Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick, and originally called Pinwheel) is an American basic cable and satellite television network that is owned by the Nickelodeon Group (formerly MTV Networks Kids & Family Group), a unit of the ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks division of ViacomCBS. Most of its programming is aimed at children and adolescents ages 8–16, while its weekday morning edutainment programs are targeted at younger children ages 2–8. The channel's programming consists of original first-run television series, along with occasional broadcasts of theatrically-released and original made-for-cable movies and select other third-party programming. Its programming runs from Sunday-Wednesdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time).
Since July 1985, it has shared its channel space with Nick at Nite, a nighttime service that airs during the interim hours, and is treated as a separate channel from Nickelodeon by Nielsen for ratings purposes;[1][2] it features reruns of older primetime sitcoms, along with some original series and feature films. Both services are sometimes collectively referred to as "Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite", due to their common association as two individual channels sharing a single program space. FuboTV added Nickelodeon to their streaming service along with the other ViacomCBS channels on April 30, 2019.
History
The original Nickelodeon logo.
- Main article: History of Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon was launched in 1977 as the Pinwheel channel in Columbus, Ohio on the QUBE cable system operated by Warner Communications (now WarnerMedia).
On April 1, 1979, the channel went national [3] under the name Nickelodeon. During its broadcast day, it would air shows such as Pinwheel, Video Comic Book, America Goes Bananaz, Nickel Flicks, and By the Way.
In 1980, Geraldine Laybourne joined the network. She would become President of Nickelodeon in 1983.
The channel became known for its iconic green slime, originally featured in the network's first major hit, the 1980s Canadian comedy show You Can't Do That On Television. The slime was then adopted by the station as a primary feature of many of its shows.
In 1984, the "Silver Ball" logo (which debuted in 1981) was replaced with the orange shape-shifting logo which would continue to be used for 25 years.
Programming
- Main article: List of programs broadcast by Nickelodeon
Nicktoons
- Main article: Nicktoons
Nicktoons are animated television programs airing on Nickelodeon. Prior to 1991, Nickelodeon aired mostly foreign-based cartoons mainly coming from Canada, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe (mainly Russia and Poland), and Japan as well as American cartoons that were produced by other companies. Over the years, more Nicktoons were created and aired. Other animated shows were created for Nick Jr.
Major blocks
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. is the preschool programming block broadcast first at 12PM ET, depending on the time of the season and other shows scheduled. It is aimed at a preschool-age audience.
Nick at Nite
- Main article: Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the evening programming block broadcast over Nickelodeon every night from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
TEENick
- Main article: TEENick
TEENick Was a current programming block that began in 1992 as SNICK and played on Saturday nights, before moving to Sunday nights, and then back to Saturday nights. SNICK was relaunched and renamed TEENick in 2004. TEENick was originally hosted by Nick Cannon and then J Boogie. The block was discontinued in 2009, but the name was repurposed as a name change for sister channel The N.
Nick on CBS
- Main article: Nick on CBS
Nick on CBS was a programming block on CBS, from September 2002 to September 2004. It consisted of programs originating on Nickelodeon. The block replaced, and was later replaced by, Nick Jr. on CBS
Nick Jr. on CBS
- Main article: Nick Jr. on CBS
Nick Jr. on CBS was the preschool programming block on CBS that began in September 2000, replacing CBS Kids. This Saturday morning block presented programming from Nick Jr.. The block was restored in 2004, when Nick on CBS was canceled. This block was replaced by KOL Secret Slumber Party in 2006.
Nick on Telemundo
Likewise on the Spanish network Telemundo, dubbed Spanish versions of Nickelodeon shows such as Rugrats and Dora the Explorer were aired on weekends. The programming block has since been dropped in the fall of 2006, in favor of their own kids programming block qubo.
Sister channels
Nickelodeon has spun off several other cable networks.
Nickelodeon Games and Sports
- Main article: Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids
Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids (commonly referred to as Nickelodeon GAS, Nick GAS or GAS), was launched on March 1, 1999 as part of MTV Networks' suite of digital cable channels. Olympic swimmer and Figure It Out host Summer Sanders was named the Commissioner of Nick GAS. Dave Aizer and Vivianne Collins were the network's original on-air hosts, with Mati Moralejo joining soon after.
