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Nickelodeon UK To Show Brand New Episodes Of "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness" In February 2012

2012-01-26T21:28:00.000Z

According to the official Sky Media websites 'Sky TV's Children's Television Highlights In February 2012' webpage, Nickelodeon UK will start to premiere and show brand new episodes of the new animated Nickelodeon series "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness" on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, Nickelodeon HD UK and Nick Replay UK in February 2012:

Kung Fu Panda (New Episodes)
Nickelodeon
Throughout February

DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda, chronicles the further adventures of Po, the energetic, enthusiastic, always hungry martial arts panda as he protects the Valley of Peace from threats of all kind.

Nick Jr. Channel UK To Show Brand New Episodes Of "Poppy Cat" In February 2012

2012-01-26T21:14:00.004Z

According to the official Sky Media websites 'Sky TV's Children's Television Highlights In February 2012' webpage, Nickelodeon UK will start to premier and show brand new episodes of the Nick Junior animated preschool series "Poppy Cat", which features vocal talent from Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey), on Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland in February 2012:

Poppy Cat (New Episodes)
Nick Jr
Throughout February

Poppy Cat is an inquisitive, excitable and energetic character created by children's author Lara Jones. The series will use a multi-plane technique to mirror the pop-up feel of the books.

British Children's Television Channel 'Kix' To Show Classic Nickelodeon Show "100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd" From February 2012

2012-01-26T21:02:00.002Z

According to the official Sky Media websites webpage for Sky TV's 'Children's Television Highlights In February 2012', Kix, a free-to-air children's and teen's television channel in the UK, will start to show the Classic Nickelodeon show "100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd" from February 2012:

100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd
Kix
Throughout February

This series is a brand new comedy on Kix airing every day from 8am and 5.30pm. The drama is based around Eddie, a rough and tough 17-year-old. But Eddie's bad boy attitude has made him a prime target for the mysterious Drifter, who makes him pay for his wrong doings by turning Eddie into a dog! The only way Eddie can ever become human again is if he completes 100 good deeds.

Nickelodeon Announces Two New Nickelodeon Pilots For Two Potential New Shows Called "Bad Fairy" And "Daddy's Home"

2012-01-26T20:17:00.002Z

According to the "MY Entertainment WORLD" website, which is a resource for the needs of the entertainment industry, Nickelodeon has announced that Nickelodeon will be making two pilots for two potential new Nickelodeon shows in February 2012.

The first new Nickelodeon pilot is for a potential brand new half-hour (1/2 hour) Nickelodeon show called "Bad Fairy", which will be made in February 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA. According to this thread on the Back Stage Message Boards, some of the starring characters in "Bad Fairy" will be Fairy (also known as Chloe) who will be aged around 14-15, 14-year-old Nic, Roman, who will be aged around 10, and Chad.

The second new Nickelodeon pilot is for a potential brand new half-hour (1/2 hour) Nick At Nite show called "Daddy's Home", which will also be made in February 2012 [production location currently unknown]. Below is more information about the brand new Nickelodeon pilot for a brand new Nick@Nite series titled "Daddy's Home" from this Nickelodeon press release on TVbytheNumbers announcing Nickelodeon greenlighting the pilot for "Daddy's Home":

Nickelodeon Greenlights 'Daddy’s Home,' The First-Ever Original Comedy Pilot For Nick At Nite, Starring Scott Baio As A Stay-At-Home Dad

NICKELODEON GREENLIGHTS DADDY’S HOME, THE FIRST-EVER ORIGINAL COMEDY PILOT FOR NICK AT NITE, STARRING SCOTT BAIO AS A STAY-AT-HOME DAD

Multi-Camera Pilot Created by Tina Albanese and Patrick Labyorteaux;
Executive Produced by Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, Albanese, Labyorteaux and Baio

Santa Monica, Calif. – Oct. 24, 2011 – Nickelodeon has ordered its first-ever original scripted comedy pilot, Daddy's Home, starring Scott Baio, it was announced today by Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. A multi-camera, half-hour comedy for Nick at Nite, Daddy’s Home follows David Hobbs (Scott Baio) an actor who, after ten years of starring as America’s favorite TV dad, becomes a stay-at-home father to honor the deal he made with his soap star wife so that she may return to the limelight. The project comes from creators/executive producers Tina Albanese and Patrick Labyorteaux and is helmed by executive producers Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey through their production company Bischoff Hervey Entertainment (BHE), along with Baio. Daddy’s Home marks Hervey and Baio’s return to scripted comedy, with BHE having previously collaborated on three acclaimed unscripted series including Scott Baio is 45 and Single, Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant, and Confessions of a Teen Idol.

“Scott Baio is an actor known and beloved by today's Nick at Nite viewers, many of whom are parents,” said Cohn. “His new project will put a contemporary and comedic twist on Parenthood that will make for a great addition to our existing slate of family programming.”

“It’s nice to be back home in an arena where I’m completely comfortable and with a show idea that I love,” added Baio.

For over 30 years, Baio has been a beloved actor, successful producer, writer and director. He received his acting break in 1976 when he was cast as the lead in the youthful gangster film Bugsy Malone. Baio is perhaps best known for his role as Chachi Arcola on one of television’s most iconic comedy series Happy Days, followed by a starring role in the spin-off series Joanie Loves Chachi. Baio also starred in his own 1980s hit sitcom, Charles in Charge.

[...]

Nick at Nite is Nickelodeon’s nighttime programming block that also features popular hit family comedies including the Emmy Award-winning series Home Improvement,Everybody Hates Chris, Friends, George Lopez, and Family Matters, as well as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Roseanne.

The Official Nickelodeon UK Website Unveils Four "Big Time Rush" 'Nickelodeon Screen Test' Videos Featuring The Stars And Cast Of BTR

2012-01-26T19:14:00.006Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that the official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland website, Nick.co.uk, has added streaming videos of all four episodes of the brand new Nickelodeon Short series "Nickelodeon Screen Test" which star the Nickelodeon Stars of the hit Nickelodeon show "Big Time Rush" and feature the stars, cast and band members of the Nickelodeon show and boyband "Big Time Rush" answering personnel questions for Nickelodeon viewers to their official "Big Time Rush" website, Nick.co.uk/BigTimeRush. Click on the links below to view each BTR cast members' "Nickelodeon Screen Test" streaming video:

Big Time Rush's Logan Henderson's (Logan Mitchell's) Nickelodeon Screen Test.

Find out about Logan in his Nickelodeon Screen Test! "Big Time Rush" star and boyband member Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell) answers the questions "What has been your most memorable fan encounter so far?", "What is your favourite karaoke song?", and "TRUE or FALSE - Was the original Mission Impossible series shot on the stages at Paramount where you shoot Big Time Rush?" for Nickelodeon and "Big Time Rush" fans (Rushers).

Big Time Rush's Carlos Pena's (Carlos Garcia's) Nickelodeon Screen Test.

Watch Carlos' awesome Nickelodeon Screen Test. "Big Time Rush" star and boyband member Carlos Pena, Jr. (Carlos Garcia) answers the questions "What's the best thing about being in Big Time Rush?", "If you weren't a singer what would you like to be?", "Do you still get nervous before a performance?", "What is the most romantic thing you've ever done for a girl?", and "What's the hardest thing about being in the band?" for Nickelodeon and "Big Time Rush" fans (Rushers).

Big Time Rush's James Maslow's (James Diamond's) Nickelodeon Screen Test.

Find out about James in his Nickelodeon Screen Test! "Big Time Rush" star and boyband member James Maslow (James Diamond) answers the questions "Which BTR video has been your favorite to to shoot and why?" and "Which music artist would you like to collaborate with in the future?" for Nickelodeon and "Big Time Rush" fans (Rushers).

Big Time Rush's Kendall Schmidt's (Kendall Knight's) Nickelodeon Screen Test.

Watch Kendall's awesome Nickelodeon Screen Test! "Big Time Rush" star and boyband member Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight) answers the questions "What was your most embarrassing moment on stage?" and "If you could have somebody play you in a Big Time Rush movie who would it be?" for Nickelodeon and "Big Time Rush" fans (Rushers).
"Nickelodeon Screen Test" was made by and for Nickelodeon in London, UK when the Nickelodeon stars of the Nickelodeon show "Big Time Rush" visited London, UK during 2010/2011, and was directed by Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, filmed by cameraman G. Davis, with graphics designed and created by Sheffield, UK-based creative studio agency "PIXEL DNA".

You can view more information about Nickelodeon's "Nickelodeon Screen Test" Nickelodeon vignette/Nickelodeon interstitial series, including a high quality (HQ) and high-definition (HD) streaming video featuring a montage featuring some of the motion graphics, branding design elements and the opening title sequence from the new Nickelodeon Short series called "Nickelodeon Screen Test" here on NickALive!'s Nickelodeon design blog, Nickelodeon TV Media.

You can also view a behind the scenes photograph taken by Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, who posted the photograph on his official Twitter profile page (@kangas911), of "Victorious" star Victoria Justice filming her questions and answers session for her episode of "Nickelodeon Screen Test" during the cast of Victorious' visit to London, UK in October 2011 here on NickALive!

Also, Nick UK and Ireland's original Twitter Tweet (post; mentioned above):

Also #UKRUSHERS you can now check out ALL the amazing BTR screentests online here http://ow.ly/8GX4O

UK-Irish Boy Band "One Direction" Rumoured To Be Guest Starring In Upcoming New Episode Of "iCarly" Called 'iGot Jungle Worms'

2012-01-26T19:09:00.003Z

According to OneDirectionUpdates [One Direction Updates], a unofficial fan run "One Direction" Twitter profile page (@1DUpdates) which provides fans of the boyband "One Direction" with the latest "One Direction" news, the UK-Irish boyband "One Direction", which consists of band members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, are rumoured to be guest stars in the upcoming brand new season six episode of "iCarly" called "iGot Jungle Worms", where they will perform their song (single) "What Makes You Beautiful".

One Direction will be special guest star and will be performing WMBY in iCarly's Season 6 (episode 'iGot Jungle Worms') #fb

This "iCarly" news, though, has yet to be confirmed by anyone at Nickelodeon and/or One Direction themselves and at the moment remains a rumour, but could be true, as "One Direction" will be touring with Nickelodeon's boyband "Big Time Rush" in the United States of America during February 2012 as part of BTR's "Better With You" Tour.

The Official Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland Website Adds Full Length Episode Of "Team Umizoomi" Called "The Big Boat Race"

2012-01-26T18:34:00.001Z

According to Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickJrUK), the official Nick Jr. UK and Ireland website, NickJr.co.uk, has added a streaming video featuring a full length episode of the popular Nick Junior animated show "Team Umizoomi" called "Big Boat Race", which you can view here on the official Nick Jr. UK and Ireland website, NickJr.co.uk.

Watch a full episode of Team Umizoomi, a #NickJrUK show focusing on helping children learn about numbers http://on.nickjr.co.uk/tfe.

According to the official Nick Junior UK and Ireland websites 'Parent Info' for the "Team Umizoomi" episode titled "The Big Boat Race", the episode "The Big Boat Race" of "Team Umizoomi" helps children develop numerical skills and creative skills through music by watching the episode.

Nickelodeon Confirms Plans To Premiere Two Brand New Episodes Of "Victorious" In February 2012

2012-01-25T19:22:00.005Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced and confirmed on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing two brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious" In February 2012.

According to Nickelodeon UK's Tweet on Twitter, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD will be premiering the brand new episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "Victorious" called "Beggin' on Your Knees" on Monday 20th February 2012 at 6pm (repeated at 7.00pm on Nick Replay UK), and the brand new episode of "Victorious" titled "Locked Up!" on Friday 24th February 2012 at 6.00pm (repeated at 7.00pm on Nick Replay UK).

OMG DYING ARE YOU REALLY SHOWING LOCKED UP & BEGGING ON UR KNEES IN FEB?
@NickelodeonUK - Mon 20th (Beggin') & Fri 24th (Locked Up) 6pm!!!

In the brand new episode of Nickelodeon's "Victorious" titled "Beggin' on Your Knees", Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) falls for a handsome classmate named Ryder Daniels (portrayed by guest star Ryan Rottman) who asks her to sing a duet with him, only to find out his little secret, and decides to get revenge on him at the Full Moon Jam. Meanwhile, Robbie Shapiro (Matt Bennett) undergoes a makeover to attract girls and Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) keeps getting emergency calls on her new cell phone (mobile telephone).

In the brand new episode of Nickelodeon's "Victorious" called "Locked Up!", Tori and the Hollywood Arts High School gang are offered a week-long trip to Festus' (Marco Aiello) home country of Yerba to perform for the chancellor. Their vacation is not at all like they expected, with prisoners breaking into their hotel, nasty living conditions and Andre Harris (Leon Thomas III) being bitten by a vampire moth, but the gang is forced to stay and put on a show for the chancellor. However, due to a "shoe malfunction" (Tori's shoe slips off and hits the chancellor in the eye), Tori is sentenced to four years in jail for assault. The rest of the gang follows suit when trying to bail Tori out (Robbie accidentally murders the chancellor's octopus). They have a rough time in prison until Sikowitz (Eric Lange) disguises himself as an Yerbanian prison guard and, while watching Cat teach her prison gang how to dance, Tori devises a plan with another woman to sneak out of prison. Although Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will premiere the "VicTORIous" episode "Locked Up!" on Nickelodeon Television on Friday 24th February 2012 at 6.00pm, Nickelodeon UK previously held the UK premiere of "Locked Up!" at a special exclusive "Meet And Greet The Cast Of Victorious" Nickelodeon event which Nickelodeon held at a cinema in London, UK in October 2011.

Below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Don't miss brand new Victorious, coming soon to Nickelodeon!" trailer/promo which Nickelodeon UK is broadcasting on-air to promote Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD premiering two brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon show "Victorious" in February 2012:

This February...

[Andre Harris (Leon Thomas III): Somebodies gonna ask me about something.]

...Make It Shine on Nickelodeon...

[Tori Vega (Victoria Justice): Yay!]

...with two massive brand new Victorious episodes!

[Tori Vega (Victoria Justice): Awesome!]

Don't miss brand new Victorious, coming soon to Nickelodeon!

Also posted by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

OMG theres NEW Victorious... When is it on
@NickelodeonUK - Mon 20th (Beggin') & Fri 24th (Locked Up) 6pm!!!

