Ben 10: Alien Force Scores as Highest Original Series Premiere Among Kids 6-11, Boys 6-11, Boys 2-11 & Households Delivery in Cartoon Network History

Ben Tennyson, now 15 years old in the newest chapter of the Ben 10 saga, proved his supernatural delivery and ratings strength when Cartoon Network premiered the all-new animated series Ben 10: Alien Force last Friday night (8-9 p.m., ET/PT), setting all-new records as the most-watched original series premiere in Cartoon Network history among kids 6-11, boys 6-11, boys 2-11 and households according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. The one-hour premiere also scored as the #1 telecast of the day on all television—both cable and broadcast—with kids 9-14, boys 6-11 and boys 2-11. Moreover, the Ben 10: Alien Force premiere out-performed the original Ben 10 series premiere (Jan. 13, 2006) across all kids and boys demos, ranging from 40% to 70%. The previous most-watched original series premiere among kids 6-11 was Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, set on Aug. 13, 2004.

Highlights of Ben 10: Alien Force premiere performance vs. the same time period last year include the following:

Ben 10: Alien Force Premiere (Friday, Apr. 18, 8-9 p.m.) vs. the same 2007 time period

* • Kids 6-11 delivery (1,155,000) grew by 48%, and ratings (4.8) by 50%—best performance in CN History
* • Kids 2-11 delivery (1,515,000) improved by 38%, and ratings (3.8) by 41%
* • Boys 6-11 delivery (889,000) expanded by 51%, and ratings (7.2) by 53%—best performance in CN History
* • Boys 2-11 delivery (1,154,000) jumped by 53%, and ratings (5.6) by 51%—best performance in CN History
* • Household delivery (2,065,000) catapulted by 58%, and ratings (1.8) by 50%—best performance in CN History

An encore presentation of Ben 10: Alien Force on Saturday, April 19, at 10 a.m. also ranked as the top-rated program of the day on Cartoon Network among all kids, boys and girls demos, including kids 6-11 (3.4 rating/835,000 delivery) and boys 6-11 (4.5 rating/561,000 delivery).

Ben 10: Alien Force begins the next chapter in the continuing Ben 10 saga five years later when 15-year-old Ben Tennyson chooses to once again put on the OMNITRIX and discovers that it has reconfigured his DNA and can now transform him into 10 brand new aliens. Joined by his super-powered cousin Gwen Tennyson and his equally powerful former enemy Kevin Levin, Ben is on a mission to find his missing Grandpa Max. In order to save his Grandpa, Ben must defeat the evil DNALIENS, a powerful alien race intent on destroying the galaxy, starting with planet Earth.

Ben 10 was created by Man of Action (Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steve Seagle), and is executive-produced by Sam Register (Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi) with supervising producer Glen Murakami (Teen Titans) and story editor Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League). The voice cast includes Yuri Lowenthal as Ben; Ashley Johnson as Gwen; and Greg Cipes as Kevin. Ben 10: Alien Force is currently in production at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, Calif.

Cartoon Network (cartoonnetwork.com), currently seen in nearly 91 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service offering the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Overnight from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

RATING PERIOD: 4/14/08 – 4/20/08
SOURCE: Turner Entertainment Research from Preliminary Nielsen Media Research data, based on most current data available (Live+SD). Complete and final data (Live+7) will be available in two weeks. These television ratings data are reproduced here with permission from Nielsen Media Research. Reproduction of these data in volume, without permission from Nielsen Media Research, is prohibited. NOTES: All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 112,800,000 homes.