It may be just kids' television. But it's not child's play.
The annual Kids' Choice Awards show on Nickelodeon, an ostensible celebration of the most popular children's programming on television, has turned into a sandbox spat between two media giants vying for supremacy in the world of kids' TV, the Walt Disney Co. and Viacom Inc., owner of Nickelodeon.
Nickelodeon this week informed programming rival Disney Channel that only a handful of its biggest stars would be permitted to walk the ceremonial orange carpet, pose for photos and grant interviews during "Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards" on Saturday at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Although individual nominees such as Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers can still participate, others have been elbowed out of the spotlight.
Actors who appear in Disney Channel shows nominated for best TV show, including the male lead of "Sonny With a Chance," Sterling Knight, and "Wizards of Waverly Place" gal-pal Jennifer Stone, will have to file through the doorway with the thousands of other ordinary guests attending the event. Some Disney Channel performers from these same shows have been excluded altogether.
By contrast, at least 25 from Nickelodeon's roster will get the full star treatment, including ensemble cast members from shows that didn't garner a nod, such as "The Troop" and "True Jackson, VP."
Publicists for Disney's young talent are indignant at the perceived slight. A Nickelodeon spokeswoman chafed at the suggestion that it was snubbing its competitor, noting the network was making room on the orange carpet for eight of Disney Channel's teen luminaries, some of whom are expected to win the show's distinctive orange blimp trophy.
"Anyone who has watched the Kids' Choice Awards over the past 22 years knows that there's absolutely no merit," she said, to claims that Nickelodeon is brushing Disney stars off the carpet.
The tempest is reflective of the rising profile of the Kids' Choice Awards, which last year attracted 7.7 million viewers in the U.S., according to Nielsen Research. Nickelodeon expects this year's live telecast to reach more than 300 million households worldwide.
In a tacit acknowledgment of the show's promotional power, even grown-up actors now jockey for a spot on the program and a chance to get "slimed" -- splashed with the green goo that is a hallmark of the network. This year's presenters include actors Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey, teen pop sensation Justin Bieber and Olympic medalists Shaun White and Apolo Ohno. Unlike the Oscars, the Emmys or the Grammys, whose winners are chosen by industry professionals, the Kids' Choice Awards reflect the tastes of viewers who cast their ballots on the Nickelodeon website. A record 91 million votes were tallied last year.
Children's television has become a financial cornerstone for Disney and Viacom in recent years, inspiring movies and fanning licensed merchandise and music sales. Along the way, young viewers have switched in droves from watching the broadcast networks to viewing the cable channels, which have turned young actors such as Gomez, Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron into major stars and brands.
The stakes are not kid stuff. Disney Channel had revenue of $1.2 billion last year, while Nickelodeon pulled in $1.9 billion, according to estimates by Nielsen's SNL Kagan research firm. With each chasing the same viewers, the two cable networks have traded the top-rated shows appealing to the lucrative 9-to-14-year-old "tween" audience, who influence an estimated $45 billion in spending.
Such rivalry hasn't always been so intense. Disney Channel was once a programming backwater that posed little threat. But that was before former Nickelodeon veterans Anne Sweeney and Rich Ross jumped to Disney and spearheaded a turnaround of Disney Channel in the late 1990s, leading to the launch of shows that entered the cultural zeitgeist, including "Hannah Montana" and "High School Musical."
Disney Channel's stable of celebrities is vexing for Nickelodeon, which recognizes that stars like Cyrus draw an audience to the Kids' Choice Awards, even though broadcasting her acceptance speech last year arguably fanned the popularity of "Hannah Montana" on behalf of a rival.
"It would make sense that Nickelodeon would want to use Miley, because she has a much broader appeal than just Disney now, and it obviously helps to bring eyes to Nickelodeon," said Robin Reinhardt-Locke, a talent consultant and former executive at Viacom's MTV Networks. "But to focus on Disney shows that have a smaller following -- I would assume Nickelodeon deems that more servicing to Disney than to Nickelodeon and the awards show."