Nickelodeon And Televisa Break New Creative Ground With "Reach For A Star", First-Ever Telenovela Adapted For The U.S., To Air On Nick At Nite USA

2012-01-25T18:26:00.006Z

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PR Newswire:

Nickelodeon and Televisa Break New Creative Ground With "Reach For a Star", First-Ever Telenovela Adapted for the U.S., to Air On Nick at Nite

80-Episode Daily Series Centers Around Teenage Girl Who Reaches Stardom and Wins the Love of Her Teen Idol; Produced in Association with Sony Pictures Television

MIAMI, Jan. 24, 2012 /Nickelodeon/Nick At Nite Press Release/ -- Nickelodeon, in partnership with Televisa, has ordered 80 episodes of a groundbreaking, original one-hour U.S. adaptation of the popular Mexican telenovela, Reach for a Star (Alcanzar una Estrella) for Nick at Nite, it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President of Viacom's Nickelodeon Group; and Jose Baston, President of Television and Content from Televisa. The first telenovela ever adapted for the U.S. audience, Reach for a Star is a single-camera, daily series following a teenage girl whose life changes completely when she becomes a star and wins the love of her teen idol. Reach for a Star will be produced in association with Sony Pictures Television and is set to premiere later this year on Nickelodeon's nighttime block for families--Nick at Nite. Production begins in March in Los Angeles, Calif.

"We have experienced first-hand the popularity of the daily scripted format with our kid audience through the success of House of Anubis and our teen audience with DeGrassi: The Next Generation," and our Nick Latin American channel has already had great success in producing telenovela's with Televisa," Ms. Zarghami said. "This partnership brings together Televisa's un-matched leadership in the telenovela genre with our expertise in making content, and we're looking forward to introducing this first true English-language telenovela to Nick at Nite's family audience."

"As part of the steps towards building a strong presence in the Anglo TV market, Televisa is excited to coproduce with Nickelodeon one of the many successful scripts from our library in a daily series format," said Baston. We are convinced that the daily series will be well received by Nick´s family audiences, and will capture their attention daily as it has happened in different markets in the world where Televisa has exported its production capabilities. The Televisa and Nick alliance will certainly result in a successful formula, and we envision Reach for a Star as the first of many joint projects.

"For more than a decade Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) and Televisa have been strategically building upon their regional partnership that today encompasses, distribution, consumer products and co-productions," said Pierluigi Gazzolo, Chief Operating Officer, VIMN. "Reach for a Star marks a dynamic new phase in our partnership and VIMN is incredibly excited to once again be expanding our content portfolio with Televisa."

Reach for a Star follows Nickelodeon's success with its live-action serialized series, House of Anubis and Degrassi. Nickelodeon has also experienced tremendous success with the format in Europe and Latin America. The Reach for a Star series is an adaptation of the hit Mexican telenovela, Alcanzar una Estrella, first broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas and Univision in 1990. The success of the series led to a film and sequel telenovela starring Latin American pop sensations, Ricky Martin and Sasha Sokol.

Reach for a Star follows a smart, shy and independent high school senior, Loren, who has ambitions of being a songwriter and secretly sends her song lyrics to her celebrity crush, rock superstar Eddie Wild. Loren's wildest dreams come true when she not only wins a songwriting competition sponsored by Eddie, but strikes up a friendship with her idol. Eddie sees beyond Loren's potential as a songwriter and gives her a first break as a singer, and when the truth about his less-than-faithful girlfriend Chloe is revealed, Eddie and Loren's friendship blossoms.

The series will be co-executive produced by six-time Emmy Award-winner Jill Farren Phelps (General Hospital, One Life to Live) and Hisham Abed (The Hills and The City). Josh Griffith (Young and the Restless, As the World Turns) will serve as head writer.

Nick at Nite is Nickelodeon's nighttime programming block that features popular hit family comedies including the Emmy Award-winning series Friends, My Wife & Kids, George Lopez and The Nanny.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

About Televisa

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world based on its market capitalization and a major participant in the international entertainment business. It has interests in television production and broadcasting, production of pay-television networks, international distribution of television programming, direct-to-home satellite services, cable television and telecommunication services, magazine publishing and distribution, radio production and broadcasting, professional sports and live entertainment, feature-film production and distribution, the operation of a horizontal internet portal, and gaming.

SOURCE Nickelodeon

RELATED LINKS
http://www.nick.com

Also, from C21Media:

Nick nabs Televisa novella

US kidscaster [kids broadcaster] Nickelodeon will follow hit teen dramas Degrassi and House of Anubis with a local version of a classic Televisa telenovela.

Nick has ordered an 80×60’ English-language adaptation of Televisa's Reach for the Stars (aka Alcanzar una Estrella), which the Mexican media giant created for Hispanic audiences two decades ago.

The new series will be produced in association with Sony Pictures Television and broadcast daily on Nick’s family-skewed Nick at Nite programming block later this year. Nick claims it’s the first telenovela adapted for the US market. Televisa and Sony signed a major copro pact earlier this week.

The single-camera series will tell the story of a high school girl whose life is turned upside down when she becomes a star and wins the love of her teen idol. The original ran on Televisa network Canal de las Estrellas and Univision in the US in 1990 and lead to a film and sequel novella that starred pop act Ricky Martin.

Shooting begins in LA in March. Jill Farren Phelps (General Hospital) executive produces with Hisham Abed (The Hills and the City). Josh Griffith (The Young and the Restless, As the World Turns) will pen the scripts.

The order follows Nick’s success with it serialised live-action dramas Degrassi: The Next Generation and the House of Anubis, the latter of which was the US company’s first internationally coproduced show of its kind.

“We have experienced first-hand the popularity of the daily scripted format with our kid audience through the success of House of Anubis and our teen audience with DeGrassi, and our Nick Latin American channel has already had great success in producing telenovelas with Televisa,” said Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami.

“This partnership brings together Televisa’s unmatched leadership in the telenovela genre with our expertise in making content, and we’re looking forward to introducing this first true English-language telenovela to Nick at Nite’s family audience.”

Televisa’s president of television and content Jose Baston added the production was “part of the steps toward building a strong presence in the Anglo television market” and that he saw it as the “first of many joint projects between his company and Nick.

Jesse Whittock
25-01-2012
©C21Media

Also, more from C21Media:

Blurring the language lines

As attendees arrive home from Natpe 2012, Michael Pickard looks back at how drama fared during this week’s market in Miami.

One of the main lessons to be drawn from Natpe this week in the drama space was that the lines between English- and Spanish-language content producers and broadcasters are becoming increasingly blurred.

Venezuela’s Cisneros Group of Companies (CGC) is moving into original English programming that will air on its US partner Univision or cable networks, and plans to produce a comedy in the style of Desperate Housewives. CGC is also aiming to develop English-language scripted web content.

Meanwhile, Univision, which ranks as one of the biggest networks on US television, told delegates it will begin to target English-speaking audiences by adding subtitles to some of its biggest shows, beginning with telenovela El Talismán, coproduced with Venevision.

Mad Men producer Lionsgate and Mexican media group Televisa have partnered on a long-term programming and development venture to create English-language content for US broadcast and cable networks.

The move comes on the back of their movie joint venture Pantelion Films, which launched in 2010, and the new television arm will focus on developing between six and eight scripted and unscripted original projects each year, as well as format adaptations of Televisa’s vast telenovela library.

Projects already underway include From Prada to Nada, Pantelion’s debut film that is being turned into a comedy series; Badlands, a scripted drama at ABC made in coproduction with ABC Studios and based on Televisa’s telenovela Soy Ty Duena; Terminales for ABC Family; and Teresa, based on another telenovela.

Televisa has also linked up with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) in an exclusive first-look, coproduction deal for scripted and telenovela formats, and won a commission from Nickelodeon in the US for an adaptation of the telenovela Reach for a Star (aka Alcanzar una Estrella). The show will air on Nick at Nite and is produced in association with SPT.

You can read C21Media's news article about the Natpe 2012 conference fully here on the official C21Media website, C21Media.net. NATPE stands for "National Association of Television Program Executives".

Nickelodeon Benelux Picks Up The Rights To "Mia and Me"

2012-01-25T18:04:00.001Z

From Kidscreen:

New broadcast deals for Mia and Me

German brand management and media company m4e AG, its subsidiary Telescreen B.V. and its Italian co-production and distribution partner Rainbow S.r.l., have scored new sales for live-action/animation hybrid series Mia and Me (26 x 23-minutes).

The deals include Nickelodeon for free- and pay-TV in [Nickelodeon Benelux] [comprising of Nickelodeon Belgium, Nickelodeon Netherlands/Nickelodeon Nederland, and Luxembourg] and pay-TV with DR (Denmark), MTV3 (Finland), TV2 (Norway), ULTRA (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), POP (Slovenia) and Televisa (Latin America) through a deal with Rainbow, OKTO (Singapore), RTM (Malaysia), and MT Entertainment (Indonesia).

Pay-TV rights were also sold to Finland’s MTV3 Juniori and Minimax TV in a multi-territory deal for Eastern Europe including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

Girl-targeted Mia and Me is set to air in all territories by the middle of 2012 and plans are in the works to expand the brand into consumer products.

m4e also recently increased its preschool portfolio by acquiring the merchandising rights for the Little Princess series.

Bin Weevils Reveals Master Toy Partner At The London Toy Fair 2012

2012-01-25T17:30:00.002Z

According to this news article on Licensing.biz, "Bin Weevils", a 3D virtual world created specifically for children and which used to be a 50/50 joint venture between Prism Entertainment and Nickelodeon U.K. in the mid-2000's, and the British toy company Character Group announced at the London Toy Fair 2012 on Tuesday 24th January 2012 a multi-year toy partnership that will feature "Bin Weevils" collectible figurines, "Bin Weevils" plush toys and "Bin Weevils" play-sets amongst other toy products featuring characters from the 3D virtual world created specifically for children, "Bin Weevils":

Bin Weevils reveals master toy partner

Character Options to launch range of toys in the autumn for kids online social world.

Character Options will become the latest licensee to join the growing Bin Weevils licensing programme, with the announcement of a multi-year toy partnership unveiled at London Toy Fair today.

The product range is currently in creative development, but will feature collectible figurines, plush and play-sets amongst other toy product.

Already ranked number 2 in the UK, amongst children’s social worlds (Source: Comscore November 2011), BinWeevils has shown rapid growth in both number of users and number of licensing partners over the last year. Its popularity with its audience led to its winning the ‘best kids web-site’ children’s BAFTA award in November ahead of such competition as Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin, Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and CBBC.

Amelia Johnson, director and co-founder of Bin Weevils, said: “Our growing digital audience has been hounding us to release physical Bin Weevils toys. In response to this noisy demand, we chose Character Options as our partner in this key category because of their unparalleled track record in producing great toys and their unique understanding of how kids want to interact, personalise and collect Bin Weevils in the 'real' world.”

Jon Diver, joint MD, Character Group said: “Bin Weevils is a leading name in the world of kid’s social media and we are delighted to be working with such a creative and innovative brand. Later in 2012 Character will launch a range of toys that will replicate the fun, interactive, entertaining and educational experience that the millions of users enjoy when visiting the Bin Weevils site.”

Following on from the Best Website win at the Bafta Children's Awards in November, the Bin Weevils site had its biggest ever month in December, with over two million kids aged six to 11 visiting the site.

The licensing programme already includes Macmillan, which will be releasing a further eight new book titles in 2012, and Egmont which will launch their monthly magazine in time for February half-term. Other products currently available at retail include Top Trumps, and Bin Weevils membership cards which are available nationwide in over 3,000 UK stores.

Nickelodeon UK To Contact The "Win Tickets To The UK Launch Party For BTR's New Album 'Elevate' In February 2012" Competition Winners This Week

2012-01-24T19:20:00.007Z

UPDATE - Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have today (Thursday 26th January 2012) announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK have now contacted all of the winners of their exclusive "Win Tickets To And Meet And Greet 'Big Time Rush' At The UK 'Elevate' Album Launch Party In February 2012" competition:

Hey #UKRUSHERS all the comp winners have now been contacted for the Elevate party! Dont forget tho u can still see the boys in Manchester!:D

And:

Also if you weren't a lucky winner, there is also still chance to win Elevate party tickets through HMV here! http://ow.ly/8HdYN

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK will be contacting the five winners of their exclusive "Win Tickets To And Meet And Greet 'Big Time Rush' At The UK 'Elevate' Album Launch Party In February 2012" competition, where the 5 winners of the Nickelodeon UK competition will be able to meet and greet the Nickelodeon Stars and cast of the Nickelodeon boyband and show "Big Time Rush" (Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight), James Maslow (James Diamond), Carlos Pena (Carlos Garcia), and Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell)) at Nickelodeon UK's and Sony Music's exclusive "Big Time Rush Listening Party" which Nickelodeon and Sony Music will be holding during the afternoon of Sunday 5th February 2011 at Sony Music's offices in Kensington, London, UK, to celebrate Big Time Rush's second audio album called "Elevate" being released in the UK and Ireland on Monday 6th February 2012, by telephone this week (Monday 23rd January 2012 to Sunday 29th January 2012):

Competition winners will be contacted by phone this week! I'll tweet when all winners have been contacted. Good luck :D

Also:

How do you choose winners for all ur comps?
@NickelodeonUK - All winners are selected from right answers using a random picking system!

Nickelodeon's "Big Time Rush" To Hold 'Elevate' Album Signing Event At HMV On Market Street In Manchester, UK On 6th February 2012

2012-01-24T18:41:00.006Z

According to this "Big Time Rush" news post on the UK version of the official website for the Nickelodeon boyband "Big Time Rush", BTRband.com, to celebrate Big Time Rush's second audio album called "Elevate" being released in the UK and Ireland on Monday 6th February 2012, the cast and band members of the hit Nickelodeon show and boyband "Big Time Rush" (Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight), James Maslow (James Diamond), Carlos Pena (Carlos Garcia), and Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell)) will be heading to and visiting the HMV shop on Market Street in Manchester, UK, on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5pm to hold a very special 'Elevate' album signing session where you could get your copy of BTR's brand new album 'Elevate' signed by the cast and band members of "Big Time Rush"!:

BTR's HMV 'Elevate' album signing in Manchester!

Rushers in the UK, listen up! Big Time Rush will be heading to HMV on Market Street in Manchester, on Monday 6th February at 5pm, for a special album signing!

Make sure you head along to the HMV store early to get your copies of Elevate signed.

