Nickelodeon
Channel Name: Nickelodeon
Launched:
December 1, 1977, (as The Pinwheel Network), April 1, 1979, (as Nickelodeon)
Owned by:
Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (1977-1985), Viacom International (Viacom
Productions/Viacom Inc./Viacom International Inc./Viacom Productions Inc.)
(1985-2005), Viacom Media Networks (1985-present), Viacom (2006-present)
Country:
United States
Broadcast area: National
Network:
Pinwheel
Headquarters:
New York City, New York
Sister channels:
Nick Jr, Nicktoons, TeenNick, Nick at Nite, MTV, TV Land, Nick 2.
Language: English
Website:
http://www.nick.com/
Nickelodeon (often simply called Nick
and originally called The Pinwheel Network) is an American basic cable and
satellite television network that is owned by the MTV Networks Kids &
Family Group, a unit of the Viacom Media Networks division of Viacom. Aimed
mainly at pre-teens and teenagers 11–16 years of age and its
preschooler-targeted shows aimed at children 2–6, it broadcasts on
Sunday-Wednesdays from 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
and Saturdays from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time).
Since
1985, it has shared its channel space with Nick at Nite, a nighttime service
broadcasting during the interim hours that features reruns of older primetime
sitcoms, along with some original series and feature films, which is treated as
a separate channel from Nickelodeon by A.C. Nielsen Co. for ratings
purposes.[1][2] Both services are sometimes collectively referred to as
"Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite", due to their common association as two
individual channels sharing a single channel space. Since 2006, Nickelodeon has
been run by president and chief executive officer Cyma Zarghami.
History:
Early history (1977–1979) Former Pinwheel
logo, used from 1977 to 1979.
Nickelodeon's
history dates back to December 9, 1977, when QUBE, the first two-way
interactive cable television system was launched in Columbus, Ohio by Warner
Cable (owned by Warner Communications, and an ancestor of Warner-Amex Satellite
Entertainment). One of the specialized channels available to subscribers of the
QUBE system was The Pinwheel Network,[3] a cable channel offering children's
programming.
Relaunch as Nickelodeon and national
expansion (1979–1990)
Pinwheel
was relaunched as Nickelodeon on April 1, 1979; despite its prior history on
the QUBE system under the Pinwheel name, Nickelodeon designated 1979 as the
channel's official launch year. The channel began airing on various Warner
Cable systems, beginning in Buffalo, New York and quickly expanded its audience
reach.[4][5][6] Originally a commercial-free cable channel, shows airing as
part of its broadcast day (which initially ran from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. ET on
weekdays and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. ET on weekends) included Video Comic Book, PopClips
and the long-running Pinwheel (which was now formatted as a daily hour-long
series that ran in a three- to five-hour block format, and was a precursor to
the Nick Jr. block), along with other shows such as America Goes Bananaz;
Nickel Flicks and By the Way. In 1980, new shows were added to the lineup,
including Dusty's Treehouse; First Row Features; Special Delivery; What Will
They Think Of Next?; Livewire and Hocus Focus.
The third Nickelodeon logo, used from 1981
to 1985.
The
network's first logo had a man looking into a Nickelodeon machine that was
placed in the N. In between television programs, the filler would be a man who
would turn the crank on the Nickelodeon as soon as the next program was about
to start. As the channel signed off for the night, Star Channel (later renamed
The Movie Channel in November 1979) would take over the channel space. The
second logo had the word "Nickelodeon" in Pinwheel's logo font. The
third logo was a silver pinball with the "Nickelodeon" title in
multicolor. Nickelodeon's first popular children's television series was You
Can't Do That on Television, a Canadian sketch comedy series that made its
American debut on Nickelodeon in late 1981. On April 12, 1981, the channel
moved its programming hours to 8 a.m.-9 p.m. ET; by this point, The Movie
Channel became its own separate 24-hour channel and Nickelodeon began turning
its channel space over to the Alpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS) during
its off-hours; ARTS became A&E in 1984, after ARTS merged with NBC's
struggling cable service The Entertainment Channel.
In
1983, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment began divesting its assets and spun
off Nickelodeon and two other channels, MTV and the now-defunct Radio
Television Station (RTS) into the newly-formed subsidiary MTV Networks; in
order to increase revenue, Nickelodeon began to accept PBS-style corporate
underwriting for its programming.[7] The green slime originally featured on You
Can't Do That On Television was then adopted by the channel as a primary
feature of many of its shows, including Double Dare.[8] In the early years,
other shows such as Livewire, Standby: Lights, Camera, Action, The Third Eye,
Mr. Wizard's World and Space Stars were part of Nickelodeon's regular schedule.
The
channel struggled at first, having lost $10 million by 1984, mostly due to a
lack of successful programs including failed shows such as Against the Odds and
Going Great, and had finished dead last among the cable channels. After firing
the previous staff, MTV Networks president Bob Pittman turned to Fred Seibert
and Alan Goodman, who created MTV's iconic IDs a few years earlier, to
reinvigorate Nickelodeon. Seibert and Goodman's company, Fred/Alan (now
Frederator Studios), teamed up with Tom Corey and Scott Nash of the advertising
firm Corey McPherson Nash to replace the "Pinball" logo with an
"orange splat" logo featuring the "Nickelodeon" name
written in the Balloon font, which would be used in hundreds of different
variations over the next 25 years. Fred/Alan also enlisted the help of
animators, writers, producers and doo-wop group The Jive Five to create new
channel IDs. Within six months of the rebranding, Nickelodeon would become the
dominant channel in children's programming and remained so for 26 years, even
in the midst of increasing competition in recent years from other kids-oriented
cable channels such as Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. The same year as the
rebrand, Nickelodeon began accepting traditional advertising.[7] It also began
promoting itself as "The First Kids' Network", due to its status as
the first American television network aimed at children.
