Digital Focus: Kids TV
- Published: 30 July 2008 17:04
- Last Updated: 30 July 2008 17:04
- Reader Responses
One of the great pleasures of being a dad is being able to watch children's television with my daughters.
It's always fun to compare today's shows with the gems of yesteryear: Mr Benn (I still haven't seen the astronaut one), Why Don't You? and does anyone remember Pipkins?
But I have to say that today's children's TV is better.
CBeebies almost always features in the top 10 most watched channels in digital homes. Last week, it delivered a 1.3% share of viewing.
I defy anyone, of any age, not to be charmed by CBeebies' Charlie and Lola. It looks beautiful and the children's characters are voiced so naturally it's amazing. Also, it is didactic without ramming any messages down your throat (anyone who has seen Barney and Friends will know that this is a difficult one to get right).
Another favourite of mine, on CBBC/BBC2, is The Secret Show, a spy cartoon with some really sophisticated humour. This week's programme on BBC2 attracted 170,000 viewers/4.1% share on Saturday at 8.45am.
I can now see that I was woefully underserved by kids television as a child. Two hours a day? You kids today don't know you're born.
Even with a Freeview connection, which 95% of kids now have, there is still a wealth of choice: two dedicated BBC channels, CITV, GMTV at weekends and some kids programming on BBC/ITV terrestrial.
If you have a Sky/Virgin feed, well, your kids are spoilt rotten. According to Barb figures, Nickelodeon has had a fantastic year, with audiences up 18%. Jetix has grown its audience by 48%, Cartoon Network by 4%.
When it comes to choice of channels, the kids TV market is in rude health, driven by multichannel. The quality of kids programming is better than ever, and there is a channel for every age and gender. A new channel, Nick Toonsters, launches this month, targeting three to seven-year-olds. It's a golden age.
Can anyone tell me, though, should I let my kids watch Horrid Henry, or is Perfect Peter just too bad an influence?
Adrian English is media director at Carat. Philip Reevell is away
