Nickelodeon (TV channel)

Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon logo new.svg
Launched December 1, 1977
(as Pinwheel)
April 1, 1979
(as Nickelodeon)
Owned by MTV Networks (Viacom)
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Country  United States
Broadcast area Nationwide
Headquarters New York City, New York
Formerly called Pinwheel (1977-1979)
Sister channel(s) Nick Jr., Nicktoons, TeenNick, TV Land, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Spike, Logo
Website http://www.nick.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV Channel 299 (East)
Channel 300 (West)
Channel 1300 (VOD)
Dish Network Channel 170 (East/HD)
Channel 171 (West)
AMC 11
N/Central America/Caribbean		 4060 H / 29270 / 3/4
Channel 630
(Transponder 18)
AMC 10
N/Central America/Caribbean		 3920 V / 29270 / 3/4
Channel 140
(Transponder 11)
Cable
Available on most American cable systems Check local listings for details
IPTV
AT&T U-verse Channel 314 (East)
Channel 315 (West)
Channel 1314 (HD)
Verizon FiOS Channel 252 (East)
Channel 253 (West)

Nickelodeon (usually abbreviated as Nick, and originally named Pinwheel from December 1, 1977 to March 31, 1979) is an American cable television network owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 6–14, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers ages 2–5. Since 2006, Nickelodeon has been run by MTVN Kids & Family Group president Cyma Zarghami. As of 2010, Nickelodeon is ranked as the #1 cable channel among the kids 2-11 and 6-11 demographics, outranking competitors Disney Channel and Cartoon Network.

Nickelodeon's broadcast day runs on Monday through Thursdays from 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Fridays and Sundays from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time). It shares its channel space with Nick at Nite, a nighttime channel/programming block airing mainly sitcom reruns, created in 1985, that airs during the interim hours and is treated as a separate channel from Nickelodeon by A.C. Nielsen Co. for ratings purposes.[1][2] The two services are sometimes referred to under the collective name "Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite", due to their association as two individual channels sharing the same channel space.

Contents

History

The Pinwheel logo.

Early history (1977–1979)

Nickelodeon's pre-history began on December 1, 1977 when QUBE, the first two-way interactive cable TV 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 Pinwheel,[3] a cable channel offering children's programming, which ran for only about six hours each day.

Relaunch as Nickelodeon and national expansion (1979–1990)

Pinwheel was re-launched as Nickelodeon on April 1, 1979, and despite its prior history on the QUBE system under the Pinwheel name, Nickelodeon has declared that 1979 is the network's official launch year. It began airing on various Warner Cable systems, beginning in Buffalo, New York and quickly expanded its audience reach.[4][5] Shows airing during its broadcast day (which initially ran from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekends) included Video Comic Book, Pop Clips and the long-running Pinwheel (now formatted as a daily hour-long series that ran in a 3-5 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. Also in the same year, Video Comic Book was renamed to Video Comicz. In 1984, Nickelodeon launched The Big Help, changed to The Big Green Help in 2007. The point of the program is to change yourself and the earth by exercising and cleaning up polluted garbage to show a difference to the earth.

The original Nickelodeon "pinball" logo, used from April 1, 1979 to Late 1984.

The network's original logo was a silver pinball with the "Nickelodeon" title in multicolor. Nickelodeon's first popular series was You Can't Do That On Television, a Canadian sketch comedy that made its American debut on Nickelodeon in late 1981. On April 12, 1981, the channel extended its hours from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. ET by turning its channel over to the Alpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS) and, later until 1985, A&E Network 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. After a while the network became known for its iconic green slime, originally featured in You Can't Do That on Television. The green slime was then adopted by the channel as a primary feature of many of its shows, including Double Dare.[6] In the early years, other shows such as Livewire, Standby: Lights, Camera, Action, The Third Eye and Mr. Wizard's World were part of the regular Nickelodeon time slots.

