Wow! (Japanese TV channel)

Wow (stylized as W.O.W) is a Japanese cable and satellite television channel that mostly airs children's animated television series, children's anime, and teen-oriented programming. The channel serves as the Japanese equivalent of Nickelodeon, since it airs Nickelodeon programming, and uses the network's branding. An amount of the channel's programs (including the channel itself) can also be seen in English.
The channel was launched as a joint venture between Viacom Networks Japan K. K. and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan on September 30, 2009, replacing Nickelodeon Japan. Since its launch, it has become extremely popular with kids and teenagers.
In October 2011, an HD feed of the channel was launched. In December 2014, an On Demand service for the channel was launched on J:COM and SKY PerfecTV!
== History ==
In Summer 2009, Viacom Networks Japan K.K. announced that due to low viewership, the Japanese Nickelodeon channel would be shutdown by September 2009. Viacom, however, wanting to keep the Nickelodeon branding in Japan, decided to come up with ways to help keep the Nickelodeon name in Japan. Sony Pictures Entertainment then teamed up with Viacom to help come up with a new Nickelodeon branding that kids in Japan "would really stick to." The idea for a network called "Wow!" was conceived, and Viacom and Sony decided to agree on the new branding. When interviewed about the decision, Sony responded: "It's going to be the same Nickelodeon, just under a new name."
On September 30, 2009, at 12:00a.m. (JST), Nickelodeon Japan went off the air, and was replaced by Wow! Before the channel's launch, Nickelodeon Japan first placed an on-screen message informing viewers about the rebranding. The message stated:
"After several years dedicated to the local child community, we are changing course. We thank our viewers and Viacom for being with us all these years. With joy, we begin a new course with you. Explore the world as Wow! starts to party!!!"
After this message was displayed for 20 seconds, it then transitioned into a small montage featuring clips of Nickelodeon shows. The channel then officially started afterwards.
After the channel's launch day, it was shown that the network wasn't reaching a lot of viewers, however, it soon ended up experiencing a surge in viewership and popularity by mid-2010.
In June 2010, Wow! launched a special event called 'Day of Play.' Similar to Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play in the U.S., the event airs every third Saturday in June, lasting from 9:00a.m. until 11:00a.m., and encourages children all over the country to go outside and play or exercise.
In September 2010, a studio for the network was opened in Tokyo, Japan. Along with the opening, an amusement park for the network (featuring Nickelodeon characters and themed-rides) was also unveiled. However, the park was deemed distracting to employees who were working inside the studio. It was later closed down and relocated to Kyoto, Japan in October 2012. The openings for both of these were livestreamed on the channel. Also in September 2010, the channel started the Wow! Viewers Choice Awards, an annual voting event similar to the Kids' Choice Awards in the U.S. Ever since the creations of those events (and the network's studio), the channel has become extremely popular with children and teenagers all over Japan.
In late 2010, Wow! started to air programming targeted for teenagers who may be watching the channel during the late night and early morning hours.
In October 2011, an HD version of Wow! was launched and is available on all cable and satellite systems in Japan, broadcasting in 1080i HD and widescreen.
In December 2014, an On Demand service for Wow! was launched on J:COM and SKY PerfecTV!, broadcasting all programs in widescreen.
On February 5, 2015, to keep up-to-date with Nickelodeon U.S.' current branding, the channel changed it's logo and brand package.
In March 2015, an app for the channel was created, and can be downloaded for free on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
On July 17, 2017, the channel received a new logo and rebrand, based on the rebrand adopted by Nickelodeon US in January 2017. The channel hinted at the rebrand on their Facebook page back on July 3.
== Current programming ==
Since it's launch in September 2009, the channel has been devoted to broadcasting Nickelodeon programs. However in late 2010, Wow! started to broadcast programs from other international networks, some of which are usually aired during the late night and early morning hours, being targeted for teen audiences.
=== Nickelodeon programs: ===
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ミュータント タートルズ)
* SpongeBob SquarePants (スポンジ・ボブ)
* The Fairly Oddparents (Oops！フェアリー・ペアレンツ)
* Sanjay and Craig (サンジェイとクレイグ)
* Breadwinners (リズムブレッドパワーダック)
* Harvey Beaks (ハーヴェイビークス)
* The Loud House (ぼくのLoudファミリー!)
