Australian Children's Television Foundation

What Australian Children's Television Foundation does

The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is an independent not-for-profit organisation founded in 1982 and headquartered in Fitzroy, Victoria. It operates as Australia's national children's media production and policy hub, with four core functions: investing in the development and production of quality Australian children's screen content; distributing that content to broadcasters and platforms worldwide; creating curriculum-aligned educational resources and events for schools; and advocating for the Australian children's screen content sector through policy submissions and research. It is led by CEO Jenny Buckland and Head of Content Bernadette O'Mahony, governed by a Board of Directors, and funded primarily through government partners including Screen Australia, VicScreen, Screenwest and Lotterywest. The foundation is operationally small (11–50 employees) but produces a deep catalog spanning preschool to teen audiences.

ACTF's product portfolio covers feature films (Whale Shark Jack, Windcatcher), animated series (Tales From Outer Suburbia, Little J & Big Cuz, Space Nova, Kangaroo Beach, Ginger and the Vegesaurs), live-action and hybrid series (Crazy Fun Park, The Inbestigators, MaveriX, More Than This, Caper Crew), and preschool series with distinctive technical signatures — most notably the 'digitally handmade' CGI-with-stop-motion aesthetic on Tales From Outer Suburbia and the live-action animatronics, puppets and VFX pipeline behind Knee High Spies. Distribution reaches 14+ countries through dedicated Worldwide Sales relationships with ABC, Stan (exclusive Australia), Netflix (international SVOD), BBC/CBeebies, France Télévisions, NITV/SBS, and Paramount/Studio 100 Film for the upcoming Zac Power animated feature. Complementary offerings include the ACTF Education platform (curriculum-aligned teacher resources, professional learning, ACMI virtual workshops) and the Trop Jr short film competition run in partnership with Tropfest.

ACTF's revenue model combines pass-through government production funding, licensing and distribution fees from broadcasters and streaming platforms, distribution advances and equity investment in productions, and direct-to-consumer sales through the ACTF Shop (digital downloads and physical products). Education resources are provided free to schools, while gtm_motion is sales-led: ACTF acts as both production funder/co-producer and global distributor. Notable production partners include Gristmill, Werner Film Productions, Flying Bark Productions, Cottesloe Films, Southern Light Films, Easy Tiger and Minderoo Pictures. The organisation has accumulated numerous industry recognitions, including Prix Jeunesse (Crazy Fun Park, 2023), Logie Most Outstanding Children's Program (Crazy Fun Park, 2023), BANFF Rockies Award and Screen Producers Australia Children's Production of the Year (Windcatcher, 2025), MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award (Windcatcher, 2024), and Cartoons on the Bay Youth TV / Screen Producers Australia Animated Production of the Year (Tales From Outer Suburbia, 2026).

Name

Australian Children's Television Foundation

Legal name

Australian Children's Television Foundation

Website

https://actf.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Australian Children's Television Foundation is a non-profit children's media production and policy hub that funds, produces and distributes Australian children's screen content to broadcasters and platforms in 14+ countries while supplying curriculum-aligned educational resources to schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Media Production and Distribution

NAICS

Publishing Industries (513)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action Kids & Family Production (MPADABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Preschool Animation Production (MPADACAJ), Children’s/Educational Program Syndication (MPABAMAH), Public/Nonprofit Children’s Educational Broadcasters (MPABAKAF)

Keywords

• Children's content production
• Media distribution services
• Educational screen resources
• Production funding programs
• Animation live-action series

Headquarters

HQ city

Fitzroy

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Production Investment Funding: ACTF receives government funding from Screen Australia and state screen agencies (VicScreen, Screenwest, Lotterywest) to invest in Australian children's content development and production
2. Worldwide Sales and Distribution: ACTF distributes Australian children's programs to leading broadcasters and platforms worldwide, earning licensing fees and distribution revenue
3. ACTF Shop Sales: Sale of digital downloads and physical products through the ACTF catalog/shop

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) operates as Australia's national children's media production and policy hub. It funds the development and production of Australian children's screen content (animation, live-action, and hybrid formats), distributes completed programs to broadcasters and platforms worldwide, and develops curriculum-aligned educational resources for use in schools. The organization co-invests in productions with government screen agencies and commercial partners, then licenses the resulting content internationally.

