When Disney announced its plan to launch its new Disney
Junior Network, it also revealed some interesting details about kids 2-5 TV
viewing, not to mention the sizable number of moms in the 18-49 demo that
advertisers can reach on shows targeting these young children.
In the one-year period that Disney tested its
Junior Network block on Disney Channel, ratings for those shows increased 28% for
kids 2-5 and 39% for boys 2-5, according to Nielsen data. Girls 2-5
ratings were up 16% and women 18-49 ratings climbed 12%.
Disney Junior's Jake and the Never Land Pirates was
the most co-viewed series on cable among kids 2-5, with 46% of all adults 18-49
watching with their children.
Disney Junior, like the Disney Channel, will not be selling
commercial time within the shows on its new network, but these powerful ratings
numbers should send a positive message to advertisers who want to reach that
mom audience through young kid-targeted programming.
The kids' networks on cable carry a regular stream of daily
programming for 2-5 and while cumulative audiences are sizable, show-for-show
viewership, even for the most popular entries, still hovers at 1 million tops.
But those advertisers who want to reach a mass audience of
parents of young kids in one shot need look no further than broadcast
primetime during the end-of-the year holiday season. Many media buyers may
remember watching some of the same Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday animated
special that the networks recently aired. But the fact is many of these shows
are still delivering sizable audiences of parents along with their young
children.
Advertisers insightful enough to place their bets on
long-time favorite Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer this past holiday
season were not disappointed. The perennially popular animated tale not
only drew 12.6 million viewers in its first run in late November, but also
recorded a solid 4.0 rating among adult viewers 18-49. CBS went to the well a
second time a few weeks later, and while it was down substantially, it
still drew 5 million viewers and a 1.6 in 18-49.
Next best among the animated holiday specials was A
Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC, drawing 9 million viewers and a 2.8 18-49
rating. An ABC pairing of Shrek the Halls and How the Grinch Stole
Christmas on the same night drew 7.6 million viewers each and almost an
exact 2.6 18-49 rating. The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (ABC) drew 7.4
million viewers and a 2.3 18-49; Frosty the Snowman (CBS), 7.3 million,
1.9 18-49 rating; and Santa Clausis Coming To Town (ABC), 7.2
million viewers and a 2.2 18-49. Those 18-49 ratings of probably mostly moms
are higher than in the demo than many primetime adult entertainment shows on
the broadcast networks.
Other kid holiday program ratings numbers were not as big in
the 18-49 demo, but still worth advertiser attention. They included: Frosty
Returns (CBS), 6.4 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating; Charlie Brown
Thanksgiving (ABC), 5.9 million and a 1.8 18-49; Happy Warm Blanket
Charlie Brown (Fox), 4.9 million and a 1.6 18-49; and Elf on aShelf
(CBS), 4.8 million viewers and a 1.1 in the demo.
One interesting note: The younger skewing CW network
aired an animated Christmas special, Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, and the show drew more viewers
(2.4 million) and a higher 18-49 rating (0.9) than what every show on the
network is averaging in primetime for the season, other than VampireDiaries.
There is a caveat in that most CW shows add about a third more audience through
DVR viewing over seven days. Still, the audience draw for the Muppets was
impressive.
Also, on Thanksgiving night, the ABC airing of Charlie
Brown Thanksgiving drew 400,000 more viewers than NBC's telecast of
Lady Gaga's A Very Gaga Christmas and also out-rated the Gaga adult
special among viewers 18-49.
So, even though some of these animated specials have aired
for decades around the holidays, there is always the next generation of kids
and their parents to watch them It's another plus for advertisers who want to
target that audience-even if they come but once a year.
