Timeline-LM/Nickelodeon

**Nickelodeon**, occasionally shortened to/as **Nick**, is an American pay television channel jointly owned by Turner Global and WarnerMedia through the joint venture Nickelodeon Partners. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children, the channel is primarily aimed at children and adolescents aged 2 to 17, along with a broader family audience through its program blocks.

The channel began life as a test broadcast on December 1, 1977, as part of QUBE, an early cable television system broadcast locally in Columbus, Ohio. The channel, now named Nickelodeon, launched to a new nationwide audience on April 1, 1979, with *Pinwheel* as its inaugural program. The network was initially commercial-free and remained without advertising until 1984. Nickelodeon gained a new facelift regarding programming and image that fall, and its ensuing success led to it operating as a joint venture between Warner Communications and Turner, as well as enabling Turner to acquire Gulf+Western in 1986.

Throughout history, Nickelodeon has introduced several sister channels and programming blocks. Nick Jr. is a preschool morning block launched on January 4, 1988. Evening block Adult Swim, targeting older teenagers and young adults aged 18 to 34, was launched in 2001. Nicktoons, based on the flagship brand, launched as a separate sister channel in 1994. 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 (previously on Nickelodeon) and The N (previously on Noggin), were merged into a standalone channel, TeenNick, in 2009.

As of September 2018, the channel is available to about 94 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 2-way interactive cable system, QUBE, in Columbus, Ohio. The C-3 cable channel carried *Pinwheel* daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the channel was labelled "Pinwheel" on remote controllers, as it was the only program broadcast. 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 (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 ancestors of the Satcom series, the SES and AMC satellite constellations, still operate, Nickelodeon presently broadcasts on AMC-11). Originally commercial-free, advertising was introduced in January 1984.

## Programming

Programming seen on Nickelodeon includes animated series (such as *SpongeBob SquarePants*, *Anthony and Trevor*, *Middlemost Post*, *The Patrick Star Show*, *Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years*, *The Smurfs*, *Rugrats* and *Monster High*), live-action, scripted series (such as *Danger Force*, *Tyler Perry's Young Dylan* and *That Girl Lay Lay*), and original made-for-TV movies, while the network's daytime schedule is dedicated to shows targeting preschoolers (such as *Bubble Guppies*, *PAW Patrol*, and *Blue's Clues & You!*). The network's animated programming is produced at Nickelodeon Animation Studios, while other shows have either been co-produced with or acquired from other studios, including the affiliated Paramount Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation.

Over the years, Nickelodeon has aired various *Looney Tunes*, *Merrie Melodies*, *Tom and Jerry*, and *Droopy* shorts in constant rotation, dating back to 1992 until around 2017. In its early days, Nickelodeon benefited from having access to a large collection of animated programming, including the libraries of Warner Bros. (*Looney Tunes* and *Merrie Melodies*), Paramount (*Tom and Jerry*), Hanna-Barbera (*The Flintstones*, *Scooby-Doo*, *Snorks*), and DC Comics (*Superman*, *Batman*, *Wonder Woman*, *Justice League* and *Teen Titans*). Turner's ownership of Hanna-Barbera through Paramount gave the network access to an established animation studio, something its rivals didn't have. Most of these series were removed by 1999 and moved to Nicktoons Network in 2000.

### 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 infrequently been used by the network itself since the launch of the channel of the same name, original animated series continue to make up a substantial portion of Nickelodeon's lineup. Roughly, six to seven hours of these programs are seen on the weekday schedule, and around nine hours on weekends, including a dedicated Friday night animation block.

In 2006, the channel struck a deal with DreamWorks Animation to develop the studio's animated films into television series (such as *The Penguins of Madagascar*). Since the early 2010s, DreamWorks has also produced series based on preexisting IP purchased by Paramount, such as *Winx Club* and *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*.

Much of Nickelodeon's animated programming originates from the network's in-house studio, Nickelodeon Animation Studios. Beginning as a division of Hanna-Barbera, this studio would produce some of the network's earliest original series, including *Rocko's Modern Life,* *Dexter's Laboratory*, *Cow and Chicken*, *I Am Weasel*, *Johnny Bravo*, *The Powerpuff Girls,* and *SpongeBob SquarePants*. Additionally, several of Nick's original series have been produced by studios other than the network's own in-house studio. Notable examples are *Rugrats, The Ren and Stimpy Show,* *Ed, Edd n Eddy*, *Courage the Cowardly Dog*, and *Codename: Kids Next Door*.