Product overview

ACTF operates as a national children's media production and policy hub offering a portfolio of children's television content across multiple formats (feature films, animated series, live-action series) along with complementary services. The core content portfolio includes productions like Whale Shark Jack, Caper Crew, Knee High Spies, Tales From Outer Suburbia, Crazy Fun Park, Windcatcher, More Than This, MaveriX, Eddie's Lil' Homies, The Inbestigators, Little J & Big Cuz, Space Nova, Kangaroo Beach, and Ginger and the Vegesaurs. ACTF provides education resources through the ACTF Education platform, operates Trop Jr (a short film competition for young people), offers worldwide program sales and distribution services, and provides development and production funding for new Australian children's programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACTF Education: The education arm of ACTF that develops learning resources and events to support the use of Australian children's screen content in schools. Hosted at education.actf.com.au.

Products and services

• Whale Shark Jack Feature-length family adventure film about a young girl who forms a bond with a rescued whale shark named Jack and sets out to find him after he fails to return during migration. Set at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Produced by Cottesloe Films and Southern Light Films.
• Caper Crew Adventure series about two siblings whose quiet lives are upended when their con-artist grandmother Queenie teaches them the art of grift, sparking their hunt for the priceless Woodspring Nug. 10 episodes of 30 minutes. Produced by Easy Tiger.
• Knee High Spies Preschool action-comedy series featuring the secret lives of teddy bear Jeremy Buttons and toy spies who embark on missions to protect their humans from the family guinea pig villain Silver Paw. Features state-of-the-art animatronics, puppets and visual effects. 20 episodes of 10 minutes.
• Tales From Outer Suburbia Animated series adaptation of Shaun Tan's illustrated anthology following Klara and Pim who move to the suburbs and face weird encounters and wondrous experiences. Features 'digitally handmade' CGI animation with stop-motion aesthetic. 10 x 22 minutes. Produced by Flying Bark Productions with Siamese and Highly Spirited.
• Crazy Fun Park Comedy-horror series about a teenage boy whose best friend returns as an undead being in an abandoned theme park along with other undead kids who died in gruesome theme park fatalities. Originally commissioned and broadcast by ABC.
• Windcatcher Feature film about ten-year-old Percy Boy Collins and his friends who outsmart bullies to triumph at their school's athletics carnival and discover Percy Boy's unique gift of seeing Lost Souls. Streams on Stan and has screened internationally.
• The Inbestigators Live-action comedy series following four Grade Five students who form a detective agency and work together to solve puzzling cases around school and their neighbourhood. Produced by Gristmill.
• Little J & Big Cuz Animated series about two Indigenous Australian kids exploring the world around them and learning about culture, community and country with their Nanna and Old Dog. Aired on NITV and ABC.
• Eddie's Lil' Homies Preschool series following eight-year-old Aboriginal boy Eddie and his two best friends navigating playground life with comedy, rap music and kindness. Streams on NITV and Netflix.
• MaveriX Motocross series following six young riders who form a team to compete for national titles while navigating friendship, competition and personal challenges at a riding academy. Streams on Netflix.
• Kangaroo Beach Preschool animation series featuring water safety lessons where characters face various adventures at the beach. Streams on ABC iview.
• Ginger and the Vegesaurs Preschool animation series featuring a ginger [头和蔬菜恐龙] character and vegetable dinosaur friends on adventures. New seasons airing on ABC iview.
• Space Nova Space-themed animated series following the Nova family as they explore outer space with educational content linked to Australia's first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg. Streams on ABC iview.
• More Than This Slice-of-life teen drama exploring the overwhelming, messy, difficult and beautiful experiences of five diverse 17-year-old students navigating contemporary issues including relationships, sexuality, school grades, and family pressures.
• ACTF Education Platform Educational platform developing learning resources and events that build on the educational, social and cultural value of ACTF's children's screen content. Includes curriculum-aligned teaching resources for various series, professional learning sessions, and virtual workshops.
• Trop Jr Film Competition Australia's biggest short film competition for young people aged 15 and under, part of Tropfest. Includes free education resources, professional learning sessions, and virtual masterclasses to support student filmmakers.
• Worldwide Program Sales ACTF's worldwide sales and distribution service that distributes Australian children's screen content to broadcasters and platforms globally, including the USA, UK, Canada, Spain, Israel, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, Germany, and Norway.
• ACTF Funding Program Development and production funding provided to new Australian children's programs, including development funding and distribution advances/equity investment. In FY2024-25, ACTF invested or committed $11.14 million in production funding.
• ACTF Shop Direct e-commerce storefront selling digital downloads and physical products related to ACTF's children's content catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions broadcast in 14+ countries worldwide

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• France TélévisionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 February 2026French national public broadcaster acquired The Inbestigators for French audiences.
• StancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian streaming platform and co-producer. Exclusive streaming home for Whale Shark Jack and Windcatcher. Major investor in original productions.
• ABCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian Broadcasting Corporation - primary Australian broadcaster for children's content. Original commissioner for many ACTF productions including Caper Crew, Crazy Fun Park, Tales From Outer Suburbia.
• BBCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBritish Broadcasting Corporation - acquired Little Lunch and Knee High Spies for UK broadcast on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational streaming platform holding worldwide SVOD rights for The Inbestigators, Crazy Fun Park, MaveriX, and Eddie's Lil' Homies.
• GristmillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning Australian production company. Producer of The Inbestigators and Little Lunch: New Class for ABC and BBC.
• Werner Film ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning Australian production company behind Dance Academy, Crazy Fun Park, and Knee High Spies.
• Cottesloe FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Australian production company. Co-producer of Whale Shark Jack with Southern Light Films.
• Southern Light FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian production company. Co-producer of Whale Shark Jack with Cottesloe Films.
• Flying Bark ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Australian animation studio. Producer of Tales From Outer Suburbia (with Siamese and Highly Spirited). Also producing Zac Power animated feature.
• NITVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational Indigenous Television - Australian broadcaster for Indigenous children's content including Little J & Big Cuz and Eddie's Lil' Homies.
• Paramount PicturesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorANZ distribution partner for Zac Power animated feature film.
• Studio 100 FilmmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent for Zac Power animated feature film.
• TropfestcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld's largest short film festival partnered with ACTF to deliver Trop Jr - Australia's biggest short film competition for kids aged 15 and under.
• ACMImajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAustralian Centre for the Moving Image partnered with ACTF for virtual learning events and workshops featuring industry professionals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sesame Workshop: US-based non-profit educational media organization producing globally distributed children's content (Sesame Street) with parallel functions in production funding, distribution, and educational resources. Highly comparable to ACTF's combination of non-profit structure, children's content creation, and curriculum-aligned education mission.
• TVO Kids: TVO's children's educational media brand produces curriculum-aligned Canadian kids' content and learning resources, with a non-profit/public-broadcaster ethos. Closely mirrors ACTF's combination of children's content production and an integrated education platform.

Broad incumbents

• WildBrain: Canadian children's entertainment company producing, distributing, and licensing kids' content globally (e.g., Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake). Comparable to ACTF in children's content distribution and library management, though commercially focused rather than non-profit.
• PBS Kids: US public broadcaster for children's educational content, commissioning and distributing curriculum-aligned programming. Comparable to ACTF in non-commercial children's educational mandate, public funding base, and integration of educational resources alongside content distribution.
• 9 Story Media Group: Canadian-based children's and family content producer and distributor with global brand management. Comparable to ACTF in producing and internationally distributing children's programming, although operating as a commercial entity rather than a foundation.
• CBC Kids: CBC/Radio-Canada's children's content arm produces and broadcasts Canadian-focused kids' programming with educational resources, paralleling ACTF's role as Canada's national children's public broadcaster. Both combine public broadcaster backing with domestic content investment and international distribution.
• BBC Children's: BBC's children's content division produces, commissions, and broadcasts high-quality kids' programming across CBeebies and CBBC, with global distribution. It is one of ACTF's closest international comparables in mandate (public-service children's content) and a direct distribution partner of ACTF titles such as Little Lunch and Knee High Spies.

Regional players

• NHK Educational: NHK's educational broadcasting arm produces high-quality children's and educational programming in Japan with curriculum-aligned resources. Comparable to ACTF in integrating public-broadcaster production, education mission, and children's content distribution.
• NRK Super: Norwegian public broadcaster's dedicated children's channel, producing and commissioning Norwegian-language kids' content. Comparable to ACTF as a national public broadcaster children's service with strong domestic production focus; ACF distributes to NRK as part of its international footprint.
• SVT Barn (Swedish public broadcaster): Swedish public broadcaster's children's division producing Swedish-language kids' content. Analogous to ACTF's public-service mandate, content commissioning role, and focus on national cultural content for young audiences in a non-English-speaking market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OzKidsTV

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Children's Television Foundation