In
January 1985, after A&E dropped its partnership with Nickelodeon and became
its own 24-hour channel, Nickelodeon simply went to a test screen after
sign-off. That July, Nickelodeon added a new nighttime block called Nick at
Nite, and became a 24-hour service. That same year, American Express sold its
stake in Warner-Amex to Warner Communications; by 1986, Warner turned MTV
Networks into a private company, and sold MTV, RTS, Nickelodeon and the new VH1
network to Viacom for $685 million. In 1988, Nick aired the first annual
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (previously known as The Big Ballot) and
introduced Nick Jr., an educational television block for preschool-age
children. Nick Jr. was made to replace Nickelodeon's former preschool block,
Pinwheel.
Success in the 1990s and the 2000s
(1990–2009)
In
1990, Nickelodeon opened Nickelodeon Studios, a television studio/attraction at
Universal Studios Florida in Orlando which many of its sitcoms and game shows
were filmed and entered into a multimillion-dollar joint marketing agreement
with international restaurant chain Pizza Hut, which provided Nickelodeon
Magazine for free at participating Pizza Hut restaurants (which was put on
hiatus for three years).[9] In 1991, Nickelodeon developed its first animated
series, Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show; these series, known as
Nicktoons, premiered on August 11, 1991.[10] The network had previously refused
to produce weekly animated series due to high cost.[10] The three Nicktoons
found success by 1993, resulting in Nickelodeon developing its fourth Nicktoon,
Rocko's Modern Life, which was also a success. Later, Nickelodeon partnered
with Sony Wonder and released top selling videocassettes of the channel's
programming until 1997. Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show would both end
production about that time, but still would air reruns up until about 2001.
However Doug would find success a few years later when ABC picked it up for its
Disney's One Saturday Morning block in 1996. Rugrats, on the other hand,
returned from hiatus on May 9, 1997 (reruns continued to air up until that
point).
On
August 15, 1992, the channel extended its Saturday schedule to 6 a.m. to 10
p.m. ET with the launch of a primetime block called SNICK,[11] which was home
to shows such as Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Clarissa Explains It All, All
That, The Amanda Show and Kenan & Kel; in 2004, the block was reformatted
as the Saturday edition of TEENick (which originally debuted on Sunday evenings
in 2000), the Saturday night block continues today without an official block
name (though A Night of Premieres and "Gotta See Saturdays" have been
used for the channel's Saturday night programs in recent years); the TEENick
branding, with its spelling altered to TeenNick, has since been used on the
Nickelodeon sister channel previously known as The N. In June 1993, Nickelodeon
resumed its magazine brand, Nickelodeon Magazine.[12] In March 1993, the
channel enlisted the help of viewers to come up with new shapes in which to
display its iconic orange logo to use for their television promos; the final
results (which included the logo in 3D and in form of a cap, a balloon, a gear,
a rocket and a top, among other shapes) began airing, along with the channel's
new promo presentation package, in June 1993. The success of the Saturday
primetime block led Nickelodeon to expand its programming into weeknight
primetime in 1996, by extending its broadcast day to 8:30 p.m. ET (and later
extended to 9 p.m. ET from 1998 to 2009) on Sunday through Friday
nights.[13][14]
A "splat logo" variant that was
used as the main logo from April 2003 to September 27, 2009.
In
1994, Nickelodeon launched The Big Help, which spawned a spin-off program The
Big Green Help in 2007; the program is intended to encourage activity and
environmental preservation by children. That same year, Nickelodeon removed You
Can't Do That on Television from its schedule after a 13-year run and
subsequently debuted a new sketch comedy show, All That. For many years, until
its cancellation in 2005, All That would launch the careers of numerous actors
and actresses including Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes and Jamie Lynn Spears. The
show's executive producer, Dan Schneider, would go on to create and produce
numerous hit series for Nickelodeon including among others The Amanda Show,
Drake & Josh and Zoey 101, and more recently iCarly, Victorious and Sam
& Cat. Also in 1994, Nickelodeon debuted the Nicktoon Aaahh!!! Real
Monsters, that series would eventually find success in 1996. In October and
December 1994, Nickelodeon sold Halloween and Christmas themed episodes of its
Nicktoons through syndication to local markets across the United States, with
then-new former corporate relative, Paramount Domestic Television (now CBS
Television Distribution).[15] In 1998, The Rugrats Movie was released in
theaters; the movie grossed more than $100 million in the United States and
became the first non-Disney animated movie to ever earn that much. Then in May
1999, the channel debuted the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, which
quickly became one of the most popular Nicktoons in the channel's history, and
has remained very popular to this day, consistently ranking as the channel's
highest-rated series since 2000.[16]
In
March 2004, Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite were split up in the Nielsen primetime
and total day ratings, due to the different programming, advertisers and target
audiences between the two services; this caused controversy by cable executives
believing this manipulated the ratings, given that Nick at Nite's broadcast day
takes up only a fraction of Nickelodeon's programming schedule.[1][2]
Nickelodeon's and Nick at Nite's respective ratings periods encompasses only
the hours they each operate under the total day rankings, though Nickelodeon
only is rated for the daytime ratings; this is due to a ruling by Nielsen in
July 2004, that networks have program for 51% or more of a daypart to qualify
for ratings for a particular daypart.[17]
Nickelodeon
Studios closed down in 2005 and was converted into the Blue Man Group Sharp
Aquos Theatre in 2007; Nickelodeon now tapes its live-action series at the
Nickelodeon on Sunset studios (formerly the Earl Carroll Theatre) in Hollywood,
California and other studio facilities in Hollywood and other locations. In
2007, Nickelodeon began a four-year development deal with Sony Music to produce
music-themed series for the channel, help fund and launch albums in conjunction
with the label tied to Nickelodeon shows and produce original songs for the
programs to be released as singles as result;[18] the only series produced
under the partnership that was greenlit as a series, Victorious debuted in
2010, though a similar hit music-themed sitcom, Big Time Rush that debuted the
same year features a similar partnership with Columbia Records, though with
Columbia only being involved with the show's music, Sony Music became involved
with that show's production midway through its first season. Big Time Rush
soon, after less than a month on the air, became a hit series, garnering 6.8
million viewers for its debut on January 18, 2010, and setting a new record for
highest-rated live action series premiere in the channel's history.
