Kids never tire of talking animals. They’ve been the subject of countless children’s movies, from “Bambi” to “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” and many classic books, like the “Berenstain Bears” and “Arthur” series.
The latest chattering creatures to capture kids’ attention appear on the animated Nickelodeon show “Back at the Barnyard,” which follows the adventures of farm animals who talk when the farmers aren’t looking.
“Barnyard” is now second only to Nick’s long-running “SpongeBob SquarePants” among all cartoons on cable. During the recently ended first quarter, the show averaged a 5.9 rating and 2.0 million kids 2-11, compared to “SpongeBob’s” 6.6 rating and 2.3 million.
The two shows helped push Nickelodeon to first among 2-11s for total-day viewing during the quarter, averaging a 2.7 rating and 923,000 viewers, up 6 percent over fourth quarter.
“Barnyard,” which was created by “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” executive producer Steve Oedekerk, debuted last year, as a spinoff of the movie “Barnyard” that aired on Nickelodeon in 2006.
Last month Nick picked up the series for another 20 episodes, which will roll out later this year.
“Barnyard” focuses on Otis, a self-described party cow who has recently been appointed the minder of the farm. He’s supposed to keep the barnyard animals from getting too disorderly and from letting the humans know that they can talk, which would lead to all sorts of problems.
Perhaps the biggest thing “Barnyard” has going for it, besides the adorable talking critters, is its timeslot. It airs Saturday at 10 a.m., following back-to-back episodes of “SpongeBob,” giving it a very large built-in audience.
“Barnyard” is a particularly good fit for “SpongeBob” because they share the same conceit, talking animals, and the same slightly goofy sense of humor.
Most of all, they both have a main character kids can relate to. SpongeBob and Otis both try to do the right thing, but they often mess up, which is something just about every kid can identify with.
Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending March 30:
Among teens 12-17, Fox led with a 2.2 rating and 8 share, followed by CBS at 1.2/5, ABC at 1.2/5, CW at 1.1/4, Univision at 1.1/4, NBC at 0.9/3, Telemundo at 0.2/1, Telefutura at 0.1/0 and Azteca at 0.0/0.
Among kids 2-11, Fox was first with a 1.6/6, followed by Univision at 1.5/6, ABC at 1.1/5, NBC and CBS at 0.7/3, the CW at 0.6/2, Telemundo at 0.3/1, Telefutura at 0.1/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Friday 4:30 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Friday 3:30 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Friday 4 p.m.); 4. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Friday 2:30 p.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday 12 p.m.)
The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Kids Choice Awards” (Saturday 8 p.m.); 2. Disney’s “High School Musical 2” (Friday 8 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday 7:30 p.m.); 4. Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” (Sunday 8 p.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday 7 p.m.)
The top five shows among kids 9-14: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Kids Choice Awards” (Saturday 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” (Sunday 8 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “Dance on Sunset” (Saturday 9:30 p.m.); 4. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday 7:30 p.m.); 5. Disney’s “High School Musical 2” (Friday 8 p.m.)
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TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 2-5
Week Ended March 30 |
|
|
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
SPONGEBOB-03/28/2008
|
NICK
|
7.8
|
1249
|
|
2
|
SPONGEBOB-03/28/2008
|
NICK
|
7.2
|
1161
|
|
3
|
SPONGEBOB-03/28/2008
|
NICK
|
7.2
|
1159
|
|
4
|
SPONGEBOB-03/28/2008
|
NICK
|
6.8
|
1094
|
|
5
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.7
|
1074
|
|
6
|
SPONGEBOB-03/28/2008
|
NICK
|
6.6
|
1063
|
|
7
|
MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE-03/29/2008
|
DSNY
|
6.4
|
1020
|
|
8
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1009
|
|
9
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6
|
953
|
|
10
|
MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE-03/29/2008
|
DSNY
|
5.8
|
923
|
|
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 March 30 |
|
|
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
S KIDS CHOICE 08-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
11.9
|
2898
|
|
2
|
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2-03/28/2008
|
DSNY
|
7.4
|
1792
|
|
3
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.9
|
1672
|
|
4
|
ZOEY 101-03/30/2008
|
NICK
|
6.6
|
1594
|
|
5
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1559
|
|
6
|
PHINEAS AND FERB SHORTS-03/28/2008
|
DSNY
|
6.4
|
1557
|
|
7
|
DANCE ON SUNSET-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1549
|
|
8
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1538
|
|
9
|
BACK AT THE BARNYARD-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1535
|
|
10
|
H2O-03/30/2008
|
NICK
|
6
|
1468
|
|
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 March 30 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
S KIDS CHOICE 08-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
10.9
|
2669
|
|
2
|
ZOEY 101-03/30/2008
|
NICK
|
6.8
|
1657
|
|
3
|
DANCE ON SUNSET-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
6.2
|
1507
|
|
4
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
5.7
|
1400
|
|
5
|
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2-03/28/2008
|
DSNY
|
5.7
|
1396
|
|
6
|
SPONGEBOB-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
5.5
|
1339
|
|
7
|
H2O-03/30/2008
|
NICK
|
5.4
|
1326
|
|
8
|
KIDS CHOICE AWARDS-03/29/2008
|
NAN
|
5.3
|
1293
|
|
9
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY-03/25/2008
|
FOX
|
5.2
|
1279
|
|
10
|
ICARLY-03/29/2008
|
NICK
|
5
|
1228
|
|
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
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