Kuku TV

**Kuku TV** is a Sallislandic TV channel, launched in 2000. It was formerly known as **Up Kanal** (2006-2016) and before that, **Mega** (2000-2006), and is a joint venture between Zuna and Private Broadcasting Vision.

Kuku TV is a general entertainment channel that mixes locally-produced Sallislandic shows and imported programming. The station has been very successful with imports from the United States in particular, including *The Simpsons*, *Friends*, *Keeping Up with the Kardashians* and *iCarly*.

## History

Kuku TV launched on 17 November 2000 as Mega. It was meant to be a cable and satellite channel that provided 'premium' entertainment.

Mega was renamed to Up Kanal on 26 May 2006.

On 1 July 2009, Up Kanal changed its logo and graphics due to complaints about the readability of the 2006 graphics. A green colour was adapted to match with PBV and the Helvetica font was heavily used. On the same day, the Nickelodeon Go ! block was replaced with simply a Nickelodeon block.

On 1 October 2010, Up Kanal began broadcasting in 16:9 widescreen and introduced a new logo for the Nickelodeon block that was introduced in 2009 in the United States.

## Controversy

Kuku TV was fined 9,000€ for airing a promo for *iCarly* in September 2011 that featured a version of the song "High Maintenance" by Miranda Cosgrove with the word "asses" played uncensored.

From September to November 2011, Kuku TV aired a promo for the Nickelodeon block which featured rapidly flashing images. On 31 October 2011, a 12-year-old boy who was autistic and epileptic suffered a seizure while watching the promo and died because of it. As a result, Kuku TV was fined 50,000€ on 4 November and forced to withdraw the promo.

On 10 February 2012, Kuku TV premiered the *Dance Moms* episode "Wildly Inappropriate". After the episode was broadcast, over 200 complaints were sent in to the channel regarding the episode having young girls dancing in indecent costumes in the "Electricity" dance number. The episode was withdrawn after the original airing.

On 27 December 2012, Kuku TV was fined 30,000€ for airing the *Victorious* episode "A Christmas Tori" on 14 December 2012 with a 6+ rating instead of a 12+ rating. The character, Jade West's, sexy Santa dress was considered indecent and was not allowed to be shown on television uncensored with any rating under 12+.

In December 2019, Kuku TV received several hate comments on a video from 2010, "Boźijute Nickelodeonzka - Kissin' U", about a scene of Onika and Italy from Les Fashionistas hugging during the line "almost like the puzzle piece I've been tryna find". Due to Onika being an autistic character, some supporters of the neurodiversity movement took the scene from the video as being ableist. Kuku TV did not respond.

Kuku TV is currently under criticism for continuing to air *Dance Moms* after it was withdrawn from Lifetime in the United States due to allegations of Abby Lee Miller being racist off-camera.

## Cartoon Network block

On 12 March 2018, Kuku TV introduced a block featuring Cartoon Network programming to replace the Nickelodeon block.

The series, *Adventure Time* and *The Amazing World of Gumball*, do not air on this block but instead on the Nickelodeon channel, as they were airing on the Nickelodeon block from 2011 (*The Amazing World of Gumball*)/2013 (*Adventure Time*) until the block's closure in 2018 and carried over to the channel.

## Nickelodeon block

Kuku TV formerly carried a Nickelodeon block. It launched in 2007 as Nickelodeon Go !, and was an attempt to bring the Kuboian channel Nick Go! to Sallisland, but rebranded to be a regular Nickelodeon block in July 2009, which was the same month Viacom announced plans to withdraw from Kuboia.

The block stopped airing on 4 March 2018 and was replaced by a Cartoon Network block, but iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, Henry Danger and The Loud House continue to be broadcast as regular Kuku TV programming. The day after it shut down, Nickelodeon relaunched as a full-time channel.

The 2009 Nickelodeon logo was launched for the block on 1 October 2010 with the Victorious premiere. However, it's known that the old closedown would still be used until the final day (which also featured the Up Kanal logo and was not updated in 2016).

## Programming

All reality TV series (except those where Sallish is the original language) and airings of *iCarly* on weekend afternoons are in English with Sallish subtitles. Other programming is dubbed.

* Aćelotkaćeg dekragén (2017-present)
* Celebs Go Dating (2017-present)
* Dance Moms (2012-present)
* Family Guy (2003-present)
* Friends (2000-2013, 2019-present)
* Glee (2009-present)
* Henry Danger (2015-present)
* Hollyoaks (2007-present)
* How I Met Your Mother (2009-present)
* iCarly (2008-present)
* Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2010-present)
* The Life as Ericka (2009-present)
* The Loud House (2016-present)
* Love Island [UK version] (2017-present)
* Newsflash [formerly Up-dàt] (2006-present)
* The Only Way Is Essex (2013-present)
* Pretty Little Liars (2011-present)
* The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (2011-present)
* RuPaul's Drag Race (2010-present)
* Sallisland's Next Top Model (2010-present)
* Sam & Cat (2013-present)
* The Simpsons (2000-present)
* Teen Mom OG (2010-present)
* Teen Mom Sallisland (2010-present)
* Unfabulous (2007-2013, 2019-present))
* Victorious (2010-present)
* Zoey 101 (2007-2013, 2015, 2019-present)