INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
SuperAwesome, the &kidtech& startup valued now at over $100 million, is today launching its own alternative to YouTube embedded video player
The technology is aimed at kids publishers & not consumers directly & and is part of the company larger platform of kid-safe technology
This includes tools for social engagement, parental controls, advertising, authentication, and more, all specifically designed for companies
catering to kids.The launch comes at a key time in the industry, as YouTube is now the subject of a class-action lawsuit over children
privacy, and recently had an FTC complaint filed against it by 23 advocacy groups
The complaint says YouTube has been collecting data on children viewing patterns for years, in violation of federal law & meaning COPPA, aka
theChildren Online Privacy Protection Act.The new player provided by SuperAwesome gives kids brands another choice amid all these questions
over YouTube and its respect for children privacy.Explains the company, the player does not capture data on children, nor does it breach
regulations like COPPA (U.S.) or GDPR-K (E.U.).The opportunity for SuperAwesome is fairly sizable here.Already, the company counts among its
customer base over 190 kids& brands likeCrayola, Topps, Spin Master, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Disney,Roald Dahl, Mattel, Dreamworks, Penguin,
These companies use SuperAwesome platform and its tools for socially engaging, advertising and connecting with their under-13 audience.&The
demand for [the video player] has come directly from our customers and the player has been in beta testing for a while,& SuperAwesome CEO
Dylan Collins tells TechCrunch.As with its other tools, the kids& publishers will be able to embed the new player within their own websites
and apps, and then manage all their social content & including video & from SuperAwesome &PopJam& dashboard.&To give you a sense of scale,
the PopJam Connect platform is enabling tens of millions of kid-safe social engagements every month,& Collins adds.The platform itself
offers a set of basic tools for free, but larger companies pay for premium upgrades on a SaaS (software-as-a-service) basis
Because it working with so many big brands, SuperAwesome is now turning a profit
It expecting to grow 100 percent this year to reach a revenue run rate of $50 million, it recently said.And it also justadded Tim Weller,
chairman ofTrustpilot and Taptica, as its Chairman a few months ago, and announced former Upworthy CRO, Ben Zagorski as its North American
Chief Revenue Officer.SuperAwesome platform today is addressing an underserved audience: kids brands that need to abide by federal and
international regulations around children privacy, but have had limited options in terms of technology that helps them do so.That was the
case with video in particular & there hasn&t really been a viable alternative to YouTube player that suits kids publishers& needs.&There are
over 170,000 children going online for the first time every day and the kidtech ecosystem is growing equally quickly to make the broader
internet compatible with this new audience,& noted SuperAwesome CTO Joshua Wohle in a statement about the player launch
&Many people misinterpreted children appearance on the internet as a temporary blip, whereas in reality it is a structural shift that is
changing the landscape,& he said.
