Jakarta, Indonesia – MuslimKids.TV (MKTV), a Canada-based entertainment platform focused on delivering Muslim-oriented entertainment and content for Muslim families, has officially launched in Indonesia. This comes after the success it has seen in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Malaysia.
With more than ten thousand videos, games, eBooks, and do-it-yourself (DIY) content, MKTV celebrates Muslim values and faith from a child’s perspective.
The launch was facilitated last 19 March by Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, Canadian Ambassador for Indonesia and Timor Leste Cameron MacKay and Consul General of The Republic of Indonesia in Toronto, Canada Leonard F. Hutabarat.
“I’m so pleased that Canada’s Muslim Kid’s TV (MKTV) is now available to audiences in Indonesia. Freedom of religion and expression helps to drive creativity and innovation, enabling a Canadian company from Edmonton, Alberta, to create a platform to celebrate and promote Muslim culture around the world,” MacKay stated.
He also noted that the launch also initiated a collaboration agreement with Garis Sepuluh and other Indonesian content developers “to showcase Indonesian talent to a global audience, facilitate knowledge transfer, and deliver top-quality child and family-friendly entertainment.”
Meanwhile, Hutabarat commented that the most important thing for Muslim Kids TV is to invest in Indonesia in producing animated films with selected local partners that promotes history, cultural and local wisdom.
“I also hope that Muslim Kids TV could engage with Indonesian universities that have the best animation programs. This means that Indonesia should take advantage of Canada’s strength in animation to enable technology transfer in the animation industry and give opportunities to young Indonesian talent,” Hutabarat stated.
He added, “Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world with more than 225 million potential customers. MKTV hopes that its presence in Indonesia can help develop the digital creative industry that the Indonesian government has been promoting. The strong partnerships being developed by MKTV and local production companies align well with the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.”
MuslimKids.TV is accessible for the Indonesian market through partnerships with Indonesia’s largest mobile providers and mobile wallets including XL Axiata, Indosat, Tri, Telkomsel and OVO for mobile financial services.
For Michael Milo, CEO of MKTV, their Indonesian presence responds to the greater need for Muslim-oriented content, as the content should be safe to be viewed by Muslims and abides by their faith.
“What we found is that Muslim parents whether in Indonesia, Canada or in any other parts of the world want Muslim values reflected in the media they provide for their children. We took up the opportunity and are now the category leader with a large and loyal following in over 60 countries. It is a major milestone for us to launch in Indonesia, the country with the highest Muslim population,” Milo explained.
Meanwhile, Flordeliza Dayrit, co-founder and COO of MKTV said that while they may not be able to compete with large streaming platforms like Disney+ and Netflix, MKTV aims to address the faith and culture of Islam among Muslim children.
“We know from our audience this is tremendously meaningful. We produce about 40% of this content ourselves. We also offer a platform to upcoming producers from Muslim countries to tell local stories. This is something that Disney+ and Netflix are not doing, especially when it comes to faith-based content,” Dayrit said.
MKTV is affiliated with TEC Edmonton, the technology accelerator of the University of Alberta, and is in the works to bring Canadian stories on the platform as well, as they have tied partnerships with Canadian producers and distributors including 9Story Distribution, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, Gumboot Kids Media, Lofty Sky Entertainment and Snow Angel Films.