The channel struggled at first, having lost $4 million by 1984, and finishing 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, teamed up with Tom Corey and Scott Nash of the advertising firm Corey McPherson Nash to replace the "Pinball" logo with the "orange splat" logo with the name Nickelodeon written in Balloon font, that would be used in hundreds of different variations for the next quarter century. Fred/Alan also enlisted the help of animators, writers, producers and doo-wop group The Jive Five to create new idents for the channel. Within six months of the rebranding, Nickelodeon would become the dominant channel in children programming and has remained so for more than 25 years, even in the midst of increasing competition in recent years from other kids-oriented cable channels such as Disney Channel and Cartoon Network.[7]

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, Nick added a new nighttime block called Nick at Nite, and became a 24-hour a day service. That same year, American Express sold their stake in Warner-Amex to Warner Communications and was renamed Warner Cable; by 1986, Warner Cable turned MTV Networks into a private company, and sold MTV, RTS and Nickelodeon 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 block for younger children around preschool age.

Success in the 1990s and the 2000s (1990–2009)

By October 1990, Nickelodeon was seen in 52 million homes across the United States. 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 involved launching Nickelodeon Magazine, available for free at participating Pizza Hut restaurants.[8] In 1991, for the first time, Nickelodeon developed its first animated series, Doug, The Ren and Stimpy Show, and Rugrats. These series, known as Nicktoons, premiered on August 11, 1991.[9] The network had previously refused to produce weekly animated series due to high cost.[9] The three Nicktoons found success in 1993, while in mid-1993, Nickelodeon developed its fourth Nicktoon, Rocko's Modern Life, which was also a success along with the three other Nicktoons. Later, Nickelodeon partnered with Sony Wonder and released top selling video cassettes of the show's programming.[10] By 1994, Doug ended production and on May 22, 1994, Rugrats was in a production hiatus, but Rocko's Modern Life and The Ren and Stimpy Show were still in production and airing. In mid-1996, Nickelodeon developed two new Nicktoons, KaBlam! and Hey Arnold! which would take the place of Rocko's Modern Life and The Ren and Stimpy Show since they would both end production about that time, but still would air re-runs up until about 2001. Rugrats, on the other hand, returned from hiatus on May 9, 1997 (reruns continued to air up until that point). In 1998, The Rugrats Movie came out. The movie grossed more than $100 million in the United States and became the first non-Disney animated movie to ever earn that much.[11]

One of the many variants of the orange logo, commonly known for the "splat" design, used from Autumn 1984 to September 28, 2009; this particular version was used as the main logo from 2006 to September 28, 2009; this logo is still used on newer products in tandem with the current logo.

In August 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, 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), and the Saturday night block continues today without a name (the TEENick branding, with its spelling altered to TeenNick, has since been used on the Nicklelodeon sister channel previously known as The N). In June 1993, Nickelodeon resumed its magazine brand, Nickelodeon Magazine.[12] In 1994, Nickelodeon removed You Can't Do That on Television from its schedule after thirteen years and by the same year the network had launched a new sketch comedy show, All That. For many years, until its cancellation in 2005, All That would launch the careers of many 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 several hit series for Nickelodeon including The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly and Victorious, among others.

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).[13]

In October 1995, Nickelodeon ventured in the World Wide Web and launched Nick.com.[14] Initially the website was available only using America Online's internet service, but was later available to all internet service providers and became a strong promotional tool for Nickelodeon. The website's popularity grew and in March 1999, Nick.com became the highest rated website aimed at children aged six to fourteen years old. Nickelodeon used the website in conjunction with television programs which increased traffic.[15] 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 are using a high speed connection which allows them to expand the gaming options on the website. To accompany the broadband content, TurboNick was created. Initially it was a popup panel which showcased broadband content on Nick.com.[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 executives of some cable channels believing this manipulated the ratings, given that Nick at Nite's broadcast day takes up only a fraction of Nickelodeon's programming schedule.[17] 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.[18]

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 locations in Hollywood and other areas. 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;[19] the only series produced under the partnership that was greenlit as a series, Victorious debuted in 2010, though a similar hit music-themed sitcom created by Scott Fellows, 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 tween' hit sensation, 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 network's history, giving Nickelodeon's big ratings in the process.

