China’s government to oversee new kidnet

China’s Administration of Radio, Film and Television plans to supervise the development of a new kids channel that will have required carriage across the country. The new as-yet-unnamed net is expected to launch in late 2006, and its raison d’être will be to provide healthy, ethical programming for China’s 367 million children. Once the channel launches, the country’s national TV and film regulating body vows that violent, foreign-made kids programs (hello, anime?) will no longer be welcome on China’s airwaves.

Jetix burns up more hours in the U.S.

On the heels of Toon Disney turning over four additional hours of its Saturday and Sunday evening airspace to Jetix’s action-adventure programming last month, there may be plans afoot to convert some of the net’s weekday schedule to the branded block this fall. Since its daily Fox Kids block was reborn as Jetix in February 2004 (airing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.), Toon Disney has experienced a 75% growth in ratings with boys six to 11 in that slot (up from 0.8 at this time last year to 1.4). The network added back-to-back episodes of 1995 animated series Spider-Man to Jetix’s weekend schedule in June, extending the block’s weekend evening run to 11 p.m. Although schedule details were still being hammered out at press time, new original series like Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! and Dragon Booster could help Jetix stay up later on school nights.

MIPCOM tips its hat to DVD savvy

In recognition of the DVD boom, Reed Midem will reward outstanding achievements in this medium with its first-ever DVD Awards this year. Producers can vie for prizes in seven categories, including children’s/youth fiction and children’s/youth animation, and a six-member jury will vote on an eighth special jury prize. All DVDs will be judged based on web features and interactivity, program content restoration, special features, navigation and graphic design. The awards will be presented on October 6.