Rebranding, future plans and critical
reception (2009–present)
Nickelodeon
announced in February 2009 that Noggin and The N were to be rebranded as Nick
Jr. and TeenNick to bring both channels in line with the Nickelodeon brand
identity. On February 2, 2009, Nickelodeon discontinued the TEENick and Nick
Jr. programming blocks, although the programming featured within the blocks
remained.[19] Nickelodeon later announced in May 2009 that Nickelodeon Magazine
would be discontinued by the end of the year. In July 2009, Nickelodeon
unveiled a new logo for the first time in 25 years on the packaging of
Nickelodeon DVDs coming out beginning that month, the Australian service, and
that year's Nickelodeon Animation Festival, intending to create a unified look
that can better be conveyed across all of MTV Networks's children's channels.[20]
On
September 28, 2009, the new logo debuted across Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite,
along with the rebranded TeenNick, Nick Jr. and Nicktoons (formerly The N,
Noggin and Nicktoons Network, respectively) channels in varying versions
customized for brand unification and refreshment purposes;[20] a new logo for
Nickelodeon Productions also began being used in end credit tags on all
Nickelodeon shows, even on episodes aired before the new logo took effect (end
credit tags of programs airing on TeenNick, Nick Jr. and some shows on
Nicktoons only use the current Nickelodeon Productions logo and variants for
their respective channel's original programming on episodes of series made
after the rebrand). New York based creative director/designer Eric Zim rebranded
Nickelodeon, creating the new identity, logos, and the look and feel. In
addition to creating the new Nickelodeon corporate logo, he created a whole new
logo system to represent the company’s entire family of sub-brands (including
digital networks Nick Jr., Nicktoons, TeenNick and Nick at Nite).
Though
it is mainly a wordmark, during the days prior to the 2010 and 2011 Kids'
Choice Awards, the logo bug was given a blimp background to match the award
given out at the show; and beginning the week of September 7, 2010, the logo
was formed by a splat design (a la the 2006-2009 logo) in the on-screen program
bug during new episodes of its original series. The new logo was adopted in the
UK on February 15, 2010, in Spain on February 19, 2010, in Asia on March 15,
2010,[21] and in Latin America on April 5, 2010.[22] The "Nickelodeon on
ABS-CBN" block on ABS-CBN in the Philippines adopted the rebranded logo on
July 26, 2010. On November 2, 2009, a Canadian version of Nickelodeon was
launched, in partnership between Viacom and Corus Entertainment (owners of YTV,
which has aired Nick shows for several years, and will continue to do so); as a
result, versions of Nickelodeon now exist in most of North America.
On
May 12, 2010, after an agreement was reached with Haim Saban (who earlier that
month had bought back rights to the Power Rangers franchise from The Walt
Disney Company), Nickelodeon agreed to air an eighteenth season of the series,
and the production resumed in late 2010 for. The new show, Power Rangers Samurai,
debuted in February 7, 2011; as part of the deal, Nickelodeon also plans to air
the existing 700-episode catalog of the series on the Nicktoons cable channel
later that year.[23]
On
January 1, 2011, Nickelodeon debuted House of Anubis, a series based on the
Nickelodeon Netherlands series Het Huis Anubis, which became the first original
scripted series to be broadcast in a weekdaily strip (similar to the soap opera
format) and the first original series produced by the flagship Nickelodeon in
the United States to be produced outside of North America. 2011 saw the start
of the toppling of Nickelodeon's longtime ratings dominance among the
kid-targeted cable channels: the channel was the highest-rated cable channel
during the first half of that year,[24] only for its viewership to experience a
sharp double-digit decline by the end of that year described as “inexplicable”
by parent company Viacom.[25] The channel did not experience a ratings increase
during a calendar week until November 2012,[26] however its 17-year streak as
the highest-rated cable network in total day viewership was broken by Disney
Channel during that year.[27] In Spring 2013, Ubisoft and Nickelodeon partnered
to develop a new animated series, Rabbids Invasion (based on the Rabbids video
game franchise), which is scheduled premiere of Fall 2013.