Rebranding and plans for the 2010s (2009–present)

Nickelodeon had 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. Nickelodeon later announced in May 2009 that Nick 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]

As of September 28, 2009, the new logo is used 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 iterations customized for brand unification and refreshment purposes;[21] 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). The Nickelodeon rebrand was created by New York based creative studio Trollbäck + Company. A revised instrumental version of the Nickelodeon audio ident originally performed by The Jive Five was the only part of the "splat logo" era that was retained in the rebrand. Reaction to the rebrand has been largely mixed, though many fans, especially of 1980s and 1990s Nickelodeon, have expressed dislike over the rebranded logo.[22][23][24] Though it is mainly a wordmark, during the days prior to the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards, the logo bug was given a blimp background to match the award given out at the show. The new logo was adopted in the UK on February 15, 2010, in Spain on February 19, 2010, in Asia on March 15, 2010[25] and in Latin America on April 5, 2010.[26] The "Nick on TV5" block on TV5 in the Philippines adopted the rebranded logo on May 1, 2010 together with the new TV5 logo.

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 the majority of North America's countries.

On May 12, 2010, after an agreement was reached between Haim Saban (who earlier that month had bought back rights to the franchise from The Walt Disney Company) and MTV Networks, Nickelodeon announced that it had purchased the television rights to the Power Rangers franchise, and the series is slated to resume production for an eighteenth season scheduled to debut on Nickelodeon starting sometime in 2011; as part of the deal, Nickelodeon also plans to air the existing 700 episode catalog of the series on the Nicktoons cable channel in the later part of 2010.[27]

Programming

Current programming on Nickelodeon includes SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly, The Troop, The Fairly OddParents, True Jackson, VP, Back at the Barnyard (based on the 2006 CGI film Barnyard), Victorious, The Penguins of Madagascar (co-produced with DreamWorks Animation and based on the popular Madagascar movies), Big Time Rush and Fanboy and Chum Chum . Reruns of discontinued Nickelodeon shows also air including All Grown Up! and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (based on the Nickelodeon-produced feature film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius). SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly are the most frequently aired programs on Nickelodeon, with SpongeBob in particular typically airing about 7-9 times each day on average. iCarly currently ranks as of 2010 as the channel's highest-rated original series and the highest-rated cable program among children ages 2 and up, according to Nielsen Media Research.[28] Nickelodeon also continues to air bi-monthly special editions of the long-running magazine series Nick News, hosted by Linda Ellerbee since its debut in 1992 (until the early 2000s, Nick News had aired on Nick on an almost weekly basis on Sunday nights).[29]

On February 2, 2009, Nickelodeon discontinued the TEENick and Nick Jr. programming blocks but the programming within the blocks remained; the former TEENick Saturday evening and Sunday late afternoon blocks no longer carry a name.[30]

On October 21, 2009, it was announced that Nickelodeon secured the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise from Mirage Studios. The network plans to develop a new CGI-animated TMNT television series and will partner with fellow Viacom company Paramount Pictures to bring a new TMNT movie to theaters. Both are expected for 2012.[31] On September 2, 2010, Nickelodeon announced it had acquired the rights to the animated series Winx Club for broadcast on the flagship American channel and several of its international channels. The channel plans to produce a fifth and sixth season of the series, and has also gained the rights to air the existing episodes of the TV series and two theatrical films.[32]

Unlike most cable channels (save for sports-oriented channels), Nickelodeon is sometimes susceptible to programs overrunning their designated timeslot because of short-form segments airing in commercial breaks during special programming which add time to commercial breaks with no limiting of the number of commercials shown when these segments air between breaks, this often causes program start times to be disrupted, which is problematic for those recording Nick programs as part of the program may be cut off. In these circumstances, commercial breaks may be shortened during some programs on Nick at Nite's late evening and overnight schedules and regular "top-and-bottom of the hour" start times would not be restored until early the next morning.

Nicktoons

Nicktoons are animated television series produced by and aired on Nickelodeon. Until 1991, the animated series that aired on Nickelodeon were largely imported from foreign countries. 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. During the last few years, since the channel struck a deal with DreamWorks Animation in 2006 to develop the studio's animated films into weekly series,[33] 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, and the channel is scheduled to launch more 3D computer-animated series in the future with the future additions of animated series versions of Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens.

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards are an annual event held on a Saturday night usually in either late March or early April (since 2007, the show has been held on the last Saturday in March), and airs live and is usually held and telecast live (though with a three-hour time delay for those watching in the Pacific Time Zone or on the Nick 2 feed on digital cable that simulcasts the Pacific time zone feed), which honors the year's biggest television, movie, and music acts, as voted by Nickelodeon's target audience. Winners receive a hollow green blimp figurine, a logo outline for much of the network's 1984-2009 "splat logo" era.

