About a decade ago, Disney (DIS) executives got together and discussed the direction they wanted to take the Disney Channel in. When the smoke cleared, the decision had been made to target the 'tween' demographic. The main reasoning behind the decision was that TV didn't offer much for them.
When they did their homework and looked at their best area to target in the demo, they decided on girls because at that time there was strong competition from the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon in connection with the boys.
They've come a long way on the road, as this year's huge success "High School Musical' launched the Disney Channel into a tie with USA for the No. 1 rated cable prime-time network for 2006. Not only that, but sales of the soundtrack for the movie were atmospheric as they almost reached 4 million units in the U.S. - the No. 1 selling CD of the year.
Gary Marsh, Disney Channel's entertainment president commented that "The reality is we have a very clear brand. The reason we have been successful is that we have been meticulous in reinforcing that in our content.
"We have seen clearly what our audience responds to. The challenge is not to fall into the trap of taking the easy way out and making the same kind of thing."
One strategy they've used successfully so far has been to spin off new series that include known faces from previous successes, hoping that the juggling act will help them maintain success while building up new series of interest.
Disney learned from years ago that they must stay true to their niche and core audience. Deviate too far from it and they will make you pay. They don't seem to be making that mistake this time around. With the hits they've been generating, if they continue on this path they'll be on top of the heap with the rest of the competition wondering what happened.
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