Programming:
List of programs broadcast by Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon's
schedule currently consists largely of original series aimed at pre-teens and
young teenagers, including animated series (such as SpongeBob SquarePants, The
Fairly OddParents, The Penguins of Madagascar, and Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles,[28] Sanjay and Craig), to live-action comedy and action series (such
as Marvin Marvin, Power Rangers Megaforce, Supah Ninjas and Sam & Cat), as well
as series aimed at preschoolers (such as Team Umizoomi, Peter Rabbit and Dora
the Explorer). The channel also airs repeats of now-defunct Nickelodeon
original series (such as Victorious, Drake & Josh, and iCarly), acquired
shows (such as Rocket Monkeys, Winx Club and sister channel Nicktoons series
NFL Rush Zone: Season of the Guardians) as well as occasional original
made-for-TV movies. The channel also airs bi-monthly special editions of Nick
News, a newsmagazine series aimed at children that debuted in 1992 as a weekly
series.[29]
Nicktoons:
Nicktoons is Nickelodeon's branding for
their original animated television series (a brand that has seldom been used by
Nickelodeon itself since the launch of the Nicktoons digital cable and
satellite channel in 2002). Until 1991, the animated series that aired on
Nickelodeon were largely imported from foreign countries, and some original
animated specials were also featured on the channel up to that point as
well.[30] Nicktoons continue to make up a substantial portion of Nickelodeon's
lineup, with roughly 6–7 hours airing on weekdays and around nine hours on
weekends including a five-hour weekend morning block. Since the late 2000s,
after the channel struck a deal with DreamWorks Animation in 2006 to develop
the studio's animated films into weekly series,[31] there has been a gradual
shift towards Nicktoon series using three-dimensional computer animation rather
than traditional or digital two-dimensional ink and paint; the introductions of
The Penguins of Madagascar and Fanboy and Chum Chum to the channel's lineup
reflect this.
Movies:
List of films broadcast by Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon
does not air movies on a regular basis; however, it does produce its own
original made-for-cable television movies, which usually premiere in weekend
evening timeslots.
The
channel occasionally airs feature films produced by the network's Nickelodeon
Movies film production division (whose films are distributed by sister company
Paramount Pictures). Although the film division bears the Nickelodeon brand
name, the Nickelodeon cable channel does not have access to most Nickelodeon
Movies-produced films released through Paramount. Nickelodeon does have
broadcast rights to most feature films based on or that served as the basis for
original series produced by the channel (such as Barnyard: The Original Party
Animals and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie); the majority of the live-action
feature films produced under the Nickelodeon Movies banner are licensed for
broadcast by various broadcast and cable television outlets within the United
States other than Nickelodeon (although the network has aired a few live-action
Nickelodeon Movies releases such as Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Good
Burger).
Nickelodeon
also advertises hour-long episodes of its original series as movies; though the
"TV movie" versions of Nickelodeon's original series differ from
traditional made-for-TV films in that they have shorter runtimes than a
standard made-for-TV movie (approximately 45 minutes, as opposed to 75–100
minute run times that most television movies have), and use a traditional
multi-camera setup for regular episodes with some on-location filming.
Nickelodeon also periodically acquires theatrically released feature films for
broadcast on the channel including Universal's Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale, and
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever (which was later released by
Nickelodeon Movies through Paramount DVD for DVD release), with the Barbie
films usually aired under a brokered programming format where Mattel purchases
the time in order to promote the release of their films on DVD within a few
days of the Nickelodeon premiere.
Programming blocks:
Current
Nick:
The Smart Place to Play – Nickelodeon currently programs shows targeted at
preschool-age children on Monday through Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. ET/PT
(7-10 a.m. during the summer months, other designated school break periods and
on major holidays).[32] This block was previously known as "Nick Jr."
from January 1988 to February 2009 and as the "Play Date" from 2009
to 2010. The block exists because Nickelodeon's usual audience of school-age
children are in school at that time; the block does not air on weekends at any
time of the year. Programs currently seen in this block include Team Umizoomi,
Dora the Explorer, Bubble Guppies, Peter Rabbit and Max and Ruby.
Gotta
See Saturdays – "Gotta See Saturdays" is a morning animation and
evening live-action block airing on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 8-10
p.m. ET/PT. Nickelodeon has long aired first-run episodes of its original
programming on Saturdays, though this particular block debuted on September 22,
2012; recent episodes of certain original series may air when no new episodes
are scheduled to air that week. The Saturday morning schedule features
SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of
Awesomeness and Power Rangers Megaforce, while the Saturday primetime schedule
features Sam & Cat, Marvin Marvin and The Haunted Hathaways (all first-run
episodes are cycled on the schedule, giving it a variable schedule). Premieres
of the network's original made-for-cable movies also occasionally air during
the primetime block, usually in the form of premiere showings.
Nick
Studio 10 – "Nick Studio 10" is a late afternoon programming block
that debuted on February 18, 2013, airing weekdays from 4-6 p.m. ET/PT. It is
the first live hosted afternoon program block seen on Nickelodeon since ME:TV,
a short-lived block that ran in 2007. The block currently features repeat
airings of SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents on a regular basis,
which are shown in an off-the-clock schedule due to the live segments featured
following each program's individual acts.
The World of
Nicktoons:
Seasonal programming blocks and events
Nickelodeon
Kids' Choice Awards – The Kids' Choice Awards are a 90-minute long annual event
held on the last Saturday night in March (formerly the first Saturday in April
until 2008), that is broadcast live on the network (though broadcast on a
three-hour delay on the channel's Pacific Time Zone feed and the Eastern and
Central time zone version of Nick 2 that simulcasts the Pacific time zone feed
for digital cable subscribers). The award show (whose winners are selected by
Nickelodeon viewers though voting on the channel's website and through text
messaging) honors the biggest television, movie and music acts of the past
year, with winners receiving a hollow orange blimp figurine (one of the logo
outlines used for much of the network's "splat logo" era from 1984 to
2009). The show features numerous celebrity guests as hosts and presenters, and
features performances by two or three musical acts. Celebrities (and audience
members) are also commonly slimed during various points within the awards
broadcast. Since the 2009 telecast, slime stunts have been also incorporated
into the show. SpongeBob SquarePants currently holds the record for the most
Kids' Choice Award wins, while Rosie O'Donnell has hosted the most KCA
telecasts.
