How DR replaced Disney with Nordic animation and doubled the viewing

“When I dropped my kids off at the local school, other kids would call me the Disney killer,” says Morten Skov Hansen, Head of Children’s and Youth programming at DR, and the spearhead behind DR’s children’s show FredagsTamTam.

FredagsTamTam has a line-up of Nordic-produced animated series for children aged 5 to 10. It airs every Friday at 19.00 on DR1, and is available anytime on DRTV. Before FredagsTamTam, the linear slot on Friday evenings belonged to Disney Sjov, the Danish version of U.S Disney Afternoon. When DR announced that Disney Sjov would be replaced with FredagsTamTam, they faced a huge public backlash. Disney Sjov had run on the channel for 31 years, and was an important Friday tradition for generations of Danish families.

Skov Hansen says he felt like the country’s most hated man during that time.

“The criticism was massive right up until we launched. Everything changed on the 6th of January 2023."

Soon after the premiere of FredagsTamTam, it became a hit with Danish children. According to Skov Hansen, the time spent watching Danish children’s content has since doubled, co-viewing between parents and kids has reached 60%, and the international interest in Nordic animation has grown.

“Danish and Nordic animation has never had such a good and ambitious ‘display window’. One thing is to ensure production and development, another and equally important thing is to ensure visibility for the target group. If they don't know you exist, they won't find you. All children in Denmark now know about FredagsTamTam.”

FredagsTamTam is an example of a high-risk, high-reward type of case. DR’s decision to focus on local animation was a strategic move, responding to the increasing dominance of the global streaming platforms.

“We must invest in and care for both Danish and Nordic children's culture. We have always been proud of it, but we have also taken it for granted. The competition for children's time and attention is fierce, which is why we’ll have to make drastic and courageous decisions if we want to succeed," Skov Hansen says.

During Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s strategic partner meetings in early May, Skov Hansen presented FredagsTamTam, and invited the fund’s partners, the Nordic film institutes and both the public and private broadcasters to join forces on animation as a way to respond to the shared global competitors (CLICK HERE to read more). He also pointed out the strong demand for animation among the young audience.

“Children in Denmark and the Nordic countries watch an enormous amount of animation, and I believe we have an obligation to give them Danish and Nordic animation alternatives that they find interesting and relevant.”

Skov Hansen also addresses the new Danish production incentive of 25%, which he believes could further boost regional collaboration. The rebate scheme will take effect in 2026, with DKK 100 million allocated to films, series, and documentaries, and DKK 25 million designated for animation (CLICK HERE to read more).

“The new production discount in Denmark is relevant in terms of increased Nordic cooperation, where we will be able to take on this task of creating Nordic animation across countries. So I hope that in the coming years we will collaborate on more projects – and not just projects that come from Danish animation houses.”

The shows featured on FredagsTamTam, including Monster Loving Maniacs (Mesterlige Monsterbørn), Flora and Lars (Hullet i Hækken), and Æblerup, are co-financed by NRK, SVT, Swedish Yle, and RÚV. In total, FredagsTamTam’s series have been sold to more than 130 countries.

Skov Hansen believes these titles represent a new generation of strong, exportable IPs with the potential to grow across formats.

“The high level of professionalism and creativity in the Danish animation industry has created a potential, which is why children today also encounter these IPs across games, books, merchandise, learning materials, and live shows. So I do believe we have the foundation for creating long living IPs.”