The littlest kids are finding an expanded TV playground.
Walt Disney, early next year ,plans a spinoff of its Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, aimed at preschoolers.
CBS' Saturday morning ratings soared this season with the addition of cartoons from sibling Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block, which has found hits with Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer.
And PBS, which pioneered preschool programming with Sesame Street, expanded its lineup to Saturday mornings, long a bastion for major networks.
Most of those focus on the early hours. And the fastest-growing kids channel, Cartoon Network, doesn't air preschool programs at all. "Every single network that carries preschool programming ceases to carry it after 2 p.m.," Disney/ABC cable networks chief Anne Sweeney says. "We saw a clear need in the marketplace for a full (day) channel."
Disney also is playing catch-up. Many of its animated films have lost their dominance among young children, and ABC now lags on Saturday mornings. Disney Channel has been late in capitalizing on an increase in kid viewership and only began its preschool block two years ago.
"Disney Channel has somehow lost its way for awhile," says Kagan World Media analyst Larry Gerbrandt, as it converted to a free channel. "Today's younger viewers have a much more diverse taste in programming than what Disney Channel tried to offer up." Disney Channel's biggest success is with 9-to-14-year-olds, and its eight-hour weekday preschool block hasn't fashioned a breakout show along the lines of Blue's or PBS' now-fading Teletubbies.
Like most new cable channels, Playhouse Disney will be available only in homes with digital cable and satellite systems that offer dozens of newer channels. Older systems lack channel space for new startups.
Noggin, a joint venture between Nick and Sesame Workshop, is available in 16 million homes. An earlier spinoff, the all-animation Toon Disney, now reaches 22 million homes.
Playhouse initially will feature shows from Disney's existing preschool block, including Bear in the Big Blue House, Rollie Pollie Ollie and The Book of Pooh, and may include other shows in Disney's library that have aired previously on ABC or the main Disney Channel. "It will be 24 hours devoted to kids 2-5, their parents and caregivers," Sweeney says.
Walt Disney, early next year ,plans a spinoff of its Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, aimed at preschoolers.
CBS' Saturday morning ratings soared this season with the addition of cartoons from sibling Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block, which has found hits with Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer.
And PBS, which pioneered preschool programming with Sesame Street, expanded its lineup to Saturday mornings, long a bastion for major networks.
Most of those focus on the early hours. And the fastest-growing kids channel, Cartoon Network, doesn't air preschool programs at all. "Every single network that carries preschool programming ceases to carry it after 2 p.m.," Disney/ABC cable networks chief Anne Sweeney says. "We saw a clear need in the marketplace for a full (day) channel."
Disney also is playing catch-up. Many of its animated films have lost their dominance among young children, and ABC now lags on Saturday mornings. Disney Channel has been late in capitalizing on an increase in kid viewership and only began its preschool block two years ago.
"Disney Channel has somehow lost its way for awhile," says Kagan World Media analyst Larry Gerbrandt, as it converted to a free channel. "Today's younger viewers have a much more diverse taste in programming than what Disney Channel tried to offer up." Disney Channel's biggest success is with 9-to-14-year-olds, and its eight-hour weekday preschool block hasn't fashioned a breakout show along the lines of Blue's or PBS' now-fading Teletubbies.
Like most new cable channels, Playhouse Disney will be available only in homes with digital cable and satellite systems that offer dozens of newer channels. Older systems lack channel space for new startups.
Noggin, a joint venture between Nick and Sesame Workshop, is available in 16 million homes. An earlier spinoff, the all-animation Toon Disney, now reaches 22 million homes.
Playhouse initially will feature shows from Disney's existing preschool block, including Bear in the Big Blue House, Rollie Pollie Ollie and The Book of Pooh, and may include other shows in Disney's library that have aired previously on ABC or the main Disney Channel. "It will be 24 hours devoted to kids 2-5, their parents and caregivers," Sweeney says.
