Children’s TV services in Europe number 320

There are more than 280 children’s TV channels in the European Union and some 320 in wider Europe, according to stats by the European Audiovisual Observatory.

The latest figures claim that there are 21 channels as part of the public service broadcasting system, while almost 300 are private.

Some major expansion in the kids market took place between 2006 and 2010 with the spread of Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Boomerang brands throughout Europe, the Observatory said.

However, more than 80 channels are focused on national markets, while public children’s channels such as KIKA in Austria and Germany, DR Ramasjang in Denmark, Clan TVE in Spain, Gulli in France and CBBC in the UK are often the most popular children’s channels in their respective countries, the study found.

“The most important of the pan-European brands are Disney (63 channels), Nickelodeon (44), Cartoon Network (29) and Boomerang (21) who have various channels and a large number of linguistic variations throughout Europe,” said the Observatory.

The Disney Channel scores highest in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. The Nickelodeon channels score highly in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands, the report said. It also referenced Baby TV, Duck TV, Kidsco and JimJam as other ”significant pan-European brands.”