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Nickelodeon - news archive

This is an archive of news about Nickelodeon. Some links may no longer work, due to the transient nature of the internet.

Nickelodeon to open new UK toon channel
From Digital Spy. Posted July 17 2008, 2.57pm
Nickelodeon will launch a new UK channel called NickToonsters on satellite on August 18. (more)

Nick viewer will voice 'Kung Fu Panda!'
From Digital Spy. Posted March 15 2008, 10.31am
A Nickelodeon viewer will voice a Kung Fu Panda! character in a tie-in with DreamWorks. (more)

Nick dedicates week to green children
From Digital Spy. Posted February 25 2008, 5.00pm
Nickelodeon is running a week of environmental programming for what it calls "Greenagers". (more)

Nickelodeon joins Childline in anti-bullying campaign
From Media Guardian. Posted November 7 2007, 7.11am
Nickelodeon is to replace its continuity links for a week with some short films about bullying after teaming up with ChildLine. By Leigh Holmwood. (more)

BBC, Nick lead Children's Bafta noms
From Digital Spy. Posted October 23 2007, 2.53pm
The BBC and Nickelodeon lead the nominees for next month's Bafta Children's Awards. (more)

Kids' Bafta nominations announced
From Media Guardian. Posted October 22 2007, 1.00am
The BBC has dominated the children's Bafta nominations, with Nickelodeon as the biggest commercial hitter. By Leigh Holmwood. (more)

In full: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards UK nominees
From Digital Spy. Posted July 30 2007, 10.37am
Check out full list of the award nominees for the first ever UK event being held in London this October. (more)

Viacom & TV18 join hands for Viacom 18
From Biz Asia. Posted May 22 2007, 11.16pm
Viacom Inc. and the TV18 Group announced today the creation of a new 50/50 joint venture operation in India, Viacom-18. The strategic alliance will include television, film and digital media content across numerous brands to build India's leading multi-platform entertainment company. The partnership was announced at a press conference in Mumbai, India by Philippe Dauman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Viacom, and Raghav Bahl, Managing Director of the TV18 Group. As part of the agreement, Viacom-18 will launch a new Hindi-language general entertainment cable and satellite channel in India within the next year. It will include original, locally produced programming and acquisitions. MTV Networks (MTVN), a unit of Viacom, will contribute its successful local networks, MTV, Vh1 and Nickelodeon India, to the joint venture. Viacom-18 will also launch a further suite of targeted channels in the future from the MTV Networks portfolio, as well as new brands. Digital media content across all of the television brands will be developed and distributed to Indian consumers. The joint venture will also syndicate MTVN programming and newly produced content. The TV18 Group will contribute its Motion Pictures division operation to the joint venture, which produces, acquires and distributes Hindi-language films. Additional cooperation in the Indian market beyond this alliance includes joint ownership of the management company for The Indian Film Company, which is in the process of being listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. In the coming months, Viacom's Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks studios will explore additional opportunities for collaboration with Viacom-18. "India is one of Viacom's priority markets for expansion internationally," commented Mr. Dauman. "This partnership will transform and significantly enlarge our business to offer audiences greater content diversity across platforms, and opportunities for advertisers to reach the full spectrum of demographics. The film operation for Viacom-18 will provide strong synergies with the TV and digital media business, as well as complement our Paramount and DreamWorks studios. We are delighted to enter into this partnership with TV18, the most forward-looking, entrepreneurial media company in India." Commenting on the partnership, Raghav Bahl, MD of the TV18 Group, said: "Having established leadership in news broadcasting and consumer Internet business, the TV18 Group was poised to make an ambitious entry into the multi-platform entertainment space. We are delighted to do this in partnership with Viacom, easily among the most successful entertainment companies on our globe. We are confident that Viacom-18 will entertain India's burgeoning film and television audiences. Viacom-18 will also propel the TV18 Group into the league of a truly diversified and broad-based media conglomerate." "MTV Networks is a pioneer in creating locally customized channels around the world, and this alliance continues that tradition and accelerates our long-term growth in India," said Judy McGrath, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, MTV Networks. "The partnership reinforces our vision to be the premier provider of diverse, compelling entertainment experiences to audiences globally across every platform." "We have a long history of doing business in India, and it has become an integral part of our global network," commented Bill Roedy, Vice Chairman, MTV Networks. "It has also been a tremendous source of creative and cultural inspiration to our global network for many years. This joint venture recognises our long-term commitment to the Indian market. By combining our successful MTVN India business with assets from the TV18 Group, we will also support the robust film and TV production industry, as well as fuel the explosive growth of digital media. We are excited to partner with TV18, one of the industry's most dynamic companies, to serve Indian audiences across every screen." "The entertainment space offers significant opportunities and this partnership gives us the scale to compete and the edge to achieve leadership position. Viacom-18 will build and nurture communities across platforms much like TV18 has successfully done in the news space. We intend to exploit the compelling demographic synergies between our news channels and Viacom-18's entertainment offerings," commented Haresh Chawla, Group CEO, TV18. The TV18 Group, subject to regulatory approvals, proposes to eventually house its investment in this joint venture through its general broadcast subsidiary – GBN. "To take leadership in the dynamic entertainment industry, a business needs superior capabilities across content creation, brand building and distribution. The Viacom-18 joint venture brings together the unique strengths of two formidable partners, thus forming a multimedia entertainment powerhouse that will have a competitive advantage in serving the needs of both viewers and advertisers," said Amit Jain, Managing Director, MTV Networks India and Executive Vice President, MTV Networks Asia. (more)

