SPACETOON: SURVIVING IDEAL KIDS PROGRAM IN INDONESIA

SpaceToon Kid’s TV is currently the first and only television station exclusively dedicated to children in Indonesia. The channel is driven by a great concern about the development of children as the future leaders of Indonesia. SpaceToon Kid’s TV exists aims to provide quality shows that are both entertaining and educational. The SpaceToon’s vision is to actively enhance attitudes, morale, skills, and to broaden the knowledge of Indonesian kids by providing selected and quality programs.

In general, children mean big business. Companies that target the children’s market use several mediums to attract children: TV advertising, electronic games, attractive packaging, films and magazines for children. In Indonesia, data from the National Statistics Center show that the 2005 children’ population aged between 0-15 was 83,883,364, with an annual growth rate of about 1.3%. The 2009 Indonesia Kid Market Survey found that children in Indonesia have a daily pocket money average of Rp 5,200. The survey also found that Indonesian children were an influential market demand worth about Rp 200 trillion a year.

However, SpaceToon’s idealistic objectives did not result in big business. SpaceToon could not grab the advantages of the children’s sector Because children’s programs were not cash cows in the television business. Few companies advertise on this type of programs because it is not highly ranked on the Nielsen ratings. High-rank programs include Sinetron (Indonesian soap operas), reality shows, blockbuster movies and other entertainment programs usually aired on prime time (7-10 P.M.). Another reason is that there is intense competition among TV programs for children. In 2008 Nielsen reported that Global TV (GTV), SpaceToon, Rajawali Citra TV Indonesia (RCTI), and ANTV are the top five TV stations in the children’s market, in both 5-14 and 15-19 age brackets.