WHAT CHILDREN WATCH - Ofcom

It is important to note that since this study is principally interested in the diversity of
programming available to children, in the multichannel homes analysis we concentrate on
the main channels such as Nickelodeon and Fox Kids and exclude the replay channels.
■ Overall provision has tripled from 10,236 hours in 1996 to 32,531 hours in 2001.
■ Between 1996 and 1997, following the launch of The Cartoon Network, output
increased by 67% to 17,093 hours.
■ With the closure of TCC in 1998 and the launch of Trouble a few months later, total
hours of children’s programming remained fairly constant between 1997-1999.
■ 2000 saw the launch of a number of new channels including Boomerang and the Disney
spin-off channels, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney, resulting in a 59% rise in
dedicated children’s entertainment. This trend followed through to 2001, the first full
year of transmission for many of the new channels.
■ Since then, two further dedicated channels have been launched as free to air services,
CBBC and CBeebies. These became operational in 2002, after the sample period and so
only limited analyses of their performance are included here.
What Children Watch 13