First, read this article from the LA Times:

Disney to target boys with rebranded cable channel

The entertainment giant plans to relaunch Toon Disney as Disney XD, which will be aimed at boys ages 6 to 14.

Someday, Disney hopes its princes will come.

The entertainment giant, which has made billions catering to the princess fantasies of young girls, plans to relaunch Toon Disney as Disney XD, a cable channel that will target boys. The move, under wraps for more than a year, is an attempt by the company to capture a market that has long eluded it.

Starting in February, Disney XD will seek to become to young dudes what Disney Channel, with its lineup of tweeny bopper programs such as “High School Musical,” “Hannah Montana” and “Camp Rock” is to girls. Disney XD, aiming at boys ages 6 to 14, will offer original action-adventure and comedy series, movies, animation and sports-themed shows developed with Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN.

“What was clear to me, and clear to us, is we had a huge opportunity to create content that were boys’ favorites,” said Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels Worldwide.

Tween boys, ages 9 to 14, account for about $50 billion in spending worldwide, said Greg Kahn, senior vice president of strategic insights for media buying firm Optimedia International USA Inc. Advertisers are eager to reach these young consumers, not just snag a portion of their disposable income, but to build a loyalty they hope will extend into even more free-spending teen years, he said.

But the Disney Channel has struggled for years to find the right programming formula to lure boys, who tend to gravitate to Viacom’s Nickelodeon and Time Warner’s Cartoon Network — that is, when they’re not spending time playing video games. Disney Channel’s popular live-action shows, from its early tween phenomenon, “Lizzie McGuire,” through its current pop-culture sensation, “Hannah Montana,” mainly attract girls.

Efforts to bring in more boys, through male-led series such as “Even Stevens” or “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” still haven’t succeeded enough to close the gender gap between female and male viewers.

Animation, traditionally a draw for boys, has been a struggle for Disney Channel, although its newest series, “Phineas and Ferb,” appears to be building a strong male following.

But so far, the network has failed to produce a blockbuster to compete with Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants;” or match the guy-centric focus of Cartoon Network, which one ad buyer described as the ESPN of animation.

“You’re fighting the brand perception, the very, very strong brand equity that’s been in the marketplace for many, many years,” Kahn said of Disney Channel. “It would almost require a completely separate effort to reach tween boys, with a completely different name somehow associated with the Disney property, to reach these tween males.”

None of this is news to Ross, who, with his executive team, spent more than a year with focus groups pondering the eternal verities: “What do boys want?”

The answer, perhaps not surprisingly, is that boys want it all. “What we heard, loud and clear, is they expect from Disney this broad array,” Ross said, with programs running the gamut from animation to action-adventure to comedy. “They expect from Disney the whole thing, including movies.” In short, tween boys are looking for more than a show or two wedged in the midst of the musical theater-inspired programs that have come to define Disney Channel. They want, Disney says, a channel they can call their own.

“They want a place, essentially a headquarters for them where their favorite content exists, that has this broad array of shapes and sizes and tenors and complexities, and treats them with the respect that Disney Channel treats all kids, and the girls are fanatical about,” Ross said.

Instead of tinkering with what works — Disney Channel, which has spawned two billion-dollar creative franchises in High School Musical and Hannah — Ross relaunched a struggling cable asset, Toon Disney, into this destination for boys.

Toon Disney pulls only 10% to 15% of the viewers of Disney Channel, despite the cable network’s reach into nearly 70 million U.S. households. The Nielsen ratings reflect its hodgepodge lineup of geriatric kids shows, such as as “Power Rangers Jungle Fury” and recycled animated offerings such as “Batman: The Animated Series,” and “Jackie Chan Adventures,” and movies.

As the rebranded Disney XD, the ad-supported cable network will boast original series, such as “Aaron Stone,” a live-action show about a video game virtuoso who leads a secret double life as a crime fighter. The show boils down to a male fantasy version of “Hannah Montana,” in which an ordinary teen leads a double life as a rock star.

Former “The Wonder Years” child star Fred Savage directed the pilot for “Mongoose & Luther,” a mock documentary series about two best friends who set out to become the world’s greatest skateboarders.

The project was created by Matt Dearborn and Tom Burkhard, who worked on Disney Channel’s “Even Stevens.”

Established animated series, from “Phineas and Ferb,” to “Batman: The Animated Series,” will air on Disney XD alongside new offerings, such as RoboDz, a short-form series developed in partnership with Toei Animation Co. of Japan, in which robotic life forms defend Earth from space invaders. Plans for an online presence and mobile offerings are also in the works.

