industry

The New York Times has an interesting article about Disney and its television properties quickly narrowing the gap between itself and Nickelodeon, the children's network that has been number one in ratings and revenue for quite some time. While Nickelodeon still has the top ten shows in the coveted "2 to 11" demographic, Disney has been getting more viewers with shows like High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls. The article has plenty of numbers, facts and figures for anyone who wants to check it out, but what I find most fascinating is how difficult it has to be to maintain a young audience. All television viewers tend to be fickle, but that's especially true of children, who are constantly bombarded with new cartoons, products and live-action series and can easily abandon one for another, given the increasing choices offered not only on television, but online as well. Nickelodeon maintains it's more interested in consistency and developing good shows, not series that may draw a large audience and then fade away over time.

[via Toon Zone]

The struggling G4 network has been brought under the E! Networks tent, with plans to continue expanding the network's focus from video games to a more general entertainment destination for young men. As with most acquisitions, the network will most likely see layoffs, but the hope is that it will be able to attract more viewers, something it hasn't been able to do in its current form. While video games have seen a huge resurgence in recent years, the gamer demographic is too narrow, according to Ted Harbert, CEO of Comcast Entertainment Group. Meanwhile, I have yet to find any buyers for my network focusing entirely on the game of mumbletypeg. It seems kids these days just don't play with pocket knives like they used to.