Worldwide
Day of Play – The "Worldwide Day of Play" is an annual event held on
a Saturday afternoon in late September that launched on October 2, 2004, to
mark the conclusion of the "Let's Just Play" campaign that launched
the same year, both of which are designed to influence kids to exercise and
participate in outdoor activities; during the event, schools and educational
organizations are also encouraged to host local events to promote activity
among children. Nickelodeon, its respective sister channels (Nick Jr., TeenNick
and Nicktoons) and some international Nickelodeon channels suspend programming
and the websites for all four Nickelodeon channels are taken offline for a
three-hour period from 12-3 p.m. ET/PT[33] (during which an on-screen message
that encourages viewers to participate in outdoor activities during that time
and notifying them that the channels will resume normal programming at 3 p.m.
ET/PT is shown). However, the primary channel's Pacific/Mountain time zone feed
and the Eastern/Central Time Zone version of Nick 2 that simulcasts the Pacific
time zone feed for digital cable subscribers does not suspend regular
programming until the Eastern Time Zone feed resumes programming. Since 2010,
the Worldwide Day of Play event became part of The Big Help program, as part of
an added focus on healthy lifestyles in addition to the program's main focus on
environmental issues. New episodes of Nickelodeon's original series are
commonly aired during its Saturday primetime lineup on the night of the event.
Nickelodeon program blocks on other
channels
On
November 9, 1998, Spanish-dubbed versions of Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters,
Hey Arnold!, Rocko's Modern Life, KaBlam! and Blue's Clues debuted on
Telemundo. Nickelodeon programs were seen on Telemundo on weekdays until
September 5, 2000, when they were relegated on weekends only, to make room for
a morning news program; Telemundo dropped the lineup in November 2001 after NBC
purchased that network. On September 14, 2002, a two-hour block featuring
Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, Little Bill, As Told by Ginger, The Wild
Thornberrys, Rugrats, Hey Arnold! and Pelswick debuted on most CBS stations.
Then in 2005, a two-hour block featuring Nick Jr. shows returned on most CBS
stations until September 2006 after the Viacom-CBS split, when the airtime was
leased to DIC Entertainment and then later DiC purchaser Cookie Jar Group for
their Cookie Jar TV block. In April 2008 Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! and
Pinky Dinky Doo from Nick Jr. were picked up by Univision for a block called
Planeta U. Nickelodeon sister network TeenNick runs a nightly block called The
'90s Are All That, which debuted on July 25, 2011 due to the long-standing
popularity of Nickelodeon's 1990s live-action and animated series, which
comprise the two-hour late night block.
Related networks
and services
Nick at Nite
Nick
at Nite (stylized as "nick@nite") is Nickelodeon's nighttime
programming service, which debuted on July 1, 1985, and broadcasts Sunday
through Wednesdays from 8 p.m.-7 a.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m.
and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-7 a.m. ET/PT. Originally featuring classic sitcoms
from the 1950s and 1960s such as The Donna Reed Show, Mr. Ed and The Adventures
of Ozzie and Harriet, programming eventually changed to repeats of popular
sitcoms from the 1980s to the 2000s such as Home Improvement, The Cosby Show
and Roseanne.
Programs
currently airing on Nick at Nite include George Lopez, Yes, Dear, Friends, My
Wife and Kids, Full House, The Nanny and See Dad Run. ACNielsen rates Nick at
Nite as being a separate cable channel from Nickelodeon. In 1996, the original
older programming was spun off Nick at Nite as a new channel entitled TV Land,
which currently airs a variety of older shows, primarily sitcoms from the 1950s
through the 2000s.
Current sister channels:
Nicktoons
Nicktoons (TV channel)
This
channel debuted on May 1, 2002, and was known as Nicktoons TV from its launch
until May 2003 and as Nicktoons Network from 2005 until September 2009. Nicktoons
airs classic Nicktoons such as The Ren and Stimpy Show, Invader Zim, Jimmy
Neutron: Boy Genius and Rugrats during the overnight and early morning hours,
and also airs Nicktoons produced exclusively for the channel and current
first-run Nicktoons aired on Nickelodeon during the daytime and evening hours,
along with a minimal amount of live-action programs from Nickelodeon. The
channel is carried on a separate digital cable tier and is carried on expanded
satellite packages.
Nick Jr:
This
United States-based television channel aimed at preschool-aged children,
originally launched as a joint venture between MTV Networks and the Children's
Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) before Sesame Workshop opted out of
the venture in 2002, has only programming promotions and underwriter-style
sponsorships in lieu of regular commercials (though traditional advertising
appears on the channel during the nighttime "Nickmom" block) and is
usually carried on a digital cable tier and the basic tiers of satellite
providers. Nick Jr.'s programming consists of preschool-oriented programming
also seen on Nickelodeon's Nick Play Date block, original series exclusive to
the channel and some discontinued shows seen on the former Nick Jr. block on
Nickelodeon.
