Nickelodeon

**Nickelodeon** (often shortened to **Nick**) is an American pay television network which was launched on December 1, 1977 as the first cable channel for children. It is owned by Viacom through its Viacom Media Networks division's Nickelodeon Group unit and is based in New York City. It broadcasts usually from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays (the sign off time varies with holidays and special programming), Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time). It is primarily aimed at children and adolescents aged 2–17.

The channel was originally first tested as Pinwheel on December 1, 1977. Pinwheel was at the time only available on QUBE, which was the first two-way major market interactive cable television system, owned by Warner Cable. Pinwheel relaunched as Nickelodeon on April 1, 1979, under the direction of Nyhl L. Henson and expanded to other cable providers nationwide.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; it features reruns of older primetime sitcoms, along with some original series and feature films. It was initially commercial-free and remained without advertising until 1984. Warner sold Nickelodeon, along with its sister networks MTV and VH1, to Viacom in 1986.

As of January 2016, the channel is available to about 92.056 million households (79.086% of households with TV) in the United States. 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 Viacom channels on April 30, 2019.

## History

Main article: History of Nickelodeon

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. 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. Nickelodeon launched on April 1, 1979, initially distributed to Warner Cable systems via satellite on the RCA Satcom-1 transponder (the owner of the satellite, RCA Americom, later became GE Americom as a result of General Electric's acquisition of RCA Americom's parent company, RCA Corporation, before merging with Luxembourg based Société Européenne des Satellites to form SES Global, now SES S.A, which one of the descendants of the Satcom series, the SES and AMC satellite constellations, stil operate, Nickelodeon presently broadcasts on AMC-11). 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. Originally commercial-free, advertising was introduced in January 1984.

## 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. Nickelodeon currently programs shows targeted at preschool-age children on Monday through Fridays from 8:30 am- 2:00 pm Eastern and Pacific Time (7-10am during the summer months, other designated school break periods, and on national holidays). The block primarily targets audiences of preschool age as Nickelodeon's usual audience of school-age children are in school during the block's designated time period. Programs currently seen in this block include *Blaze and the Monster Machines*, *Team Umizoomi*, *Bubble Guppies*, *PAW Patrol*, *Max & Ruby*, and *Mutt & Stuff*.

***Nick's New Saturday Night*** – a primetime live-action block airing from 8-10pm Eastern and Pacific Time. It launched on September 22, 2012, as *Gotta See Saturday Nights*. Recent episodes of certain original series may air when no new episodes are scheduled to air that week. The schedule features *Henry Danger* and *Knight Squad* (all first-run episodes are cycled on the schedule, giving it a variable schedule). Premieres of the network's original made-for-TV movies also occasionally air during the primetime block, usually in the form of premiere showings.

#### 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. Saturdays from 9:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and Sundays from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 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.

#### 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

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

#### Current attractions

* **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. This area is currently being expanded to fill space formerly occupied with rides based on Warner Bros. characters.
* **Nickelodeon Land** opened on May 4, 2011, at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, featuring several rides based on Nickelodeon series including *SpongeBob SquarePants*, *Avatar: The Last Airbender*, *Dora the Explorer,* and *The Fairly OddParents*.
* **Nickelodeon Land** opened in September 2015 at Sea World, featuring multiple rides based on Nickelodeon programs including a SpongeBob junior roller coaster, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed flyer.

#### Closed areas

* Nickelodeon Universe was also an area inside of Paramount's Kings Island featuring Nickelodeon-themed rides and attractions. It was one of the largest sections in the park and was voted "Best Kid's Area" by *Amusement Today* magazine from 2001 until its closure in 2009 after the park's sale to Cedar Fair(the Paramount Parks ended up with CBS Corporation in the 2006 CBS/Viacom split, which CBS immediately sold off as soon as possible as non-critical surplus assets for that company). In March 2008, another version of Nickelodeon Universe opened at Mall of America with many characters from the network's series including *SpongeBob SquarePants*and *Dora the Explorer*.
* **Nickelodeon Studios** was an attraction at the Universal Orlando Resort that opened on June 7, 1990, and housed production for many Nickelodeon programs (including *Clarissa Explains It All*, *What Would You Do?* and *All That*). It closed on April 30, 2005, after Nickelodeon's production facilities were moved to New York City and Burbank, California. The building that formerly housed it is now occupied by the Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre. Another Nickelodeon-themed attraction at the park, Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, opened in 2003 but closed in 2011 to make way for the new ride *Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem*, which was based on the 2010 film *Despicable Me*. In 2012, a store based on SpongeBob SquarePants opened in *Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone*, replacing Universal's Cartoon Store.
* **Nickelodeon Central** was an area inside of the Paramount Parks properties, including California's Great America, Carowinds, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and Dreamworld that featured shows, attractions and themes featuring Nickelodeon characters, all of which were wound down when CBS Corporation was given ownership of the theme parks in the Viacom/CBS split and eventually sold most of the properties to Cedar Fair without renewal of the Nickelodeon licensing agreements. The only Nickelodeon Central remaining in existence was at Dreamworld in Australia, which is not under Cedar Fair ownership. The license was revoked in 2011 and became "Kid's World" and later DreamWorks Experience.
* **Nickelodeon Blast Zone** was an area in Universal Studios Hollywood that featured attractions centered around Nickelodeon characters and themes. The four attractions that were present in the area were "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. It ran from 2001 to 2007 and was rethemed as "The Adventures of Curious George" which closed in 2008 to make way for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Studios Hollywood). Adjacent to **Nickelodeon Blast Zone** was the "Panasonic Theatre" which housed another Nickelodeon attraction called "Totally Nickelodeon", which was an audience participated game show which ran from 1997 to 2000. "Rugrats Magic Adventure", opened 2001 but closed in 2002 to make way for Shrek 4-D which ran from May 2003 to August 2017. It closed to make way for DreamWorks Theatre Featuring Kung Fu Panda which opened on June 15, 2018.
* **Nickelodeon Splat City** was an area inside California's Great America (from 1995 to 2002), Kings Island (from 1995 to 2000) and Kings Dominion (from 1995 to 1999), that featured messy- and water-themed attractions. The slime refinery theme was carried out in the attractions such as the "Green Slime Zone Refinery", the "Crystal Slime Mining Maze", and the "Green Slime Transfer Truck". All of these areas were later transformed into either Nickelodeon Central or Nickelodeon Universe before being discontinued as mentioned above when sold off by CBS Corporation.

#### 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.