• by Wayne Friedman , October 2, 2013

Kids TV networks will have a somewhat easier time in the upcoming TV season -- thanks to a moderation of the total potential audience.

Brian Wieser, senior research analyst at Pivotal Research Group, notes in a report that Nielsen's population estimates for kids 2-11 are 39.3 million for the 2013-2014 season, down by 0.7% from the 2012-2013 season. This is far better than the previous year when Nielsen's population estimate for kids 2-11 came in at a decline of 3.9% over the 2011-12 season.

Still, Viacom’s major TV brand Nickelodeon was able to improve year-to-year in its third-quarter 2013 results -- gaining 6% in overall all day viewership to 1.76 million.

Another Viacom network, Nicktoons, was up 18% to 206,000. The Hub -- a partnership between Discovery Networks and Hasbro -- grew 2% to 127,000.

On the flip side, Cartoon Network lost 14% to settle at 1.06 million. Disney Channel slipped just 1% to 1.79 million. Sprout was down 2% to 164,000.

Prime-time programming was a little better for most TV kids programmers. Disney Channel gained 2% to 2.5 million average viewers. Both Viacom niche channels also grew, with Nicktoons up 16% to 268,000 and TeenNick gaining 61% to 201,000.