Originally
launching on February 2, 1999, and based on the former Noggin – which starting
in 2002, shared channel space with the teen-oriented The N (now TeenNick, and
operating as a separate channel from Nick Jr. since December 31, 2007), the
network was rebranded Nick Jr. on September 28, 2009. The channel is named
after the former Nick Jr. preschool program block on Nickelodeon, that ran
weekday mornings from January 1988 to February 2009. Unlike Nickelodeon's other
U.S. channels, save for overnight and morning programs airing on Nicktoons,
full closing credits are seen during programs airing on Nick Jr. (generic
credit sequences are used by Nickelodeon, TeenNick and at all other times,
Nicktoons). Since 2012, Nick Jr. broadcasts a four-hour nightly program block aimed
at mothers, called Nickmom;[35] this block was controversial at its start due
to its more lenient programming content (which includes profanity, some crude
humor and suggestive references) compared to that permitted on Nick Jr. during
the remainder of its schedule, particularly as Nick Jr. operates a singular
feed operating on an Eastern Time Zone schedule, which results in the Nickmom
block airing at the same time in all six U.S. time zones (being broadcast as
early as 5 p.m. in the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone).[36]
TeenNick
This
television channel in the United States is aimed at teenagers and young adults,
and is usually carried on a digital cable tier and the basic tiers of satellite
providers. TeenNick, which has more relaxed program standards than the other
Nickelodeon channels (save for Nick at Nite and the Nickmom block on Nick Jr.)
allowing for moderate profanity, suggestive dialogue and some violent content
(though Nickelodeon series and some off-network programs airing on the channel
do not include this), once shared the evening and overnight time period daily
with Noggin as The N (in a similar manner to Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite)
starting with The N's initial launch on April 1, 2002, but on December 31,
2007, it took over Nickelodeon GAS's satellite transponder and became a
standalone channel. The network was rebranded as TeenNick (with
actor/comedian/rapper Nick Cannon as its "chairman") on September 28,
2009.
The
channel is named after the former TEENick weekend evening program block on Nickelodeon,
that ran from July 2000 to February 2009. The channel's flagship series is the
Canadian teen drama Degrassi, which has aired uninterrupted on the channel
since 2003 as The N, two years after its official debut on Canadian broadcast
network CTV; TeenNick also airs repeats of current and former Nickelodeon
series, and some acquired sitcoms and drama series. The channel has broadcast
some original programming in the past, more prominently while known as The N,
though series produced exclusively for TeenNick have been largely absent since
the 2009 rebrand (save for the short-lived 2011 series Gigantic); first-run
episodes of series airing on TeenNick since then have been primarily through
Nickelodeon series moved to TeenNick to be burned off due to low ratings on the
flagship channel and shows acquired by the channel. On July 25, 2011, TeenNick
began airing The '90s Are All That, a block of Nickelodeon's most popular 1990s
programming, targeting the network's target demographic from that era.[37]
TV Land
A
cable channel that was based on the Nick at Nite block (and is usually carried
on the basic tiers of cable and satellite providers), TV Land debuted on April
29, 1996, and originally aired classic television programming from the early
1950s to the 1970s. Starting in 2004, TV Land moved to more modern programming
such as reality shows and 1990s sitcoms. In 2007, TV Land created a programming
block called, "TV Land PRIME", that ran from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET/PT
until it was discontinued in 2011 (though curiously, shows that aired within
the lineup that aired in timeslots outside of the block displayed the block's
logo bug) and was aimed at older adults 40- to 55-years-old. Since 2008, TV
Land has incorporated original programming onto its schedule, the most
well-known being sitcoms that began to air on the channel starting in 2010 such
as Hot in Cleveland, The Exes and Happily Divorced. In 2006, TV Land began to
be operated separately from Nick at Nite, though Viacom still operates the
channel as part of its Viacom Media Networks division.
Former sister
channels:
Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids
Nickelodeon
Games and Sports for Kids (commonly referred to in on-air usage as Nickelodeon
GAS or Nick GAS), was an American digital cable and satellite television
channel that was launched on March 1, 1999, as part of MTV Networks' suite of
digital cable channels. Nick GAS was essentially a children's version of (and
Viacom's answer to) the Game Show Network (now branded as GSN), which had
launched in December 1994. The channel ceased operations on December 31, 2007,
on digital cable providers, with an automated loop remaining on Dish Network
due to unknown factors until April 23, 2009.
Other services:
Nick HD Logo.svg
Nick
HD: Nick HD is the on-air name for a feed provided by Nickelodeon that
broadcasts a limited schedule of programming – mainly the network's post-2008
live action series and some animation, as well as Nick at Nite programs that
had been produced in HD for their original network television broadcasts after
2000 and earlier filmed sitcoms remastered for HD – in 1080i high definition,
which is carried by most of the major American cable providers on a simulcast
schedule that broadcasts programs based on an Eastern/Central and a
Pacific/Mountain schedule. Other non-HD programming is broadcast in pillarboxed
4:3 standard definition.
Nick 2 Logo.svg
Nick
2: Nick 2 is the on-air name for a feed provided by Nickelodeon to digital
cable providers that features either the Pacific/Mountain or Eastern/Central
feed of the channel, giving viewers – depending on geographical location – a
second chance to watch programming three hours after its airing on the East
Coast feed in the Eastern and Central time zones, or to watch the show ahead of
time three hours before the original airing on the West Coast feed in the
Pacific and Mountain time zones (for instance, the Nick at Nite block would
begin on the Nick 2 feeds at 11 p.m. ET on Nick 2 Pacific or 5 p.m. PT
weeknights on Nick 2 Eastern, respectively). The network was originally offered
as part of the "MTV Networks Digital Suite" which was intended to
offer digital cable providers exclusive channels not offered to satellite
providers (though most of these channels now do air over those services also), and
is currently the only example of two feeds provided by cable and IPTV providers
to be offered to their customers. A Nick TOO logo was used on the channel until
2004, when MTV Networks decided to no longer customize the feed as Nick TOO
(Nick 2 presently uses an off-air logo that is utilized solely for electronic
program guides as a placeholder image); most television listings thus either
show the additional channel under the brandings "Nickelodeon
Pacific/NICKP" or "Nickelodeon Eastern/NICKE". DirecTV and Dish
Network also offer both Nickelodeon feeds, though unbranded as most of the
children's networks the provider carries offer both time zone feeds by default.
