NickToons leads as top cartoon channel

According to Digital Spy, ratings figures released by BARB show that NickToons has taken the lead as the UK's number one cartoon channel.

NickToons leads as top cartoon channel

Figures released by BARB show that NickToons has taken the lead as the UK's number one cartoon channel over the last five months, beating its rivals.

At the end of January 2007, NickToons was 35% ahead of its nearest competitor, showing a massive leap in viewers since the previous year, when it was 34% behind.

Launched in July 2002, the Nickelodeon-owned channel shows only animation, including Fairly Odd Parents and Avatar, and is home to SpongeBob Square Pants, which reached 9 million people in 2006.

NickToons' December ratings were boosted in part by a games promotion called "Turkey Revolt”, organised by London-based Mainframe productions, which appeared between shows throughout Christmas. It featured animated turkeys who believed that NickToons characters like SpongeBob and the Fairly Odd family were their leaders. Kids could play along with the turkeys online and win prizes.

The channel saw ratings rise to 67% more than its next competitor during the Christmas 2006 school holiday, and reached 1.6 million people.

Earlier this week, NickToons confirmed it has commissioned 52 episodes of an animated series Viva Piñata which is inspired by the XBox 360 game. The series is about a group of piñatas - the traditionally Mexican sweet-filled paper mache animals that are hit with a stick at parties by blindfolded players - who live on an island.

Nickelodeon Networks, which includes Nickelodeon and Nick Jr, remains the top commercial kids' television network in the UK, outperforming its nearest rival by 25%.