The show features numerous celebrity guests and about two musical acts. In recent years, slime stunts have been incorporated into the show. The KCA's also host live entertainment. It has also been known to overwhelmingly cover people with the network's trademark green slime. Will Smith has won the most KCA awards; Rosie O'Donnell has hosted the most KCA awards.

Programming blocks

Various types of programs are broadcast on Nickelodeon in named programming blocks.

Preschool programming block

Nickelodeon currently programs shows targeted at preschool-age children on Monday through Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. ET/PT. This block was known as "Nick Jr." from 1988 to 2009, "Nickelodeon Play Date" from February-September 2009 and the "Nick Play Date" since September 2009. The block exists because Nickelodeon's usual audience of school-age children are in school at that time; as such, on holidays and during the summer months, a shorter block of preschool shows will air in the earlier time period of 7-10 a.m. ET/PT, and the block does not air on weekend mornings.

Programming in the Nick Play Date block is somewhat fluid, but currently, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, Max and Ruby, Team Umizoomi and The Fresh Beat Band have a permanent place in the schedule. Other shows, such as Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Wonder Pets and The Backyardigans air on a rotating basis. The Nick Play Date block competes with the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel, Ready Set Learn on Discovery Kids and The Sunny Side Up Show on PBS Kids Sprout.

Nick at Nite

Nick at Nite (stylized as "nick@nite") is Nickelodeon's nighttime programming block. It debuted in 1985 and broadcasts over Nickelodeon on Sundays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m., Monday through Thursdays from 8 p.m.-7 a.m., and on Fridays from 9 p.m.-6 a.m. ET/PT and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. ET/PT. Originally featuring classic sitcoms such as The Donna Reed Show, Mr. Ed and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, programming changed to repeats of popular sitcoms from the 1980s and 1990s such as Full House, Home Improvement, George Lopez and Roseanne.

Programs currently airing on Nick at Nite include George Lopez, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, The Nanny and most recently Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Hates Chris and My Wife and Kids. A.C. Nielsen rates Nick at Nite as being a separate cable channel from Nickelodeon. In 1996, the original older programming was spun off of Nick at Nite as a new channel entitled TV Land, which currently airs a variety of older shows, primarily sitcoms from the 1950s through today.[34]

Weekend programming blocks

Nickelodeon airs first-run or recent episodes of its original series on Friday nights from 8-9 p.m. ET, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights from 8-10 p.m. ET. As of September 2010, Friday nights feature a fluid schedule though Big Time Rush and Victorious typically have a place on that night's schedule, the Saturday night schedule features episode premieres or repeats of iCarly and True Jackson, VP along with repeats and occasional episode premieres of Big Time Rush and Victorious, while Sunday nights feature bi-monthly episode premieres of Nick News. The Saturday morning Nicktoon lineup features episode premieres of many of the channel's animated series, such as The Penguins of Madagascar, The Mighty B! and SpongeBob SquarePants along with the live-action sitcom The Troop.

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 removed all Nickelodeon programs from its line-up in November 2001. On September 14, 2002, A two-hour block featuring Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, As Told by Ginger, The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold!, and Pelswick debuted on most CBS stations until 2004. Then in 2004, a two-hour block featuring Nick Jr. shows debuted on most CBS stations. Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! and Pinky Dinky Doo from Noggin began airing on a Univision block called Planeta U (Planet U in English).

Sister channels

Current channels

Nicktoons

Main article: Nicktoons (TV channel)

This channel debuted on May 1, 2002, and was once known as Nicktoons TV from its launch until May 2003 and as Nicktoons Network from 2005 until September 2009. The channel airs classic Nicktoons 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 Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) before Sesame Workshop opted out of the venture in 2002, has only programming promotions in lieu of commercials and is usually carried on a digital cable tier and the basic tiers of satellite providers. The channel's programming consists of preschool-oriented programming also seen on Nickelodeon's Nick Play Date block, original series exclusive to Nick Jr. 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. as of 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.

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. The channel, which has more relaxed program standards than the other Nickelodeon channels allowing for some profanity, suggestive dialogue and some violent content, once shared the evening and overnight portion of each day 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 stand-alone channel. The network was rebranded as TeenNick (with actor 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: The Next Generation, 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 off-network sitcoms.