First up, get pre-ordering your copy of BTR's new album (out on 6th February) by clicking on the link of your choice below...

iTunes / Amazon.co.uk / Play.com

The guys can't wait to see you there!

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

#UKRUSHERS the news is here!! :D The BTR boys will b at an Elevate album signing at HMV Manchester - Mon 6th Feb 5pm! http://www.btrband.com/uk/news/btrs-hmv-%E2%80%98elevate%E2%80%99-album-signing-manchester

Also:

Any more signings closer to London?
@NickelodeonUK - The launch party in London and the signing in Manchester! The BTR boys are going to be busy & cant wait to see their UK fans!

Big Time Rush's 'Elevate' album will be released in the UK and Ireland on Monday 6th February 2012 and is the American boyband's second studio album. Big Time Rush's 'Elevate' album is available to pre-order at all good music shops now.

Below is the UK track listing for Big Time Rush's 'Elevate' music album from Apple's iTunes music store:

1 Music Sounds Better With U (feat. Mann)
2 Show Me
3 All Over Again
4 No Idea
5 Cover Girl
6 Love Me Love Me
7 If I Ruled the World (feat. Iyaz)
8 Invisible
9 Time of Our Life
10 Superstar
11 You're Not Alone
12 Elevate
13 Epic (UK bonus track)

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUKPR):

having a mini rave in the office to #BigTimeRush's new single Music Sounds Better With You! If you haven't heard it- it's out NOW!!

And:

just a little bit TOO excited #BigTime Rush boys will be here soon! Mega-fans better head to the Manchester HMV Signing http://www.btrband.com/uk/news/btrs-hmv-%E2%80%98elevate%E2%80%99-album-signing-manchester

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK), as the stars of the Nickelodeon boyband "Big Time Rush" want to meet as many of their UK fans (UK Rushers/British Rushers) as possible, Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight), James Maslow (James Diamond), Carlos Pena (Carlos Garcia), and Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell) unfortunately won't be able to hold a special acoustic performance when BTR visit the Manchester shop of the British global entertainment retail chain HMV on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.00pm:

will @bigtimerush be doing an accoustic performance at the Manchester HMV
@NickelodeonUK - No- they want to spend their time meeting fans!:)

SoundSpike Interviews Nickelodeon Star Logan Henderson From The Nickelodeon Boyband And Show "Big Time Rush"

2012-01-24T17:19:00.002Z

From SoundSpike:

Q&A: Logan Henderson of Big Time Rush

Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson are names that most teenage girls fawn over. For those not "in the know," it's the name of the four guys that make up the Nickelodeon band Big Time Rush.

The band is a force on television and in music. The show "Big Time Rush" -- which follows four best friends from Minnesota who trade in their hockey sticks for music superstardom in Los Angeles -- averages 4.1 million total viewers, according to a press release. Last spring, "Big Time Rush" was renewed for a third season and will premiere later this year.

Before the release of "Elevate," the band's second album for Columbia Records, BTR sold more than 2.7 million combined digital tracks worldwide, thanks to its debut "BTR." The first single off "Elevate," "Music Sounds Better With U," has been a raging success, with the act recently performing it on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

"Elevate" was an experiment for BTR, with the quartet working with top-notch producers to hone its sound. The knob-turners included OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, Tricky and The-Dream, JR Rotem, and Toby Gad, among others.

To celebrate the success of the new album, BTR will begin a headlining tour Feb. 17 in Las Vegas.

SoundSpike chatted with Logan Henderson about the tour, the success of BTR's TV show and playing a show with Justin Bieber.

SoundSpike: Congratulations on the success of your TV show. What do you think has been driving the audiences in?

Logan Henderson: Thank you! The show is just a lot of fun and I think people definitely see that. Most of all, our fans have been so loyal since season one, so they make sure to tune in.

What is more challenging, the TV show or the live performances?

I wouldn't say that one is more challenging than the other just because I love doing them both. I love acting, and being on set is great. But there's nothing better than doing live performances because you get immediate gratification from seeing how fans react.

I understand you're continuing your tour. What can fans expect from the shows?

Our shows always have such high energy, so fans can expect a lot more of that. It's always like a big party every time.

What else do you have planned for 2012?

After the tour we'll begin production on season three of our show. There's also the "Big Time Movie" that comes out March 10th, which is great because we actually sing four Beatles songs in addition to our own music.

Now that you look back at 2011, what do you think of your year in retrospect?

It was a super busy year. We got to travel a lot. We went to the U.K., Germany and went to Mexico, and did a show with Justin Bieber. Of course, we played some great shows all over the U.S. and got to meet a bunch of our fans. We went on location and filmed "Big Time Movie" toward the end of the year. Our second album came out. It was a crazy fun year with amazing experiences.

Tell me about the album "Elevate." It's a great record. What was the inspiration behind it?

"Elevate" is our second album and we're really proud of it because it's music that better represents us and who we are. I think it's really cool for fans to see a different side of BTR. The first time around, a lot of the music was geared more toward the TV show, so we really didn't have much of a say. This time, we had a much longer time to work on it, so we were very involved creatively. We're going through a lot of changes, so it's nice to just let that out and talk about it through our songs. Our fans are growing along with us, so for them to hear the type of music we like is great.

I understand you wrote one of the tracks on the album?

Yes, I did. It's a song called, "Time of Our Life." The four of us definitely grew as songwriters for the album, and there's at least one song that we each individually wrote.

You worked with some amazing producers. Who brought out the most in Big Time Rush? What did he/she bring out that was notable?

We did work with some of the most amazing producers. I don't think there's just one specific person who brought out the most in us. All of the producers we worked with helped shape the album and brought out something different in each of us.

I know you just released "Elevate," but any new material in the works?

There are several songs that were written that didn't make it onto the album this time around, so who knows, maybe we'll end up releasing them someday.

Are you guys really big hockey fans? (I'm originally from Detroit, so I was born a hockey fan.)

I do like hockey, and I've been to a few games. All of us have played some form of hockey at some point.

Nickelodeon's boyband Big Time Rush's USA Tour Dates

Look For Tickets To See Big Time Rush Live (USA only)

February 2012
17 - Las Vegas, NV - Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts
18 - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk
19 - San Jose, CA - Event Center at San Jose State University
20 - Sacramento, CA - Memorial Auditorium
22 - Broomfield, CO - 1st Bank Center
24 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre
25 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
26 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
28 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre

March 2012
1 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods
2 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
3 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
4 - Houston, TX - Reliant Stadium at Reliant Park (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo/Rodeo Houston)
6 - Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center
7 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
9 - New York City, NY - Radio City Music Hall

Look For Big Time Rush Tickets (USA only)

Former NCP UK and Australia VP Joins ITV Studios; Former Nickelodeon UK Director And Producer Leaves Disney UK

2012-01-24T17:00:00.004Z

According to this news article on Licensing.biz, former Vice President of Nickelodeon Consumer Products UK and Australia (at MTV Networks), Trudi Hayward, has been appointed Senior Vice President, Global Head of Merchandise at ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Also, according to this news article on C21Media, former Nickelodeon UK Senior Director/Producer for Nickelodeon's Live Productions and Nickelodeon's live in-vision continuity studio links (between 1994 – 1998 (4 years)), Jonathan Boseley, has left his role as Disney UK's VP of programming and production after 13 years in the job. While at Nickelodeon UK, Jonathan Boseley was senior producer and director of Nickelodeon's daily production output - multi camera studio productions, location shoots, original production development and creative projects.

From Licensing.biz:

Trudi Hayward joins ITV

Former Nickelodeon VP becomes SVP, global head of merchandise.

ITV Studios Global Entertainment has appointed Trudi Hayward as its new senior vice president, global head of merchandise.

Reporting to Jean-Philippe Randisi, EVP and director of consumer products, Hayward will lead the division’s merchandise strategy. She has previously worked for ITV Studios Global Entertainment as a consultant, and begins in her new position immediately.

“Trudi is one of the most experienced merchandise experts in the industry; her depth of knowledge and success with properties such as SpongeBob Square Pants, Dora the Explorer, Star Wars and MTV Brand position her perfectly to lead this crucial area of the business,” said Jean-Philippe Randisi. “We remain committed to growing the business in order to reap maximum value from our existing and future intellectual property; both in the UK and internationally.”

Hayward added: "I am thrilled to be joining Jean-Philippe and his team. ITV Studios Global Entertainment's portfolio offers a wealth of opportunities, and I look forward to exploiting these further across the globe."

Hayward was formerly VP at Nickelodeon Consumer Products, a division of MTV Networks International, where she worked on high profile properties in the UK and Australia. Prior to joining MTV Networks International, Trudi was the head of licensing and merchandising at Entertainment Rights (now Classic Media). She has also held roles at CPLG, Beanstalk Europe, Chiltern Radio and Express newspapers.

Also, from Kidscreen:

ITV appoints global merchandise SVP

UK-based prodco ITV Studios Global Entertainment has named Trudi Hayward as its SVP and global head of merchandise, a newly created position at the company.

Hayward, former VP at Nickelodeon Consumer Products, will report to EVP and director of consumer products Jean-Philippe Randisi and draw on her previous experience in merchandising brands such as SpongeBob Square Pants, Dora the Explorer and Star Wars.

Prior to her stint at Nickelodeon Consumer Products, Hayward was head of licensing and merchandising at Entertainment Rights and also held roles at Copyright Promotions Group Limited and Beanstalk Europe.

Also, from C21Media:

Boseley out at Disney

Disney UK’s VP of programming and production Jonathan Boseley has left the broadcaster after 13 years.

The London-based exec has been with the Mouse House since August 1998 and moved into his most recent role, which covered the UK and Ireland, two years ago.

Boseley is credited with Disney UK’s first indie-produced series – The Foundation-produced Club High School Musical: Make it Happen. He also ordered the UK runs of High School Musical and Hannah Montana.

His others roles have included director of programmes for Scandinavia and emerging markets and senior manager of Toon Disney UK. Before joining Disney, he worked at Nickelodeon.

Jesse Whittock
24-01-2012
©C21Media

Also, from Broadcast:

Boseley exits Disney after 13 years

Disney UK’s vice president of programming and production Jonathan Boseley, who launched shows including Hannah Montana and High School Musical in the UK, has left the broadcaster.

Boseley joined the kids channel in 1998 as an executive of live programming responsible for all its live output, following a four-year tenure as a Nickelodeon producer.

He subsequently worked his way up the broadcaster, becoming director of programmes for Disney Channel’s Scandanavia and emerging markets before being appointed as Disney Channel UK’s vice president of programming and production in 2009.

Boseley, who left the broadcaster in December, oversaw channel launches such as Disney Junior and Disney Channel HD as well as a raft of acquisition and co-production deals.

He was responsible for ordering the broadcaster’s first order from the indie sector, the High School Musical-inspired, Club High School Musical: Make It Happen from The Foundation.

He was also behind UK shows including fashion series Get The Look, football-themed Goalmouth, live action series As The Bell Rings and sketch show Life Bites.

A Disney spokeswoman said: “After 13 years at Disney, we can confirm that Jonathan decided to leave the company. He played a critical role in driving the success of our channels in the UK and we wish him every success for the future.”

Disney is now hunting for a programme director further to Boseley's departure.

Nickelodeon UK Job Opportunity - Marketing Coordinator

2012-01-23T20:00:00.002Z

The official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland Job Vacancies website, Nickelodeon Jobs, has announced that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland are currently looking for a new Marketing Coordinator:

Nickelodeon UK Job Details

Nickelodeon UK Marketing Coordinator

Ref Nick000103
Location London
Office Rathbone Place
Company Nickelodeon
Contracted Hours 35
Department Marketing
Closing Date for Applications 3 February 2012

Nickelodeon UK's Company Information

Nickelodeon is a top performing commercial kids TV network in the UK. Launched in 1993, it comprises seven dedicated award-winning entertainment channels for kids aged 2-12: Nickelodeon, NickToons, NickToons Replay, Nick Jr, Nick Jr 2, Nick Replay and Nickelodeon HD, the first HD kids channel in the Sky Kids Pack.

The Nickelodeon network now reaches more than 10 million viewers a month and is available in 12.7 million cable and satellite homes.

The company has built a diverse multi-platform business by putting kids first in everything it does and includes critically acclaimed and hugely popular television programming and production in the United Kingdom and around the world, plus consumer products, online, events, recreation and feature films. Nickelodeon UK is a joint venture between MTV Networks and BSkyB.

Nickelodeon network shows include: SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Penguins of Madagascar, live action hits iCarly and Victorious as well as UK produced Summer in Transylvania and Humf.

Nickelodeon UK Department

Marketing is pivotal in shaping Nickelodeon Networks success, developing and driving strategy and implementation to achieve brand, ratings and commercial objectives.

To achieve this we always have to think about our audience – What do we know about them? What would they want us to do? What would make them smile? And ensure that everything we do is creative and excellent in its execution.

Key Responsibilities

The Marketing Co-ordinator plays a key role in supporting the marketing team in the delivery of campaigns and events, taking the lead for specific elements and managing projects in helping achieve our overall goals as well as those of the wider business.

Campaign Assistance and Campaign Management

- Providing support to the Marketing Managers on campaigns

- Prepare documents, presentations and proposals as required

- Ensure all brand property files are updated regularly with the latest campaign information and brand assets

Expertise and Insight

- Perform an essential role in connecting marketing with the wider Nickelodeon divisions in the delivery of projects and developing relationships with external stakeholders such as agencies, media owners and affiliates.

- Support in the development and management of media plans, including developing and managing partner relationships E.g. Sky, Virgin etc to get support for campaigns.

- Support the development and management of taskforce teams in the development and delivery of campaigns and projects

Policies and procedures

- Adhere to and follow all Nickelodeon finance and legal processes, maintaining clear and accurate budget and spend tracking

Competencies

Creative Ambition
Definition: Constantly striving to maintain the Channel’s lead, through an original and innovative approach.

Technical and Professional Knowledge
Definition: The individual’s ability to apply expertise to their technical, professional or operational area.

Communication
Definition: Listening carefully and actively, asking questions to deepen understanding and using a language and manner appropriate to the audience and message

Energy and Commitment
Definition: A drive to achieve results to the highest standards and the commitment and courage to see things through despite obstacles or setbacks.

Relationship Building
Definition: Looking to make connections and build relationships with people. A desire to work with others to achieve objectives and results that are more difficult, or less fun, to achieve alone.

