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‘The Lion Guard’ Delights ‘Lion King’ Fans: Most Co-Watched Show On TV Today

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 03:14 PST, May 10, 2016

The Lion Guard, a spin-off and successor to The Lion King, is an animated show on the Disney Junior television channel. The focus of the show is the previously unknown son of The Lion King favorites, Simba and Nala, named Kion. According to Variety, the March 25 episode of The Lion Guard was its highest rated episode to date, with 2.6 million viewers, including 1.5 million children in the two to 11 age bracket, achieving a rating of 3.8.

The Lion Guard also reached a milestone of six-week highs in other categories, including kids aged two to five (823,000 viewers/5.3 rating), boys aged two to five (473,000 viewers/6.0 rating), and women in the 18 to 49 age bracket (479,000 viewers/0.8 rating). The demographics for children showed growth, as well as the demographics for women aged 18 to 49, and this signifies proof of the popularity of The Lion Guard among families.

Of the preschool viewers in the two to five age group, it is estimated that 45 percent of the youngsters are watching the show alongside adults in the 18 to 49 age group, making The Lion Guard the most co-viewed series on TV right now.

Throughout its run so far, The Lion Guard managed to attract a total of 36 million viewers, which includes 6.9 million children in the age range of two to five, which represents almost half of the preschoolers living in television homes in the entire United States. The original prequel movie, The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, became the top ranked primetime TV telecast of the year among kids in the two to five age group (1.7 million viewers/11.1 rating) and also made it the number one animated telecast across children’s cable TV networks among total viewers (6.1 million viewers), adults aged 18 to 49 (2.1 million viewers/1.6 rating), and children aged two to 11 (3.0 million viewers/7.7 rating).

The show was part of a special surprise telecast to Kenya thanks to a collaboration between Multichoice Kenya, its DStv and GOtv brands, and Walt Disney Company Africa, according to Ghafla.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar premiered on Disney Junior (DStv Channel 309) and (GOtv Channel 60) on Saturday, March 26 at 10:00 a.m. Following the premiere of the film came overwhelming anticipation for the series which would be launched on the channel every weekday at 18:30 p.m. from April 18.

Walingo Chiruyi, the general manager of Multichoice Kenya, was there to reassure the subscribers that they are continuing the partnership with Disney Junior to make sure that subscribers will be able to view the ongoing The Lion Guard television show. He also thanked The Walt Disney Company for the pre-launch of the show and film in Kenya as it helped connect families and young audiences in general with unforgettable moments through DStv and GOtv. In attendance were hundreds of children who were treated to a wide range of activities, including treasure hunting at Bunga’s Hyena Lair Dare and photo sessions at The Lion Guard photo booth, all within an exciting and aesthetically pleasing jungle theme.

With current animated features generally trending towards solely CGI animation in order to appeal to the modern-day audience, it is refreshing to have something that reminds older viewers of the 80s and 90s Disney classics. According to AV Club, The Lion Guard is the closest Disney fans will be getting to old-school animation.

The character designs on The Lion Guard have the same simplistic charm as in the original The Lion King and its subsequent sequels, with each character being distinct and lovely in their own unique way. The story of The Lion Guard is generally more lighthearted than the original movies, and the animated feature, The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, is one solid hour of breezy and enjoyable beauty. Fans of the original The Lion King seem to be delighted that The Lion Guard is succeeding at carrying on the tradition of the original movies while also making the characters accessible to a new generation of viewers.

[Photo by Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com]

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