Nicktoons (TV channel)

Nicktoons
Launched	May 1, 2002 (original launch; as Nicktoons TV) April 7, 2003 (original relaunch; as Nicktoons) September 23, 2005 (relaunch: as Nicktoons Network) September 28, 2009 (relaunch; as Nicktoons)
Owned by	Classic Viacom (2002-2005) Viacom (2005-present) (operated by MTV Networks)
Picture format	480p (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Slogan	Big Stars, Animated.
Country	United States
Headquarters	New York City
Formerly called	Nicktoons TV (2002-2003) Nicktoons (initial use, 2003-2005) Nicktoons Network (2005-2009)
Sister channel(s)	Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick
Website	http://nicktoons.nick.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV	Channel 302
Dish Network	Channel 178
Cable
Available on most cable systems	Check local listings for channels
IPTV
Verizon FiOS	Channel 254
AT&T U-Verse	Channel 316

Nicktoons is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom. It is a sister service of the Nickelodeon cable channel. The network broadcasts Nickelodeon's animated series, Nicktoons, along with other original animated series and foreign animation from other Nickelodeon networks overseas 24 hours a day. The slogan for the network is "Big Stars, Animated."

History

As Nicktoons TV (2002-2003)

Former Nicktoons TV logo with SpongeBob in the background. Used from May 1, 2002-April 7, 2003.

Nicktoons was launched on May 1, 2002 as Nicktoons TV as part of the digital cable-exclusive MTV Digital Suite in order to entice cable operators to pick up the network and give them a marketing advantage over satellite services. However, by early 2004, Nickelodeon management changed course and offered it to the digital satellite services DirecTV and Dish Network also, based on consumer demand.

At first, airing only archived Nicktoons, the network was marketed as commercial free, with comedic promos involving the Nickelodeon Animation Studios, two-minute cartoon shorts from foreign markets, and former program promotions which had previously been used on Nickelodeon taking up commercial time. As the network's distribution increased, by September 23, 2005, the network was airing regular advertising.

First Nicktoons era (2003-2005)

Nicktoons logo, used from April 7, 2003-September 23, 2005.

The network was renamed to Nicktoons in 2003, using a "splat" logo with the word "NICKTOONS" in it (initially it was orange on white, this was changed to blue on white in 2004), replacing a rotating logo which featured various silhouettes of Nicktoons characters in orange with the NICK logomark above the text "Toons TV".

As Nicktoons Network (2005-2009)

As part of the launch on the satellite services, the network once again rebranded further as Nicktoons Network on September 23, 2005. A new logo with the familiar Nickelodeon "Splat" fanning onto a globe shape was used, along with the new slogan of "Animation Capital of the World" and a promotion theme consisting of the characters being placed in a celebrity setting.

Second Nicktoons era (2009-present)

On September 28, 2009, Nicktoons Network's logo changed as part of Nickelodeon's universal rebranding effort that also saw Nickelodeon's first logo change in 25 years and name changes for sister networks The N to TeenNick and Noggin to Nick Jr..^[1] In conjunction with this move the "Network" identifier was dropped, leaving the network to be rebranded as Nicktoons for the second time in its history.

Confusingly, the television listings website LocateTV, which currently provides TV listings for the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland, displays the logo of the British version of Nicktoons as that of the flagship American channel as well (this is also done with the unrelated American and British Travel Channels).

Programming

Current programming seen on Nicktoons includes former Nickelodeon animated series such as CatDog, Danny Phantom, All Grown Up!, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Rugrats, Invader Zim, Rocko's Modern Life, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Current Nickelodeon animated series airing on Nicktoons include Nickelodeon's flagship series SpongeBob SquarePants, along with Fanboy and Chum Chum, The Fairly OddParents, Back at the Barnyard, The Mighty B! and The Penguins of Madagascar, along with Nick at Nite animated series Glenn Martin, DDS.

Animated series that were never aired on Nickelodeon and are exclusive to Nicktoons include Dragon Ball Z Kai, Kappa Mikey, Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, Wolverine and the X-Men, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, The Secret Show, Making Fiends, Zevo-3 and Speed Racer: The Next Generation. The channel also airs a series of animated shorts produced under the name Random! Cartoons. Despite the channel's name, Nicktoons also airs a minimal amount of live-action programming from Nickelodeon; currently The Troop.

Unusual for a American television network, Nicktoons only runs commercials and employs a generic closing credit format to allow promotion of its programming between 9 a.m. and midnight ET; the current program's regular closing credits are shown at the end of a program and promos for Nicktoons and Nickelodeon programming, along with three-minute clips of Nicktoon series under the banner "Rockin' Nicktoons Moments" are shown during breaks at other times.

The network in recent times seems to be shifting focus away from comedic programming and towards action-centered programming. The network's current line-up of original series reflect this. Archival comedy shows are currently relegated to overnights on the Nicktoons lineup; in 2009 and early 2010, most of the 1990s Nicktoons did not air at all, other than an hour very early on Sunday mornings, but in summer 2010, Nicktoons began airing multi-hour marathon blocks of shows such as Ren & Stimpy, CatDog and Rocko's Modern Life in the overnight weeknight hours.

International versions

Nicktoons was launched in the United Kingdom on 22 July 2002, although, unlike the United States version, it has been ad-supported since it launched. Also unlike the US version, it does not broadcast 24 hours a day. There are also other Nicktoons channels in Flanders, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain replacing Nick Premium. Nicktoons will also launch in Australia along with its competitor Disney XD on Foxtel and Austar in November 2010.

See also

• Nicktoons
• Nickelodeon
• Nick Jr.

References

External links

• Official website

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