Last week summer ratings came in for Disney XD and the news was bittersweet. For all of the brand's retooling efforts and much publicized kid-whisperer-led research into the emotional hooks that connect with tween boys, the channel did meet with some success among their target demo: ratings for boys 9 to 14 doubled post-rebranding. Meanwhile, however, the channel and its lineup of goofy, action sports stars-in-training and fantasy crime fighters had become a bona fide hit with… you guessed it,  tween girls with ratings tripling in the same age range.

So yeah, not exactly the "destination for boys that is still inclusive of girls” Disney Channel president Rich Ross laid out at the  channel's launch. More like the gender split we tend to see around YA books with male protagonists. Follow this train of thought further and both platforms do seem to struggle with the same challenges: a "girly" rap, too much heart/not enough guts and A LOT of multimedia competition (from online and console games especially).

On the bright side, the ratings speak to a formula so perfected, it's able to resonate with a core audience even when modified. On the not-so-bright side, it points to the difficulties the brand faces when it comes to getting un-Disney-fied, i.e. cute enough to fawn over. Just last Sunday on  "Family Guy" this became an easy joke when the Griffins got a "Disney" makeover. In animation terms this meant gentler looking, doe-eyed caricatures of the cartoon selves, but if translated into live-action it's easy enough to picture the attractive, clean cut mold (think Zac Efron, or Dylan and Cole Sprouse) we'd see. Not surprisingly  the stars of the channel's most popular new shows — "Zeke and Luther" and "Aaron Stone" — fit that wholesome stereotype to a T. So even while playing up so-called  "boy" interests like skateboarding or a fantasy based on a video game, the aesthetic (cute guys), tone (upbeat, wholesome comedy) and platform (Disney) has still sent a clear green light to the girls. But how much does each factor really figure?

If the incoming army of Marvel heroes, anti-heroes and villains doesn't pass through any sort of Disney filter before pumping up the programming on XD,  it'll be interesting to find out. Will the darker tone, gruffer characters and action-driven drama turn female fans away? Or, as this recent Newsarama article suggests, will the Disney seal of approval open a window for girls to see all of the comic book diamonds in the rough they might be missing?  Ypulse readers?

For more coverage of the tween space, check out the Ypulse Tween Channel

Categorized under: Tweens

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