### Programming blocks

From 1999 to 2003, Nicktoon Fridays served as the channel's flagship block, featuring premieres of Nickelodeon original series that fell under the Nicktoons branding; from 2003 to 2007, the block was renamed "Fridays". The Toonami block, which originally ran from 1997 to 2012, primarily carried action-oriented series aimed towards an older youth and teen audience, including imported anime series; it was later re-launched under the auspices of Adult Swim in 2012. In 2011, the channel introduced DC Nation, a block that would be focused on series adapted from DC Comics properties.

In September 2021, Nickelodeon introduced the new Sunday-evening block ACME Night–which primarily carries family films and library content, as well as other original series, specials, and television films from Warner Bros. and Paramount, as well as some programming from Adult Swim. ACME Night moved to Adult Swim on September 3, 2023.

### Editing of theatrical cartoon shorts

Nickelodeon has, during its history, broadcast most of the Warner Bros. animated shorts originally created between the 1920s and the 1960s, but the network edited out scenes depicting discharge of gunfire, alcohol ingestion, cowboys and Indians gags, tobacco, and politically incorrect humor. The unedited versions were kept from both broadcasting and wide release on the video market. *Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs* (1943), a politically incorrect but critically well-regarded short, was notably omitted entirely, while *The Scarlet Pumpernickel* (1950) and *Feed the Kitty* (1952), both well-regarded, had their finales heavily edited due to violence.

There was media attention in June 2001 over a network decision concerning further omissions from broadcast. Nickelodeon formerly scheduled a 49-hour-long marathon annually known as *June Bugs*, promising to broadcast every Bugs Bunny animated short in chronological order.

The network originally intended to include 12 shorts for its 2001 airing of the marathon (one of them part of the Censored Eleven list of *Merrie Melodies* and *Looney Tunes* cartoons effectively shelved from distribution) that had become controversial for using ethnic and national stereotypes, albeit broadcasting them past midnight to ensure few children were watching, with introductions concerning their historic value as representatives of another time.

### Movies

Nickelodeon has produced a variety of original made-for-TV movies, which usually premiere in weekend evening timeslots or on school holidays. Nickelodeon also periodically acquires theatrically-released feature films for broadcast on the channel.

The channel occasionally airs feature films produced by the network's Nickelodeon Movies film production division (whose films are distributed by sister companies Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures). 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. 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 (although the network has aired a few live-action Nickelodeon Movies releases such as *Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging* and *Good Burger*).

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 (approximately 45 minutes, as opposed to 75–100 minute run times that most television movies have), and use a traditional multi-camera setup for regular episodes (unless the program is originally shot in the single-camera setup common of films) with some on-location filming.

In 2002, Nickelodeon entered a long-standing broadcast partnership with Mattel to air films and specials based on the toy company's Barbie (and later Monster High) dolls. The first Barbie movie to air on Nickelodeon was *Barbie as Rapunzel* on November 24, 2002. The Barbie and Monster High films are 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 banning paid programming to children.

