For decades, the act of watching kids TV was by appointment only. The networks dictated what was shown and when, whether after school or Saturday mornings, creating legions of fans for “Sesame Street,” “SpongeBob Squarepants” and “Blue’s Clues.” And a stable production pipeline and revenue stream was in place.
Now, that model is all but dead.
Linear ratings for kids television have cratered over the last decade and changed the programming landscape completely. Ratings for Nickelodeon plummeted 86% from 2016 to 2023, while the Disney Channel fell 90% in the same period, according to Nielsen ratings. Instead, viewers aged 2-17 accounted for nearly 30% of YouTube’s viewership in July, according to Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge report.