TV Land

A cable channel that was based on the Nick at Nite block, TV Land debuted on April 29, 1996 and originally aired classic programming from as far back as the early 1950s. Starting in 2004, TV Land moved to more modern programming such as reality shows and 1990s TV sitcoms. In 2007, TV Land created a programming block called, "TV Land PRIME." TV Land PRIME runs from 9 p.m. until 12 a.m. ET/PT (though curiously, shows that air within the block that are aired in timeslots outside of the block display the block's logo bug). TV Land PRIME is a programming block aimed towards TV Land viewers that are in the 40- to 55-year-old range. Since 2008, a minimal amount of original programming began being included as well airing within the TV Land PRIME block. In 2006, TV Land stopped operating under the control of Nick at Nite though it is still operated as part of Viacom's MTV Networks division. The channel is usually carried on a basic tiers of cable and satellite providers.

Former 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) 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. However, Dish Network kept an automated loop of the network on the air on channel 177 for fifteen months until April 23, 2009, when it was replaced with the west coast feed of Cartoon Network.

Other Nickelodeon channels

Ratings

For 2009, Nickelodeon finished in first place among all basic cable networks in total day for the 15th straight year among total viewers (ages 2+) and all kid demos, according to Nielsen Media Research. The fourth quarter of 2009 marked Nickelodeon's 59th consecutive quarter at #1, averaging 2.2 million total viewers and 3.5/1.2 million Kids 2-11 and 3.1/664,000 Kids 6-11 in 2009.

Nickelodeon also had three of the top five rated shows with Kids 2-11: SpongeBob SquarePants (#1); The Penguins of Madagascar (#3); and Fanboy and Chum Chum (#5). iCarly ranked as broadcast and basic cable's top-rated series for kids 2-11, and as basic cable's #1 children's program among total viewers, with SpongeBob SquarePants ranking as TV's #1 animated show among kids 2-11, and cable's top animated kids' show with total viewers.

The channel also ranked #1 among preschoolers, averaging a 4.0/551,000 K2-5 in total day ratings, with four out of the top five preschool series for kids 2-5: Go, Diego, Go! (#1); Max and Ruby (#2); Dora the Explorer (#4); The Backyardigans (#5) and Blue's Clues (#6).[35]

Media

Nick.com

Nick.com is Nickelodeon's main online portal.

Nickelodeon Movies

Nickelodeon Movies is the channel's motion picture production arm founded in 1995. It has produced films based on Nickelodeon programs, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by Paramount Pictures. Nickelodeon Movies initially did not introduce a new logo when the Nickelodeon's new logo came into effect as part of its September 2009 rebrand; Nickelodeon Movies eventually instituted a new logo on January 1, 2010, which officially made its debut with the release of the film The Last Airbender on July 1, 2010.

Nick Magazine

Nick 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.[36] The final issue was published in December 2009.

Experiences

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. 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.[37]

Nicktoons Animation Studios

Nicktoons Animation Studios (formerly Games Animation) is the home of Nicktoons located in Burbank, California; it houses production of many current Nicktoons.

Hotel brands

Cruise

Theme park areas

Almost all theme park areas themed to Nickelodeon are now closed:

Nickelodeon Studios as viewed from the Hard Rock Cafe in March 2004 before they moved.

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, 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.

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.[41] Nickelodeon was launched in Singapore and expanded its services in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Polynesia. In the present, Nickelodeon Philippines and Nickelodeon India started working independently. They started their new website, Nicksplat.com in 2003.

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.

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 they were removed.[42] The Polish version of Nickelodeon has launched on July 10, 2008 in Platform N.