“We know we have a huge opportunity to take that asset and make it every bit as powerful as Disney Channel or Playhouse Disney,” Ross said.

dawn.chmielewski @latimes.com

Now, In one aspect, this is brilliant. DC does have a predominately female audience, and to relaunch TD as this new channel could be a brilliant business decision. So as a shareholder, I must salute Rich Ross.

On the other hand, my initial reaction would be to hit Ross with a 2 by 4. I don’t watch Toon Disney for three reasons. 1) It requires using the digital cable box, and that only works with one TV in the house and not with my TiVo. 2) I cannot obtain a reliable schedule guide for that channel, so I never know what’s on. 3) Most of what I would want to watch (KP & ADJL) I can just watch on DC.

Honestly, I think what they should have done is not turn DC so blatantly female biased. In the article they make the point:”Animation, traditionally a draw for boys, has been a struggle for Disney Channel,” And I was freakin’ screaming “KIM POSSIBLE. IDIOTS.”

They had a chance with KP to court the male fans and the female fans. They chose to make everything pink and marginalize the male fans. They had a chance, and they lost it. And now, they’re taking out KP’s future with the end of Toon Disney.

And even worse, by making a new “DC for Boys” they’re gonna be intentionally writing off all males from DC and all females from the new channel. Further narrowing the audience for both channels.

Disney is supposed to be family entertainment - programing for EVERYONE. And further narrowing the demographic targets is not the Disney way.

Walt Disney Co.’s (DIS) fiscal third-quarter net income 9% as growth in its media networks and theme-park operations more than offset a decline in studio entertainment.

In the quarter ended June 28, the media and entertainment giant reported net income of $1.28 billion, or 66 cents a share, compared with $1.18 billion, or 57 cents a share, a year earlier. Unusual items added 4 cents a share to the latest quarter’s earnings.

Revenue climbed 2% to $9.24 billion.

The breakdown per division was:

Media Networks Oper Rev $4.12B Vs $3.83B
Media Networks Oper Net $1.47B Vs $1.36B
Parks And Resorts Oper Rev $3.04B Vs $2.90B
Parks And Resorts Oper Net $641M Vs $621M
Studio Entertainment Oper Rev $1.43B Vs $1.78B
Studio Entertainment Oper Net $97M Vs $190M
Consumer Pdts Oper Rev $642M Vs $537M
Consumer Pdts Oper Net $113M Vs $118M

Joshua Kreitzer of the MKP group thinks all KP fans should know about the RATTY awards:

…the Ratty Awards, which are voted by the
readers of the rec.arts.tv newsgroup each year. Well, the nominations
are out now, and Kim Possible has once again been nominated for Best
Animated Program.

The full ballot and rules can be found at:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/msg/18968a36b16061e0

If you happen to vote in the Rattys, please try to vote in as many
categories as you can. Thanks!

Save W.I.T.C.H. Day! - Monday, 11th of August!

Our last Save W.I.T.C.H. day was a bit of a disappointment. But it was at least partially my fault for failing to remind everyone ahead of time. Therefore, it’s doubly important that we make an impact on our next day, or we risk losing our message. So please mark this date on your calenders, prepare some postal mail NOW, and be ready to send emails and make calls on August 11th!

[Hopefully this correctly posts at 12:01AM Eastern Time]

I would like to take a moment to publicly wish Zei a happy birthday on behalf of myself and everyone involved with Save Disney Shows.

Zei has been a part of our organization for over four years - much longer than most. She was one of the original owners of Mission_Kim_Possible, even before I was! When KP was renewed, she was among the first dozen fans who found out (I think, again, before me!). She has been a global moderator and co-Admin for the SDS forum. And for the week it existed, she was on the SDS board of directors.

She also got Zeipriest to level 70 on World of Warcraft a couple weeks back. I have a feeling she’s probably more proud of that. LOL

Check out the new High School Musical 3 Promotional Photos available over at DC Fans.

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Source: http://www.pr-inside.com/disney-interactive-studios-announces-upcoming-r635747.htm

Disney Interactive Studios announced today the release of new video games this holiday season for the globally successful “High School Musical” franchise. High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! for the Wii(TM) home video game console, Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC allows players to “dance” along with favorite characters to familiar “High School Musical” songs from all three movies, as well as experience another memorable year as Wildcats at East High. High School Musical 3: Senior Year for Nintendo DS(TM) features all new songs from the upcoming theatrical release of “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” and lets fans play through the game as the Wildcat whose personality is most like theirs.

“We’re building on the success of last year’s line up of ‘High School Musical’ video games with new immersive extensions to the hit property,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “We’ll continue to bring exciting and fresh interactive experiences to ‘High School Musical’ fans everywhere, delivering new storylines, characters and songs.”

