The Kids Are Watching...But What?

Kids View More TV than Ever, But 'Kid Shows' Aren't Predictably
Where You Find Them

Disney Channel's Suite Life of Zack and Cody (cast, left) and steady player That's So Raven (starring Raven-Symone, right) fueled the cabler's 11 percent rise in the younger kids ratings arena—nipping at Cartoon Network's heels.

In an increasingly fragmented marketplace, it comes as little surprise that kids are watching more television than ever—but they are less likely to be watching conventional kids' programming.

Children ages 2-11 are watching increasing hours of non-kids' programming MediaPost reports—an average of 8.53 hours a week in 2005 versus 8.13 in 2003 according to a recent Magna Global study.

This age group's hours spent watching traditional kids' programming dropped, on the other hand, from 9.14 to 8.65 hours per week.

Magna attributes the climb in non-kids' fare to broader cable network offerings.

Mindshare USA partner and group research director Debbie Solomon agreed that kids' viewing is greatly fragmented, citing that there are so many options. "Many could be watching more shows such as Malcolm in the Middle," she explained.

Solomon observes "pretty steady growth" for TV viewing across kids' demos, even as chatter continues that the internet and video games are bound to displace it. She noted that TV time has climbed to 21.2 hours per week for kids ages 6-11, and 25.4 hours for kids 2-5 year old over the last decade.

While Nickelodeon—home to SpongeBob SquarePants—still reigns in the kids' arena with an average 3.0 rating/19 share posted for the Aug. 29-Dec. 25, 2005 period, Fox has enjoyed a 23 percent jump in ages 2-11 ratings this season to an average 1.3.

Industry analysts attribute Fox's performance, the strongest increase of all nets, not to only to its Saturday morning lineup, but to primetime animated series and other programs appealing to younger viewers.

Nickelodeon slid south 6 percent from last year, yet stays well ahead of its closest competitor, Cartoon Network, which posts a 1.6/10 share. TNS media Intelligence reports the two garnered the most ad dollars of the kids' market in 2005, over $740 million to Nick and more than $270 million to Cartoon Network, according to MediaPost. 

Commercial-free Disney Channel, whose market share has grown 11 percent over last year so far, ganing on Cartoon Network with a 1.5 rating with kids aged 2-11—thanks to steady players like That's So Raven and newer, more boy-centric Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Disney actually beat Cartoon Net in the total weekly ratings percentage for children aged 2-11—largely because the latter moved its late-night "Adult Swim" block to another rated programming time period.