Preschoolers aged 2 to 5 spend an average of more than 32 hours in front of a TV screen each week, according to Nielsen. The big media companies chasing this audience, armed with studies and
statistics, are gearing up for the next major battle. One of the top-rated shows among preschoolers on Nick Jr. is "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan," in which a cartoon Kai-lan Chow, a 6-year-old with big round eyes
and black pigtails, teaches kids Mandarin Chinese. The series draws about 828,000 viewers aged 2 to 5, compared with 753,000 for "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," Disney's top-rated preschool series.
At stake is much more than the more than $276 million marketers spent last year to advertise during children's TV shows. Fast-food and movie studios topped the list of biggest spenders, according to
Kantar Media. The sale of toys, books and DVDs for Nick Jr.'s "Dora the Explorer" has generated more than $11 billion in sales globally since 2002, Nickelodeon says.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »