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Teens Flock to ‘The N’

Though MTV Network’s N cable channel only reaches 48 million households, new episodes of its hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation - a high school chronicle now in the second half of its fifth season - continue to dominate the 8 p.m. slot on Fridays among teenagers, writes the New York Times. Between 2004 and 2005, the N’s ratings saw an increase of 35 percent among teenagers.

“They’ve identified this key group between Nickelodeon and MTV,” said Amy Harris, a director at media buying agency Starcom Entertainment. “If we look back at what MTV was 10 years ago, and what it is today, it’s now a pop culture factory. They can build the N into that same level of network,” Harris added.

At its 2002 debut, the N targeted the “tween” market - viewers between the ages of 9 and 14. However, its schedule - including shows like the more provocative Degrassi - has attracted a broader range of teens, bumping the median age of viewers to 15.

Hoping to attract an even wider range of teens, the network will premiere two more original series in June: Beyond the Break, about a Hawaiian girls’ surfing team, and Whistler, a thriller in which a boy investigates his snowboarder brother’s murder.