Role-Specific Skills/Attributes

Previous experience working in a marketing role.

Managing the delivery of consumer facing campaigns – brief writing through to agency management and judging creative work.

Preferably, experience of reviewing media planning and buying recommendations and implementing across TV and print and digital.

Experience of using digital media – display advertising, key words and social media – to engage consumers.

Evidence of results from marketing campaigns delivered.

Candidates with no TV or kids experience will be considered if they have the right level of consumer campaign management and delivery experience and can demonstrate and a passion and insight for the industry.

If you're interested in working at Nickelodeon UK and becoming Nickelodeon UK's next Marketing Coordinator, you can apply here on the official Nickelodeon Jobs website.

Nickelodeon UK Job Opportunity - Marketing Director

2012-01-23T19:38:00.002Z

The official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland Job Vacancies website, Nickelodeon Jobs, has announced that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland are currently looking for a new Marketing Director:

Nickelodeon UK Job Details

Nickelodeon UK Marketing Director

Ref Nick000114
Location London
Office Rathbone Place
Company Nickelodeon
Contracted Hours 35
Department Marketing
Closing Date for Applications 10 February 2012

Nickelodeon Job Summary

Marketing is pivotal in shaping Nickelodeon Networks success, developing and driving strategy and implementation to achieve brand, ratings and commercial objectives.

Nickelodeon Department

The Marketing Director leads the marketing team as the ultimate champion of our brand and audience, a kid-expert who is committed to consistently understanding our audiences; their relationships, aspirations concerns, interests and media habits.

This role is strategically critical and a facilitator of all channel relationships, an essential conduit connecting all internal departments and key external stakeholders such as affiliates and commercial partners.

This is an exciting and challenging role full of opportunity that requires leadership, collaboration, creativity, self-motivation, project management and attention-to-detail.

Key Responsibilities

Drive strategy and property planning across all brands

Work with Research to develop insights and market trends

Manage the marketing team’s workload and career development

Manage key third party relationships

Develop and manage annual budgets

Present quarterly updates to affiliates and Sky Media

Act as a strategic advisor to the VP, Director of Marketing

Work closely with Communications Director to develop integrated communications

Develop and continue strong relationships with International counterparts and stakeholders

Role-Specific Skills/Attributes

Marketing Plans and Budgets

Develop annual plans and budgets in response to;

Channel measures: audience, brand & ratings

Key Property building

Third party and Recreation opportunities

Industry and consumer knowledge and insights

Advertising and Stakeholder Management

Develop campaign requirements and oversee execution and post analysis

Ensure all campaigns are cross-department

Oversee agency relationships and performance

Manage stakeholders and communicate activity and results in a timely manner

Partnerships

Lead Viacom third party relationships such as Sony, PHE, Paramount and Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Develop and manage partner relationships eg Sky, Virgin, Channel Five

Taskforce lead

Create, manage and lead taskforce teams in the development and delivery of campaigns and projects

Provide project reports detailing activity and deliverables

Lead campaign reviews and share learning's across Taskforce and marketing team

Management

Manage marketing team

Coach and mentor team with development areas and career goals

Manage training requirements for team

Affiliate relationships

Maintain strong relationships with all affiliate partners

Present quarterly plans and results

Policies and procedures

Adhere to and follow all Nickelodeon finance and legal processes

Maintain clear and accurate budget and spent tracking

Maintain clear and up-to-date campaign and project records

If you're interested in working at Nickelodeon UK and becoming Nickelodeon UK's next Marketing Director, you can apply here on the official Nickelodeon Jobs website.

Nickelodeon UK Job Opportunity - PR Manager

2012-01-23T19:23:00.003Z

The official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland Job Vacancies website, Nickelodeon Jobs, has announced that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland are currently looking for a new PR Manager:

Nickelodeon UK Job Details
Nickelodeon UK PR Manager

Ref Nick000118
Location London
Office Rathbone Place
Company Nickelodeon
Contracted Hours 35
Department Press
Closing Date for Applications 10 February 2012

Nickelodeon Job Summary

The PR Manager is responsible for leading the strategy and implementation of communications campaigns across the Nick Jr. channel and website, and Nickelodeon’s portfolio of consumer products in the UK.

Reporting to the Communications Director, the main focus of the role is to devise and execute integrated PR campaigns that support the strategic objectives of the channels, aiming to generate high-impact, targeted news and features that significantly raise the profile of the network in a variety of UK media – consumer and trade.

The PR Manager will be responsible for managing PR agencies on designated projects and will oversee the PR intern on a day to day basis. This position will also work with the Communications Director to support corporate, trade and internal communications initiatives as required.

Working closely with the consumer products team to develop and execute the trade and consumer publicity for Nickelodeon’s consumer product portfolio, including executive profiles, gift guide placement and halo products publicity campaigns.

Nickelodeon Department

The marketing and communications department manages the public awareness and reputation of the Nickelodeon network through a wide variety of media and channels (such as newspapers, magazines, TV, websites, blogs and any other ways we can think of!). Our aim is to educate our audiences (both consumer and commercial) about Nickelodeon UK, our programmes and the great work we do both off and on air.
Our work is hugely varied; often we’re dealing directly with journalists to set up (or respond to) a news story generated through a show or event. We’re always planning new campaigns and initiatives to engage with our audiences via our target media. The types of activity can be anything from competitions to screening events and ‘orange carpet’ launches. We’re always on the hunt for new ideas!

The company has a unique ethos of 'putting kids first’ in everything that it does; and it's the PR and Marketing department's job to ensure that that this message is constant in all of the campaigns, merchandising and general information that Nickelodeon creates and puts out. After all, if we're going to connect with our viewers we've got to tell them what we're about in a language they understand.

Key Responsibilities

To lead the strategy and implementation of innovative PR campaigns across the Nick Jr. channels and websites and consumer products in the UK.

To execute PR campaigns with a view to maximising positive exposure for the channels and the network.

To brief and manage external agencies on designated projects

To liaise with all relevant teams internally to ensure clarity and transparency of press information.

To look for and develop opportunities to reinforce the positioning of the Nick Jr. brand through strategic partnerships

To support the Communications Director in devising PR strategies for the network in line with the overall business objectives and on crisis communications

To support Nickelodeon’s wider trade and corporate strategy as required.

Contributing to the annual and quarterly PR plans for the network

Liasing with journalists to sell-in news and feature stories.

Writing and distributing press releases, statements and Q&A’s as appropriate.

Managing events and press attendance, including travel and hosting responsibilities on press trips.

Preparing briefing documents for PR agency, providing them with the materials they need and monitoring their output and results.

Managing coverage review / analysis.

Providing information for trade and internal communications, as required

Collating reports for management/International as required.

Responsibility for the Nick Jr. and consumer products press budget

Role-Specific Skills/Attributes

Minimum 5 years' PR experience.

Proven ability to deliver high-impact intergrated PR campaigns

Strong writing skills

Solid understanding of UK media landscape

Established journalist contacts across a broad range of media

Clear understanding of target audiences

The ability to mange multiple projects and work under pressure

Experience of TV/Kids/Youth sector is preferable

An enthusiastic, can-do attitude

If you're interested in working at Nickelodeon UK and becoming Nickelodeon UK's next PR Manager, you can apply here on the official Nickelodeon Jobs website.

Nickelodeon Star Victoria Justice Named Spokeswoman For 'Donate My Dress' Campaign

2012-01-23T17:57:00.000Z

From Digital Spy:

Victoria Justice named spokeswoman for 'Donate My Dress' campaign

The star asks teenage girls to help the less fortunate by donating prom dresses.

© WENN
Victoria Justice has been named the spokesperson for the 2012 'Donate My Dress' campaign.

The Victorious actress is calling on teenage girls to help the less fortunate by donating their prom dresses.

"Prom can be really expensive; this programme is an easy way for girls everywhere to get involved and help other girls in need," Justice said in a statement.

Justice will be making her own contribution to the cause by giving 'Donate My Dress' the frock that she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

Twilight actress Ashley Greene has previously endorsed the charity campaign.

Justice's series Victorious airs on Nickelodeon.

Watch Victoria Justice's 'Best Friend's Brother' music video below:

Nickelodeon UK To Premier Four Brand New Episodes Of "iCarly" In February 2012

2012-01-23T17:32:00.001Z

According to Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Brand New iCarly, Coming This February, Only On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer (below with transcript), Nickelodeon UK will be premiering and showing four brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom "iCarly" as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month on Nickelodeon/HD" programming stunt which Nickelodeon UK will be holding on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK during February 2012. The first brand new episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "iCarly" Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will premiere and show will be "iLost My Mind", which is the first episode from season four of "iCarly" and is a continuation of the "iCarly" episode "iOMG", on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK).

[Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove): What's happening here?]

This February on Nickelodeon...

[Spencer Shay (Jerry Trainor): I'm just going to give it a few more minutes.]

...iCarly's world will come crashing down over four brand new episodes.

[Gibby (Noah Munck) to Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy): [...] my back]

Find out what's making the iCarly crew more dysfunctional than ever!

[Carly to Spencer: Corn juice and offal?! Spencer: Yes it is!]

And just when you think it can't get any more crazy, someone goes and turns the heat up!

Brand new iCarly, coming this February, only on Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD

Nickelodeon UK To Premier The New Episode Of "Supah Ninjas" Called "Morningstar Academy" On 23rd January 2012

2012-01-21T22:48:00.001Z

According to Nickelodeon UK's new "In A Brand New Episode Of "Supah Ninjas",..." promo/trailer (below with transcript), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new episode of the popular new Nickelodeon show "Supah Ninjas" called "Morningstar Academy", which guest stars Nickelodeon Star Daniella Monet from the hit Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious" as the character 'Clarissa', on Monday 23rd January 2012 at 5.00pm (repeated at 6.00pm on Nick Replay UK) with a encore screening at 7.00pm (8.00pm on Nick Replay UK):

In a brand new episode of Supah Ninjas, the Ninjas face off against some fierce female competition.

And to deal with the [...]...

...someone on the inside!

Will Clarissa's hairpin be a match for the Ninjas?

Find out in a brand new episode of Supah Ninjas, Monday at 5, on Nickelodeon!

In the brand new episode of the Nickelodeon action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas" titled "Morningstar Academy", a group of highly-trained thieves, covering as prep school girls, has targeted Empire City's mint for their latest heist. The Supah Ninjas, who happen to be on a school field trip at the mint, must try to take the girls down while not exposing their ninja persona's to their classmates. "Victorious" star Daniella Monet guest stars as powerful villainess Clarissa.

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD showing the brand new "Morningstar Academy" episode of "Supah Ninjas" on Monday 23rd January 2012 at 5.00pm and 7.00pm (repeated at 6.00pm and 8.00pm on Nick Replay UK), below is a high quality (HQ) streaming video featuring a sneak peek video clip from the brand new episode of "Supah Ninjas" titled "Morningstar Academy":

9:00p.m. Supah Ninjas “Morningstar Academy” from Jessica Wilson on Vimeo.

~~9:00p.m.~~ Supah Ninjas “Morningstar Academy”
A group of highly-trained thieves, covering as prep school girls, has targeted Empire City’s mint for their latest heist. The Supah Ninjas, who happen to be on a school field trip at the mint, must try to take the girls down while not exposing their ninja personas to their classmates. Victorious star Daniella Monet guest stars as Clarissa, a cute yet powerful villainess.

Nickelodeon Germany Announce Two Autograph Sessions With The Stars Of The Nickelodeon Boyband "Big Time Rush"

2012-01-21T20:11:00.006Z

According to the official Nickelodeon Germany/Nickelodeon Deutschland website, Nick.de, the cast and band members of the hit Nickelodeon show and boyband "Big Time Rush", Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight), James Maslow (James Diamond), Carlos Pena (Carlos Garcia), and Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell), will be returning to visit Germany at the end of January 2012 and the beginning of February 2012 where Nickelodeon Germany/Nickelodeon Deutschland will be arranging and holding TWO "Big Time Rush" autograph sessions for German fans of "Big Time Rush" (German Rushers).

The first of Nickelodeon Germany's "Big Time Rush" autograph events will take place on Monday 30th January 2012 at Saturn am Hansaring in the German city of Cologne between 5.00pm and 7.00pm (local time), and the second of Nickelodeon Germany's "Big Time Rush" autograph sessions will be held on Wednesday 1st February 2012 at the Saturn Europe Center in the German city of Berlin between 5.00pm and 7.00pm (local time). It sounds like Nickelodeon Germany's "Big Time Rush" autograph events with the BTR boys are open to everybody.

Below is an English translation of Nickelodeon Germany's "Big Time Rush's autograph sessions in Germany in 2012" event page on Nickelodeon Germany's official website provided by Google Translate:

The Big Time Rush guys are coming to Germany!

Wow! Autograph session with the Big Time Rush-Stars!

You are a giant Big Time Rush fan and wanted your stars always want to live? Then here's your chance!

The guys from Big Time Rush come to Germany and there is the same in two cities an autograph session.

The guys are sweet to you and the other fans a full 2 hours a day and be very diligent to write autographs.

Here, all at a glance:

Mon, 30.01. - Cologne, Saturn (Hansaring): 17:00 - 19:00 o'clock

Wed, 01.02. - Berlin, Saturn (European Centre): 17:00 - 19:00 o'clock

So you let the boys cool not miss and come over!

Also, below is the untranslated version of the same information on Nickelodeon Germany's "Big Time Rush autograph sessions" event page on the official Nickelodeon Germany website:

Die Big Time Rush-Jungs kommen nach Deutschland!!

Wow! Autogrammstunde mit den Big Time Rush-Stars!

Du bist ein riesen Big Time Rush-Fan und wolltest deine Stars schon immer einmal live erleben? Dann kommt hier deine Chance!!

Die Jungs von Big Time Rush kommen nach Deutschland und es gibt gleich in 2 Städten eine Autogrammstunde.

Die süßen Jungs stehen dir und den anderen Fans ganze 2 Stunden zur Verfügung und werden ganz fleißig Autogramme schreiben.

Hier alle im Überblick:

Mo, 30.01. – Köln, Saturn (Hansaring): 17:00 – 19:00 Uhr

Mi, 01.02. – Berlin, Saturn (Europacenter): 17:00 – 19:00 Uhr

Also lass dir die coolen Boys auf keinen Fall entgehen und komm vorbei!

