Recent headlines claiming that Disney has a “kid crisis” have caused a stir. According to Business Insider, “The Disney Channel, once a gateway to all things Disney, plummeted from a top-10 network with nearly 2 million average daily primetime viewers in 2014 to No. 80 with a measly 132,000 in 2023.” They use this, and the fact that kids’ TV viewing has shifted to streaming platforms and social media, to report that Disney is losing their grip on kids completely. But they’re not the only ones who have questioned Disney’s influence on the next generation. Earlier this year, The Guardian posited that Gen Z is less excited about Disney than previous gens due to the appearance of fewer 12-27-year-old attendees at Disney’s D23 fan conference. But how accurate are these reports? The reality is that with all media brands shifting their attention to streaming, the performance of the Disney Channel on cable, and observations about attendance at a fan con might not be the most accurate way to gauge the next gen’s...
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