UK-based edutainment company Sandbox & Co has acquired digital content provider Fingerprint as part of a strategic move to start delivering on-demand digital subscription services to children and families around the world through its brand-new Sandbox Kids division.

Fingerprint CEO Nancy MacIntyre remains in her role and will head up Sandbox Kids, overseeing existing Sandbox services Hopster (for kids under four) and Curious World (four to eights), and Fingerprint’s Kidomi (three to 12). Based in San Francisco, she’s now responsible for building, operating and marketing subscription services with partners.

All told, Sandbox Kids offers more than 8,000 videos, games, interactive books, songs, podcasts and audio stories. This content will be available in 23 languages across 100 countries. And when it comes to future acquisitions, MacIntyre says interactivity is key.

“More than 50% of our usage continues to come from kids playing games,” she explains. “We are always looking to partner with companies that are developing innovative gameplay with interesting themes. It’s important that the games are infinitely re-playable.”

MacIntyre is also on the hunt for podcast and short-form content. Videos in the three- to five-minute range are the sweet spot, she says, and the team is looking for both animated and live-action series. Sandbox Kids will also produce original content through Hopster Studios, with a focus on aspirational shows that include a deeper message.

Sandbox Kids’ suite of services can be localized for different markets, and will support go-to-market strategies for mobile carriers and OTT/pay-TV companies. Moving forward, MacIntyre says her focus is on securing deals with new distribution partners.

This acquisition of Fingerprint extends a Sandbox buying spree that’s been playing out for two years. The company recently picked up educational resources Teachit and Code Kingdoms, and it acquired a majority stake in Hopster in 2019.