Nickelodeon

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 4:02pm on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Nickelodeon announced on October 21, 2009 that it has acquired the global rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.

The acquisition provides Nickelodeon with global intellectual property rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the hit television, film and video game property launched 25 years ago. The aggregate purchase price for the transactions is approximately $60 million.

Nickelodeon also announced plans to develop a new CG-animated television series based on the popular superhero franchise, anticipated to premiere in 2012. Additionally, in partnership with Viacom's Paramount Pictures, a new release of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film is also planned for 2012. Nickelodeon has also acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and will continue to work with its original and long-standing toy partner, Playmates Toys, which has been the creative force behind the successful TMNT master toy program over the last two decades.

Eric Kallgren    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 1:41am on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Strangely enough, the management at Nickelodeon believes it can best "empower" children by denying them access to its services.

From the press release:

Nickelodeon's TV Channels and Websites Go Dark for Annual Worldwide Day of Play, Sept. 26

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon demonstrates its commitment to empowering kids to take action on issues that are important to them with its annual Worldwide Day of Play (WWDP) on Saturday, Sept. 26, when its TV channels and websites go off the air and offline from 12 to 3 p.m. (ET/PT). Nickelodeon, Nicktoons Network, NOGGIN, The N, Nick.com, Noggin.com, Nicktoonsnetwork.com and The-N.com will all participate with a goal of inspiring kids to get up and be active.

"Over the last six years, Nickelodeon's signature Worldwide Day of Play has encouraged millions of kids around the world to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle," said Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group. "This year, we are utilizing the power of all our collective media platforms and partnerships to encourage kids and families to take action on this important issue."

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 1:32pm on Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Nickelodeon, the City of New Orleans and Southern Star Amusement, Inc. (SSA) are planning to create a new Nickelodeon water and theme park in New Orleans, Louisiana -- Nickelodeon Universe New Orleans.

On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon and Southern Star announced that they have entered into a licensing arrangement in which Southern Star will construct the new park themed with the Nickelodeon brand and its characters. The Nickelodeon/SSA agreement is part of the City of New Orleans' and SSA's redevelopment plans for the existing 65-acre theme park space (formerly Jazzland/Six Flags) in Eastern New Orleans, and will represent Nickelodeon's first-ever outdoor theme park.

Plans for the park include the addition of brand-new rides including several major water-based attractions and the renovation of existing attractions, all to be themed with Nickelodeon's popular programs and characters, including: SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon costumed characters, live interactive entertainment, retail shops, games, food establishments and more also will be featured.

Construction will begin this fall after the creative and architectural plans are complete and the park is targeted to be in service by the end of 2010.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nickelodeon will receive a licensing fee and the City of New Orleans will retain a leasing arrangement with Southern Star Amusements. The rebuilding of the park would be funded by private investors and partially by GO Zone bonds. There will be no local public funding used to construct the park.

The New Orleans theme park will be the first-ever outdoor theme park for Nickelodeon and will mark the network's second stand-alone amusement park. The first -- Nickelodeon Universe -- was opened in Minneapolis' Mall of America in 2008.

Nickelodeon also has several branded lands and attractions in North American regional theme parks including Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. and Hollywood, Calif., as well as Nick Central at Dreamworld Australia and Movie Park Germany.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 9:44pm on Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Nickelodeon is celebrating 10 years of SpongeBob SquarePants in July, with a TV marathon featuring 11 SpongeBob premieres.

On July 17, 1999 SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on Nickelodeon and signaled the birth of a series and character that would become one of the most popular in television history. To commemorate SpongeBob's 10th anniversary, Nickelodeon is presenting the "Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend." Airing from July 17-19, 2009, the 50-hour programming event hosted by Patchy the Pirate will include 11 SpongeBob premieres and a top-10 countdown of celebrities' favorite SpongeBob episodes.

Over the last 10 years, the porous brainchild of creator Steve Hillenburg has grown from a single Saturday morning kids' show to a certified pop culture phenomenon. The show has been the number-one animated program with kids 2-11 for more than seven consecutive years. It is seen in 171 markets in 25 languages and is the most widely distributed property in MTV Networks' history.