Nick GAS has left the DirecTV and digital cable line-ups on December 31, 2007. On this date, another Nickelodeon-based network, The N, took GAS's channel position. Nick GAS Signed Off On Dish Network On April 21,2009
NickToons
- Main article: Nicktoons (channel)
NickToons, previously known as Nicktoons TV and Nicktoons Network, is a digital cable and satellite satellite network which primarily airs Nicktoons, though live-action programming has also factored into the channel since 2008.
TeenNick
- Main article: TeenNick
TeenNick, formerly known as The N, is a television channel in the United States aimed at teenagers and young adults. It was renamed and rebranded to its current name in 2010. Since 2011, it has regularly aired an overnight block devoted entirely to classic Nickelodeon programs, which has gone through a few rebrands itself.
Nick Jr.
- Main article: Nick Jr. (channel)
Nick Jr., formerly known as Noggin, is a channel aimed at preschool-aged and early elementary-school-aged children. The N and Noggin both had one channel, which was originally co-owned by Viacom and Sesame Workshop, but after The N took over Nick GaS' spot in 2007, the Noggin channel became entirely devoted to preschool programming. In 2010, it was renamed and rebranded as Nick Jr.
NickMusic
- Main article: NickMusic
NickMusic is a digital cable television network that mainly carries music video and music-related programming from younger pop artists that appeal to Nickelodeon's target audience.
Other Nickelodeon projects
- See also: Nickelodeon Toys and Nick Rewind
Nick.com
- Main article: Nick.com
Nick.com is the official website of Nickelodeon. It was originally centered on Natalie's Backseat Traveling Web Show which launched in 1996 and continued until 1998.
Nick.com gives visitors of the site the option to register onto the site. Such registration would give the member a "Nickname", which is referring towards his or her membership. Users can e-mail messages to others with NickMail.
Nick.com has over 500 online games, many of them are related to the shows that currently or formerly aired on Nickelodeon. Since January 6, 2006, Nickelodeon has been doing the New Game of the Week Program. Every week features a new game, allowing users to get extra benefits for playing.
Nickelodeon Magazine
- Main article: Nickelodeon Magazine
Nickelodeon Magazine was 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. The magazine ended publication in December 2009, and later saw a brief revival by Papercutz from July 2015 to June 2016.
Nickelodeon Movies
- Main article: Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies is the network's motion picture production arm. It has produced films based on Nickelodeon programs, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by fellow Viacom division Paramount Pictures.
Destinations
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
- Main article: Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Nicktoons Studios (formerly known as Games Animation) was a facility at Burbank, California. It served as a production facility for many active Nicktoons. It also had statues of various Nicktoons scattered on the roof of the studio at random places.
Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America
- Main article: Nickelodeon Universe
The Nickelodeon theme park, Nickelodeon Universe, a rebranding of the park in the Mall of America, opened in the spring of 2008. Attractions include an Avatar: The Last Airbender-themed half-pipe ride, a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed roller coaster, and a new drop tower ride.
Theme park areas
Nickelodeon Studios
- Main article: Nickelodeon Studios
Nickelodeon Studios was an attraction at Universal Orlando Resort that opened on June 7, 1990, and housed production for many live-action Nickelodeon programs. It closed on April 30, 2005, after all of Nickelodeon's production had re-located to Burbank, California. The Slime Geyser was removed from the front of the facility in May 2005, the trademark Nickelodeon sign was removed in January 2006, and the Nickelodeon Time Capsule was removed prematurely in August 2006. The building was then converted into the Sharp Aquos Theatre, a venue for the Blue Man Group, which opened on June 7, 2007.
Nickelodeon Central
- Main article: Nickelodeon Central
Nickelodeon Central is an area inside many theme parks around The United States, Canada, and Australia. The area is filled with attractions, shows, and themes featuring the Nickelodeon characters.
Nickland
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.
Nickelodeon Universe
Nickelodeon Universe is an area inside of Kings Island featuring Nickelodeon-themed rides and attractions. The area is one of the largest areas in the park, and has been voted "Best Kid's Area" by Amusement Today magazine since 2001.