* The Thundermans (サンダーマンズ)
* Henry Danger (ヘンリー危険)
* Hunter Street (ハンターストリート) 
* Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, & Dawn (ゲームシェイカー)
* Game Shakers
* School of Rock (スクール・オブ・ロック)
* iCarly (i カーリー)
* Victorious (ビクトリアス)
* Pig Goat Banana Cricket (豚、ヤギ、バナナ、クリケット)
* Sam & Cat (サム＆キャット)
* The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius  (ジミー・ニュートロン ぼくは天才発明家 !)
* Back at the Barnyard (オーティスのひげを生やした冒険)
* Bunsen Is a Beast (ブンゼン、あなたは獣だ!)
* ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks (アルヴィン！ そしてシマリス)
* Power Rangers (パワーレンジャー)
* Regal Academy (リーガルアカデミー)
=== Acquired programming: ===
* Modern Family (モダン・ファミリー)
* My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (マイリトルポニー〜トモダチは魔法〜)
* Littlest Pet Shop: A world of our own (Littlest Pet Shop：私たち自身の世界)
* Transformers: Rescue bots academy (トランスフォーマーの冒険：レスキューボットアカデミー)
* Littlest Pet Shop (2012) (リトルペットショップ)
* Kuu Kuu Harajuku (久久原宿)
* Ride (ライド)
* Backstage (舞台裏)
* Digimon Adventure (デジモンアドベンチャー)
* Digimon Adventure 02 (デジモンアドベンチャー02)
* Digimon Tamers (デジモンテイマーズ)
* Digimon Frontier (デジモンフロンティア)
* Digimon Data Squad (デジモンセイバーズ)
* Digimon Fusion (デジモンクロスウォーズ)
== Upcoming programming ==
* Welcome to the Wayne (TBA 2017) (素晴らしいアパートメントウェイン)
* Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty (Fall 2019) (レインボーバタフライユニコーンキティ)
== Programming blocks ==
=== Wow! Jr. ===
* In October 2009, a block called Wow! Jr. was launched on the channel. It is targeted for preschoolers, and mostly airs programs that are aired on Nick Jr., such as: Bubble Guppies, Wallykazam!, Shimmer and Shine, Max and Ruby, Jelly Jamm, and Magical DoReMi. The block originally aired every weekday from 8:00a.m. to 1:00p.m., but in 2015, its timeslot was moved. The block now airs every day from 7:00a.m. to 10:00a.m.
=== Full Weekend, Full Time ===
* In September 2010, a block was launched on Wow! called Full Weekend, Full Time. The same block from Nickelodeon Japan, this block airs new episodes of Nickelodeon shows every Saturday and Sunday morning, with animated shows being aired on Saturday and live-action shows being aired on Sunday. The current shows that air on the block every Saturday are Harvey Beaks, The Loud House, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, SpongeBob SquarePants, Sanjay and Craig, and The Fairly Oddparents. As for Sunday, they are The Thundermans, Game Shakers, School of Rock, Power Rangers, Make It Pop, and Backstage. The block airs every weekend morning from 10:00a.m. to 1:00p.m.
=== Viewers Choice Saturday ===
* In July 2014, Wow! started a new block titled Viewers Choice Saturday. This is the network's first interactive block, since the viewers have to go to the channel's website to pick which show they want to see on Saturday. The show that has the most votes ends up airing as a marathon. The block airs every Saturday, usually from 6:00p.m. until 9:00p.m.
=== Throwback Thursday ===
* In October 2015, a new block was started on Wow! called Throwback Thursday. The block mainly airs episodes of Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show, Hey Arnold!, All That, and Rugrats. It airs every Thursday from 2:00p.m. to 4:30p.m.
