Corus is pulling the plug on five of its kids’ TV channels — including Disney Jr., Nickelodeon, and ABC Spark — by September, the latest setback for traditional kid’s television in Canada.
What happened: As Corus grapples with a sharp advertising downturn, kids' programming has become an easy target for the company: eyeballs and advertiser budgets are headed to YouTube, TikTok, and streaming platforms and have made TV increasingly hard to monetize.
- Advertising revenue is expected to fall 20% year-over-year next quarter and the company reduced its full-time workforce by 25% between 2022 and 2024.
- Back in our day, kids would crowd around the TV to catch up on SpongeBob or Scooby-Doo, but these days they’re more likely to turn to Ms. Rachel or Marc Rober.
Why it matters: For many families, cable channels once offered a predictable, relatively safe space for children’s programming, but this shift is reshaping how kids consume media and leaves parents navigating a landscape of algorithms and influencer content.
Big picture: Nickelodeon and Disney Channel have seen their viewing numbers drop by nearly 90% since 2016, but it’s not the end of kids’ entertainment: Netflix, for instance, has recently inked deals with kid-focused creators and is even bringing back Sesame Street.