Also, posted by "Big Time Rush" band member and BTR cast member James Maslow (James Diamond) on his official Twitter profile page (@jamesmaslow):

You know I'll be in Germany and the UK at the end of this month, right? ;)

Nickelodeon UK To Host "Patchy The Pirate's SpongeBob SquarePants Weekend" On 21st & 22nd January 2012

2012-01-20T23:01:00.004Z

According to the official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland website, Nick.co.uk, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be holding a special "SpongeBob SquarePants" weekend programming stunt over Saturday 21st January 2012 and Sunday 22nd January 2012 called "Patchy the Pirate Weekend" which will include two "SpongeBob SquarePants" marathons (one on each day) between 1.00pm and 4.00pm (repeated from 2.00pm to 5.00pm on Nick Replay UK) and will be presented by the president of the SpongeBob SquarePants Fan Club, Patchy the Pirate!

You can view a high quality (HQ) high-definition (HD) streaming video that features a selection of Nickelodeon UK's bumpers for Nickelodeon UK's "SpongeBob SquarePants" programming stunt called "Patchy the Pirate's Spongebob Weekend", which features graphics designed and created by Sheffield, UK-based creative studio Pixel DNA, here on NickALive!'s Nickelodeon design blog, Nickelodeon TV Media.

Below is the full "SpongeBob SquarePants" episode line-up for each of Nick UK and Ireland's and Nick HD UK's "SpongeBob SquarePants" marathons which Nick UK and Ireland and Nick UK HD will show as part of Nickelodeon UK's "Patchy the Pirate's SpongeBob Weekend" programming stunt:

Saturday 21st January 2012:

1.00pm - Bubblestand [subtitles]
1.15pm - Ripped Pants [subtitles]
1.30pm - Pizza Delivery [subtitles]
1.45pm - Home Sweet Pineapple [subtitles]
2.00pm - Sandy's Rocket [subtitles]
2.15pm - Squeaky Boots [subtitles]
2.30pm - Culture Shock [subtitles]
2.45pm - F.U.N. [subtitles]
3.00pm - SB-129 [subtitles]
3.15pm - Karate Choppers [subtitles]
3.30pm - Wormy [subtitles]
3.45pm - Patty Hype [subtitles]

(All times plus one (+1) on Nickelodeon UK's timeshift channel, Nick Replay UK)

Sunday 22nd January 2012:

1.00pm - The Secret Box [subtitles]
1.15pm - Band Geeks [subtitles]
1.30pm - Jellyfish Hunter [subtitles]
1.45pm - The Fry Cook Games [subtitles]
2.00pm - The Chaperone [subtitles]
2.15pm - Employee Of The Month [subtitles]
2.30pm - Dunces And Dragons [subtitles]
3.00pm - Squidtastic Voyage [subtitles]
3.15pm - That's No Lady [subtitles]
3.30pm - The Best Day Ever [subtitles]
3.45pm - The Gift Of Gum [subtitles]

(All times plus one (+1) on Nickelodeon UK's timeshift channel, Nick Replay UK)

Nickelodeon UK Launches "Win Tickets To The Exclusive Screening Of The UK Premiere Of Season Two Of House Of Anubis In March 2012" Competition

2012-01-20T20:40:00.005Z

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK starting to premiere brand new episodes from the brand new second series (second season) of the hit original Nickelodeon live action teen mystery/drama television show "House of Anubis" in March 2012, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have launched a brand new exclusive "House of Anubis" competition where Nickelodeon UK will be giving lucky fans of "House Of Anubis" the chance to win exclusive tickets to attend the UK premiere of the second season of "House Of Anubis" in Central London, UK on Sunday, 11th March 2012 where Nickelodeon UK will be giving an exclusive screening of the very first episode of season two of HOA, which may also be attended by some of the actors and actresses of the hit Nickelodeon show "House Of Anubis"!

Join the cast, unlock the secrets

House of Anubis

WIN!

Tickets to the House of Anubis season two premiere in London!

The mystery is just beginning...

House of Anubis season two is coming soon to Nickelodeon. You already know what’s in the house, but you won’t believe what lies beneath it...

The new season reveals some of the House of Anubis’ deepest and darkest secrets. To celebrate, Nickelodeon is giving you the chance to win tickets to the UK premiere in London to see the very first episode of season two before anyone else!

Not only that, you will also get the chance to explore and unlock mysteries of your own, with many twists and turns along the way – you never know who you might bump into...

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question:

What is the name of the secret gang in House of Anubis?

Sibuna
Banana
Gorilla

[Nickelodeon UK's "Win Tickets To The UK Premiere Of Season Two Of House Of Anubis" Competition details]:

Competition will close at 10am on Monday, 13th February 2012.

Winner will receive a ticket for themselves, a parent/guardian and a friend to attend the event (3 tickets in total for each winner).

Travel and accommodation expenses are not included.

The premiere takes place in London on Sunday, 11th March 2012.

Competition open to people aged between 7 and 15.

Each winner must be available to attend the premiere in central London on the afternoon of Sunday, 11th March 2012.

You can enter Nickelodeon UK's exclusive "Win VIP Tickets To The UK Premiere Of House Of Anubis Season Two" "House Of Anubis" screening competition here on the official Nickelodeon UK websites "House Of Anubis" competition page.

Also, posted by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

When will House of Anubis come out? Im so excited!
@NickelodeonUK - Soon! Enter our amazing comp to see it FIRST! http://ow.ly/8Az1W!

And:

Season 2 House of Anubis is on its way! To be FIRST to see & party with special guests enter our amazing competition... http://ow.ly/8ACRw

Nickelodeon UK To Premier Brand New "iCarly" Episode "iLost My Mind" On 6th February 2012

2012-01-20T19:42:00.004Z

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new episode of the hit Nickelodeon live action show "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK) as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month" programming stunt which Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will be holding throughout February 2012:

when is iLost My Mind airing?
@NickelodeonUK - Monday 6th February 5.30pm! It's going to be SO GOOD!

And:

Is it true that iLost My My mind airs on 6th February???? #EEEEEEPPPP.
@NickelodeonUK - YES! 5.30pm! OMG!

Below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Brand New "iCarly" "iLost My Mind", Coming The 6th February, Only On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer:

In a brand new iCarly, Sam and Freddie have started something that's too much for Sam to handle.

Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove): What are you doing in a mental institution?

And now iCarly is going to change forever, on brand new iCarly iLost My Mind, coming the 6th February, only on Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD

The brand new "iCarly" episode titled "iLost My Mind" is the first episode from season four of "iCarly" and is a continuation of the "iCarly" episode "iOMG" which Nickelodeon UK premiered on Friday 18th November 2011.

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD premiering the brand new "iCarly" episode titled "iLost My Mind" as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month" programming stunt in February 2012, below is a high quality (HQ) streaming video (from a Nickelodeon Podcast, and in the 16:9 aspect ratio picture format) of Nickelodeon USA's "New iCarly - iLost My Mind" trailer/promo (and a transcript of the promo) to advertise Nick USA premiering the brand new "iCarly" episode "iLost My Mind" in August 2011:

iLost My Mind Promo from BTR Luver on Vimeo.

Sam and Freddie start dating but does Sam start having second thoughts? Mrs. Benson freaks out when she finds out that her son Freddie is dating Sam.

It was the iCarly kiss that shocked the world.

But nothing will prepare you for what happens next!

[Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress) to Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy): Can we talk about the kiss?

This August...

[Gibby (Noah Munck) to Marissa Benson/Mrs. Benson (Mary Scheer): You're son Freddie...

...is dating Sam. [Freddie's Mom screams]]

Are Sam and Freddie in love?

Will Carly keep them together?

Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove): Am I supposed to sit here and wait for you guys to have a fight so I can settle it?

Sam: Pretty much.

[...]]

And the biggest question of all...

...[Sam: Have I lost my mind?!]

iLost My Mind, coming this August, only on Nick!

UK's ITV Picks Up Broadcast Rights To "Poppy Cat" For Their Children's Channel CiTV; To Air On CiTV From Spring 2012

2012-01-20T19:00:00.001Z

From C21Media:

UK net sweet for Poppy Cat

UK prodco [production company] Coolabi has struck its first significant deal since last year's management buy-out, selling preschool show Poppy Cat to a local terrestrial.

London-based Coolabi Productions, which has delisted from the stock exchange since last month’s £4.9m (US$7.6m) MBO, has sold the 52×11’ series to ITV. The show, made together with King Rollo Films, will premiere on ITV children’s diginet [digital network] CiTV this spring.

The latest deal for Poppy Cat follows its launch on Nick Jr in the territory last May. It has subsequently been picked up by Nick Jr’s Australian counterpart; Sprout in the US; Disney Junior in Spain and Latin America; Irish pubcaster RTE; and TVO, SCN and Knowledge Network in Canada. Entertainment One also scored a home video and digital distribution deal earlier this month.

“This latest signing with yet another huge broadcast partner demonstrates the enormous appeal that Poppy Cat has,” said Coolabi’s director of content Michael Dee.

The series features vocal talent from Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey) and is based on the titular Lara Jones preschool book character.

Jesse Whittock
19-01-2012
C21Media

The Official Nickelodeon UK Website Unveils Music Video For Big Time Rush's "Music Sounds Better With U (Feat Mann)" Single

2012-01-19T19:47:00.003Z

The official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland website has added a brand new streaming video featuring the brand new music video for Big Time Rush's brand new music single 'Music Sounds Better With U (Featuring Mann)' to Nickelodeon UK's official "Big Time Rush" website which you can view here on Nick.co.uk.

The BTR song "Music Sounds Better With U (Feat Mann)" is from Nickelodeon Records' second "Big Time Rush" studio album called 'Elevate', which will be released in the UK and Ireland on Monday 6th February 2012.

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

The main thing cheering me up on this rainy day is the AWESOME new BTR single. It makes me so happy:D Check out the vid http://ow.ly/8yQkP.

Nickelodeon UK Relaunches Their Official NickToons UK Website

2012-01-19T19:19:00.008Z

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland relaunched their official NickToons UK and Ireland website today (Thursday 19th January 2012), which you can view here at NickToons.co.uk:

Are you a toonster? Nick Toons got its own fancypants new website today! EXCITING! Go take a peek http://www.nicktoons.co.uk/

Nickelodeon UK's brand new NickToons UK website serves as a gateway portal which provides website links to the various NickToons-related content on the main Nickelodeon UK website at Nick.co.uk, such as NickToon show information, NickToon online games, NickToon video clips, and NickToon competitions.

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUKPR):

absolutely loving the NEW NICKTOONS website!! Take a look for yourself http://nicktoons.co.uk/.

Also, Tweeted (posted) by "Monkey Quest", Nickelodeon's new massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) which is set in the World of Ook, on the official Monkey Quest Twitter profile page (@monkeyquest):

@nickelodeonukpr The new Nicktoons website IS looking awesome. Plus you can play @MonkeyQuest there. SCORE! http://nicktoons.co.uk/.

Nickelodeon And "iCarly" Star Miranda Cosgrove Reveals Her Plans To Go To College

2012-01-19T18:48:00.003Z

From Digital Spy:

'iCarly' star Miranda Cosgrove: 'I'm going to college'

Miranda Cosgrove says she is planning to go to college on the west coast.

© WENN / FayesVision
Miranda Cosgrove has revealed that she is planning to go to university this year.

The iCarly actress told Access Hollywood Live that her parents are encouraging her to pick a college on the west coast of the US.

"I got into NYU and USC and I've been trying to figure out which one to go to because I deferred for a year since I'm doing my show, so now it's really getting down to the point where I have to make the decision," she said.

"My dad loves USC because he went there and my parents don't really want me to go to New York, but I love New York."

Cosgrove also commented that she plans to fully immerse herself in the college lifestyle by living on-campus at whichever university she chooses.

The star said: "I want the dorm life… and I want a random roommate - that's half the fun, right?"

Cosgrove recently praised iCarly guest star Michelle Obama for her "great comic timing".

iCarly airs on Nickelodeon.

Watch Miranda Cosgrove discuss her college aspirations below:

Nick Jr. UK Picks Up Rights To Second Series Of "Ben and Holly"; Nick Jr. International Picks Up Rights To The First Series

2012-01-19T18:19:00.008Z

According to this Nickelodeon News article on World Screen, Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland have announced that they have picked up the rights to broadcast series two of the popular animated Nick Junior Channel show "Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom" and will start to show the brand new episodes from season two of "Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom" in 2012, plus Nickelodeon's international Nick Jr. channels/blocks in Germany (Deutschland), Scandinavia, the Netherlands (Nederlands), Spain (Espana), Portugal, Italy (Italia), Eastern/Central Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America have picked up the rights to show the first series of "Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom":

Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom Lands New Broadcasters

LONDON: Entertainment One (eOne) Family has closed new deals for its kids’ series Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom, including with Nick Jr. in the U.K.

Nick Jr. UK will broadcast season two of Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom in 2012. The first season debuted on Nick Jr. UK in April 2009. In addition, RAI’s Yoyo channel in Italy, RTVE’s TV Clan in Spain and RTP, in Portugal have all picked up the first season of the show. Ireland’s RTE has re-licensed season one. The first season will also be broadcast on Nick Jr. channels/blocks in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Eastern/Central European, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

Tina McCann, the managing director for Nickelodeon UK, said, “Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is a beautiful show which plays a huge role in the success of Nick Jr. We are delighted to continue our collaboration.”

Joss Duffield, the head of international TV Sales for eOne Family said, “We’re thrilled that Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is gaining the attention we know the show deserves. With Nick Jr.’s support internationally as well as in the U.K., where 36 licensees are already on board and other key foreign broadcasters attached, the show looks set to extend its success around the world.”

Also, from Licensing.biz:

International broadcasters sign up for eOne's Ben & Holly

Firm extends relationship with Nick Jr in various territories, among other deals.

Entertainment One Family has secured a number of new TV deals for Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom.

The firm has extended its relationship with Nick Jr, which debuted the show in the UK back in April 2009. Nick Jr UK will now also be broadcasting the second series of Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom this year.

Elsewhere, RAI's Yoyo channel in Italy, RTVE's TV Clan in Spain and RTP in Portugal have all picked up the first series of the show. Ireland's RTE has also re-licensed the first series.

On top of this, series one of the show will be broadcast on Nick Jr channels/blocks in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

"Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom is a beautiful show which plays a huge role in the success of Nick Jr," said Tina McCann, MD of Nickelodeon UK. "We are delighted to continue our collaboration."

