Alexandria, VA; January, 2005 -- PBS KIDS GO!, a multimedia destination created specifically by, for and about early elementary school kids, has spurred an increase in PBS viewers and Web visitors from its target age group since its October, 2004 launch. As of December 31, 2004, PBS' ratings were up almost 50% from last year among kids 6-8 during the late afternoon timeslot (3-5 p.m.), making this PBS' biggest gain in kids 6-8 in six seasons. Overall, ratings for PBS KIDS remained strong and increased 4% among kids 2 to 5 in the afternoon*. For the launch week of October 11, MAYA & MIGUEL reached 3.5 million children, attracting an audience as large as some of PBS KIDS' established hits**.
Following the launch of the PBS KIDS GO! Web site, unique visits to pbskidsgo.org increased 2.6 million, twice the increase from the 2003 September-October timeframe. In the first week that pbskidsgo.org went live, the PBS KIDS Web site showed an increase of 10 million page views (PBS Online Server logs, 2004).
"We are thrilled about the immediate success of PBS KIDS GO!. These increases in viewership and Web traffic confirm there is a need and want among this audience for age-appropriate content that speaks directly to them," said John F. Wilson, Senior Vice President, Programming, PBS. "Kids have limited choices for media content that is both educational and fun. As the leader in preschool programming, we are committed to building a nurturing and engaging destination for our preschool audience to grow into."
The programming block includes two new series developed around educational, multicultural themes - MAYA & MIGUEL and POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER - alongside pre-existing series, ARTHUR and CYBERCHASE. According to recent focus groups on the new programs, kids say they can relate to the mix of English and Spanish offered in these shows as well as to the diverse characters that are similar to their families, neighbors and classmates.
PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! SM are committed to providing the highest quality commercial-free content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (www.pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (www.pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (www.pbsparents.org), TeacherSource, Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.
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*Nielsen Galaxy Explorer, M-F (3pm-5pm), 10/11-12/31/04.
**NTI Custom Analysis of Cume Data. Full week cume children 2-11, Oct. 11-17, 2004.
CONTACT:
Lisa Hanlon, Southard Communications, 212/777-2220 ext. 16; lisa@southardinc.com
Jill Corderman, PBS KIDS, 703/739-5788; jcorderman@pbs.org