bought it in July 2020, only the show is a bit edgier and its audience skews a year or two older.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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