Nickelodeon


Nickelodeon is an American pay television channel which was first tested on December 1, 1977, until it eventually launched on April 1, 1979 as the first cable channel for children. It is owned by ViacomCBS through its domestic networks division and is based in New York City. The network's programming is primarily aimed at children and adolescents aged 2–17, while some of its program blocks target a broader family audience.
The channel was originally first tested as Channel C-3, with Pinwheel as its main program on December 1, 1977. Pinwheel was a television series that was, at the time, only available on QUBE, which was the first two-way major market interactive cable television system, owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment. The channel was then launched officially as Nickelodeon on April 1, 1979, and expanded to other cable providers nationwide. It was initially commercial-free and remained without advertising until 1984. Warner-Amex sold Nickelodeon, along with its sister networks MTV and VH1, to Viacom in 1986.
Throughout its history, Nickelodeon has introduced sister channels and themed programming blocks. On January 4, 1988, Nickelodeon launched NickJr., a weekday-morning block aimed at preschool children. In 1991, the network introduced another flagship brand, the Nicktoons: original animated productions created for the network. In 1999, Nickelodeon partnered with Sesame Workshop to create Noggin, an educational brand consisting of a cable channel and an interactive website. Two blocks aimed at a teenage audience, TEENick on Nickelodeon and The N on Noggin, were merged into a standalone channel, TeenNick, in 2009.
, the channel is available to about 87.167 million households in the United States.

History

The channel's name comes from the first five-cent movie theaters called nickelodeons. Its history dates back to December 1, 1977, when Warner Cable Communications launched the first two-way interactive cable system, QUBE, in Columbus, Ohio. First tested under the name Pinwheel Network, the C-3 cable channel carried Pinwheel daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Initially scheduled for a February 1979 launch, Nickelodeon launched on April 1, 1979, initially distributed to Warner Cable systems via satellite on the RCA Satcom-1 transponder. Originally commercial-free, advertising was introduced in January 1984.

Programming

Programming seen on Nickelodeon includes animated series, live-action, scripted series, and original made-for-TV movies, while the network's daytime schedule is dedicated to shows targeting preschoolers.
A re-occurring program was bi-monthly special editions of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, a news magazine series aimed at children that debuted in 1992 as a weekly series and ended in 2015.

Nicktoons

Nicktoons is the branding for Nickelodeon's original animated television series. Until 1991, the animated series that aired on Nickelodeon were largely imported from foreign countries, with some original animated specials that were also featured on the channel up to that point. Though the Nicktoons branding has seldom been used by the network itself since the 2002 launch of the channel of the same name, original animated series continue to make up a substantial portion of Nickelodeon's lineup. Roughly 6 to 7 hours of these programs are seen on the weekday schedule, and around nine hours on weekends, including a dedicated weekend morning animation block.
In 2006, the channel struck a deal with DreamWorks Animation to develop the studio's animated films into television series. Since the early 2010s, Nickelodeon Animation Studio has also produced series based on preexisting IP purchased by ViacomCBS, such as Winx Club and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Movies

Nickelodeon does not air theatrically released or direct-to-video movies on a regular basis; however, it does produce its own original made-for-TV movies, which usually premiere in weekend evening timeslots or on school holidays.
The channel occasionally airs feature films produced by the network's Nickelodeon Movies film production division. Although the film division bears the Nickelodeon brand name, the channel does not have access to most of the movies produced by its film unit. Nickelodeon does have broadcast rights to most feature films based on or that served as the basis for original series produced by it ; the majority of the live-action feature films produced under the Nickelodeon Movies banner are licensed for broadcast by various free-to-air and pay television outlets within the United States other than Nickelodeon.
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 television films in that they have shorter running times, 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 , several Monster High films, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever, with the Barbie and Monster High films usually aired under a brokered format in which Mattel purchases the time in order to promote the release of their films on DVD within a few days of the Nickelodeon premiere, an arrangement possible as Nickelodeon does not have to meet the Federal Communications Commission rules which disallow that arrangement for broadcast channels due to regulations disallowing paid programming to children.

Programming blocks

The network's main programming is usually broadcast from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m..

Current

Nick at Nite

Nick at Nite is Nickelodeon's nighttime programming service, which debuted on July 1, 1985, and broadcasts Weekdays from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., Saturdays from 9:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m Eastern and Pacific Time.
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 shifted towards repeats of popular sitcoms from the 1980s to the 2000s such as Home Improvement, The Cosby Show and Roseanne. Nick at Nite has also occasionally incorporated original scripted and competition series, with some in recent years being produced through its parent network's Nickelodeon Productions unit. Programs airing on Nick at Nite as of 2016 include Full House, Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and George Lopez, as well as original series such as See Dad Run and Instant Mom. Since 2004, Nielsen has broken out the television ratings of Nick at Nite and Nickelodeon as two separate networks.

