C21 Media, 28 Aug 2009
Channel profile - Boomerang - UK
UK DIGITAL CHANNELS: Turner Broadcasting's family-targeting channel Boomerang is
looking to build on its gender-neutral demographic and co-viewing strategy. Martin
Buxton reports.
In targeting an audience demographic of four- to nine-year-olds,
Boomerang has some audience crossover with its sister channel,
Turner's flagship Cartoon Network. However, it holds a very different
creative ambition.
While Cartoon Network is positioned as a "home for kids," children that
watch Boomerang know the channel as "something they can share with
their parents, and that their parents can watch as much as they do,"
says Cecilia Persson (above), VP of programming, acquisition and
presentation for Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito and Cartoon Network Too in
EMEA.
Boomerang currently attracts around 5.5 million viewers per month, including 2.3 million
kids and 1.3 million parents who watch with their children, according to Turner
Broadcasting.
Building on the idea of the channel as a place to share content, its audience is an even
50/50 split of boys and girls. "To get such a perfect gender split is something we're very
proud of," says Persson. "To get sons and daughters to sit down and watch television is
quite a challenge."
The channel has achieved this through a broad mix of content,
30% of which is acquired. Headliners include classic and
perennial children's favourites such as Tom and Jerry, The Pink
Panther, Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo. These are scheduled
alongside predominantly family-friendly movie titles, such as
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Land Before Time (left), The Goonies and
Space Jam.
Like its flagship sibling, the channel's schedule and programmes are stripped across the
week, with a focus on early mornings and afternoons from around 15.00 (GMT).
"At weekends the schedule is slightly different due to the additional time that kids have,
so we do quite a few movies that parents can watch and enjoy with their children when
everyone has a bit more time to sit down together," explains Persson.
Starting on weekdays from this September when school-age children are back in the
classroom, Boomerang will be adding a Cartoonito-branded preschool block to its line-up
from 09.00 to 10.30.
The block aims to introduce children to some of the characters and shows that form part
of Turner's preschool Cartoonito channel. "It will introduce kids
that are slightly younger, that perhaps watch Boomerang with
their siblings, to some of the content that is on Cartoonito,"
Persson explains. "Characters such as Fireman Sam, for example,
will be in the block."
In terms of Boomerang’s ongoing priorities, Persson cites broadappeal classic shows that have been reinvented, such as What's
New Scooby-Doo? (left) and Tom and Jerry Tales. Average viewing for What's New
Scooby-Doo was up 14% month-on-month in June, Persson reports.
The channel recently acquired the new CGI Garfield series, which was complemented by
the acquisition of the film Garfield: The Movie (below).
Alongside its animation slate, Boomerang is also keen to test out new live-action formats.
Launching this autumn is Staraoke, a prime example of the direction that Boomerang is
taking here.
Airing from September, the series sees teams of children taking
part in sing-offs against each other. Turner Broadcasting
commissioned Archie Productions to make the series, setting up
a turnkey operation to make six European versions for the UK,
Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Poland.
Like its sibling, Boomerang also encouraged audience
interaction through cross-platform initiatives, such as its Pets Personality Awards
campaign.
The initiative allows viewers to post pictures of their pets on the Boomerang website to
take part in the awards. Viewers without pets are not excluded - the dedicated microsite
includes a virtual pet application, allowing them to create their ideal pet.
"Kids want to be challenged in different ways. They're not just after one experience, they
want any number of extensions that add up to a whole," says Persson. "So this is just
one way to make the Boomerang universe a little bigger and let them interact with the
channel."
Channel Facts
Launch date: May 2000
Current positioning: Boys and girls aged 4-9, 50/50 split
Audience market share*: 0.4%
Ownership: Turner Broadcasting
(*All viewers four years-plus in digital homes, July 2009; Boomerang, Boomerang +1.
Source: BARB)
Martin Buxton
28 Aug 2009
© C21 Media 2009