Nickelodeon backs Disney station
From Radio Today. Posted April 16 2007, 5.02pm
Children's TV network Nickelodeon have signed a £120,000 deal to sponsor the website of GCap Media's Capital Disney radio station. Users clicking to listen live to the station will hear about the new shows available on Nickelodeon's cable channels. (more)

Capital Disney Signs Deal with Nickelodeon
From Merry Media. Posted April 16 2007, 1.31pm
GCap's Capital Disney has signed a £120k deal with Nickelodeon to sponsor the Capital Disney website.. (more)

Nickelodeon launches broadband service for Nick Jr
From Brand Republic. Posted October 27 2006, 11.10am
LONDON - Nickelodeon is launching a video service on its Nick Jr website for pre-school children, which will offer clips from programmes on its Nick Jr TV channel such as 'Dora the Explorer' and 'The Backyardigans'. (more)

Dutch TV station Talpa to go 24 hours from 16 December
From Media Network Weblog. Posted October 20 2006, 11.43am
Dutch commercial TV station Talpa, owned by media magnate John de Mol, will start broadcasting 24 hours a day from 16 December. The station with which it currently shares a cable frequency, Nickelodeon, will be moving to share with another station, The Box. Ronald Goes, Talpa TV’s General Manager, says that the expansion will make Talpa “a complete [...] (more)

BT does on-demand television deal with Viacom
From Brand Republic. Posted October 19 2006, 4.10pm
LONDON - BT will offer shows including 'SpongeBob Squarepants' and 'Dirty Sanchez' on its BT Vision on-demand service after signing content deals with Viacom-owned stations MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy. (more)

MTV Networks rejigs region, Robbins departs
From Brand Republic. Posted October 13 2006, 10.10am
Embattled entertainment network MTV Networks Asia-Pacific has unveiled sweeping changes to its business strategy, which will lead to 84 redundancies across a number of departments in its Singapore operation. Nigel Robbins (pictured), president of MTV Networks Asia-Pacific, has also announced he will step down from his role, but will continue to act in a consultant capacity until the end of the year, working with EVP and chief operating officer Steven Tan, who will lead the business until Robbins' replacement is named. Key among the changes is a decision to decentralise the network's regional operation currently based out of Singapore to empower local operations to drive their own television and digital businesses as they see fit. Singapore will continue to act as a regional headquarters for the streamlined corporate group, along with a new unit managing MTV and Nickelodeon's TV and digital business, along with the Viacom Brand Solutions (VBS) pan-regional sales group. This unit will be headed by Christopher Steward, EVP of VBS and Southeast Asia. (more)

MTV Networks restructures region, Robbins departs
From Brand Republic. Posted October 11 2006, 9.10am
Embattled entertainment network MTV Networks Asia Pacific has unveiled a series of sweeping organisational changes to its business strategy in the region, which will lead to 84 redundancies across a number of departments in the Singapore operation. Nigel Robbins (pictured), president of MTV Networks Asia Pacific, has also announced he will step down from his role, but he will continue to act in a consultant capacity until the end of the year to manage the transition with EVP and chief operating officer Steven Tan, who will lead the business until Robbins' replacement is named. Key among the changes is a decision to decentralise the network's regional operation currently based out of Singapore in favour of localised operations, a move which would allow the entertainment giant to empower local operations to drive their own television and digital businesses as they see fit. Singapore will continue to act as a regional headquarters for the streamlined corporate group, along with a new unit to be headed by EVP Viacom Brand Solutions and Southeast Asia Christopher Steward, with the unit to manage MTV and Nickelodeon's TV and digital business, along with the VBS pan-regional sales group. "The realignment of our structure does have a significant impact, and sadly for me, this means we'll lose some wonderfully talented colleagues and friends, and a decision like this is agonising, even though we're certain it's the right decision for the future of the business," said Bill Roedy, president, MTV Networks International. (more)

