While we just launched our annual Television issue, let's look at some
of the trends in the animation television market. Ten years ago, it was
often the case that American producers cared little about the international
market for TV shows. While they did not ignore it, the amount of revenues
the global market generated seemed insignificant compared to what was generated
by licensing fees to US networks and syndication sales to independent stations.
However, with the proliferation of new television outlets around the world,
including cable and satellite services, the international market has become
more than just a subsidiary one to producers. The available weekly national
timeslots for TV animation have increased by a factor of nearly 10 since
1980. While this appears to be a boom in animation production, the future
remains full of uncertainties for all of these channels and depends on many
factors such as their financial reserves and their ability to seduce cable
operators. Networks are starting to realize that to get ratings, they need
to have their own identities or branding. By creating themed packages out
of their shows, a network's cartoon lineup becomes a destination rather
than just an assorted group of cartoons.

Read more on this topic in the following articles published in Animation
World Magazine:

- "It's
Show Time! The Fall TV Preview" by Amid Amidi

- "In
the Belly of the Beast: The Advertising to Kids Conference" by
Buzz Potamkin

- "Are
Kids Following Little Bo-Peep's Sheep?"

- "The
Cost of Eyeballs: Advertising Dollars & TV" by Buzz Potamkin

- "Mushrooms
After the Rain: France's Children's Channels" by Marie-Agnès
Bruneau

- "Nickelodeon
Goes Global," by Michael Goldman

You can also look back to our past television issues:

- September 1998
issue

- September
1997 issue

- September 1996
issue