Indeed, replicating the boy wizard's success on the small screen remains more art than science for regional broadcasters. Fickle palates, peer influence and even the way television is watched in a uniquely Asian context are just some of the factors that cloud programming decisions.
"Kids programmes are not usually sold out in terms of air-time, so clearly there isn't a shortage from the advertisers' point of view," says D Sriram, Starcom's chief executive for Southeast Asia and India.
That this is the case demonstrates how much further broadcasters must go if they are to carve a bigger share of the regional adspend pie.
What should help broadcasters is research showing that television is today a "powerful tool to reach kids across Asia-Pacific. According to ACNielsen Media International, some markets such as Hong Kong and Malaysia stand out with kids watching as much as 20 hours of television a week.
"Hong Kong in particular has kids nabbing above average ratings for drama programmes, says Forrest Didier, ACNielsen Media's Asia-Pacific managing director
And with this year's World Cup play-offs on Asian soil, it's an added bonus that this event can achieve a robust reach of 90 per cent among boys, according to ACNielsen. Beyond football, the going gets tricky in figuring out what else appeals to kids - Japanese cartoons, Western imports or locally-produced fare, the latter said to be in scarce supply across Asian markets, say media agencies. "I think it's almost impossible to say what will work, and what won't work and for what sort of reasons, says Martin Dufty, managing director of OMD Thailand. Speaking at a recent forum in Bangkok organised by Unicef and the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia, he added: "As an example, who possibly could have predicted the success of something like Harry Potter?"
The best answer may lie in making an educated guess. Relying on gut instinct, Dufty adds, is usually the best way forward. "There are scientific aspects you can employ. You can look at what worked before and try to understand why, and make some guesses as to how to proceed based on that. But in the end, you really need to understand your target audience, the children, then go for it, and take the risk."
Richard Cunningham, senior vice-president for network development at Nickelodeon Asia, also believes in guesswork. Even so, there are guidelines that can help narrow the focus in conjecture. "I do think there are universal themes that children around the world respond to," he notes. "One of the most important of these themes, one which we see just about everywhere, is that of being part of a group. Kids want to feel included, they want to be able to talk about what they saw on TV the night before with their friends."
Another important goal, Cunningham adds, is creating a feeling that the programming is crafted specially for children. That includes dialogue that speaks to children on their level.
Broadcasters who underestimate simply risk turning kids off. Mai-Ne Fernandez, brand manager of Malaysia's NTV7's Kids@7 programming slot, credits the popularity of one of her shows with the ability of the show's host at talking to kids. "She doesn't talk down at kids, she treats them like adults, and the children really respond to that, says Fernandez.
The age of computer games and the web has also made interactivity a crucial aspect in devising a winning schedule. "Watching TV has little nutritional value, but interactivity provides something to grow on," says Mark Eyers, senior manager and executive producer for Walt Disney Television in Singapore.
"You wouldn't believe the power of interactivity has on so many levels.
You are participating in the event, not just watching, and children find that empowering."
For instance, NTV7 employs what Fernandez dubs the "magic box to keep its line-up as interactive as possible. The Magic Box appears between cartoons, as a filler designed to keep kids from migrating to other channels during commercial breaks. "It features contests for kids where they can win prizes by answering questions based on the cartoons. There are also segments in which kids come on the show and talk about their favourite programmes. They really like seeing themselves and their peers on TV, says Fernandez.
One case of interactivity cited as an example of a model programme that "got it right was MTV's 'Speak Your Mind' campaign. A series of half-hour specials and "vox-pop spots in which kids shared their feelings on a wide range of subjects, "Speak Your Mind was developed by the channel and the Levi Strauss Foundation, a charitable organisation associated with the jeans brand.
"Speak Your Mind was developed very much hand-in-hand with Levis, says Cunningham. This sort of hand-in-hand creation with a sponsor ensured that the programming fitted perfectly with the sponsor's goals, addressing the other key difficulty in creating children's programming: finding sponsors.
Although finding sponsorship for children's television may appear a daunting task, Cunningham argues that, in fact, there are a great many opportunities available. "There are still many Western brands that have not yet been introduced in Asia, he says. "We can view this as a chance for children's shows to introduce these brands to the next generation. That means there are many opportunities out there for all of us - for programmers, producers and advertisers."
Advertisers should however bear in mind a few points when using television to target kids, says ACNielsen's Didier. "Aside from cartoons and children shows, kids watch drama programmes with their family, which is very much part of the Asian culture, he says.
Other factors are school hours, which determine viewing patterns and the role of parents in choosing kids' fare. In Asia, at least, kids have the upper hand in choosing what they watch, an insight that emerged from Cartoon Network's New GenerAsians' poll of 13 countries in Asia. While the same study found that "pester power can influence buying decisions, broadcasters still have much to do to prise more ad dollars their way.
Notes Starcom's Sriram: "With the multibrand companies, the ones focused on kids tend to have the smallest budgets, possibly because the audience is smaller in number and can't afford the same price products as adult and is therefore always a smaller business than the others."