Nick
on Demand: Nick on Demand is a free video-on-demand service available on most
cable and satellite providers, carrying Nickelodeon's live-action, animated,
and preschool programming. Nick at Nite's non-original programming is not
included as most of the network's syndication rights are limited by contract to
late evening and overnight time slots on the linear television channel.
Media:
See
also: Nickelodeon Toys and Nick Rewind
Nick.com:
Nick.com
is Nickelodeon's main online portal; the website launched in October 1995.[38]
It provides content, as well as video clips and full streaming episodes from
Nickelodeon's series. Initially the website was accessible only through America
Online, but was later available to all internet service providers. The
website's popularity grew over time and in March 1999, Nick.com became the
highest-rated website among children aged 6–14 years old. Nickelodeon used the
website in conjunction with television programs which increased traffic.[39] In
2001, Nickelodeon partnered with Networks Inc. to provide broadband video games
for rent from Nick.com; the move was a further step in the multimedia direction
that the developers wanted to take the website. Skagerlind indicated that over
50% of Nick.com's audience were using a high speed connection, which allowed
them to expand the gaming options on the website. To accompany the broadband
content, TurboNick was created, which initially was a popup panel which
showcased broadband content on Nick.com.[40]
Nickelodeon Movies:
Nickelodeon
Movies is the channel's motion picture production arm founded in 1995, its
films are released by Nickelodeon sister company Paramount Pictures. The first
film released from the studio was Harriet the Spy in 1997. Nickelodeon Movies
has produced films based on Nickelodeon animated programs including The Rugrats
Movie and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, as well as other adaptations and
original live-action and animated projects.
Nickelodeon
Magazine:
Nickelodeon
Magazine was a magazine launched by Nickelodeon in 1993, following a
short-lived effort from 1990. It contained informative non-fiction pieces,
humor, interviews, pranks, recipes (such as green slime cake), and a comic book
section in the center featuring original comics by leading underground
cartoonists as well as strips about popular Nicktoons. In July 2009,
Nickelodeon, in response to a hard-hit magazine industry, announced it would
shut Nick Magazine down after 16 years;[41] the final issue was published in
December 2009.
Nickelodeon
Universe:
Nickelodeon
Universe at the Mall of America is the largest in-door theme park in America.
On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon and Southern Star Amusement announced that the
second Nickelodeon Universe will be located in New Orleans, Louisiana and have
a tentative opening date by the end of 2010.[42] It was set to be the first
outdoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but on November 9, 2009, Nickelodeon
announced that it had ended the licensing agreement with Southern Star
Amusements.[43]
Nickelodeon
Animation Studio:
Nickelodeon
Animation Studio (formerly Games Animation) is the home of Nicktoons located in
Burbank, California; it houses production of many current Nicktoons.
Nickelodeon On
Sunset:
Nickelodeon
On Sunset, located in Hollywood, California, that serves the primary studio
facility for Nickelodeon's series; the studio, formerly known as the Earl
Carroll Theater and designated by the U.S. National Registry for Historic
Places as a historical landmark as a result of its prior existence as a
prominent dinner theater, has served as the production facilities for several
Nickelodeon series including iCarly (until the series moved to Sunset Bronson
Studios for its fifth season), All That (from 2002 to 2005, it was produced at
Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida for the prior years), Victorious and
Sam & Cat.
Hotel brands:
Nickelodeon
Suites Resort is a Nickelodeon-themed hotel in Orlando, Florida, located near
Universal Studios Resort and one mile (1.6 km) from Walt Disney World Resort.
The property includes one, two, and three-bedroom Nick-themed kid suites and
various forms of Nick-themed entertainment. Nickelodeon Suites Resort also
contains a Nick at Nite suite for adults.
Nickelodeon
Resorts by Marriott was a proposed hotel chain similar to the above Family
Suites, featuring a 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) waterpark area and 650
hotel rooms. Announced in 2007,[44] the first location was to open in San Diego
in 2010 but was canceled in 2009.[45] Plans for the remaining 19 hotels
originally slated to open remain unclear.
Cruises
Nickelodeon
at Sea is a series of Nickelodeon-themed cruise packages in partnership with
Norwegian Cruise Line. These cruises feature special amenities and
entertainment themed to various Nickelodeon properties.[46]
Norwegian
Cruise Line will also be hosting some Nickelodeon Cruises on the Norwegian
Jewel and Norwegian Epic, the event is known as "Nickelodeon at
Sea".[47]
Theme park areas
Almost
all theme park areas themed to Nickelodeon are now closed:
Nickelodeon
Universe was also an area inside of Paramount's Kings Island featuring
Nickelodeon-themed rides and attractions. The area was one of the largest areas
in the park, and has been voted "Best Kid's Area" by Amusement Today
magazine from 2001 to the area's closure in 2009. In March 2008, another
version of Nickelodeon Universe opened at Mall of America with many characters
including SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.
Nickland
is an area inside of Movie Park Germany featuring Nickelodeon-themed rides,
including a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed "Splash Battle" ride, and a
Jimmy Neutron-themed roller coaster. This area is currently being expanded to
fill space formerly occupied with rides based on Warner Bros. characters.
