Disney Channel was the No. 1 network among kids 2-11 in
2012, breaking Nickelodeon's 17-year stranglehold on the key total day
demographic. The network averaged 950,000 viewers in the demo, according to
year-end ratings.
In total viewers, Disney was just shy of beating
Nickelodeon, averaging 1.69 million viewers to Nick's 1.7 million. In 2011,
Nick's had a wider 379,000 total viewer lead over Disney.
Disney was also the top network with kids 6-11, averaging 632,000
viewers, for the second consecutive year and with kids 9-14, averaging 529,000
viewers, for the fourth year running in total day. In primetime, the network
stretched its streak to 12 years with kids 9-14 (893,000) and 10 years with
kids 6-11 (1.1 million viewers).
The network's 2012 performance was helped by hit series like
Good Luck Charlie, Phineas and Ferb and the TV movie Let It
Shine.
Nickelodeon, for its part, has been trying to reverse its
downward slide in the Nielsen ratings that began last year. In August the
Viacom-owned network namedRussell Hicks president of content development and production overseeing a
new development team. The executive shuffle also saw the exit of animation
president Brown Johnson, who had been in the position since 2008.
