Deadline: ‘CoComelon’ Animated Series Moving From Netflix To Disney+

Story from Deadline:

Preschool powerhouse CoComelon will have a new streaming home. Disney+ has picked up the hit animated series, which has been a Netflix mainstay since 2020. The move is slated for January 2027.

CoComelon, from Candle Media-owned Moonbug Entertainment, originated on YouTube where it continues to be among the most popular channels. It also has been the top preschool title on Netflix, fueling the global streamer’s growth in kids and family programming.

Meanwhile, Disney has always been the preeminent brand for kids programming, and CoComelon, currently the #6 streaming show for preschool kids (2-5) according to Nielsen, will join the top 3 titles in the demo on Disney+: Bluey (#1), Spidey and His Amazing Friends (#2) and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (#3).

There are conflicting accounts about how exactly CoComelon‘s move to Disney came about.

Per sources close to the negotiation, Netflix did make an offer to renew the show at a license fee higher than the current one but was outbid by Disney.

According to Netflix sources, the streamer opted not to renew the CoComelon due to decline in viewership for the preschool phenom, which was down nearly 60% from 2023 H1 to 2024 H2 despite four new seasons (S9-S12) launching in 2024, per the streamer’s semi-annual reports.

Still, CoComelon and offshoot CoCoMelon Lane combined have topped Netflix’s viewership ranks for 2024 and 2023. Cocomelon Lane will continue exclusively on Netflix as well as Moonbug’s Blippi.

Possibly in light of the pending departure of CoComelon, first reported by Bloomberg, Netflix just secured the streaming rights of another preschool staple, Sesame Street.

CoComelon’s pedigree is similar to that of Bluey, coming from an independent international animated house. The two are now set to live side by side on Disney+ with the streamer likely to expand the CoComelon brand the way it has been doing it with Australian import Bluey.

The series’ move to Disney+ will come in the lead-up to the 2027 release of a CoComelon movie by Universal. The exclusive SVOD global rights to the show include future seasons as well as 8 seasons of spinoff Little Angel, which is popular in LATAM.

This marks a return of sorts for CoComelon, which was available on Hulu between October 2020 and October 2022 on Hulu where Season 1 was the most watched title among households with preschoolers (by hours streamed).