In September 2009, Corus Entertainment, owners of YTV and Treehouse TV, announced that they would launch Nickelodeon Canada on November 2.[43] 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nielsen’s 51% Solution Nixes Nicks - 2004-07-19 00:00:00 | Multichannel News". Multichannel.com. http://www.multichannel.com/article/79731-Nielsen_s_51_Solution_Nixes_Nicks.php. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  2. ↑ Collins, Scott (March 25, 2004). "Nickelodeon Squeezes 2 Ratings Out of 1 Very Diverse Network". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2004/mar/25/business/fi-nick25. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
  3. ↑ "iTV | Warner's Qube". Media Visions. http://www.media-visions.com/itv-qube.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  4. ↑ "New Look for Kids' TV". The Bryan Times. 1979-05-17. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3L8wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x1EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5813,4780509&dq=nickelodeon+buffalo+cable&hl=en. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  5. ↑ "Nickelodeon Breaks New Ground as TV Show". The Free Lance-Star. 1979-07-16. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j-oQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=14sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3775,2067494&dq=nickelodeon&hl=en. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  6. ↑ "Video: Letting Kids Just Be Kids Nickelodeon". Time. December 26, 1988. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956599,00.html. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
  7. ↑ Seibert, Fred. "The Fred/Alan Archive". http://fredalan.org/tagged/nickelodeon. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  8. ↑ Lewin, Tamar (1990-10-21). "Hey There, Dudes, the Kids Have Grabbed a Network". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/21/arts/television-hey-there-dudes-the-kids-have-grabbed-a-network.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Nickelodeon to offer cartoons". Victoria Advocate. 1991-08-09. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y4cLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WFYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4932,1889166&dq=nickelodeon&hl=en. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  10. ↑ Cohen, Sydney (1994-10-23). "KIDSDAY ON THE GO Video Winners". Newsday. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/101886262.html?dids=101886262:101886262&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+23%2C+1994&author=By+Sydney+Cohen%2C+Emily+Burger%2C+Ian+Lynch+and+Melissa&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=KIDSDAY+ON+THE+GO+Video+Winners&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-10-17. 
  11. ↑ Lacher, Irene (March 26, 2000). "Birth of a Nickelodeon Nation". Newsday. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/51891061.html?dids=51891061:51891061&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+26%2C+2000&author=Irene+Lacher&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=EMPIRE+BUILDERS%3A+They+green-light+big-budget+features+and+produce+niche+films.+They+schmooze+with+Julia+Roberts+and+market+the+Rugrats.+And+they%27re+changing+the+course+of+Holly. Retrieved 2009-10-17. 
  12. ↑ "IN THE NICK OF TIME, A KIDS' MAGAZINE THAT'S REALLY GROSS". NewsLibrary. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE8F32D88CB77D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  13. ↑ Katz, Frances (September 18, 1994). "Tooned Up Hipper characters and computer power are driving the comeback of cartoons". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/68278160.html?dids=68278160:68278160&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+18%2C+1994&author=Frances+Katz&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=JUST+FOR+KIDS+Tooned+Up+Hipper+characters+and+computer+power+are+driving+the+comeback+of+cartoons&pqatl=google. 
  14. ↑ "Nick History". Nickelodeon. http://www.nick.com/all_nick/everything_nick/history_home.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-11-28. 
  15. ↑ "Nickelodeon TV & Online Are Perfect Together as Nick.com Takes Top Ratings Spot in March.". Entertainment Wire. 1999-05-19. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54675660.html. Retrieved 2008-11-28. 
  16. ↑ Brown, Karen (2001-11-12). "Nick Looks to Gaming As High-Speed Revenue Play". MultiChannel News. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10219501_ITM. Retrieved 2008-11-28. 
  17. ↑ http://www.multichannel.com/article/79731-Nielsen_s_51_Solution_Nixes_Nicks.php
  18. ↑ http://www.multichannel.com/article/75906-Nielsen_Changes_Some_Cable_Ratings_Rules.php
  19. ↑ By (2007-06-14). "Nickelodeon, Sony pact for tunes - Entertainment News, TV News, Media". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966962.html?categoryid=14&cs=1. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  20. ↑ The New Nickelodeon Logo: Fixing the Unbroken, Toon Zone, July 22, 2009
  21. ↑ Nickelodeon Unveils New Logo, Variety.com, July 29, 2009
  22. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_pAVK0B9ws
  23. ↑ http://www.nick.com/upickdaily/web/new-nick-logo-poll.jhtml
  24. ↑ http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-want-our-OLD-Nickelodeon-LOGO-Back-/109247719106443
  25. ↑ "Nickelodeon | Kids Games, Kids TV Shows, Videos, Contests, Entertainment Television, Asia". www.nick-asia.com. 2008-10-14. http://www.nick-asia.com/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  26. ↑ http://www.mundonick.com/
  27. ↑ "'Power Rangers ' Franchise Moving to Nickelodeon". Tvsquad.com. http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/13/power-rangers-franchise-moving-to-nickelodeon/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  28. ↑ Emily Claire Afan (2009-12-23). "Ratings Watch: Disney Channel, Nickelodeon". KidScreen. http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/news/20091223/ratingswatch.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  29. ↑ Reviewed byPam Gelman. "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee - TV Show Rating For Kids and Families". Commonsensemedia.org. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/Nick-News-with-Linda.html/details. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  30. ↑ "'Nick’ Of Time For Rebrand - 2009-03-01 14:00:00 | Multichannel News". Multichannel.com. http://www.multichannel.com/article/189298-_Nick_Of_Time_For_Rebrand.php. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  31. ↑ The Mirage Group Sells Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(TM) to Nickelodeon | Reuters
  32. ↑ http://www.nickandmore.com/2010/09/02/nickelodeon-acquires-winx-club-will-co-produce-seasons-5-and-6/
  33. ↑ "Nickelodeon and Dreamworks teaming up". Tvsquad.com. 2006-10-25. http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/25/nickelodeon-and-dreamworks-teaming-up/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  34. ↑ "TV LAND OPENS UP ON MONDAY". April 23, 1996. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_text_direct-0=0EAE90B826926DA2&p_field_direct-0=document_id. Retrieved 2008-02-03. 
  35. ↑ "Breaking News - Nickelodeon Is 2009's Top-Ranked Cable Network". TheFutonCritic.com. 2009-12-22. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20091222nickelodeon01. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  36. ↑ "Nickelodeon Magazine Closing". June 4, 2009. http://www.multichannel.com/article/278339-Nickelodeon_Magazine_Closing.php. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
  37. ↑ "Nickelodeon ends licensing agreement with Southern Star". NOLA.com. http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/11/nickelodeon_ends_licensing_agr.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  38. ↑ Clabaugh, Jeff (May 31, 2007). "Marriott strikes resort deal with Nickelodeon". Washington Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/05/28/daily32.html. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 
  39. ↑ "Most Popular". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?ak=44763096.blog&type=blog. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
  40. ↑ http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=Nickelodeon
  41. ↑ "MTV Networks Asia Pacific Announces A New Structure To Advance Its Localization Strategy", Viacom, 11 October 2006
  42. ↑ "Nickelodeon Arabia". 2007-10-16. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a77868/mtv-to-launch-nickelodeon-arabia.html. 
  43. ↑ "Nickelodeon comes to Canada". CBC News. September 28, 2009. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2009/09/28/nickelodeon-corus.html. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 

