EXCLUSIVE: Cricket Media, the 50-year-old children’s media company known for its namesake print magazine, has acquired majority control of kids streaming outlet Sensical.
The streaming service launched in 2021 under Common Sense Networks, the for-profit affiliate of Common Sense Media. Eric Berger, the former Sony exec who headed up Crackle and other digital operations, had run Sensical as CEO and will take the helm of the merged company as CEO.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the deal, which has formally closed, Common Sense Networks will hold a significant minority stake in Cricket, a person familiar with the transaction told Deadline.
Both companies see abundant opportunity in the kids space given the significant retrenchment of late across the industry. Warner Bros. Discovery has been trimming animated production aimed at kids, shifting resources to Adult Swim and more grown-up fare, and also winding down a distribution deal for Sesame Street on HBO and Max. NBCUniversal recently shuttered the Universal Kids cable network, and Nickelodeon, a major force for more than two decades during the prime of cable TV, recently shut down preschool streaming service Noggin.
Against that backdrop, tech giants have made inroads, but while YouTube has a dedicated kids arena there are concerns from parents, educators and government officials about underage kids being served inappropriate fare. Social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, for example, are not intended for children under 13 but many of them end up there anyway, and instances of cyberbullying and too-mature content remain common.
Sensical, which is powered by the long-established, parent-based content evaluation system of Common Sense, seeks to offer an environment for kids media that is expressly for ages 2 to 12. That rigidly enforced mission is also intended to reassure advertisers. Over the last decade-plus, while tech companies have commanded a larger and larger share of ad spending, the brand safety question has never been fully resolved.
Cricket’s library of IP will give Sensical more defined content brands to build upon, while the deal will enable Cricket to enter the streaming age. Along with Berger, Sensical’s management team will join Cricket Media to lead the merged entity. Two members of Common Sense Networks’ board, among them Nickelodeon and Oxygen Media founding exec Geraldine Laybourne, and Bob Miller, former CEO of Time Inc. Ventures, will join the Cricket board.
“At a time when the industry is stepping back from kids, Cricket Media is doubling down,” Berger said. “This acquisition represents a commitment to products where kids’ content isn’t just safe, it also is inspiring, and where brands, parents, and educators have the tools they need to support the next generation.”
Cricket Media Chairman Miles Gilburne called the merger “a natural fit.” Sensical’s “data-driven approach,” he said, “perfectly aligns with our mission to deliver high-quality media that supports learning and discovery.” In an interview with Deadline, he said there is a “fault line between entertainment and education.” The task for the combined entity will be to determine, “how do you make sure the pendulum doesn’t swing too far?”
