SA Youth Vote Cartoon Network & Boomerang Coolest in the Sunday Times Gen Next Awards!
South Africa’s youth has spoken once again and the Sunday Times Gen Next Awards 2019 results are in. Now in its fifteenth year, the Sunday Times Gen Next Awards, in partnership with leading youth market specialist, HDI Youth Consultancy, is the biggest annual youth brand preference and consumer behaviour survey in the country. In a spectacular awards show hosted on Thursday, 14 June by radio and television personality, Pearl Modiadie, the country’s leading brands amongst the youth were finally revealed.
Continuing on its winning streak, WarnerMedia has once again dominated the television category, with Cartoon Network coming in at the top of the ‘Coolest Kids TV Channel 2019’ and Boomerang following closely behind in the #4 spot. This is the third consecutive year that Cartoon Network has taken 1st position as the ‘Coolest Kids TV Channel’, with 18,71 per cent of respondents voting in its favour. South African youth also named Cartoon Network amongst the ‘Coolest TV Channels of 2019’.
WarnerMedia’s performance went unmatched in the ‘Coolest Cartoon Shows 2019’ with Boomerang’s Mr Bean taking first spot. The Regular Show from Cartoon Network and Boomerang’s Tom and Jerry taking the #2 and #3 spot respectively; and Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go! coming in at #5!
Cartoon Network also came out on top as the ‘Coolest Entertainment Channel 2019’ – one of the new categories introduced by the awards this year. For more than four years, WarnerMedia’s kids’ channels, Cartoon Network and Boomerang, have been the leaders in the Pay TV segment in South Africa.
‘We are pleased with this year’s results. It is nice to see that our brands are continuing to grow in popularity amongst the youth and that audiences rate our shows highly in the kid’s entertainment segments,’ said Julien Borde, Head of Channels: Kids & General Entertainment in France, French-Speaking Territories, Africa and Israel. ‘We have been number one for a few years now and are very grateful towards our South African fans. We hope to hold on to this position by attracting new audiences with exciting shows that we are going to launch this year.’
What’s more, Cartoon Network has proven to be undisputed in the Pay TV kid’s channels for the past 58 months, dominating every demographic, especially boys, reaching more than 3.8 million kids (4-14-years-old) every month, attaining a 7,6 per cent market share alone, exceeding the full multiplex from direct competitors. With a sample of more than 2000 youths (aged 8-24 years-old), the Gen Next survey is considered a leading barometer of what appeals to South Africa’s kids, teens and young adults, allowing brands to understand where they are at in the minds of SA’s youth in this highly competitive market.