Also, from C21Media:

Ben and Holly on the move

Entertainment One (eOne) Family has secured deals across Europe for its Bafta-winning animated series Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom.

The second season of Ben and Holly, which features characters from an enchanted magical kingdom, is about to air on Nick Jr UK, which gave the first season its debut in 2009.

The first season has now been picked up by Rai’s Yoyo channel in Italy and RTVE-owned TV Clan in Spain. Portuguese national broadcaster RTP and RTÉ in Ireland will also air the first season.

Nick Jr will also now broadcast the cartoon across Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

Joss Duffield, head of international TV sales for eOne Family said: “With Nick Jr’s support internationally as well as in the UK, the show looks set to extend its success around the world.”

Clive Whittingham
20-01-2012
C21Media

Ofcom Rules That Nickelodeon UK, Comedy Central UK and MTV Networks Europe Hold Their Own Responsibility For Their VOD Content On Virgin Media

2012-01-19T17:47:00.004Z

From Broadband TV News:

Broadcasters hold responsibility for VOD content

In a landmark ruling Ofcom [Office of Communications] has backed a decision by the industry regulator ATVOD that three Viacom companies were responsible for their own content on the Virgin Media platform.

Nickelodeon UK Limited, The Paramount Partnership and MTV Networks Europe had each appealed against ATVOD determinations that they respectively hold regulatory responsibility for the Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV video on demand content on the Virgin Media platform.

The decision means that the three Viacom companies rather than Virgin Media are responsible for ensuring that the services comprising their video on demand programmes on the Virgin Media platform comply with the statutory rules that apply to On Demand Programme Services.

“This is a complex area and the appeal system is a vital part of the process, giving service providers, in particular, greater clarity over where regulatory responsibility lies,” said ATVOD chief executive Pete Johnson.

Ofcom based its decision on the definition of “editorial responsibility” as defined in section 368A of the Communications Act 2003, which states that a person has editorial responsibility for a service if that person has general control over what programmes are included in the service and over the manner in which those programmes are organised within the service.

In the original determination made in July 2011, Comedy Central argued that how the service was branded, promoted and marketed was all controlled by Virgin Media. However, ATVOD said such techniques were used by aggregators to facilitate the location of content.

The position was muddied by the acceptance of editorial responsibility by both BT Vision and the now defunct SeeSaw.

Also, from Advanced Television:

Ofcom: Content providers not platform responsible for VoD

Ofcom has backed VoD regulator ATVOD’s ruling that three Viacom companies – Nickelodeon , Paramount and MTV Networks – are responsible for the VoD content of Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV respectively on the Virgin Media platform.

The broadcasters had notified ATVOD last year that they considered Virgin Media to have “editorial responsibility” for the offerings, and that their services should therefore be removed from ATVOD’s directory of notified services.

In rejecting the three companies’ appeal against the regulator’s ruling, Ofcom took the view that ATVOD “made substantively the correct decision for the correct reasons”.

The decision means that the producer companies, rather than the serving platform, are responsible for ensuring that the services comprising VoD programming comply with the relevant rules.

Also, from DigitalTVEurope.net:

Ofcom: content providers responsible for Virgin Media VOD

UK media regulator Ofcom has upheld a ruling by video-on-demand regulatory body ATVOD that content producers, rather than the platform operator, are responsible for the VOD services featuring their content on the Virgin Media cable platform.

Ofcom has upheld ATVOD’s ruling that three Viacom companies – Nickelodeon UK Ltd, the Paramount Partnership and MTV Networks Europe – are responsible for the VOD content of Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV respectively on the Virgin Media platform.

The three broadcasters had notified ATVOD early last year that they considered Virgin Media to have “editorial responsibility” for the offerings, and that their services should therefore be withdrawn from ATVOD’s directory of notified services.

In rejecting the three companies’ appeal against the VOD regulator’s ruling, Ofcom took the view that ATVOD “made substantively the correct decision for the correct reasons”.

The decision means that the three Viacom companies rather than Virgin Media are responsible for ensuring that the services comprising their VOD programmes on Virgin Media comply with the statutory rules which apply to on-demand programme services.

“This is a complex area and the appeal system is a vital part of the process, giving service providers, in particular, greater clarity over where regulatory responsibility lies,” said ATVOD CEO Pete Johnson.

Also, more from Broadband TV News:

Clover's Week: Stop the presses

How similar is the regulation of the press to that of VOD? Asks Julian Clover.

ATVOD had an uncomfortable start to its life. The organisation, which now styles itself as the authority for the regulation of on demand content in the UK, is a self-regulatory body along the lines of the Press Complaints Commission.

However, there is a startling difference, in that at least newspapers pretend that they want to be regulated.

ATVOD gets its powers through the Communications Act and through that the regulator Ofcom, which in March 2010 allowed ATVOD to take on the power to regulate VOD content. Services would ‘notify’ ATVOD of their existence and would then be subject to a regulation of the lightest touch.

There were early complaints, both about those that had actually chosen to notify, and the cost of regulating – £467,307 in the first year of operation – though no doubt significantly cheaper than leaving the task with Ofcom.

This week came the result of a police procedural. Nickelodeon UK Limited, The Paramount Partnership and MTV Networks Europe had each appealed to Ofcom against ATVOD determinations that they respectively hold regulatory responsibility for the Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV video on demand content on the Virgin Media platform.

They said that Virgin should take that responsibility in the same way that BT Vision and the short-lived SeeSaw had chosen to do.

The curiosity is that if a Nickelodeon show, say Sponge Bob Squarepants, received a complaint when shown on Nick itself, the channel would happily take the rap. But if that same programme was shown on Virgin’s VOD system, then it would be the responsibility of the operator, the pipe, or do we mean the pipe as a channel?

After all we are familiar with the sort of stat that says Virgin’s VOD viewing is greater than viewership to Channel 4 and Sky has long been described by some as if it were a single channel.

But it is the inconsistency that I am having a hard time to unravel. On some platforms you complain to the channel, others to the operator, the green ink brigade will have great difficulty knowing where to they should post their letters.

In newspapers the Press Complaints Commission is one of the topics being covered by the Leveson enquiry into media ethics. One newspaper, the Daily Express, owned by Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell that also owns Channel 5, has decided not to support the Commission and will not be regulated by them.

TV is going through what is arguably a greater change than that facing the press. A little consistency might be a good idea.

Also, from Out-Law.com:

Regulator correctly determined editorial responsibility for on-demand video services, Ofcom rules

Organisations that share control over the content of video-on-demand (VOD) programmes should write contracts that set out who has overall editorial responsibility for the material, Ofcom has said.

The communications regulator made the recommendation in a ruling concerning VOD services that appeared on the Virgin Media platform on behalf of three entertainment companies. Ofcom upheld a decision by VOD regulator the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD), which had ruled that the entertainment producers, not Virgin, were editorially responsible for the VOD programmes.

"It is conceivable that more than one party may have a role in determining the range of programmes offered and the organisation within that range. In those circumstances, parties may wish to settle the ambiguity with clear contractual wording," Ofcom said in its ruling (15-page / 263KB PDF).

The UK's Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Regulations force companies to inform ATVOD when they operate an on-demand video service online. Only companies with editorial responsibility for the content are required to provide this notification. Those companies must pay a licence in order to broadcast the material and are bound by the terms of the AVMS Regulations.

The AVMS Regulations were introduced in the UK to update the Communications Act in order to meet the requirements of the EU's AVMS Directive. The Directive provides a European-wide standard on governing audio and visual content that is under the editorial responsibility of a media service provider.

Ofcom appointed ATVOD to be the primary regulator of VOD content in the UK in 2010. Material subject to regulation does not include all internet video. The rules apply only to television-like services delivered on demand, not to user-generated videos such as those that appear on YouTube.

The law states that video services qualify for regulation if "its principal purpose is the provision of programmes the form and content of which are comparable" to that "normally included in television programme services"; if it has a person who is editorially responsible for it; is based in the UK; and is available on an on-demand basis made available for use by members of the public.

Under the Act an organisation with editorial responsibility is one with "general control over what programmes are included in the range of programmes offered to users; and over the manner in which the programmes are organised in that range". The companies do not have to have control of content for individual VOD programmes or over how they are broadcast or distributed in order to be deemed as editorially responsible for the material.

The material that does fall under ATVOD's regulation must conform to some of the standards expected of broadcast television. It must not incite racial hatred; harm under-18s; or break rules on sponsorship or product placement.

In 2010 Nickelodeon UK Limited, The Paramount Partnership and MTV Networks Europe notified ATVOD of the VOD content they were providing through Virgin but subsequently told the regulator of their intent to withdraw that notification based on their belief that Virgin, not them, had editorial responsibility for the material. The companies shared control over the content of what was shown through the services with Virgin, the Ofcom ruling said.

Last year ATVOD ruled that the VOD services were under the editorial control of the three Viacom-owned producers. ATVOD had said that the terms of the contracts between Virgin and the companies were "ambiguous" over which party had "general control" of the organisation and selection of content.

However, it said that there were "clear contractual agreements" over the "obligations" that applied to the service which helped it determine the outcome of its ruling.

The Viacom companies appealed the ruling to Ofcom claiming that they did not make the VOD service available to the public and were not editorially responsible for the content. They said ATVOD had been wrong to determine the outcome of the case by giving more emphasis to which party was editorially responsible as opposed to which party had made the material publically available.

However, Ofcom ruled that an opposing standard whereby editorial responsibility and the provision of the service were considered equally could inadvertently allow VOD content to avoid regulatory oversight altogether.

"A service which has the principal purposes of offering on-demand programmes which are comparable in form and content to those on linear television could place itself outside regulation simply by ensuring person A makes the service available ... but person B has editorial responsibility," Ofcom's ruling said.

"We note that this is not [the Viacom companies'] position on these particular cases (they argue that Virgin Media [is both editorially responsible and makes the material publically available]). However, it flows from the logic of [their] position. In particular, it is quite possible to envisage a situation in which party A 'makes a service available' in all the senses raised by the [Viacom companies] (controlling restricted access, entering legal contracts for access with consumers, collecting subscriptions, maintaining technological aspects, controlling servers and providing technical support) yet party B retains 'general control' over programmes included in the range offered to consumers and the manner of organisation within that range. This cannot be the intention of the statutory provisions, and would not be consistent with the purposes of the AVMS Directive," the regulator said.

The wording of the amended Communications Act expressly states that only those with editorial responsibility for on-demand services should be treated as providing the service, but there is no equal weighting given to those who make the material publically available. Because of this, ATVOD was right to determine the outcome of the cases on the basis of editorial responsibility, Ofcom said.

"[The wording of the Act] implies that, whereas only one person can have editorial responsibility, more than one may make the [service] available. We consider that to be the case here; there is no question but that both Virgin Media and each [Viacom company] intends to make available content for use by members of the public, and this is the clear intention of the relevant agreements (and what happened in practice)," Ofcom said.

The contracts between the Viacom companies and Virgin contained terms that made it clear that the Viacom companies were editorially responsible for content on the services provided, Ofcom said.

"The agreements ... include a clear statement as to the intention of the parties regarding the allocation of 'editorial responsibility' and say that the term is intended to be read as it is under the Act. They specifically make mention of ATVOD and responsibility to notify," the ruling said.

Ofcom rejected claims by the Viacom companies that placing a reliance on contract terms would allow organisations to draft agreements that enable them to avoid regulatory responsibilities laid out in the law.

"It is entirely proper that parties to a contract may wish to settle ambiguity regarding 'editorial responsibility'. Where this does not frustrate the purposes of the Act and the AVMS Directive by allocating responsibility where it plainly does not lie thus inhibiting effective enforcement ... it is not at all 'an arbitrary legal standard' to take as a starting point that the parties' intention was that their relationship should operate as clearly stated on the face of the contract, in the absence of strong and compelling evidence to the contrary," Ofcom said.

"The [Viacom companies] are in the unattractive position of asking Ofcom effectively to strike out a clause in a contract which they, as sophisticated commercial broadcasters, appear freely to have agreed. They have not provided strong and compelling evidence, either to ATVOD or to Ofcom, that the intention of Virgin Media and themselves was other than that clearly stated on the face of their contracts," the regulator said.

Useful Links

The Ofcom ruling (15-page / 263KB PDF).

HMV UK Launches Exclusive "Win Tickets To The "Big Time Rush Listening Party" In February 2012" Competition

2012-01-19T17:07:00.014Z

To celebrate "Big Time Rush" visiting the UK again in February 2012 and to celebrate the launch of the brand new "Big Time Rush" musical album "Elevate", the official HMV UK and Ireland website, HMV.com, has launched a brand new exclusive "Big Time Rush" competition where the British global entertainment retail chain (HMV (His Master's Voice)) will be giving ten lucky Rushers ("Big Time Rush" fans) a second chance to win tickets for them, along with a guest, to attend Sony Music's exclusive "Big Time Rush - Elevate" album launch party and "Big Time Rush Listening Party" at the Sony Music offices in Kensington, London, which Sony Music will be holding during the afternoon of Sunday 5th February 2012. To enter HMV's "BTR Listening Party" 'Big Time Competition' and to be in with a chance of attending Sony Music's very special "Big Time Rush Listening Party" event, either simply pre-order the brand new "Big Time Rush" album 'Elevate' here on the official HMV UK and Ireland website at HMV.com (HMV's current price for the brand new "Big Time Rush" album called 'Elevate' on CD is £6.99 with free delivery), or you can enter HMV's exclusive "BTR Listening Party" competition for free using HMV's "no purchase necessary" method by simply sending your name, home address, email address and telephone number handwritten on a plain piece of paper by pre-paid post to 'Big Time Rush Competition', The Promotions Dept, HMV, Princess House, 50-60 Eastcastle Street, London, W1W 8EA, to arrive before 30/01/12. Only one plain paper entry per stamped envelope.

Win tickets to meet Big Time Rush

Win Tickets To A Big Time Rush Listening Party!

To celebrate the release of their new CD, 'Elevate', Big Time Rush will be attending a very special Listening Party at the Sony Music offices in Kensington, London in the afternoon of Sunday 5th February 2012.

We have 10 pairs of tickets to give away!

To be in with a chance of attending this very special event simply pre-order the new album 'Elevate' [here on the official HMV website]

Good luck!

