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Disney Planning French Mobile Virtual Network for Kids

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 1, 2005 - 4:38am.
Paris - According to a report in French newspaper Les Echos, Disney is planning to become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in France. Quoting unnamed sources familiar with the situation, Les Echos said Disney intended to sell prepaid cards aimed at younger mobile users. The Sunday Times recently wrote a similar report claiming that Disney was planning to become an MVNO in the U.K. as well. Earlier this year, Disney struck a deal with Sprint to launch an MVNO in the U.S. next year, while another MVNO using Disney's ESPN sports channel is scheduled for launch in the U.S. on Feb. 5.
tags: Mobile | Disney | French | Kids |

Disney Introduces Line of $49 Digital Music Players for Kids

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 29, 2005 - 4:12am.
New York - Joining a lucrative market currently dominated by Apple's iPod, Disney on Thursday introduced a line of portable digital music players designed specifically for kids and teens. The $49 Disney Mix Stick is PC and Mac compatible, will come in three color schemes, and will feature 128MB of memory (upgradeable to 1GB) when it goes on sale in October. In addition to downloading songs from a PC or ripping them from a CD, Disney will also sell Disney Mix Clip WMA memory cards with pre-loaded full-length albums. Compilations such as "Radio Disney Ultimate Jams" and "That's So Raven: Songs Inspired by the Hit TV Series" will carry a suggested retail price equivalent to CDs. Disney will also offer a range of accessories for the Mix Stick, including a $39 set of external speakers, several styles of headphones, and a number of carrying cases.
tags: Disney | Digital Music Players | Kids |

FTC: Some Game Publishers Still Marketing Mature Games to Kids

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 9, 2004 - 6:23am.
Washington -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week released its fourth follow-up report to Congress on the marketing of violent movies, music and video games to children. With regard to video games, the report found that a substantial part of the industry is complying with industry standards limiting ad placements for Mature (M)-rated games in popular youth-oriented media. However, the FTC found M-rated games advertised in gaming magazines popular with teens, and also that Teen (T)-rated games were advertised in media popular with pre-teens. The FTC noted that 32 companies violated ratings requirements in the first nine months of 2003, with four actually receiving fines. It also found that the industry could improve its efforts to disclose rating information by including content descriptors in TV ads and on the front of game packages. The FTC also announced the creation of a new website intended to teach parents and kids about entertainment ratings, available at a link below.
tags: Games | FTC | Mature Games | Kids |

Poll: Kids and Teens Understand Copyright Law, Use File-Sharing Anyway

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 19, 2004 - 8:05am.
Washington -- While 88% of kids aged 8-18 understand that music and movies are copyrighted, many admit to using file-sharing networks to download media anyway, according to a poll of 1,100 youth polled by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Business Software Alliance, an industry trade group. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they download music, while smaller groups say they download games (32%), commercial software (22%) or movies (17%). The poll found that young people worry more about accidentally downloading a computer virus from a P2P service (60%) than whether they can get in trouble with the law (50%), while only 29% worry that the act itself is "wrong". "What's most alarming is that eight out of 10 kids and teens understand the definition of copyright and nearly all of them, especially teens, are aware that software, music and movies are protected by copyright," said Diane Smiroldo, vice president of public affairs for the Business Software Alliance. "The fact that kids know stealing software is wrong, and yet they behave like it's okay, clearly illustrates a challenging ethical dilemma."
tags: File-Sharing | Teens | Poll | Kids | Copyright Law |

Yahoo, Cartoon Producer DIC Launch Streaming TV Service for Kids

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 17, 2004 - 5:09am.
Burbank, Cailf. -- DIC Entertainment, an independent children's entertainment producer and distributor, announced on Wednesday an agreement with Yahoo to launch Yahooligans TV, a streaming video service that will feature programs from the company's 1,500-hour library. Burbank, Calif.-based DIC produces cartoons and other children's series including "Liberty's Kids," "Super Duper Sumos," "Inspector Gadget" and "Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego." The companies will develop broadband advertising and cross-promotional campaigns that will include on-air promotion to drive kids from on-air programs to the Yahooligans site and vice versa.
tags: Yahoo | Cartoon | TV Service | DIC | Kids |

Report: Kids Account for 21% of U.S. Online Population

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 21, 2003 - 3:48am.
New York -- Over 27 million U.S. kids aged 2-17 went online during September, representing more than one-fifth of the total U.S. online population, according to data from New York-based Nielsen/NetRatings. Twelve million children aged 2-11 in the U.S. accessed the Internet from home, while 14.9 million teens aged 12-17 connected online. The most popular website for younger children was one for toymaker Mattel's Diva Starz doll line, followed by Disney's ToonTown Online; among teenagers, the most popular sites included one that offers instant messaging icons, another offering information on marijuana, and Teen People. Cities with the highest concentrations of kids going online included Salt Lake City -- with 25% of its total online audience comprised of children -- followed by Cincinnati (24%), Boston (22%) and Sacramento (22%). "Many markets now have a high percentage of Internet savvy kids, which marks the Internet as a significant delivery channel in reaching this demographic," said Nielsen/NetRatings senior analyst Dawn Brozek.
tags: Internet | Reports | Kids |