Bluey producer Ludo Studio named among the world’s most influential companies

The company joins electric utility software startup Neara and boot manufacturer Blundstone as the only other Australian companies on the Time 100 Most Influential Companies list.

Ludo, which is the most streamed children’s show and the second-most stream show overall in the US, has been noted in the list for its contribution to global distributor BBC Studios achieving record £2 billion ($3.8 billion) in revenue for FY23.

The studio’s Bluey series has been described as a “streaming phenomenon” and is included among the disruptors of the list.

“Across its more than 150 seven-minute episodes - starring six-year-old dog Bluey and her tight-knit family - the cartoon rejects a kids-vs.-adults ethos,” says Time.

“Instead, parents Chili and Bandit embrace imaginative games with the kids, like ‘Daddy Robot’ helping clean their room. It’s funny, often emotional, and reflects a new era of friendlier parenting.”

Ludo Studios co-founder and director Daley Pearson tells Time that it has been “parents talking to other parents, saying this is a show that you can watch with your kids”, adding that prime ministers have spoken of their love for the show.

Bluey first aired in Australia in 2018 and is now screened in more than 60 countries including the UK and China. The brand also has 110 merchandising licensees internationally.

The popularity of the show has led to plans for an immersive experience known as Bluey’s World to be opened in Brisbane in August.

BBC features the series on its CBeebies children’s channel while in the US is streamed on Disney+.

Time notes that an Adult Bluey Fans group on Facebook has attracted more than 500,000 members and a podcast made by two mothers who are avid fans has 1.6 million downloads.

Meanwhile, the Sydney-based Neara, which operates a 3D digital twin and AI-backed analytics platform, has been named on this year’s list among the top 100 company leaders.

Time says that Neara works with electricity utilities “to help them mitigate risks, such as floods and wildfires, and keep the lights on”.

Neara, which last year was among several companies to benefit from a $12 million fund by Australian venture investment and advisory firm Happenco, has been noted for its work with US power company South Californian Edison and Australia’s SA Power Networks.

Founded by Daniel Danilatos, who also established software engineering consultancy Helix, Neara offers a web-based CAD tool that does “all the things one would need for utility power line design”.

Among the applications for Neara’s technology is the simulation of threats to power lines from trees in high winds as well as simulations for which power lines can be reactivated by power companies amid receding floodwaters.

As for Blundstone, the list describes the company's products as “the everywhere boot” and a “mainstay for blue collar Australians”.

“But now, in its 15th decade, the 100 per cent Tasmanian family-owned company is having a major global moment,” says Time, adding that A-listers from Jake Gyllenhaal to Kate Middleton have been photographed wearing the company’s Chelsea boots.

Blundstone CEO Adam Blake reveals that the US market now accounts for 20 per cent of total sales and that in 2023 the company sold more than three million pairs of boots in more than 70 countries.