Adult viewers may be eagerly awaiting the return of scripted series to primetime next month, but among kids there’s no hotter genre on broadcast than reality.
Season to date, nine of the top 10 shows among kids 2-11 and 15 of the top 19 are unscripted series.
Even programs like CBS’s “Kid Nation” and ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” which are tied for No. 85 on the season among adults 18-49, rank in the top 15 among kids.
The latest example of that split between kids and adults came last week, with the debut of “My Dad is Better Than Your Dad.” The show earned a 3.0 rating among kids 2-11, good for No. 4 for the week behind three editions of “American Idol,” and it even grew out of its “Deal or No Deal” lead-in.
By contrast, among 18-49s, “Dad” lost more than a third of “Deal’s” lead-in and ranked No. 12 for the week.
Kids always like shows where people their age participate, which explains the relative success of “Dad” as well as “Nation” and “Videos,” which are tied for No. 13 this season with a 2.1 average. All three showcase children, something that’s relatively rare on broadcast sitcoms and dramas these days.
But several of the shows that rate highly with kids are also programs that parents feel comfortable allowing their children to watch because of the low raunch and gore factors. Many primetime scripted shows, like “Scrubs,” “Criminal Minds” or “Private Practice,” have content that’s really not appropriate for kids under 12.
Reality shows, with the exception of “Big Brother,” generally don’t have such problems, plus they’re a lot more palatable to parents who may be watching with their children than most of the repetitive cartoons on cable.
“Idol,” this year’s No. 1 and 2 show with kids, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” (Nos. 7 and 9) and CBS’s “Survivor” (Nos. 7 and 10) are some of the more family-friendly shows on TV.
Finally, reality’s popularity with kids is also partly a practical matter. Reality shows air almost exclusively at 8 or 9 p.m., early enough in the night for kids to catch them before they go to bed. In fact, often in those hours, there are only one or two scripted options on broadcast.
Some of the highest-rated reality shows with kids air at 8 p.m., including ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (No. 5), NBC’s “American Gladiators” (No. 6) and CBS’s “Nation” (No. 13).
Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending Feb. 24:
Among teens 12-17, Fox led with a 3.6 rating and 12 share, followed by ABC at 1.6/5, CW at 1.2/4, Univision at 1.1/4, NBC and CBS at 1.0/3, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0.
Among kids 2-11, Fox was first with a 2.7/9, followed by Univision at 1.5/6, ABC at 1.0/4, NBC at 0.8/3, CBS at 0.6/3, the CW at 0.6/2, Telemundo at 0.4/1, Telefutura at 0.2/1 and Azteca at 0.0/0.
The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Fairly Odd Baby” (Monday 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Monday 7:30 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer: World Adventure” (Tuesday 10 a.m.); 4. Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” (Saturday 9:30 a.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” (Wednesday 10 a.m.)
The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Fairly Odd Baby” (Monday 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Monday 7:30 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “Fairly Odd Baby” (Tuesday 5 p.m.); Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Monday 7 p.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Saturday 8 p.m.)
The top five shows among kids 9-14: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Fairly Odd Baby” (Monday 8 p.m.); 2. Fox’s “American Idol” (Tuesday 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” (Sunday 8 p.m.); 4. Fox’s “American Idol” (Wednesday 8 p.m.); 5. Fox’s “American Idol” (Thursday 8 p.m.)
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TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 2-5
Week Ended Feb. 24 |
|
|
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
FOP MOVIE FAIRLY ODD BABY-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
7.4
|
1180
|
|
2
|
SPONGEBOB-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
6.8
|
1087
|
|
3
|
DORA: WORLD ADVENTURE-02/19/2008
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1031
|
|
4
|
MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE-02/23/2008
|
DSNY
|
6.4
|
1031
|
|
5
|
DORA THE EXPLORER-02/20/2008
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1029
|
|
6
|
NI HAO KAI-LAN-02/20/2008
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1028
|
|
7
|
MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE-02/23/2008
|
DSNY
|
6.4
|
1028
|
|
8
|
SPONGEBOB-02/23/2008
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1019
|
|
9
|
DORA THE EXPLORER-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1016
|
|
10
|
SPONGEBOB-02/23/2008
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1016
|
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Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
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TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 6-11
Week Ended Feb. 24 |
|
|
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
FOP MOVIE FAIRLY ODD BABY-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
17.1
|
4156
|
|
2
|
SPONGEBOB-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
9.2
|
2231
|
|
3
|
FOP MOVIE FAIRLY ODD BABY-02/19/2008
|
NICK
|
8.4
|
2043
|
|
4
|
SPONGEBOB-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
7.8
|
1904
|
|
5
|
ICARLY-02/23/2008
|
NICK
|
7.7
|
1875
|
|
6
|
ZOEY 101-02/24/2008
|
NICK
|
7.6
|
1842
|
|
7
|
SPONGEBOB-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
6.7
|
1628
|
|
8
|
PHINEAS AND FERB-02/22/2008
|
DSNY
|
6.7
|
1627
|
|
9
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY-02/20/2008
|
FOX
|
6.6
|
1595
|
|
10
|
SPONGEBOB-02/23/2008
|
NICK
|
6.5
|
1587
|
|
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
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TOP 10 PROGRAMS – CABLE
Kids 9-14
Week Ended Feb. 24 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
FOP MOVIE FAIRLY ODD BABY-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
12.9
|
3153
|
|
2
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY-02/19/2008
|
FOX
|
8.1
|
1967
|
|
3
|
ZOEY 101-02/24/2008
|
NICK
|
7.9
|
1925
|
|
4
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY-02/20/2008
|
FOX
|
7.7
|
1868
|
|
5
|
AMERICAN IDOL THU SP-2/21-02/21/2008
|
FOX
|
6.4
|
1572
|
|
6
|
FOP MOVIE FAIRLY ODD BABY-02/19/2008
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1545
|
|
7
|
ICARLY-02/23/2008
|
NICK
|
6.1
|
1482
|
|
8
|
SPONGEBOB-02/18/2008
|
NICK
|
6
|
1473
|
|
9
|
ZOEY 101-02/24/2008
|
NICK
|
5.4
|
1312
|
|
10
|
SUITE LIFE OF ZACK & CODY-02/20/2008
|
DSNY
|
5.4
|
1307
|
|
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
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