### Programming blocks

#### Current

* ***Nick Jr.*** – Nickelodeon currently broadcasts shows targeted at preschool-aged children on Monday through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (7:00 to 10:00 a.m. 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-aged children are in school during the block's designated time period. Programs currently seen in this block include *PAW Patrol*, *Peppa Pig* (from the UK), *Blaze and the Monster Machines*, *TBA*, *Blue's Clues & You!*, *Santiago of the Seas*, and *Baby Shark's Big Show!*.
* ***Adult Swim*** – Nickelodeon's nighttime programming service, which premiered on July 1, 1985 as *Nick at Nite*, originally featuring classic sitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s such as *The Donna Reed Show*, *Mr. Ed* and *Lassie*, programming eventually shifted towards repeats of popular sitcoms from the 1980s to the 2000s such as *Home Improvement*, *The Cosby Show* and *Roseanne*. In 1996, a pay television channel, **TV Land** (formerly **Nick at Nite's TV Land**, until 1997) based on the block, launched with a similar format of programs. As a result, the block was relaunched in 2001 as Adult Swim, broadcasting both animated and live-action shows (including original programming, reruns of animated sitcoms, and other action and anime series) generally with minimal or no editing for content.
* ***That New Thursday Night*** – a live-action comedy block airing from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. The schedule features *Danger Force,* *Tyler Perry's Young Dylan*, *That Girl Lay Lay*, *TBA,* and *Erin & Aaron* (all first-run episodes are cycled on the schedule, giving it a variable schedule).
* ***Fridays*** – an animation block airing Friday nights and featuring new episodes of a rotating selection of Nickelodeon animated series. The series currently featured are *SpongeBob SquarePants*, *Anthony and Trevor*, *The Patrick Star Show*, *Big Nate*, *Rugrats*, and *The Smurfs*. The block also airs episodes of older Nicktoons.
* ***The Splat** -* a nostalgia-oriented sub-block of Nicktoons Network that airs reruns of Nickelodeon original series, with a focus on classic Nicktoons, airing on weekdays.
* ***Toonami*** - Toonami (a portmanteau of "cartoon" and "tsunami", suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated cartoons) is a brand used for action-oriented programming blocks and television channels worldwide. The original program block launched on Nickelodeon in the United States on March 17, 1997, and primarily aired both American cartoons and Japanese anime. The block would be reformatted on May 26, 2012, as a relaunch of Adult Swim's Saturday night anime block. Toonami's current incarnation is similar to that of the "Midnight Run", a special version of the block that originally ran on Saturday nights and was the forerunner for Adult Swim. The block is best known for its branding and aesthetic, including its animated host, a robot named TOM, that was later voiced by Steven Blum.

#### Former

* **SNICK** – "SNICK" (short for "Saturday Night Nickelodeon") was the network's first dedicated Saturday primetime block that aired from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. Geared toward preteens and teenagers, it debuted on August 15, 1992 (with the initial lineup featuring two established series that originally aired on Sundays, *Clarissa Explains It All* and *The Ren & Stimpy Show*, and two new series, *Roundhouse* and *Are You Afraid of the Dark?*). The block mainly featured live-action series (primarily comedies), although it periodically featured animated series. SNICK was discontinued on January 29, 2005, and was replaced the following week (February 5, 2005) by a Saturday night edition of the TEENick block.
* **Nick in the Afternoon** – "Nick in the Afternoon" was a daytime block that ran on weekday afternoons during the summer months from 1995 to 1997, and aired in an extended format until December for its final year in 1998. It was hosted by Stick Stickly, a Mr. Bill-like popsicle stick character (puppeteered by Rick Lyon and voiced by actor Paul Christie, who would later voice the Noggin mascot Moose A. Moose). The block was replaced for Summer 1999 by "Henry and June's Summer" (hosted by the animated hosts of the anthology series *KaBlam!*). From 2011 to 2012, Stick Stickly returns to television to host "U-Pick with Stick" on Friday nights as a concept of user-chosen programming.
* **U-Pick Live** – "U-Pick Live" (originally branded as "U-Pick Friday" from 1999 to late 2000, and originally hosted by the Henry and June characters from *KaBlam!*) was a block that aired weekday afternoons from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time from October 14, 2002, to May 27, 2005, which was broadcast from studios in New York City's Times Square district, where Nickelodeon is headquartered. Using a similar concept that originated in 1994 with the Nick in the Afternoon block, "U-Pick Live" allowed viewer interaction in selecting the programs (usually cartoons) that would air on the block via voting on the network's website.
* **TEENick** – "TEENick" was a teenage-oriented block that ran from March 4, 2001, to February 1, 2009, which ran on Sundays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time; a secondary block on Saturdays launched in 2005, taking over the 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific timeslot long held by SNICK. It was originally hosted by Nick Cannon, and then by Jason Everhart (aka "J. Boogie"). Beginning in January 2007, Noggin's own teenage-targeted block The N ran a spin-off block called "TEENick on The N." The TEENick name, which was removed on February 1, 2009, later became the name of the channel TeenNick on September 28, 2009.
* **ME:TV** – "ME:TV" was a short-lived live hosted afternoon block that ran during summer 2007, which ran on weekday afternoons from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time.
* **Nick Saturday Nights** – a primetime live-action block airing from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. It was introduced 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. Premieres of the network's original made-for-TV movies also occasionally aired during the primetime block, usually in the form of premiere showings. Saturday premieres were discontinued for the time being on December 11, 2021.
* **Nick Studio 10** – "Nick Studio 10" was a short-lived late afternoon programming block that ran from February 18 to June 17, 2013, which ran weekdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. The block featured wraparound segments based on episodes of the network's animated series, which were shown in an off-the-clock schedule due to the segments that aired following each program's individual acts.

