Cartoons remain preference of kids with 63 pc tuning in: Cartoon Network’s New Generations 2012

Cartoon Network has released the 11th edition of its New Generations study. The study on the behavior and lifestyle trends of kids across segments also interviewed parents to understand the lifestyle of Indian families. The New Generations 2012 study surveyed around 7,000 kids and parents in SEC A, B, and C across 26 centers including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Nasik, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad. 

The survey comprised of 3,100 kids age group of 7-14 years. 3100 parents of kids from 7-14 years and 600 parents of kids in the age group of 4-6 years. It was conducted during July - September 2012.

Summing up the findings, Krishna Desai, Director, Content, South Asia, Turner International India, said, “Our key findings were that there was an increase in access to technology via computers, internet, and mobile phone. The usage of these tools has gone up. Secondly, kids now days are using social networking sites, this is a latest development and was not prevalent during our previous study, which took place nearly 17 months ago.  In terms of money saving and spending, they are spending much more this year than ever before. In terms of influencing purchase decisions, this has gone up as well. Therefore, the key trends have remained.”

Asked if there will be a shift in programming of the channels (Cartoon Network and Pogo) in accordance with the study, he answered, “There will be no massive change in programming but there will be certain nuances that we will add. In terms of trends, we did not see any drastic changes in the direction of the trends that will make us undertake changes. We now have a better understanding of kids of today and the path that we are following in terms of content and programming strategy will remain the same.  However, we will now focus on the digital medium. We will invest in content in terms of games or video content for mobiles or internet.”

On the trend of watching Indian shows and whether it was a recent development, he said, “The trend of watching local content has always been there. The key aspect being if you are locally relevant you will get traction. Thus, when we launched, we had all the shows dubbed in Hindi. Secondly, we started looking at home grown content. At that time, we did not venture into production for the Indian market but started acquiring shows and gave them a local context. So when Chota Bheem is the most watched show today, it does not really indicate any change in the viewership trend.”

Edited excerpts from the study:

Television Habits: Cartoons remain the preference of kids

Cartoons remain the preference of kids across age groups with 63 per cent respondents claiming to tune in. Amongst favourite shows, Chhota Bheem is the clear favourite with 73 per cent kids. The other popular shows are Ben 10, Doraemon, Mr Bean, and Tom and Jerry. Cartoons are also a popular choice amongst parents as 25 per cent parents list cartoons as their favourite programmes on television. Co-viewing is a popular trend that has been growing over the years. According to the current study, 3 in 5 parents watch TV together with their kids every day.

Computers and Internet: More that 50 per cent kids use internet out of home

58 per cent of the kids surveyed use computers but only 19 per cent own a computer.  46 per cent kids use internet at home but a majority of kids use the internet at places other than their homes such as cyber cafes, schools or at houses of friends and relatives. 87 per cent use the internet at least once a week and almost half use it every other day. Gaming continues to be the most favourite activity online. Almost all parents at some point have monitored their kids’ usage of social networking sites.

Mobile: 1 in 10 Kids have their own mobile phone

73 per cent kids are mobile phone users and a whopping 9 per cent own their own cells. Making calls and gaming are the two most popular activities.

Pocket Money: 56 per cent kids receive average pocket money of Rs 275 per month

 but only 37 per cent save it. 53 per cent kids receive gift money with the average annual gift money being Rs 799 in 2012.

Influence: They rule

Kids continue to influence household decisions of purchase when it comes to white goods with an average of 22 per cent parents definitely considering their kids opinions and an average of 44 per cent parents who may consider them.

Icons: Salman, Sachin rule

When it comes to Bollywood icons, Salman Khan emerges as clear choice as he is twice as popular as King Khan with 37 per cent fan following. Katrina Kaif tops other divas with a 31 per cent kids fan base. Sachin Tendulkar continues to be the favourite sports icon over the years with a 39 per cent fan following. Amongst toon stars, Chhota Bheem enjoys 35 per cent popularity followed by Doraemon with 21 per cent.