No purchase necessary. Click here for terms and conditions. Closing date: 8.00am 30/01/2012

Also, posted by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

#UKRUSHERS Dont forget there is another chance to win tickets to party with the BTR boys with HMV. Have u entered yet? http://ow.ly/8yQmK

Nickelodeon UK To Premier The New Episode Of "Supah Ninjas" Called "Eternum" On 20th January 2012

2012-01-18T23:14:00.004Z

According to Nickelodeon UK's new "In A Brand New Episode Of "Supah Ninjas",..." promo/trailer (below with transcript), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new episode of the popular new Nickelodeon show "Supah Ninjas" called "Eternum" on Friday 20th January 2012 at 5.00pm (repeated at 6.00pm on Nick Replay UK) with a encore screening at 7.00pm (8.00pm on Nick Replay UK):

In a brand new episode of Supah Ninjas...

...the Ninjas are in for their craziest mission ever.

Get ready for some insane action...

...as the Ninjas strike again.

Don't miss a brand new episode of Supah Ninjas, Friday at 5 on Nickelodeon.

Also available on Nickelodeon HD

In the brand new episode of the Nickelodeon action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas" titled "Eternum", a demented psychiatrist called Dr. Eternum (portrayed by American film and Television actor Todd Stashwick) lures the Supah Ninjas to an asylum to test his theory that he has the power to turn good into evil. While investigating, Supah Ninja Amanda McKay (Gracie Dzienny) meets villain Checkmate (Rick D. Wasserman) again.

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD showing the brand new "Eternum" episode of "Supah Ninjas", below is a high quality (HQ) streaming video featuring a sneak peek video clip from the brand new episode of "Supah Ninjas" titled "Eternum":

Supah Ninjas “Eternum” at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT from Jessica Wilson on Vimeo.

Then, check out an all-new Supah Ninjas “Eternum” at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. As part of a school project, Owen and Amanda are assigned to take care of an egg and end up taking the assignment way too seriously. Meanwhile, Dr. Eternum, a demented psychiatrist who believes he has the power to change human nature, lures the Supah Ninjas to his asylum in order to experiment on them. While in the asylum, Amanda runs into an old nemesis, Checkmate, who's eager for a rematch.

The Official Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland Website Adds Full Length Episode Of "Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom" Titled "The Royal Picnic"

2012-01-18T20:19:00.003Z

According to Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickJrUK), the official Nick Jr. UK and Ireland website, NickJr.co.uk, has added a streaming video featuring a full length episode of the popular Nick Junior animated show "Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom" called "The Royal Picnic", which you can view here on the official Nick Jr. UK and Ireland website, NickJr.co.uk.

Watch a full-length episode of Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom http://on.nickjr.co.uk/bhfe #NickJrUK

Nickelodeon USA To Show Three Animated "Monster High" Specials Throughout 2012

2012-01-18T19:11:00.003Z

According to this Nickelodeon News article on Kidscreen, Nickelodeon USA has unveiled plans to broadcast three one-hour-long CGI-animated (animated using computer-generated imagery) specials based on the characters from Mattel's "Monster High" American Fashion doll line. The first "Monster High" special episode Nickelodeon USA will show will be a Valentine's Day special called 'Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love', in which "Monster High" character Draculaura is torn between two "fangtastic" love interests, which Nick USA is scheduling to air on Sunday 12th February 2012 at 1pm, with Nickelodeon North American planning to show the other two "Monster High" specials closer to Friday 13th April 2012 and Friday 13th July 2012:

Friday the 13th is Monster High's lucky day

Mattel's Monster High has been a hit with tween girls in stores and online, and owner Mattel is about to embark on a large-scale, year-long marketing push for the brand revolving around Friday the 13th, including three one-hour specials set to air on Nick US.

Mattel plans to celebrate every Friday the 13th (the day Monster High officially launched on YouTube) this year by unveiling special content and activities for fans on its Freaky Fab 13 microsite timed to the 13th of every month.

Among the content will be three new hour-long CGI-animated specials airing on Nickelodeon with the first, a Valentine's Day special entitled Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love, airing close to February 13. A YouTube teaser trailer [below] went live ~~today~~ [Friday 13th January 2012] to kick off the promotion cycle. The other two specials will air closer to April 13 and July 13. The specials also mark the move from Flash animation to CGI, completed with the help of Vancouver, Canada's Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Monster High features the humorous high school adventures of characters including Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf and Draculaura, and there’s nothing scary about the brand’s recent growth.

The property already has a line of successful fashion dolls, its Flash-based webisodes have currently amassed more than 140 million views on monsterhigh.com and YouTube combined, and a deal was signed last July with game developer THQ that brought Monster High Ghoul Spirit to Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS/DSi.

Below is Mattel and Nickelodeon USA's teaser promo for the special "Monster High" episode called 'Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love':

Monster High Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love - Nickelodeon Special

Draculaura is torn between two fangtastic love interests in Monster High's newest TV special "Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love" airing February 12th at 1pm on Nick!

It is not yet known whether Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, or any other international Nickelodeon channel/network, will also show the three "Monster High" specials as well.

Nickelodeon Germany Picks Up Rights To First Series Of Zodiak Kids' Animated Comedy Show "Rekkit Rabbit"

2012-01-18T18:32:00.008Z

According to this Nickelodeon News article on C21Media, Nickelodeon Germany (also known as Nickelodeon Deutschland) has picked up the rights to series one (season one) of Zodiak Kids' animated comedy series "Rekkit Rabbit", which is a cartoon comedy about a normal twelve-year old boy called Jay Shmufton and his friend... an eccentric ten-foot tall magical rabbit called Rekkit:

European nets hop on Rekkit Rabbit

NEWS BRIEF: Networks in Germany, Spain and Italy have acquired Zodiak Kids’ toon comedy Rekkit Rabbit.

The Zodiak-owned Marathon Media series will broadcast on Nickelodeon (Germany, season one), TV3 and ETB (Spain (s1-2) and K2 (s1-2). The comedy launched on France’s TF1 last spring.

C21 reporter
18-01-2012
C21Media

Also, from Kidscreen:

Zodiak lands new sales for Rekkit Rabbit

Sales for the Zodiak Kids-owned Marathon Media-produced comedic toon Rekkit Rabbit keep hopping with a string of new broadcast deals.

Nickelodeon Germany scooped up season one. TV3 (Spain), ETB (Spain) and K2 (Italy), meanwhile, will premiere the show in June and have acquired season one and two.

The series, originally produced for TF1 and Disney XD Europe, follows the zany adventures of 12-year old Jay and his friend who happens to be a 10-foot tall magical rabbit.

The total run of the Vincent Chalvon Demersay and David Michel-created series (26 x 13 minutes) reached 104 episodes last fall after Zodiak/Marathon produced a third season for TF1 and Disney XD Europe.

Also, from C21Media Screenings' show page for "Rekkit Rabbit", where you can also view a streaming video clip of "Rekkit Rabbit" (you will need to register for a free membership to C21Media to view the "Rekkit Rabbit" video):

Rekkit Rabbit

From Zodiak Rights

A cartoon comedy about a normal twelve-year old boy and his friend... an eccentric ten-foot tall magical rabbit.

AUSPICES

Producer: Marathon Media for TF1 and Jetix Europe

Demographics: 5-12 (Tween)

Rekkit Rabbit
Zodiak Rights
278 x 13’ (HD)

What would you do if an over-the-top giant rabbit burst into your life? Jay Shmufton was a typical 12 year-old until he met Rekkit, a 10-foot tall eccentric rabbit. Rekkit Rabbit ran away from his job as a magician’s assistant in Chakabrak, and crashed into our world... and Jays life! Now the boy has to cope with his new super-enthusiastic, supernatural, super-clingy friend, whose unreliable magic is going to get this odd couple into the craziest situations. Rekkit Rabbit is a mass appeal cartoon comedy with a very wacky edge. There's no knowing what's going to happen when you've got a rabbit that sleepeats his friends, sneezes Scottish hamsters and can’t seem to get a spell right – but it’s going to be fun finding out!

A pure cartoon comedy from the people that brought you the smash hit Totally Spies!

Helmed by head writers Reid Harrisson (The Simpsons, George Of The Jungle) and Mitch Watson (Scooby Doo)

The launch of Rekkit Rabbit on TF1 France returned excellent ratings of 23%, 4-10 share and 700 000 viewers. No.1 youth program of Wednesday mornings

Nickelodeon UK To Premier Brand New "SpongeBob SquarePants" Special "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off" On 3rd February 2012

2012-01-17T20:19:00.008Z

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUKPR), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere and show the brand new special episode of the hit animated Nickelodeon show ("NickToon") "SpongeBob SquarePants" called "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off" on Friday 3rd February 2012 at 5.00pm (repeated at 6.00pm on Nick Replay UK) ~~(transmission (TX) time to be confirmed by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland)~~:

Brand new eps of iCarly, VicTORious and a brand new ep of SpongeBob on 3rd Feb!

In the brand new "SpongeBob SquarePants" Nickelodeon television movie special titled "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off", SpongeBob SquarePants and the whole of Bikini Bottom participate through a race in a winter wonderland for $1,000,000. Meanwhile, Plankton sneaks inside the Krusty Krab to steal the Krabby Patty formula.

Below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "The Premiere Of The Brand New SpongeBob SquarePants Special "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off", Kicking Off On The 3rd February, Only On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer:

[SpongeBob SquarePants: Hang on!]

Get ready to FEEL THE FREEZE!

It's the coolest SpongeBob special of all time!

SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off, kicking off on the 3rd February, only on Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD

Also, below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's "Brand New SpongeBob SquarePants special "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off", Coming Soon To Nickelodeon!" teaser promo/trailer:

Coming soon...

[SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks and Mr. Krabs scream at seeing a monster]

...everyone in Bikini Bottom is going Head To Head...

[Sheldon J. Plankton (to Mr. Krabs): You don't stand a chance!]

...and Sled To Sled.

[Patrick Star: Good thing I brought out the heavy artillery.]

SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off, coming soon to Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD.

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

when is there brand new spongebob squarepants ??
@NickelodeonUK - The frosty fantastic Frozen Face Off on Fri 3rd Feb at 5pm! Cant Wait :D

Nickelodeon Wraps The Filming Of "House Of Anubis Season 2"

2012-01-17T19:36:00.006Z

Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actress Tasie Dhanraj, who plays the character 'Mara Jaffray' in Nickelodeon's hit live-action mystery series "House of Anubis", has Tweeted (posted) on her official Twitter profile page (@tasieD) that Nickelodeon Productions has wrapped the filming for the brand new episodes of the second season of "House of Anubis":

That is a wrap on series 2 of House of Anubis!! Emotional day - 4.22pm GMT Tuesday 17th January 2012

Also, posted by Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, on his official Twitter profile page (@kangas911):

So thats a wrap for season 2 Mr D, is that the end of the show or a possible another season [House Of Anubis Season 3/Season 3 Of House Of Anubis]? - 7.49pm Sunday 15th January 2012
@kangas911 - who can say. Let's see what season 2 brings. Enjoy!! - 3.08pm GMT Monday 16th January 2012

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actor Brad Lewis Kavanagh, who portrays the character 'Fabian Rutter' in Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis" series, on his official Twitter profile page (@BradKavanagh):

Travelling home, And so starts 'post-sibuna' syndrome. I miss @AJSawyer [Alex Sawyer / Alfred "Alfie" Lewis] @Jade_Ramsey [Jade Ramsey / Patricia Williamson] @burkelyduffield [Burkely Duffield / Eddie] @Eugene_Simon [Eugene Simon / Jerome Clarke] and everyone so much! - 2.15pm Sunday 15th January 2012
@Jade_Ramsey - we miss you bradders - 10.55pm Sunday 15th January 2012

@Eugene_Simon - Miss you too mate. :) - 5.48pm Sunday 15th January 2012

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actor Alex Sawyer, who portrays the character 'Alfred "Alfie" Lewis' in Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis" show, on his official Twitter profile page (@AJSawyer):

It's not just the cast who make HOA what it is. Thank the crew of HOA and tag it #HOAcrew - crew is cameras, sound, lighting, direction etc - 3.55pm Monday 16th January 2012
#HOAcrew I want to thank the crew for making the special effects look so real and for giving the set look perfectly spooky! - 4.24pm Monday 16th January 2012
Also say what it is you like about what they do. Thanks guys. Filming my last scene in a couple of mins! - 3.54pm Monday 16th January 2012

And that's Alfie Lewis done for season 2. House of Anubis gang, I love you and I'll miss you all X Fan type people, go watch it! :) - 5.36pm Monday 16th January 2012

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actor Burkely Duffield, who portrays the brand new HOA character 'Eddie Kreuger' in season two of Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis" show, on his official Twitter profile page (@burkelyduffield):

Such a fun and busy week this week to finish off the show!! - 10.08pm Tuesday 10th January 2012

So excited for the wrap party tonight! Should be a blaaaaaast - 1.06pm Friday 13th January 2012

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actress Klariza Clayton, who plays the character 'Joy Mercer' in Nickelodeon's hit live-action mystery series "House of Anubis", on her official Twitter profile page (@klarizaclayton):

Ah last day on Anubis.. Then I'm wrapped!! - 9.36am Friday 13th January 2012
enjoy - 9.41am Friday 13th January 2012
nearly there! - 2.14pm Friday 13th January 2012

All done and dusted on HOA, loved the past 7 months. Now one day off then it's another job tomorrow. #needtolearnhowtochillout #takeaholiday - 7.57pm Saturday 14th January 2012

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actor Eugene Michael Simon, who portrays the character 'Jerome Clarke' in Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis" show, on his official Twitter profile page (@Eugene_Simon):

I'm now finished on House of Anubis. What a great few months. RIGHT! Now it's your turn to do the work and enjoy the series! Thanks crew - 8.38pm Friday 13th January 2012

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actress Ana Mulvoy Ten, who plays the character 'Amber Millington' in Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis", on her official Twitter profile page (@anamulvoyten):

Wow. 1400 scenes and 6 months later-it's a wrap on Amber Millington! - 7.18pm Friday 13th January 2012

[...] It was hard work but I am so lucky to have the job I have and all you lovely fans! - 10.31pm Friday 13th January 2012

The Moon, Narnia And Bikini Bottom: Children Choose Their Dream Holiday Destinations

2012-01-17T17:19:00.001Z

From the travel section of Mail Online, the official website of the daily British newspaper Daily Mail:

The Moon, Narnia and Bikini Bottom: Children choose their dream holiday destinations

When it comes to top holiday destinations, it seems children have sky-high hopes, with the Moon topping their list of places they would most like to visit.