#### Special events

* ***Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards*** – The *Kids' Choice Awards* are a 90-minute-long annual live awards show held on the fourth Saturday night in March (formerly the first Saturday in April until 2008, but returned in 2011). The award show (whose winners are selected by Nickelodeon viewers though voting on the channel's website and through text messaging) honors popular television series and movies, actors, athletes and music acts, with winners receiving a hollow orange blimp figurine (one of the logo outlines used for much of the network's "splat logo" era from 1984 to 2009).
* **Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports** – A spin-off of the *Kids' Choice Awards*, "Kids Choice Sports" is held in July with the same KCA voting procedures and differing categories for team sports and athlete achievements for the past year (featuring categories such as "Best Male Athlete", "Best Female Athlete", "King Of Swag", and "Queen Of Swag"), along with the award featuring a sports-specific purple mohawk. Its inaugural ceremony aired on July 17, 2014.
* **Nickelodeon HALO Awards** – The HALO Awards features five ordinary teens who are Helping And Leading Others (HALO). Its inaugural ceremony aired on December 11, 2009. The awards show is hosted by Nick Cannon and airs on Nickelodeon and TeenNick every November/December until 2017.
* **Worldwide Day of Play** – The "Worldwide Day of Play" is an annual event held on a Saturday afternoon in late September that began on October 2, 2004, to mark the conclusion of the "Let's Just Play" campaign launched that year, which are both designed to influence kids to exercise and participate in outdoor activities; schools and educational organizations are also encouraged to host local events to promote activity among children during the event. Nickelodeon and its sister channels (except for the Pacific and Mountain Time Zone feeds and the Nick 2 Pacific feed that is distributed to the Eastern and Central Time Zones), some of the network's international channels and associated websites are suspended (with a message encouraging viewers to participate in outdoor activities during the period) from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time on the day of the event. Since 2010, the Worldwide Day of Play event became part of The Big Help program, as part of an added focus on healthy lifestyles in addition to the program's main focus on environmental issues.

#### Blocks on broadcast networks

* **Untitled The WB block** – In 1998, TimeWarner's CBS entered into discussions with the network to produce a new block, but nothing ultimately materialized.
* **Nickelodeon en Telemundo** – On November 9, 1998, Telemundo introduced a daily block of Spanish dubs of Nickelodeon's series; the weekday edition of the block ran until September 5, 2000, when it was relegated to weekends in order to make room for the morning news program *Hoy En El Mundo*; Nickelodeon's contract with Telemundo ended in November 2001, after the network was acquired by NBC.

* **Nick on UPN/Nick Jr. on UPN** – On September 14, 2002, Nickelodeon began producing a two-hour Saturday morning block for UPN (which was co-owned with Nickelodeon at the time through Turner) to comply with the Children's Television Act. The block featured episodes of series such as *Brandon*, *The Wild Thornberrys*, *Rugrats*, *Hey Arnold!,* and *Pelswick* which premiered on most CBS stations. The block was retooled in 2004 as a preschool-oriented block featuring Nick Jr. shows (such as *Blue's Clues*, *Dora the Explorer,* and *Little Bill*); "Nick Jr. on UPN" was replaced in September 2006 by the KOL Secret Slumber Party block (produced by DIC Entertainment, which was subsequently acquired by Canada-based Cookie Jar (now WildBrain).

## Related networks and services

### Current sister channels

#### Nick Jr. Channel

**Nick Jr. Channel** (sometimes shortened to **Nick Jr.**) is a pay television network aimed mainly at children between 2 and 6 years of age. It features a mix of current and former preschool-oriented programs from Nickelodeon, as well as some shows that are exclusive to the channel. The Nick Jr. Channel launched on September 28, 2009, as a spin-off of Nickelodeon's 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 preteen-oriented programs at its launch, and its 2015 streaming service features a variety of exclusive series.