Nickelodeon
Studios as viewed from the Hard Rock Cafe in March 2004 before they moved.
Nickelodeon
Studios was an attraction at Universal Orlando Resort that opened on June 7,
1990, and housed production for many Nickelodeon programs. It closed on April
30, 2005, after Nickelodeon's facilities were moved to New York City and
Burbank, California. Nick Studios was replaced by the Blue Man Group Sharp
Aquos Theatre. Another Nickelodeon themed attraction at the Orlando park, Jimmy
Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, opened in 2003 but was closed in 2011 to make way for
the new Universal Studios ride: Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem based on the 2010
movie by Illumination Entertainment. In 2012, a store based on SpongeBob
SquarePants opened in Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone, replacing Universal's Cartoon
Store.
Nickelodeon
Central was an area inside of California's Great America, Carowinds, Kings
Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and Dreamworld that featured shows, attractions,
and themes featuring the Nickelodeon characters. The only remaining Nickelodeon
Central is in Dreamworld, located in Australia.
Nickelodeon
Blast Zone was an area in Universal Studios Hollywood that featured attractions
centered around Nickelodeon characters and themes. The four attractions that
were present in the area were "Nickelodeon Splash", a waterpark-style
area, 'The Wild Thornberrys Adventure Temple', a jungle-themed foam ball play
area, and "Nick Jr. Backyard", a medium-sized toddler playground.
This area closed in winter 2007 and has been rethemed to Curious George.
Another attraction, "Rugrats Magic Adventure", was present at the
opening of the area in 2001, but closed in 2002 to make way for Shrek 4-D.
Nickelodeon
Splat City was an area inside California's Great America (1995–2002), Kings
Island (1995–2000), and Kings Dominion (1995–1999), that featured attraction
involving getting messy or wet. The slime refinery theme was carried out in the
attractions such as the "Green Slime Zone Refinery", the
"Crystal Slime Mining Maze", and the "Green Slime Transfer
Truck". All of these areas were later transformed into either Nickelodeon
Central or Nickelodeon Universe.
Nickelodeon
Land opened on May 4, 2011, in Blackpool Pleasure Beach, featuring several
rides including SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dora the
Explorer and The Fairly OddParents.
International:
An
attempt at the Guinness record for the world's largest picnic, sponsored by
Nickelodeon in Petah Tikva, Israel.
In
1995, Nickelodeon only had international channels in the United Kingdom,
Australia and Germany in addition to the flagship American channel, but had
created blocks or put their shows on other blocks in 70 countries. Since the
mid-1990s and early 2000s, Nickelodeon as a brand has expanded into include
language- or culture-specific Nickelodeon channels for various other
territories in different parts of the world including Europe, the Middle East,
Russia, Asia, and recently Canada, and has licensed some of its cartoons and
other content, in English and local languages, to TV and cable stations such as
KI.KA and Super RTL in Germany, RTÉ Two (English speaking) and TG4 (Irish
speaking) in Ireland, YTV (in English) and Vrak.TV (in French) in Canada, Canal
J in France, Alpha Kids in Greece and CNBC-e in Turkey.
In
addition to the flagship United States channel and the original international
versions in the UK, Australia and Germany, as of early-March 2010, the channel
also broadcasts in South East Asia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Poland, Republic
of Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Cyprus, India, Italy,
Israel, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Hungary, France, Russia, Greece, Canada,
Switzerland, Czech Republic, Africa, Brazil, Colombia and Latin America. A
Japanese version of the channel had existed as well, but was shut down in 2009,
though their website remains online. As of September 2010, Nickelodeon Japan
now airs as a block on Animax, called Nick Time.
On
October 11, 2006, Viacom's subsidiary MTV Networks Asia Pacific set up a new
unit to manage Nickelodeon South East Asia TV based in Singapore.[48]
Nickelodeon was launched in Singapore and expanded its services in Southeast
Asia, South Asia, and Polynesia. In the present, Nickelodeon Philippines,
Nickelodeon Pakistan, and Nickelodeon India started working independently. They
started their new website, Nicksplat.com in 2003. On April 1, 2011, Nickelodeon
launched a dedicated feed in the Philippines.
In
India, Nickelodeon is available on the One Alliance bouquet, through the Dish
TV and Tata Sky DTH services. In the Philippines, it is available on SkyCable
Gold, Silver and Platinum channel 45, Sun Cable channel 34 and Global Destiny
Cable channel 52. In Hong Kong, it is available on now TV, while in Malaysia,
it is available over Astro via Channel 612. In Singapore, it is available over
StarHub TV and in Indonesia, Nickelodeon is available on Astro Nusantara
channel 14, Global TV, a free-to-air television channel, and is also broadcast
on Indovision channel 33. In Pakistan, Nickelodeon is available on PTCL Smart
TV, WorldCall CATV and Southern Networks as well as on the Pakistan satellite
Paksat-1.
A
pan-Arabia version of Nickelodeon has been relaunched in 2008, in countries
such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. From 1996 to
2002, it used to be on the Showtime Arabia and Orbit satellite services, until is
was removed.[49] The Polish version of Nickelodeon had launched on July 10,
2008, in Platform N, replacing a Polish feed of Nickelodeon Russia that was
banned in 2002.
In
September 2009, Corus Entertainment, owners of YTV and Treehouse TV, announced
that they would launch Nickelodeon Canada on November 2.[50] Before that and
since then, YTV has served as a de facto outlet for Nickelodeon's programming
in Canada, and also brands a Sunday morning block called Nickelodeon Sundays.
Nickelodeon
launched specific channels for Serbia and Slovenia in April 2013.......Wikipedia >>
