Disney Channel has accomplished what appeared to be impossible with the launch of its new animated show, Kim Possible.

On the day of its debut, the Disney cartoon tied Nickelodeon's kiddie sensation SpongeBob SquarePants in household ratings, drawing a 2.2 rating, representing 1.8 million households.

Kim Possible also was the top-rated show among tweens (9- to 14-year-olds), girls 6 to 14 years old and girls 9 to 14 years old.

The show was the best premiere in the history of the Disney Channel, and naturally, Disney Channel executives were ecstatic.

?It met and superseded our expectations,? said Rich Ross, general manager and EVP-programming and production. ?For Kim Possible to tie SpongeBob, the smackdown winner in all categories, in its premiere is a huge accomplishment for us.?

Kim Possible is an action-adventure show about a high school girl who saves the world from evil in her spare time.

With shows like Lizzie McGuire, Disney Channel had already been a draw with girls. Ross said the channel had nine of the 13 shows with tween girls and nine of the top ten with younger girls, but added that Kim Possible did well with kids across the board. ?Everyone in the world of kids TV gets nervous that when you title a show with a girl's name the boys won't come. Boys came,? he said.

The ratings success will translate primarily into licensing income for Disney, which will sell backpacks and twirling lollipops, Ross said. In addition to appealing to young kids, Kim Possible appeals to vendors of licensed products. ?You can't underestimate the power of an adult understanding what you do.?

The added viewership will also boost the perceived value of the channel to cable operators, Ross said. Disney Channel, which in the past few years has been converted from a premium channel to a basic channel, does not accept regular advertising. But it has begun to accept program sponsorships. ?We are continuing to talk to sponsors about the opportunity to work with us at Disney Channel. As of yet that has not happened in older-kids stuff.?

One of the characters on Kim Possible is a naked mole rat named Rufus, which could inspire thousands of stuffed toys. But Disney isn't the only one with a potentially winning rodent.

Cartoon Network's Hamtaro, an animé import from Japan about the adventures of a hamster, delivered double-digit ratings increases among tweens and teens (12- to 17-year-olds) in its 7 a.m. premiere the week of June 3.

Hamtaro will be moved to 4 p.m., where it leads off a new, third hour of the network Toonami action-adventure block.

Back to this issue