External links

Nickelodeon
Blocks
Nick at Nite
Sister networks
Nick Jr. • Nicktoons • TeenNick
Programming
Nickelodeon • Nick at Nite • Nick Jr. • Nicktoons • TeenNick
Internet services
Nick.com • The Club • Nick Video
Media/studios
Nickelodeon Movies • Nickelodeon Rewind • Nickelodeon Toys • Nick Music
Outreach programs
The Big Help • Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge • Worldwide Day of Play
Experiences
Nickelodeon Universe • Nickelodeon Land • Nickelodeon Suites Resort • Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
Other
Nickelodeon On Sunset
International channels
Nickelodeon
Arab World • Africa • Australia • Brazil • Canada • China • CIS • Croatia • Czech • Denmark • Europe • France • Germany • Greece • India • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Japan • Latin America • Netherlands & Flanders • New Zealand • Pakistan • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Scandinavia • South East Asia • South Korea • Spain • Switzerland • Sweden • Turkey • Taiwan and Hong Kong • UK
Nick Jr.
Australia • Greece • Italy • Latin America • Netherlands & Flanders • Sweden • UK & Ireland • UK & Ireland (2)
Nicktoons
UK & Ireland • Netherlands & Flanders • Germany
Programming
Australia • Canada • Southeast Asia • UK
Defunct
Blocks
Nickelodeon SPLAT! • Nick in the Afternoon • Nick Jr. • Nick on CBS/Nick Jr. on CBS • Noggin (TMF UK block) • Slime Time Live • SNICK • TEENick • U Pick Live
Sister networks
Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids
International channels
Nicktoons France • Nicktoonsters
Other
Nickelodeon Magazine • Nickelodeon Studios • TurboNick