Nielsen's Numbers: More Aging People, Fewer New Orleanians

An advertising industry self-regulatory group has spanked Warner Bros. for buying ad time for its PG-13 rated flick "Superman Returns" in Cartoon Network shows aimed at viewers far younger than 13.

The Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus said it was concerned airing ads for a PG-13 film during kids' programming would "create an interest in the film by the child audience and send an implicit message that the film is appropriate for all children."

Warner Bros. said in a statement that a PG-13 rating does not mean children younger than 13 are barred from seeing it without parents.

Which is true. It means, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, which devised the content ratings:

PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

The MPAA rated "Superman Returns" PG-13 because of the flick's intense action violence, CARU noted in its report.

The commercials aired on Cartoon Network on kids' shows such as "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy," "Codename: Kids Next Door," "Ben 10" and "Xiaolin Showdown."

During the calendar year, "Xiaolin Showdown" averaged just under 1.5 million viewers Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. -- 904,000 of whom were kids between age 2 and 11.

The story is much the same for the other shows:

"The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" averaged 1.5 million viewers Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. -- 952,000 of whom were ages 2-11.

Meanwhile, "Codename: Kids Next Door" averaged 1.1 million viewers Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. -- 626,000 of them between age 2 and 11 -- while "Ben 10" averaged about 1.4 million viewers -- 835,000 of them kids under 11.

Warner Bros. said it disagreed with some of CARU's findings but would not challenge the scolding, trade publication TV Week reported.

In a statement, Warner Bros. said the commercials had been reviewed by the Cartoon Network. It no doubt meant to mention, but forgot, that Cartoon Network is owned by Time Warner, which also owns Warner Bros. Which means the same company that accepted the MPAA's decision to strongly warn parents that this flick was not appropriate for children under 13 with its rating, then turned around and set about aggressively marketing the flick to children under 13 on its own kids' cable network, whose standards department rolled over and presented its yellow belly to be scratched by the Top Dogs at Time Warner.

Oh, and the flick is based on a cartoon character -- rights to which are owned by Time Warner. I've said it before and I'll say it again: There is no such thing as being too cynical when covering the TV industry.