Disney Channel attracts girls, Cartoon boys

There’s certainly a generation gap on cable television, where shows narrowly target the very young to the very old.





But when it comes to gender, you see an intriguing gap among the very young.

Girls tend to watch Disney Channel. Boys watch Cartoon Network.




By contrast, Nickelodeon draws a fairly equal number of kids 6-11s, and
that may go some distance in explaining why it's the biggest of the
three.




The divides between Cartoon and Disney are stark, according to second
quarter Nielsen data analyzed by Turner Networks. Disney drew a
total-day audience of 538,000 kids 6-11 during second quarter, 65
percent of which were girls.

The network ranked second in 6-11s but an easy first among girls 6-11, 17 percent ahead of No. 2 Nickelodeon.

Cartoon ranked third in 6-11s with 350,000 average viewers. Of
those, a steep 72 percent were boys, putting Cartoon second in the demo
behind Nickelodeon.

So why the disparities? It’s likely all about the programming, no surprise.





Nick manages to draw both girls and boys because of the diversity of its leading characters.




Its most popular shows include male and female protagonists, including
Timmy of “Fairly Odd Parents,” Jimmy of “The Adventures of Jimmy
Neutron, Boy Genius,” Dora of “Dora the Explorer,” and Bessie of
“Mighty B!.” It also has numerous gender-neutral programs, like “The
Wonder Pets” and, dating back a few years, “Rugrats.”

On Disney, the biggest shows of recent years are “Hannah Montana,”
“That’s So Raven” and “Lizzie McGuire.” They all attract girls because
of their strong female leads. They are traditional live-action sitcoms
about peer pressure, friendship and chasing boys.

Cartoon has animated shows with male protagonists and more
fantastical storylines that appeal to boys, focusing on good versus
evil, hero work and inventing things. Such programs include “Chowder,”
“Batman,” “Ben 10” and “Dexter’s Laboratory.”

***

Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending June 22:

Among teens 12-17,
Fox led with a 1.4 rating and 6 share, followed by ABC at 1.2/5,
Univision at 1.1/4, NBC at 0.9/3, the CW at 0.7/3, CBS at 0.5/2,
Telemundo at 0.2/1,Telefutura at 0.1/1 and Azteca at 0.0/0.

Among kids 2-11,
Univision was first with a 1.3/6, followed by Fox at 1.1/4, ABC at
1.0/4, NBC at 0.8/3, the CW at 0.5/2, CBS at 0.4/2, Telemundo at 0.2/1,
Telefutura at 0.1/1 and Azteca at 0.0/0.

The top five shows among kids 2-5:
1. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Monday 1 p.m.); 2.
Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Monday 1:30 p.m.); 3.
Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Monday 2 p.m.); 4. Nickelodeon’s
“SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday noon); 5. Disney’s “Mickey Mouse
Clubhouse” (Sunday 9:30 a.m.)

The top five shows among kids 6-11:
1. Disney’s “Camp Rock” (Friday 8 p.m.); 2. Disney’s “Hannah Montana”
(Friday 7:30 p.m.); 3. Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” (Friday 10
p.m.); 4. Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” (Friday 10:30 p.m.); 5.
Disney’s “Hannah Montana” (Friday 11:30 a.m.)

The top five shows among kids 9-14:
1. Disney’s “Camp Rock” (Friday 8 p.m.); 2. Disney’s “Wizards of
Waverly Place” (Friday 10 p.m.); 3. ABC Family’s “Camp Rock” (Sunday 8
p.m.); 4. Disney’s “Hannah Montana” (Friday 7:30 p.m.); 5. Disney’s
“Wizards of Waverly Place” (Friday 10:30 p.m.)

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