Current sister channels

Nicktoons

Nicktoons is a pay television network that launched on May 1, 2002, as Nicktoons TV; it was renamed as Nicktoons in May 2003, before rebranding Nicktoons Network from 2005 until reverting to its previous name in September 2009. The network airs a mix of newer live action & animated shows from Nick.

Nick Jr.

Nick Jr. is a pay television network aimed primarily at children between 2 and 7 years of age, featuring a mix of current and some former preschool-oriented programs from Nickelodeon, and original series exclusive to the channel. It launched on September 28, 2009 as a spin-off of Nickelodeon's long-running preschool programming block of the same name, which had aired since January 4, 1988.
The channel replaced Noggin, which was relaunched as a streaming service in 2015 and acts as a separate sister brand. Noggin's programming is distinct from the Nick Jr. channel's; it mainly carried pre-teen-oriented programs at its launch, and its 2015 streaming service features a variety of exclusive series. On October 1, 2012, the Nick Jr. network debuted NickMom, a four-hour nightly program block aimed at mothers. The block was controversial upon its launch due to its more lenient content standards than what is otherwise permitted on Nick Jr., particularly as the network operates a singular Eastern Time Zone feed, which resulted in the NickMom block airing at the same time in all six U.S. time zones. While traditional advertising appeared on the channel during the NickMom block, the network otherwise only runs programming promotions and underwriter-style sponsorships in lieu of regular commercials. The block was discontinued on September 30, 2015.

TeenNick

TeenNick is a pay television network that is aimed at adolescents and young adults, which originated as a nighttime block called "The N" on Noggin on April 1, 2002, and was spun off into a standalone channel on December 31, 2007, when it took over the satellite transponder of Nickelodeon Games and Sports. On September 28, 2009, the network was rebranded as TeenNick, named after the former TEENick block that aired on Nickelodeon from July 2000 to February 2009. Although TeenNick has more relaxed program standards than the other Nickelodeon channels – allowing for moderate profanity, suggestive dialogue and some violent content – the network has shifted its lineup almost exclusively towards current and former Nickelodeon series that have stricter content standards. It also airs some acquired sitcoms and drama series and until the rebrand, also incorporated some original programming.

NickRewind

On July 25, 2011, TeenNick began airing The '90s Are All That, renamed The Splat in October 2015, a block of Nickelodeon's most popular 1990s programming, targeting the network's target demographic from that era.
Through several name changes the block is now called "NickRewind" and focuses on programming from the 1990s and 2000s, and airs nightly from 10PM to 6AM Eastern.

NickMusic

NickMusic is a pay television network in the United States mainly featuring music video and music-related programming from younger pop artists that appeal to Nickelodeon's target audience. It launched on the channel space formerly held by MTV Hits on September 9, 2016.

TV Land

TV Land is a pay television channel that debuted on April 29, 1996 as "Nick at Nite's TV Land". Based on the Nick at Nite block, it originally aired classic television series from the early 1950s to the 1970s, but beginning in 2004, has broadened its programming inventory to include series from the 1980s and 1990s. In 2008, TV Land began producing its own original series: originally these were reality series; however, the network ventured into scripted originals with the 2010 debut of Hot in Cleveland. On December 17, 2006, Viacom's MTV Networks Kids & Family Group division took over operational responsibilities for TV Land from Nick at Nite, though TV Land continues to be operated as part of the company's Viacom Media Networks unit.

Former sister channels

Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids

Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids, was a pay television network that launched on March 1, 1999, as part of the suite of high-tier channels launched by MTV Networks. It ran a mix of game shows and other competition programs from Nickelodeon. The channel formally ceased operations on December 31, 2007, with The N taking over its channel space as a separate 24-hour network; however, an automated loop of Nick GAS continued to be carried on Dish Network due to unknown factors until April 23, 2009.

NickMom

NickMom was a programming block launched on October 1, 2012, airing in the late night hours on Nick Jr. The block attempted original programming targeted towards young mothers until 2014, then began to carry acquired films and sitcoms, along with the 2010 version of the TV series Parenthood. Due to Viacom's 2015 cutbacks involving acquired programming and low ratings, the NickMom block and associated website were discontinued in the early morning hours of September 28, 2015.