MTV chief Robbins to depart nework
From Brand Republic. Posted October 11 2006, 5.10am
MTV Networks Asia-Pacific has confirmed regional president Nigel Robbins will step down from his role at the end of the year. Robbins' (pictured) departure comes as part of a wider announcement by the embattled entertainment network, which will see a decentralisation of the company's Singapore-based regional operation in favour of localised operations, a sweeping move that will result in a number of redundancies. According to MTV Networks International chief Bill Roedy, the move will allow the broadcaster to shift the focus of resources to local markets, and empower local operations to drive their own TV and digital media businesses. He added that Singapore would continue to be the base for a streamlined corporate group, along with a new unit overseen by EVP Viacom Brand Solutions and Southeast Asia Christopher Steward, which will manage MTV and Nickelodeon's Southeast Asia TV and digital media businesses, along with the Viacom Brand Solutions pan-regional advertising sales team. The announcement follows a difficult few months for the broadcaster, which has seen the departure of MTV global chief Tom Freston, ousted by the Viacom board, the sudden departure of senior sales exec Toby Hayward in July, the postponement of its regional awards show, and last year, a significant restructure of its operational resources. (more)

MTV chief Robbins to depart as network restructures
From Brand Republic. Posted October 11 2006, 5.10am
MTV Networks Asia Pacific has confirmed regional president Nigel Robbins will step down from his role at the end of the year. Robbins' (pictured) departure comes as part of a wider announcement by the embattled entertainment network, which will see a decentralisation of the company's Singapore-based regional operation in favour of localised operations, a sweeping move that will result in a number of redundancies. According to MTV Networks International chief Bill Roedy, the move will allow the broadcaster to shift the focus of resources to local markets, and empower local operations to drive their own TV and digital media businesses. He added that Singapore would continue to be the base for a streamlined corporate group, along with a new unit overseen by EVP Viacom Brand Solutions and Southeast Asia Christopher Steward, which will manage MTV and Nickelodeon's Southeast Asia TV and digital media businesses, along with the Viacom Brand Solutions pan-regional advertising sales team. The announcement follows a difficult few months for the broadcaster, which has seen the departure of MTV global chief Tom Freston, ousted by the Viacom board, the sudden departure of senior sales exec Toby Hayward in July, the postponement of its regional awards show, and last year, a significant restructure of its operational resources. (more)

DangerMouse Returning to TV Screens
From Merry Media. Posted August 31 2006, 4.44pm
Classic eighties cartoon DangerMouse is returning to the tv screens in the UK to mark the cartoons 25th anniversary next month. The cartoon series was originally broadcast on ITV from 1981 until 1987 pulling in an audience of 3.5 million in its day. The BBC are repeating some of the best episodes from the series in tribut to the cartoons birthday. The white DangerMouse spy was voiced by Only Fools and Horses star David Jason. It was the first British cartoon to break into the American market on Nickelodeon in the 1980s. 89 episodes were made in total by production company Cosgrove Hall Films.. (more)

Nick Jr to premiere gender-specific children's programming
From Brand Republic. Posted April 26 2006, 3.04pm
LONDON - Nickelodeon's children's TV network Nick Jr is to introduce girl- and boy-specific scheduling with the launch of Nick Jr 2 next week. (more)

Cirque de Soleil rolls up for three-year TV deal and Nickelodeon commission new comedy
From The Stage. Posted April 4 2006, 1.20pm
Circus show Cirque du Soleil is set to be revamped for UK television, after signing a three-year deal with Initial, a subsidiary of independent production giant Endemol, which makes Big Brother. (more)

Ella's Kitchen given TV ad debut after innovative Viacom deal
From Brand Republic. Posted February 1 2006, 3.02pm
LONDON – New children's snack brand Ella's Kitchen has signed an innovative ad deal with Viacom Brand Solutions where it will give the media sales house a percentage of its profits in return for advertising its smoothies on its Nickelodeon channels. (more)

Viacom v Google: The $1bn battle for content
From The Independent. Posted January 1 1970, 12.59am
When is copyright theft not illegal? In the struggle to answer this defining question of the internet age, one entertainment giant has declared war. Viacom, owner of the Paramount and Dreamworks film studios and television channels including MTV, Nickelodeon and the Comedy Channel, has launched a $1bn (£515m) copyright-infringement suit against Google. (more)