High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 system and Windows-based PC lets players experience the music, familiar locations and popular characters from all three movies, including the upcoming “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” Players move to the rhythm of the hit songs using the controllers unique to each video game console, such as Wii Remote(TM) and Nunchuk(TM), to classic “High School Musical” anthems, including “We’re All In This Together” and “What Time Is It.”

Players take the role of Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad or Taylor, or can customize their own Wildcat, using a variety of outfits, shoes and hairstyles. In addition, the game features various multiplayer modes, including competitive and cooperative play. In competitive mode, users can earn power-ups to affect other players’ performances, while in cooperative mode players need to dance simultaneously and in sync to earn high scores. Fans can also follow along to choreography from the stars, and complete songs to earn points and unlock new songs, clothing and characters.

A unique rhythm-based dance game, High School Musical 3: Senior Year for Nintendo DS also allows players to experience the music, scenes and characters from the “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” film. Players take on the role of the main characters to play along to the rhythm of songs from the upcoming theatrical release. The game features trivia-based personality quizzes that allow players to determine the Wildcat whose personality is most like theirs. This feature lets fans dance through the game as that specific character, performing songs and experiencing the fun themed to Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad or Taylor’s personalities. In addition, High School Musical 3: Senior Year utilizes the DS stylus and D-pad to capture special photos to create a custom East High senior yearbook layout, to keep for years to come.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year for Nintendo DS also features DGamer integration, a new online community designed exclusively for Disney gamers, which allows players to interact with other Nintendo DS gamers via a Wi-Fi connection and online at www.DGamer.com. DGamer allows players to log into either their DS or online accounts to create and customize a unique 3-D avatar and persistent profile. Players will be able to use the service to chat with friends in “High School Musical” chat rooms, as well as accessorize their avatars with unlockables earned while playing the games.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 system and Windows-based PC and High School Musical 3: Senior Year for Nintendo DS are scheduled for release this holiday season. All titles have an anticipated Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating of E for Everyone.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Jun 26, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Disney.com reached
record traffic levels as guests logged on to watch the full-length Disney
Channel Original Movie “Camp Rock.” The online event, which began at 5 p.m. PT
Monday, June 23 and ended at 11:59 p.m. PT Tuesday, June 24, attracted 863,000
video plays and increased traffic to Disney.com by 37 percent (6/23/08 vs.
6/22/08).

Camp Rock’s online success follows the movie’s unprecedented multi-platform
premiere weekend which delivered an impressive 24.5 million total televisions
viewers across the U.S. and Canada and reached 6.0 million Kids 6-11 and more
than 6.1 million Tweens 9-14, ranking as the week’s #1 TV program in those youth
demographics. Disney Channel’s debut of “Camp Rock” ranks as cable TV’s #1
entertainment telecast of the 2007-08 season (8.9 million Total Viewers). On
ABC-TV, the movie was the #1 summer Saturday entertainment telecast on any
broadcast network in almost six years, and is ABC Family’s #1 movie broadcast
ever among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14.

Key performance highlights for the Disney.com Camp Rock online streaming event
include:

– Camp Rock video plays totaled more than 863,000

– Traffic to Disney.com increased by 37 percent on Monday, June 23 (vs.
6/22/08)

– Camp Rock Web sites (video player and supersite) scored 1.9 million visitors
and 10 million page views during the entire event (6/23-24)

– Unique visitor traffic overall to Disney.com XD (DXD) on Monday, June 23 was
more than twice the previous one-day record (953,592 vs. 465,421)

– The Camp Rock Channel in DXD, which hosted the video player, had more page
views in one day (6/23) than any other DXD Channel has ever recorded in a full
week.

“This is one of those inflection points for online entertainment at Disney.com
and really shows the power of marrying great content with a great online
experience,” stated Paul Yanover, executive vice president and managing
director, Disney Online. “Disney Channel has created another sensation with
‘Camp Rock’ and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to feature it again on
Disney.com.”

Video streaming services for the Camp Rock online event were primarily provided
by Limelight Networks. Limelight Networks provides a variety of content delivery
services, including live event services, on-demand delivery, website
acceleration, and professional services across select Disney properties. The
companies have had an ongoing relationship since 2006.

All data sources are internal tracking.

SDS has long owned the domain missionkimpossible.com but we are proud to announce that we have now set it up as an alternate address for the Mission Kim Possible yahoo group. Check it out, it’s much easier to use and to link.

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June 24th, 2008 is Save W.I.T.C.H. Day!

Make sure to post a link to http://savewitch.org/day.php on any W.I.T.C.H. related websites & forums you belong to and/or forward this email to any friends that like the show. Together we can make a difference!

Then tell us what you did on our forum at disneyswitch.org.

Thank you for your support!

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