Nickelodeon Blast Zone
The Nickelodeon Blast Zone is an area in Universal Studios Hollywood that features attractions centered around Nickelodeon characters and themes. The three attractions in the area, "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, are all based around interactivity.
Nickelodeon Splat City
- Main article: Nickelodeon Splat City
Nickelodeon Splat City was an area inside of 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 Definery", the "Crystal Slime Mining Maze", and the "Green Slime Transfer Truck".
Hotels
- Main article: Nickelodeon Family Suites
Nickelodeon Family Suites was a Nickelodeon-themed Holiday Inn hotel in Orlando, Florida, located near Universal Studios Resort and one mile from the Walt Disney World Resort. The property included one, two, and three-bedroom Nick-themed kid suites and various forms of Nick-themed entertainment. Nickelodeon Family Suites also contains a Nick at Nite suite for adults. It was reverted back to a regular Holiday Inn in 2016.
International
In 1996, Nick at Nite spun off the channel TV Land, which currently airs a variety of older shows, primarily sitcoms from 1951 to 1992.
It also operates language- or culture-specific Nickelodeon channels for various markets in different parts of the world, 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) and TG4 (Irish) in Ireland, YTV and Teletoon (English) and VRAK.TV (French) in Canada, Canal J in France, Alpha Kids in Greece and CNBC-e in Turkey.
As of August 2007, the network also broadcasts in South East Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Scandinavia, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, India, Italy, Israel, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Hungary, France, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Africa, Latin America, and Brazil.
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.[4] 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 21. In Hong Kong, it is available on now TV, while in Malaysia, it is available over Astro via Channel 60. In Singapore, it is available over Starhub Cable TV and in Indonesia, Nickelodeon is available on Astro Nusantara channel 14 and is also broadcast on Global TV, a free-to-air television channel.
A pan-Arabia version of Nickelodeon is slated to relaunch in 2008, in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. From the late-1990s until the mid-2000s, Nickelodeon was offered on the Showtime Arabia and Orbit satellite services, until they were removed, now Nickelodeon Arabia is only available on Orbit Showtime (OSN) along with Nick Jr. [5]
AFN Family
- Main article: AFN Family
One of eight of the AFN-branded television networks owned and operated by the US Military, airing reruns and delayed premieres of popular children's and family-oriented programs. It broadcasts to US Military members and their families over-seas though satellite and military base cable systems and features reruns of several new, but mostly older Nickelodeon programs, most notably during its morning preschool block. Since 2015, it also has an over-night programming block titled AFN Pulse targeting teens and more mature AFN Family viewers.
References
- ↑ "Nielsen's 51% Solution Nixes Nicks". Multichannel.com (2004-07-19). Retrieved on 2010-06-02.
- ↑ 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 on May 20, 2010.
- ↑ "Nick History". www.nick.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ↑ "MTV Networks Asia Pacific Announces A New Structure To Advance Its Localization Strategy", Viacom, 11 October 2006
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a77868/mtv-to-launch-nickelodeon-arabia.html
See also
Official sites
- Nickelodeon America
- Nickelodeon Asia
- Nickelodeon Africa
- Nickelodeon Australia
- Nickelodeon Austria
- Nickelodeon Central
- Nickelodeon China
- Nickelodeon France
- Nickelodeon Germany
- Nickelodeon India
- Nickelodeon Italy
- Nickelodeon Israel
- Nickelodeon Japan
- Nickelodeon Korea
- Nickelodeon in Latin America
- Nickelodeon Middle East
- Nickelodeon Netherlands
- Nickelodeon New Zealand
- Nickelodeon Portugal
- Nickelodeon Scandinavia
- Nickelodeon Spain
- Nickelodeon in Russia and CIS
- Nickelodeon Turkey
- Nickelodeon UK
- Nicktropolis
- Nick Jr.
| Nickelodeon Channelsv • t • e | ||
|---|---|---|
| Television | Nickelodeon • Nick Jr. Channel • TeenNick • NickToons • Nick at Nite • NickMusic | |
| Radio | Nick Radio | |
| Worldwide | Nick Hits | |
fr:Nickelodeon