#### Nicktoons Network

**Nicktoons Network** is a pay television network that launched in 1994, as **Nicktoons TV**; it was renamed Nicktoons in April 2003 and rebranded as **Nicktoons Network** in September 2005. The network airs a mix of newer and older animated shows from Nickelodeon such as *Rugrats*, *The Fairly OddParents*, *Anthony and Trevor*, *SpongeBob SquarePants*, and *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* alongside original series airing exclusively on Nicktoons Network.

#### TeenNick

**TeenNick** is a pay television network that is aimed at adolescents and young adults, named after the TEENick block that aired on Nickelodeon from March 2001 to February 2009. The channel merged programming from the TEENick block with The N, a former block on Noggin. TeenNick has more relaxed program standards than the other Nickelodeon channels (save for Adult Swim) – allowing for moderate profanity, suggestive dialogue and some violent content. It also airs some acquired sitcoms and drama series.

#### 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.

### Former sister channels

* **Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids** (commonly branded as **Nickelodeon GAS** or **Nick GAS**), 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 (essentially formatted as a children's version of—and Viacom's answer to—the Game Show Network). The channel formally ceased operations on December 31, 2007, and it was replaced by a short-lived 24-hour version of Noggin's teen-oriented block The N. However, an automated loop of Nick GAS continued to be carried on Dish Network due to unknown factors until April 23, 2009.

* **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 (for example, the Nick at Nite block would respectively start at 9:00 p.m (Sundays-Fridays) & At 10:30 p.m (Saturdays) Eastern on Nick 2 Pacific or 12:00 p.m. (weekdays) 10:00 a.m (weekends) Pacific weeknights on Nick 2 Eastern). Nick 2 would never broadcast in high definition, but the exception is through Xfinity’s IPTV services. The service existed from around 2000 until November 2018, launching as **Nick TOO**. The timeshift channel was originally offered as part of the Turner Digital Suite, a slate of channels exclusive to high-tier cable packages (many of the networks also earned satellite carriage over time), 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 Turner Broadcasting decided to stop using customized branding on the feed (a logo for Nick 2 was only used for identification purposes on electronic program guides as a placeholder image); most television listings thus showed the additional channel under the brandings "Nick Pacific (NICKP)/Nick West (NICKW)," or "Nick East (NICKE)." 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 Xfinity as well as satellite providers, unbranded.

### Production studios

#### Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Main article: Nickelodeon Animation Studios

**Nickelodeon Animation Studios** is a production studio located in the network's West Coast headquarters of Burbank, California, which serves as the network's first animation studio division to provide original programs for the network, succeeding Hanna-Barbera. While the studio makes original programs for the network, original Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. shows like *Rugrats,* *Big Bag*, *Ed, Edd n Eddy*, *TBA*, *Courage the Cowardly Dog*, *Sheep in the Big City*, *Codename: Kids Next Door*, *TBA*, and *Sunday Pants* were all produced without Nickelodeon Animation Studios’ involvement. It also produces shows for Adult Swim alongside its sister company Williams Street.

#### Williams Street

**Williams Street Productions** is the adult production studio division that provides original program to the network's late-night programming block Adult Swim that is located in Atlanta, Georgia, along with the secondary headquarters of the network. Prior to Adult Swim, the company produced *Space Ghost: Coast to Coast* for Nickelodeon.

#### Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

**Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe** (formerly known as **Nickelodeon Development Studio Europe** until 2012 and **Nickelodeon Animation Studios Europe** until 2021) is the network's European production studio division that is located in London, England, which provides other original programs but from the United Kingdom.

#### Nickelodeon Productions

**Nickelodeon Productions** is a production studio in New York, that provides original sitcoms, animated shows and game-related programs for Nickelodeon.

#### Nickelodeon on Sunset

**Nickelodeon on Sunset** was a studio complex in Hollywood, California which served as the primary production facility for Nickelodeon's live-action 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.

#### Nickelodeon Latin America Original Productions

**Nickelodeon Latin America Original Productions** (abbreviated as **NickLA**) is a production studio division of the network's Latin American station, formed in May 26, 2019.

