The war between online streaming giants Amazon and Netflix continues to heat up, especially in the area of kid-friendly offerings, which have proved to be a very important part of the VOD business.  The latest salvo in this conflict was fired by Amazon, which acquired exclusive streaming rights for Aardman Animation’s Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep short films (the Wallace & Gromit feature films are not part of the deal).  The deal also includes Aardman’s Timmy Time and Rex the Runt shorts.  Aardman’s clever stop-motion animated shorts and features appeal both to kids and to older viewers who appreciate the films’ clever gags and ingenious animation.
 
Variety also reports that earlier this month Amazon locked up the British kidvid series Fireman Sam, and the online retailing giant also recently debuted its first homegrown children’s show Tumble Leaf, and has several similar series in development. 
 
Aardman is developing a Shaun the Sheep feature film which is due out in the Spring of 2015, and the new deal, which gives Amazon access to Seasons 3 & 4 of Shaun the Sheep should allow the online giant build viewership if the Shaun the Sheep feature is as successful as Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit movies.  Aardman first developed the kid-oriented Shaun the Sheep series back in 2005 (see "Aardman Plans Animation Series").