== Former programming ==
=== Nickelodeon programs: ===
* Rocket Power (ロケット・パワー)
* CatDog (キャットドッグ)
* The Angry Beavers (アングリー・ビーバーズ)
* Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (ぎゃあ!!! リアル・モンスターズ)
* All Grown Up! (ラグラッツ・ザ・ティーンズ)
* Rocko's Modern Life (ロッコーのモダンライフ)
* The Wild Thornberrys (ワイルド・ソーンベリーズ)
* Monsters vs. Aliens
* Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
* The Naked Brothers Band (ネイキッド・ブラザーズ・バンド)
* Danny Phantom
* My Life as a Teenage Robot (ジェニーはティーン☆ロボット)
* Chalkzone (チョーク・ゾーン)
* Catscratch
* The X's
* Avatar: The Last Airbender (アバター 伝説の少年アン)
* KaBlam!
* Fanboy and Chum Chum
* The Mighty B!
* The Legend of Korra
* Big Time Rush
* Planet Sheen
* The Troop
* Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness
* As Told By Ginger (ジンジャーの青春日記)
* The Penguins of Madagascar (ザ・ペンギンズ from マダガスカル)
* The Mysterious Files of Shelby Woo (シェルビー·ウーの謎のファイル)
* The Journey of Allen Strange (アレン・ストレンジの不思議な旅)
* The Adventures of Pete and Pete (ピートとピートの大冒険)
=== Acquired programming: ===
* Muppets Tonight (マペット放送局)
* Growing Up Creepie (クリーピー)
* I Got a Rocket (アイ・ガット・ア・ロケット!)
* Mako Mermaids
* Yvon of the Yukon (ぼんじゅール?!イボン)
* Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong! (ゴーイング、ゴーイング、ゴング！)
* Naturally, Sadie (セイディ my ダイアリー)
== Other services/events ==
=== Wow! on Demand ===
* In December 2014, Wow! launched an On Demand service titled Wow! on Demand (Japanese: うわー！ オンデマンド). The service allows people to watch all programs that air on the channel for free. It is however only available on J:COM and SKY PerfecTV! It is unknown when the service will be available on other providers.
=== Wow! app ===
* In March 2015, Viacom released an app for the channel. The app allows users to watch episodes of Wow! programs, take mini quizzes or polls, and play games (much like the Nick app in the U.S.). The app is currently available on the App Store for iOS and on Google Play for Android.
=== Wow! The Big Green Help ===
* In May 2011, Wow! launched The Big Green Help, a reality series that encourages and teaches children on how to take care of the Earth and the environment. It was discontinued in 2014 due to low ratings and lack of participators.
=== HD feed ===
* In October 2011, an HD feed of Wow! was launched on all Japanese cable and satellite systems. This feed broadcasts in 1080i HD (or in widescreen for some programs).
=== Wow! Viewers Choice Awards ===
* On September 1, 2010, Wow! started the Wow! Viewers Choice Awards. Similar to the Kids' Choice Awards aired on Nickelodeon in the U.S., this event allows viewers to vote for their favorite show, celebrity, movie, artist, etc. The winner of each those categories would win a special award onstage. Some of those winners, the hosts, and people in the crowd could also be slimed as well. The awards are held annually on September 1, broadcasting from 8:00p.m. to 10:00p.m.
=== Wow! Mega Music Fest ===
* On April 3rd, 2011, Wow! held it's first annual edition of the Wow! Mega Music Fest at Nippon Budokan, which is similar to Nickelodeon's first (and only at the time) Mega Music Fest event in the United States, which came out in 2010.
== 2011 power outage ==
On March 11, 2011, due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Wow! ended up suffering an extreme power outage. It started during the earthquake, which caused the Wow! Studios antenna to shake violently, causing a huge number of technical problems for the channel. Immediately after the earthquake, the channel was still suffering problems, causing for an error card to be placed over the channel for the rest of the day. After the tsunami hit other areas in Japan, the channel's entire television signal became severally damaged, causing for the outage to last for several weeks. The outage finally ended on April 7, with the studio's antenna being fixed, and the channel returning to normal programming, not before a message was announced by the crew of Wow! Studios to the channel's viewers, apologizing for the disruption. The outage caused Wow! to experience a huge drop in ratings that year, and again in Fall 2012. The channel has since recovered.
== Website ==
* www.wowtv.co.jp
Category:Television Stations in Japan
Category:Japan
Category:Television channels and stations established in 2009
Category:Viacom
Category:Viacom Media Networks
Category:Sony Pictures Television