## Media

### Nickelodeon Games

**Nickelodeon Games** (formerly **Nick Games** from 2002 to 2009, from 1997 to 2002, **Nickelodeon Software**, and from 1993 to 1997, **Nickelodeon Interactive**) is the video gaming division of Nickelodeon. It was originally a part of Turner Consumer Products, with early games being published by Turner Interactive. They started a long-standing relationship with game publisher THQ. THQ's relationship with the network started off when THQ published their *Ren & Stimpy* game for Nintendo consoles in 1992, followed by a full-fledged console deal in 1998 with several *Rugrats* titles, and expanded in 2001, when THQ acquired some of the assets from Mattel Interactive, namely the computer publishing rights, and all video game rights to *The Wild Thornberrys*. Nickelodeon also worked, alongside THQ on an original game concept, *Tak and the Power of Juju*.

### 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. In December 2023, it was announced the app will be discontinued.

### Nickelodeon Movies

**Nickelodeon Movies** is a motion picture production unit that was founded in 1995, as a family entertainment arm of Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. 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*, *Anthony and Trevor: The 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 (including pranks and parodical pieces), interviews, recipes (such as green slime cake), 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 published by Papercutz from June 2015 to mid-2016.

### Nick Radio

**Nick Radio** was a radio network that launched on September 30, 2013, in a partnership between both the network and iHeartMedia (then called Clear Channel Communications), 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 (geared towards the network's target audience of children, with radio edits of some songs incorporated due to inappropriate content), 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.

## Themed experiences and hotels

### Nickelodeon Universe

**Nickelodeon Universe** at the Mall of America is the first indoor Nickelodeon theme park in the United States. Before being re-themed to Nickelodeon in 2007, the park was themed as "Camp Snoopy" and "The Park at MoA." The theme park contains a variety of Nickelodeon-themed rides, including: SpongeBob SquarePants: Rock Bottom Plunge, Fairly Odd Coaster, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shell Shock.

Nickelodeon and Triple Five Group opened a second Nickelodeon Universe theme park in the American Dream Meadowlands complex on October 25, 2019. Upon opening, it became the largest indoor theme park in the western hemisphere, unseating the Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe which had the title from 2008 to 2019.

On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon and Southern Star Amusements announced that it would build a 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.

### 0Theme park areas

**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.
* **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.
* **Nickelodeon Land** is also an area within Parque de Atracciones de Madrid. Opened in 2014, this area contains rides and attractions based on Jimmy Neutron, SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol, and other Nickelodeon franchises.
* **Nickelodeon Playtime/Nickelodeon Adventure** are two themed children's entertainment centers in Essex, England and Shenzhen, China. Play areas and attractions in these centers are immersively themed to SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol, and additional Nickelodeon shows.
* **Nickelodeon Universe** is also an area inside of Paramount's Kings Island featuring Nickelodeon-themed rides and attractions. It is one of the largest sections in the park and was voted "Best Kid's Area" by *Amusement Today* magazine and was first launched in 2001.

**Closed areas**

* **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 was recently occupied by the Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre, closed in February 2021. 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*. 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 several attractions inspired by Nickelodeon shows. 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 Totally Nickelodeon, an audience-participated game show which ran from 1997 to 2000. "Rugrats Magic Adventure" replaced the game show in 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.

### Hotel brands

* **Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts** is a hotel chain that began with Nickelodeon-themed hotel in Orlando, Florida, located near the Universal Orlando Resort and 1-mile (1.6 km) from Walt Disney World. The hotel originally opened in 1999, and re-opened under its Nickelodeon re-theming in 2005. Most locations include one-to-three bedroom themed kid suites, a water park area, arcade, and various forms of entertainment themed after Nickelodeon shows. The Orlando location also contained an Adult Swim-themed lounge area for adults. It's success lead way to several more locations.

### Cruises

* Nickelodeon at Sea is a series of Nickelodeon-themed cruise packages in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line. They feature special amenities and entertainment themed to various Nickelodeon properties. This was later removed in 2015.
* Norwegian Cruise Line also hosted some Nickelodeon Cruises on the Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Epic liners, as part of Nickelodeon at Sea.

## International

Between 1993 and 1995, Nickelodeon opened international channels in the United Kingdom, 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 (English language) and TG4 (Irish language) in Ireland, YTV (in English) and Vrak.TV (in French) in Canada, Canal J in France, Alpha Kids in Greece, CNBC-e in Turkey and Network 10's localised version of Nickelodeon in Australia.