New York, NY – May 13, 2025 – Today, the global music authority Billboard and Sensical, Cricket Media’s streaming service, announced a first-of-its-kind, music-focused partnership for kids and families. This dynamic offering is designed to provide a safe and engaging space for both young listeners and their families to listen, watch and learn together while enjoying top hits and the most exciting artists of today.
This collaboration will include the launch of free ad-supported streaming channels dedicated to nonstop family-friendly music programming. Offering a blend of curated playlists and artist-driven content, this partnership will provide a trusted space where the youngest fans can connect with the biggest pop stars in age-appropriate environments.
“At Billboard, we believe in the universal power of music to inspire, connect, and shape generations. Partnering with Sensical on a music streaming destination for kids allows us to extend this vision by creating a safe, dynamic space for families to explore music together,” said Mike Van, CEO of Billboard. “This initiative highlights our commitment to innovation and inclusivity, ensuring young listeners have access to content that sparks their creativity while encouraging meaningful shared experiences.”
Building on the success of Billboard’s editorial platform Billboard Family, the initiative provides a dedicated space for families seeking the best in music and entertainment. The hub serves as a go-to resource for parents and kids, featuring content designed to engage and entertain the whole family. Sensical will now help power Billboard Family with custom lists and expert guides on Billboard’s platforms to help kids create and experience music in a safe way. In addition, an always-on music hub on Sensical streaming apps will offer themed playlists, exclusive Billboard Family content, and integration into a scrolling vertical video feature on the Sensical mobile app. Sensical will use its proprietary content evaluation standard, incubated within Common Sense Networks, to curate the music initiative as it has been similarly utilized to evaluate content on YouTube and TikTok KidsMode.
“This partnership is a game-changer for kids and families who love music. By combining Billboard’s legendary music authority with Sensical’s gold standard expertise in safe, high-quality content, we’re building an entirely new ecosystem for music discovery,” said Thomas Middelhoff, Cricket Board Member and former CEO Bertelsmann, AG.
“Collaboration between Billboard and Sensical will deliver a new generation of kids with a fun, safe, and brand-friendly way to engage with music,” said Eric Berger, CEO of Cricket Media. “It meets families where they are today while sparking a lifelong relationship with young fans who will drive the entertainment economy of tomorrow.”
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About Billboard
Billboard is the ultimate barometer of success in music. Through its iconic charts, breaking news, thought leadership, multi-platform storytelling and world class events, Billboard tracks the world’s top musicians and the business that powers them. Since its origin in 1894, music leaders and fans across the world look to Billboard as the most trusted source for music information, spanning more than a dozen countries and published in 10 languages. The prestigious Billboard Music Awards are the only premium awards ceremony that recognize musicians for their undeniable achievements on the Billboard charts, using pure data to determine the winners, rather than relying on opaque committees or undisclosed voters to select the honorees giving fans maximum impact at each year’s ceremony, as Billboard’s chart data measures fans’ engagement with their favorite music. Billboard’s other premium experiences range from the Billboard Power 100 to Billboard Women in Music, Billboard Latin Music Week, and Billboard Live, which connects the most impactful artists and industry leaders with fans from all cultures and corners of the globe.
About Cricket Media & Sensical
Cricket Media is a next gen publisher at the intersection of learning and entertainment for kids and families. With the 2025 acquisition of Sensical, Cricket expanded its footprint in safe, age-appropriate streaming for Gen Alpha with free/ad-supported apps, FAST channels, and a subscription offering with thousands of expertly curated videos and podcasts. Every piece of content is reviewed by experts and grounded in child development research, ensuring a 100% COPPA-compliant, worry-free experience for families. Recognized as a Fast Company World Changing Idea and an Essential Kids’ App in the App Store, Sensical is widely accessible across smart TVs, mobile devices, and streaming platforms. For brands, Sensical offers SENSICALMATCH™, the industry’s most sophisticated human + AI data-driven contextual content targeting solution. The SENSICAL Ad Network enables brand partners to reach kids and families at scale—amplifying engagement across OTT, FAST, and a trusted YouTube Creator Network.
Sensical is available at www.SensicalTV.com and @SensicalTV on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
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Media Contacts:
Penske Media Corporation/Billboard
Nicole Morano, nmorano@pmc.com
Lydia Baskharoon, lbaskharoon@pmc.com
Cricket Media/Sensical
Liz Young
917-327-1055
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