Nick 2

Nick 2 was the off-air brand for a secondary timeshift channel of Nickelodeon formerly available on the high-tier packages exclusively on cable providers as a complement to the main Nickelodeon feed, repackaging Nickelodeon's Eastern and Pacific Time Zone feeds for the appropriate time zone – the Pacific feed was distributed to the Eastern and Central Time Zones, and the Eastern feed was distributed to the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones – resulting in the difference in local airtimes for a particular program between two geographic locations being three hours at most, allowing viewers a second chance to watch a program after its initial airing on the Eastern Time Zone feed or to watch the show ahead of its airing on the Pacific Time Zone feed of the main channel & At 10:30 p.m Eastern on Nick 2 Pacific or 12:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. Nick 2 would never broadcast in high definition. The service existed from around 2000 until November 2018, launching as Nick TOO.
The timeshift channel was originally offered as part of the MTV Networks Digital Suite, a slate of channels exclusive to high-tier cable packages, and was the only American example of two feeds of a non-premium service being provided to cable and IPTV providers. A Nick TOO logo was used on the channel until 2004, when MTV Networks decided to stop using customized branding on the feed ; most television listings thus showed the additional channel under the brandings "Nickelodeon Pacific/NICKP" or "Nickelodeon Eastern/NICKE".
On another note, DirecTV and Dish Network also offer both Nickelodeon feeds, though they carry both time zone feeds of most of the children's networks that the providers offer by default.
Viacom Media Networks discontinued the Nick 2 digital cable service on November 22, 2018, likely due to video on demand options making timeshift channels for the most part superfluous. Both time zone feeds continue to be offered on satellite providers, unbranded.

Other services

Media

Nick.com

Nick.com is Nickelodeon's main website, which launched in October 1995 as a component of America Online's Kids Only channel before eventually moving to the full World Wide Web. It provides content, as well as video clips and full episodes of Nickelodeon series available for streaming. The website's popularity grew to the point where 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. 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 and video streaming options on the website.

Mobile apps

Nickelodeon released a free mobile app for smartphones and tablet computers operating on the Apple and Android platforms in February 2013. Like Nick.com, a TV Everywhere login code provided by participating subscription providers is required to view individual episodes of the network's series.

Nickelodeon Movies

Nickelodeon Movies is a motion picture production unit that was founded in 1995, as a family entertainment arm of Paramount Pictures, which releases the studio's films. The first film released from the studio was the 1996 mystery/comedy Harriet the Spy. 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 print magazine that was launched in 1993; the channel had previously published a short-lived magazine effort in 1990. Nickelodeon Magazine incorporated informative non-fiction pieces, humor, interviews, recipes, and a comic book section in the center of each issue featuring original comics by leading underground cartoonists as well as strips about popular Nicktoons. It ceased publication after 16 years in December 2009, citing a sluggish magazine industry. A new version of the magazine was launched by Papercutz in June 2015.

Nick Radio

Nick Radio was a radio network that launched on September 30, 2013, in a partnership between both the network and iHeartMedia, which distributed the network mainly via its iHeartRadio web platform and mobile app. Its programming was also streamed via the Nick.com website and on New York City radio station WHTZ as a secondary HD channel. Nick Radio focused on Top 40 and pop music, along with celebrity interview features. In addition to regular on-air DJs, Nick Radio also occasionally featured guest DJ stints by popular artists as well as stars from Nickelodeon's original series.
Nick Radio shut down without warning on July 31, 2019 and was replaced by Hit Nation Junior, likely due to the network's general failure to establish any sustained "triple threat" artists/actors throughout the 2010s, along with the general failure of the children's-only radio format in the streaming age. It was also a non-prime asset in Viacom's current 'six prime networks' strategy, leaving it vulnerable to being terminated.

Experiences

Nickelodeon Universe

Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America is the largest indoor theme park in the United States. On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon and Southern Star Amusements announced that it would build a second Nickelodeon Universe in New Orleans, Louisiana on the site of the former Six Flags New Orleans by the end of 2010, which was set to be the first outdoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park. On November 9, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that it had ended the licensing agreement with Southern Star Amusements.
Nickelodeon Universe has a second location at the American Dream Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that opened on October 25, 2019.

Theme park areas

All except three Nickelodeon-themed theme park areas now closed:

Current attractions

Nickelodeon Animation Studio is a production firm located in Burbank, California, which serves as the animation facilities for many of the network's Nicktoons series. It also houses the headquarters of the Nicktoons channel.

Nickelodeon on Sunset

Nickelodeon on Sunset was a studio complex in Hollywood, California which served as the primary production facility for Nickelodeon's series from 1997 until 2017; the studio is designated by the National Register for Historic Places as a historical landmark as a result of its prior existence as the Earl Carroll Theater, a prominent dinner theater. It served as the production facilities for several Nickelodeon series including iCarly, All That, Victorious and Sam & Cat.

Hotel brands

Between 1993 and 1995, Nickelodeon opened international channels in the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and Germany; by the later year, the network had provided its programming to broadcasters in 70 countries. Since the mid-1990s and early 2000s, Nickelodeon as a brand has expanded into include language- or culture-specific channels for various other territories in different parts of the world including Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Canada, and has licensed some of its cartoons and other content, in English and local languages, to free-to-air networks and subscription channels such as KI.KA and Super RTL in Germany, RTÉ Two and TG4 in Ireland, YTV and Vrak.TV in Canada, Canal J in France, Alpha Kids in Greece, CNBC-e in Turkey and 10 Peach in Australia.

Works cited

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