Disney Junior Celebrates a Record-breaking First Year

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Disney UK

03 May, 2012, 07:00 GMT

LONDON, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Disney Junior success fuels Disney Channels multiplex success

  • New multiplatform TV brand, Disney Junior, doubles its ratings in its first year ¹
  • Disney Junior celebrates its first anniversary as the UK's number one pay TV preschool channel
  • Success mirrored online at Disneyjunior.co.uk with web traffic at highest ever

Disney UK today announced a record-breaking year for its newest TV channel, Disney Junior, which celebrates its first anniversary on 7th May 2012.  The multiplatform brand for children aged 2 - 7 and their families, has shown impressive growth more than doubling its television ratings in just one year ¹. Since its rebrand from Playhouse Disney, Disney Junior has been watched by 11.5 million individuals (4+), and has helped fuel the success of the Disney Channels multiplex, which has enjoyed a 43% increase in ratings year-on-year.

Disney Junior celebrates its first anniversary as the UK's number one pay TV preschool channel

Disney Junior's portfolio of hit programming such as Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Art Attack and Jungle Junction has helped win over British audiences to become the country's number one pay TV preschool channel.  Year-on-year, the new multiplatform brand has increased its reach by a third amongst individuals (4+), 30% amongst kids (4-15), and by almost a half with mums with young kids (0 -3). Meanwhile, its ratings have grown by more than an impressive 80% amongst all individuals (4+) and a staggering 104% with kids aged 4 - 7.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is now the most watched show on Disney Junior, accounting for a quarter of all channel viewing. ²  Jake and the Never Land Pirates is the channel's highest-rating title, attracting more than 4 million viewers in the last quarter alone.  The channel's local productions have also proven a hit with audiences, with Jungle Junction becoming its most successful British made show, attracting an average quarterly reach of 3.9 million individuals (4+).  Since first launching on Disney Junior (6th June 2011), Art Attack has been watched by a total of 6.2 million individuals (4+), whilst its microsite on disneyjunior.co.uk is amongst the highest-performing.

The success around Disney Junior's local productions looks set to continue into 2012 with a new line-up of content including Tales of Friendship with Winnie the Pooh, Happy Hugglemonsters and A Poem Is, as well as brand new episodes from the second season of Jungle Junction and a new series of Art Attack.

Success mirrored online at Disneyjunior.co.uk with web traffic at highest ever

Disney Junior's success has been mirrored online with Disney Junior.co.uk averaging almost 90% more monthly uniques year-on-year, and video views on Disney Junior's Youtube channel topping 47 million since launch ³. The recent addition of Jake's World, a brand new online destination for kids inspired by Jake and the Never Land Pirates has seen disneyjunior.co.uk achieve its highest ever weekly uniques in the channel's history  ⁴.

Disney Channel is the UK's number one pay TV kids' channel for the sixth consecutive year

Disney Channel's portfolio of kids-driven, family inclusive programming has continued to be a hit with UK audiences with the channel retaining its number one pay TV position with kids for the sixth consecutive year, increasing its ratings by a quarter year-on-year.  The channel now reaches half of all girls (8 - 12) in the country.

Over the last year, Disney Channel celebrated its best ever series premiere amongst kids (4 - 15) as new show A.N.T. Farm has clocked up over five million individuals (4+) since launch. Currently over a third of all UK tweens have seen the hit show. More recently, new show Jessie, achieved the number one series launch on Disney Channel among kids (4 - 15).  Starring Debby Ryan, the series has seen by 3.2 million individuals (4+), of which 1.7 million were kids (4-15) and 979,000 were tweens, representing a quarter of all 8 - 12 year olds in the UK.  

Fresh from its BAFTA Kids' Vote win in 2011, the channel's smash-hit comedy series Good Luck Charlie kick started the festive season with the Duncan family's first ever feature length adventure comedy, The Road Trip Movie (aka It's Christmas) reaching 939,900 individuals 4+ when it premiered on 27th November 2011.

Online, Superbia, the latest addition to Disney's successful raft of digital environments, inspired by Disney Channel's hit shows and characters, has become the single biggest page on disney.co.uk since it launched in February this year. The new game has pushed the overall Disney site to achieve its biggest ever unique visitors and time spent per visitor ⁵.

Disney XD increases is the top commercial kids' channel with boys (4-15) in the UK ⁶

Disney XD UK has enjoyed a record performance over the last year, with ratings up by 50% year-on-year, making the boy-focused, girl inclusive channel the number one rated commercial pay TV kids' channel in the UK with boys.  Disney Cinemagic continued to celebrate its success as the number one premium film channel in the UK, increasing its ratings by 40% year on year amongst kids (4 - 15) .  Its British television premiere of Tangled became the biggest ever premiere on the channel with an average audience of over half a million individuals (4+).

Boel Ferguson, General Manager, Disney Channels UK & Ireland comments: "It has been a phenomenal year for the Disney Channel multiplex, fuelled by the success of our new multiplatform brand, Disney Junior. We are delighted that our audiences are embracing and engaging with our new content and look forward to kids and families across the country tuning in to our strongest ever line up of new programming from brand new series Austin and Ally, the premiere of Disney Channel Original Movie Let it Shine to Ultimate Spider-Man and Goalmouth on Disney XD plus new local productions for our younger viewers on Disney Junior."

Notes to Editors:

Disney Channel Multiplex UK

The Disney Channel multiplex UK is a portfolio of four kid-driven, family inclusive entertainment channels. The platform brands are Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Cinematic and Disney Junior. On 7th May, Playhouse Disney rebranded to become Disney Junior - a new television and online brand channel devoted to preschool-age children around the UK.

Source: BARB/Advantedge, All Homes, All Time, March 2011 - March 2012

  1. Disney Junior demonstrated the biggest year-on-year ratings growth with kids 4-7, up by +104%
  2. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is the highest reaching title on Disney Junior with over 8.5 million individuals 4+ (14.9%), of which 2.6 million kids 4-15 (29.9%), 1.4 million were kids 4-7 (46.6%) and 1.2 million were housewives with kids 0-3 (45.2%) watching the show since Disney Junior launched
  3. Across the past ten months disneyjunior.co.uk has averaged 87% more monthly uniques than playhousedisney.co.uk in the same time period last year. Source: Adobe Omniture SiteCatalyst (Jun e 2011 -March 2012  v June 2010 - March 2011)
  4. The recent launch of Jake's World has led disneyjunior.co.uk to the most ever weekly uniques in the history of Disney Junior/Playhouse Disney. Source: Adobe Omniture SiteCatalyst (week commencing 7th April).
  5. February / Source: Adobe Omniture SiteCatalyst
  6. Disney XD has increased its ratings by 50% with boys (4-15) between January and December 2011