Benshi

What Benshi does

Benshi, operated by the French SAS SAINT MAUR ENTREPRISE (registered capital €160,000, RCS Paris 811 752 112), is a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service focused exclusively on audiovisual content for children aged 2 to 11. The platform organizes its catalog — short films, feature films, short film programs, and series — into age bands (2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 years) and offers a children's profile system with pseudonyms, declarative viewing history, and badge rewards, plus a personal watchlist ('Ma Liste'). The service is delivered through a SaaS-style streaming stack hosted via VOD Factory (main site) and OVH (guide site), accessible via web (benshi.fr), iOS and Android mobile apps, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV (2018-2020 models), and Orange TV set-top boxes via Orange Pass.

Commercially, Benshi operates a freemium-plus-subscription model: free membership allows browsing, ratings, and watchlist creation without streaming, while paid subscriptions are offered in 1-month, 6-month, and 1-year tiers with auto-renewal and a free trial period. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; gift cards are available. Distribution is geo-restricted to metropolitan France and the overseas departments (DROM — Guadeloupe, Guyane, Martinique, La Réunion, Mayotte), with hard access blocks elsewhere. The company holds registered brand identity for the 'Benshi' name and benshi.fr domain, is GDPR- and CCPA-compliant, processes payments via Stripe, and is led by Adrien Desanges as Director of Publication.

Operationally, Benshi is a small, privately held company with a 12-person team headquartered in Paris (4 bis, rue Vital 75116). No external investors, funding rounds, subsidiaries, or M&A activity are disclosed in the source material, and ownership commentary describes a closely held structure. Distribution partnerships with Orange (telco, channel partner) and Samsung (OEM, Smart TV) are core to reach, supplemented by direct web subscription, mobile app stores, and a B2B professional space for institutional inquiries.

Name

Benshi

Legal name

SAINT MAUR ENTREPRISE

Website

https://benshi.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Benshi is a French SVOD streaming service for children aged 2-11, offering curated films and series organized by age band via web, mobile, smart TV apps, and Orange TV. It serves French-speaking families with freemium and subscription tiers across metropolitan France and DROM.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Video Streaming (SVOD)

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids & Family Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAG)

Keywords

• Children's video streaming
• Subscription video on demand
• Age-based content curation
• Family-friendly SVOD
• French kids streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. SVOD Subscription: Monthly, semi-annual, and annual subscription tiers providing access to streaming and download of audiovisual content. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled. Free trial period available before charging.
2. Free Membership: Free tier with account creation allowing browsing film listings, creating personal watchlists, and film rating without streaming access

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Benshi is a French subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming platform dedicated to children aged 2-11, offering a curated catalog of short films, feature films, short film programs, and series organized by age group. The service operates on a freemium model with a free membership tier for browsing and watchlists, and paid monthly, semi-annual, or annual subscriptions for streaming and offline downloads. It is accessible via web, mobile (iOS/Android), smart TV (Android TV, Samsung Smart TV), and through the Orange TV channel partner.

Product overview

Benshi is a unified streaming platform for children's films offering a SaaS-based SVOD service with content organized by age groups (2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 years). The product portfolio consists of the main Benshi streaming platform accessible via website (benshi.fr), mobile applications (iOS/Android), and TV applications (Android TV/Samsung Smart TV), all supported by the core SVOD subscription service. Key features include a children's profile system with age-appropriate recommendations and a personal watchlist (Ma Liste). The service is available exclusively in metropolitan France and overseas departments (DROM).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Benshi Streaming Platform SaaS-based subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming platform offering curated children's films (short films, feature films, short film programs, and series) organized by age groups (2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 years). Available to families and parents in metropolitan France and DROM.
• Benshi Mobile App Native iOS and Android mobile applications providing full streaming and offline download access to children's content on smartphones and tablets.
• Benshi TV App Smart TV application available on Android TV and Samsung Smart TV (2018-2020 models), enabling large-screen streaming of the children's catalog.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VOD FactorycoreTechnology or IntegrationVOD Factory develops and hosts the main Benshi website (benshi.fr). SAS with capital of 100,000 euros, headquartered at 4 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre 75009 Paris. Provides streaming infrastructure and platform hosting services.
• SamsungcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSamsung Smart TV distribution partnership enabling Benshi app on Samsung Smart TVs (2018-2020 models). Subscribers can sign up via Samsung account with separate subscription management. Benshi credentials from website cannot be used on Samsung app.
• OrangecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrange TV distribution partnership making Benshi available on Orange set-top boxes (Live Box Play, TV4, TV UHD) via Orange Pass. Subscription managed exclusively through Orange. Only Orange subscribers can access Benshi via Orange TV.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GulliMax (Gulli Replay): French kids-focused streaming platform from the Gulli channel; competes directly with Benshi for French family subscriptions on age-appropriate video content. Most comparable French kids SVOD.
• TFOU MAX: French-language kids SVOD tied to the TFOU TV channel; offers curated children's content across web and mobile, overlapping Benshi's core value proposition.
• Hopster: Kids SVOD app with age-based curation and offline downloads; comparable business model and target audience (preschool to early-primary children and their parents).

Regional players

• France.tv Slash (and France.tv kids): France Télévisions' free ad-supported kids and youth streaming destination; competes for French family viewing time without a subscription fee, putting pressure on Benshi's paid value proposition.
• Toonami / Cartoonito: European kids animation channels and streaming destinations (Cartoon Network / Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio); adjacent competitor for kids viewing time in France and Francophone markets.

Emerging players

• YouTube Kids: Free ad-supported kids video app from YouTube with parental controls; large free alternative that absorbs a portion of French kids viewing and competes on the same devices (mobile/Smart TV).

Broad incumbents

• Disney+: Global SVOD leader with the deepest kids/family catalog (Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic) and kids profiles; the most significant incumbent competitor for family subscription wallets in France.
• Netflix (Kids experience): Global SVOD incumbent with dedicated kids profiles and a large original and licensed children's catalog; widely available in France and frequently bundled with telecom offers.
• Amazon Kids+ (FreeTime Unlimited): Subscription kids content service from Amazon with parental controls and age-graded content; competes for French family subscription and Prime-bundled spend.
• Canal+ Kids: French pay-TV incumbent offering Canal+ branded kids content and profiles within Canal+ subscriptions; leverages existing French subscriber base and is a direct competitor inside French households.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Benshi