Thursday, May 13, 2010

NYT: Disney Gets a Half-Price Deal

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=594561&f=24

"The economic downturn figured prominently in [Club Penguin's] inability to meet its aggressive growth projections. But the fickle nature of children's entertainment, an oversaturation of virtual worlds aimed at youths and competition from new smartphone games have also contributed, analysts say.

Club Penguin is still by far the leading online world for children, and other sites have experienced much deeper declines in unique visitors. Webkinz.com, where children care for stuffed animals that come to life, registered about 3.8 million unique visitors in April, a 50 percent drop from a year ago. Neopets.com, owned by Viacom, suffered a 39 percent decline, to about 1.5 million.

Disney operates a flotilla of online worlds along with Club Penguin. Some, like PixieHollow.com, have found an audience with young girls, but others - particularly one dedicated to "Pirates of the Caribbean" - have suffered from technology bugs. The company is currently testing a long-delayed new offering, World of Cars, which is planned for a summer introduction."

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