When asked where they really wanted to travel to, the majority of children named the moon as their ideal holiday, closely followed by the more manageable Disney World and the rather more tricky fantasy world of Narnia.

The findings were based on a survey of British children aged between three and eight by holiday website sunshine.co.uk and saw both real and imaginary destinations make it into their top 10 dream holidays.

Fly me to the moon: Children would most like to holiday on the moon

Close behind the CS Lewis world of Narnia came JK Rowling's Hogsmeade, the fictional town in the Harry Potter books.

Luckily for wannabe wizards, both Hogsmeade and Harry's school Hogwarts - which came in seventh place in the list - have been brought to life at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, in Florida.

Thoughts also turned to Father Christmas and his reindeer, with Lapland making it into fifth place children would most like to visit - a holiday that parents can deliver on.

But Hundred Acre Wood, home to AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore, could me more difficult to visit.

As could the eighth most popular dream holiday destination - Pride Rock, the fictional kingdom Mustafa and Simba ruled in The Lion King.

Bikini Bottom: Children are also inspired by TV series such as Spongebob Squarepants
And while the ninth hotspot is Australia - perhaps due to its starring role in Finding Nemo, or just due to its famed beaches and adventure holidays - the tenth destination is a watery one.

Bikini Bottom, the fictional underwater world of Nickelodeon's Spongebob Squarepants, just creeps into the top 10 as an ideal holiday destination.

Sunshine.co.uk co-founder Chris Brown said: 'Having four kids of my own, I know that mine would pick Disney over any destination, but it's incredibly cute to see that so many selected fictional destinations and the Moon.'

The top 10 places for holidays were:

1. The Moon
2. Disney World
3. Narnia
4. Hogsmeade
5. Lapland
6. Hundred Acre Wood
7. Hogwarts
8. Pride Rock
9. Australia
10. Bikini Bottom

Nickelodeon Unveils Two Brand New Shows And Orders Pilot For Third New Show For 2012

2012-01-16T17:11:00.001Z

From C21Media:

Nick drops Rock on iTunes

US cablenet Nickelodeon will launch its new live-action musical series How to Rock on Apple iTunes, and has unveiled new programming for this year.

High school comedy How to Rock will launch on iTunes and Nick.com this month before the show premieres on television next month with back-to-back episodes on February 4.

The show’s theme song, performed by the series’ star, Cymphonique Miller, is already available for download on the Apple online store. Further content and promotional videos, including a doc called Cymphonique: Ready to Rock, will launch on Nick’s website, online sites, iTunes and Facebook before the television TX.

It’s the first time Nick has premiered a show online before its television bow – a clear sign the Viacom-owned kidsco’s top brass sees digital distribution as increasingly key to its future.

Nick produces How to Rock in association with Alloy Entertainment, which acquired US digital production and talent studio Generate earlier this month.

In further news, Nick has given the go-ahead to a 21×11’ season of new shortform live-action comedy Fred: The Show, which features YouTube star Lucas Cruikshank.

The show will follow the comic adventures of Cruikshank’s Fred Figglehorn character, a six year-old boy with anger issues. It follows on from previous Nick telemovies Fred: The Movie and Fred: Night of the Living Fred.

Production has begun in LA and the series will premiere early this year. Cruikshank exec produces, along with Gary Binkow and Evan Weiss of Beverley Hills-based talent and production house The Collective, plus Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett of Varsity Pictures.

Cruikshank and The Collective are also attached to another new Nick commission, half-hour comedy pilot Marvin [Marvin, Marvin]. The programme comes from Jon Ross (10 Things I Hate About You) and has show-runner Jeff Bushell (Beverley Hills Chihuahua), Binkow and Weiss attached as exec producers.

The multi-camera pilot will star Cruikshank as a “quirky” intergalactic school kid who tries to adapt to his new life as a human teenager.

Jesse Whittock
16-01-2012
C21Media

Nickelodeon USA Announces Plans To Premier The Brand New "Big Time Rush" Movie, "Big Time Movie", On Saturday 10th March 2012

2012-01-15T23:45:00.002Z

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance:

Nickelodeon's Big Time Movie Event to Premiere on Saturday, March 10, 2012

First-Ever Big Time Rush TV Movie Features Covers of Beloved Beatles Songs and Original Music off Elevate

Nickelodeon Press Release: Nickelodeon – Sat, Jan 14, 2012 1:30 PM EST

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 14, 2012 /Nickelodeon Press Release Via PRNewswire/ -- Stars of the Nickelodeon hit series and international recording artists Big Time Rush headline the network's brand-new original TV movie, Big Time Movie featuring covers of the beloved Beatles classics, Help!, A Hard Day's Night, We Can Work It Out and Revolution, as well as music from Big Time Rush's latest album, Elevate. Big Time Movie will premiere Saturday, March 10, as Kendall (Kendall Schmidt), James (James Maslow), Carlos (Carlos Pena Jr.) and Logan (Logan Henderson) head to London for their first big world tour but instead get mixed up in a mission to save the world. With their bags switched at the airport, they inadvertently gain possession of a fearsome device that, in the wrong hands, could destroy the world. Big Time Movie is executive produced by show creator Scott Fellows.

Stars of the hit series and international recording artists Big Time Rush (Pictured left to right: Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, James Maslow and Carlos Pena Jr.) headline the original Nickelodeon TV movie, Big Time Movie which features covers of beloved Beatles classics and music from the band's sophomore album, Elevate. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120114/NY35974)
"The cool gadgets, outdoor locations and big stunts give this film a truly cinematic feel and transport Big Time Rush into a larger than life environment," said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. "It's a Nickelodeon take on James Bond meets Austin Powers, featuring covers of classic Beatles songs that both kids and their parents can enjoy."

In Big Time Movie, the guys must tap their inner spy as their adventure finds them driving exotic cars and jumping out of helicopters, while trying to make it to their first world tour concert on time. Hot on their trail are evil henchmen named Maxwell, British secret agents and Swedish spies as well as billionaire businessman, Sir Atticus Moon who wants back his precious device code named: "The Beetle," an anti-gravitational device with enormous power. Once they learn they're carrying this precious cargo, the guys get pulled into a madcap mission throughout London, which threatens the onset of their world tour. With the help of teen spy Penny Lane, the guys set out to save Penny's father M16 Agent Simon Lane and stop Sir Atticus Moon's plot to use "The Beetle" to gain world domination.

Elevate, Big Time Rush's second album released by Columbia Records/Nickelodeon on Nov. 21, is the highly anticipated follow-up to the group's blockbuster debut, 2010's gold-certified BTR, which has scanned over 700,000 albums. To date, Big Time Rush has sold over 3 million combined digital tracks. The album takes the group's distinctive sound to new heights and includes songs produced by top music hit makers Ryan Tedder, Tricky & The Dream, JR Rotem, and Toby Gad, among others. Elevate features tracks including "Music Sounds Better With U (featuring Mann)," "Show Me," and "All Over Again," plus brand-new music that will debut on upcoming episodes of Big Time Rush.

Now in its second season, Big Time Rush – which follows four best friends from Minnesota who trade in their hockey sticks for music superstardom in Los Angeles – averages 3.6 million total viewers (+2%, over season one).

An international hit, Big Time Rush ranks within the top 5 shows on Nickelodeon among key demos in key markets, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Poland, Mexico and Holland. Last year, Big Time Rush embarked on a cross-country 30-city summer tour, selling out venues across the U.S. and opened up for Justin Bieber in Mexico for two sold-out stadium shows.

Big Time Rush was created and is executive produced by Scott Fellows. The creative mind behind Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified Survival Guide [Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide], Fellows also executive produced the hit live-action series. A prolific writer, producer and creator, Fellows has written for and produced live-action and animated series including Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents, Doug, 101 Dalmatians and Kablam. He served as show runner for Nickelodeon's live-action comedy series 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd and has written many of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards as well as the Teen Choice Awards, the Billboard Awards and the Country Music Awards. In addition, he is the creator and executive producer for Cartoon Network's animated sci-fi comedy Johnny Test.

Big Time Movie is executive produced and written by Scott Fellows (Big Time Rush) and executive produced by Lauren Levine (Bridge to Terabithia, Best Player). Directed by Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead), Scott McAboy's Pacific Bay Entertainment is producing.

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

For downloadable photos and additional information visit: www.nickpress.com.

Nickelodeon USA To Premiere The New Live-Action Comedy Series "How to Rock" On Feb. 4th 2012 At 8:30 PM (ET/PT)

2012-01-15T23:03:00.002Z

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance:

Nickelodeon Premieres New Live-Action Comedy Series "How to Rock," Starring Multi-Talented Music Artist Cymphonique Miller, on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 8:30 P.M. (ET/PT)

First-Ever Nick Series to Debut on iTunes and Nick.com Prior to Network Premiere

Nickelodeon Press Release: Nickelodeon – Sat, Jan 14, 2012 1:30 PM EST

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 14, 2012 /Nickelodeon Press Release Via PRNewswire/ -- The battle of the bands is on as Nickelodeon premieres its brand-new live-action comedy series, How to Rock (http://www.nick.com/shows/how-to-rock) on Saturday, Feb. 4 with back-to-back episodes airing at 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The series, featuring original music performed by Cymphonique Miller (http://www.nick.com/celebrity/cymphonique-miller.html), centers on Kacey Simon, a talented teenager who takes her rhythmic pop band to new heights as their lead singer, while navigating the shark-infested social waters of high school. The network will also, for the first time ever, debut the series on iTunes and on Nick.com in January prior to its television premiere. The series theme song, "Only You Can Be You," performed by Miller, is currently available on iTunes. How to Rock, produced by Nickelodeon in association with Alloy Entertainment, will air regularly on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) following all-new episodes of Victorious at 8:00 p.m (ET/PT).

Cymphonique Miller stars as Kacey Simon in Nickelodeon's new live-action series How to Rock premiering Saturday, February 4 at 8:30PM (ET/PT). (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120114/NY35966)
"How to Rock shows our audience that everyone holds an inner-coolness, regardless of appearance or social circle," said Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon's President, Development and Original Programming. "Although Kacey is forced to fall out of the 'in-crowd,' she rocks her true self and soon proves that being 'perfect' is no longer cool."

How to Rock follows the journey of Kacey Simon (Miller), a once perfect "mean girl" who falls out of favor with the "in-crowd" after she has to get glasses and braces, but discovers that hanging with a new group of friends may not be as bad as it first seemed. In the premiere episode, entitled "How to Rock Braces and Glasses," after her fall from grace from "The Perfs," Kacey forges unlikely friendships with the members of the band Gravity 5 featuring Stevie Baskara (Lulu Antariksa), Zander Robbins (Max Schneider), Kevin Reed (Christopher O'Neal) and Nelson Baxter (Noah Crawford). As lead singer, Kacey takes Gravity 5's musical success to new heights while igniting a musical rivalry with The Perfs featuring her former best friends and fellow performers, Molly Garfunkel (Samantha Boscarino) and Grace King (Halston Sage). The season will follow Kacey as she navigates through high school social circles, real and fake friendships and learning how to rock her "real" self.

Leading up to the premiere, the Cymphonique: Ready to Rock! collection of promotional web videos — which originally debuted in December — will continue to roll out on Nick.com (http://www.nick.com/shows/how-to-rock), Nick's mobile websites, Nick's Facebook page and iTunes. Cymphonique: Ready to Rock!, which is presented in documentary style, introduces Cymphonique to viewers who get a peek into her everyday life as she amps up for the launch of How to Rock. Additionally, kids will have the opportunity to get to know all the characters on the show and see previews of the How to Rock music video.

Based on a pilot script by Jim O'Doherty (Grounded for Life, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Tracy Morgan Show) and the proposal for the Alloy Entertainment book How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston, How to Rock will be helmed by executive producer David M. Israel (Grounded for Life, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Tracy Morgan Show), who is also a contributing writer on the project. Leslie Morgenstein (Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries) and Gina Girolamo (The Lying Game, The Secret Circle) will also executive produce under the Alloy Entertainment production banner.

A singer/writer/actress and daughter of hip-hop mogul/entrepreneur and philanthropist Percy Miller (also known as Master P.), Cymphonique has performed with various artists including her brother Romeo, JoJo, Wonder Girls, Raven-Simone, Ashley Tisdale and the College Boyys. She has guest starred in Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush, True Jackson, VP, The Troop and Just Jordan. She provides the voices of Nova and Krystal on the animation series, Winx Club, and sings the show's theme song. In film, Miller landed the leading role as Molly in the 2007 short film Scarecrow Joe and appeared in the feature film Opposite Day. Adding to her resume, Miller has also appeared in numerous national commercials and public service announcements.

Alloy Entertainment (AE) develops and produces original books, television shows, web series and feature films. Alloy's television division is currently in production on the CW series Gossip Girl, in is fifth season, and the third season of The Vampire Diaries, the network's highest rated program. Additionally, Pretty Little Liars, which performs to network-high ratings for ABC Family, is currently in its second season on ABC Family. In Fall 2011, Alloy launched two new series The Lying Game, for ABC Family, and The Secret Circle on the CW, both of which were picked-up for a full season. Adding Nickelodeon's How to Rock to its slate, AE will have an impressive six series on air. Alloy recently completed production on the Disney Channel original movie Frenemies, based on their book of the same name, which premieres in January 2012.

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

For downloadable photos and additional information visit: www.nickpress.com.

Nickelodeon Greenlights Two Comedy Projects Starring Internet Sensation Lucas Cruikshank AKA Fred

2012-01-15T22:36:00.002Z

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance:

Nickelodeon Greenlights Two Comedy Projects Starring Internet Sensation Lucas Cruikshank AKA Fred

FRED: THE SHOW, a Live-Action, Short-Form Comedy Series Based on the Popular Fred Figglehorn Character and Marvin, Marvin, a Comedy Pilot About an Intergalactic Teenager

Nickelodeon Press Release: Nickelodeon – Sat, Jan 14, 2012 1:30 PM EST

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 14, 2012 /Nickelodeon Press Release Via PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon has licensed 21 episodes of FRED: THE SHOW, a new live-action, short-form comedy series created by and starring internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank ("Fred Figglehorn") and ordered a new pilot Marvin, Marvin as a starring vehicle for Cruikshank, it was announced today by Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon announces pick-up of new live-action, short-form series, FRED: THE SHOW, starring internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank (right). The 11-minute series is slated to premiere in 2012 on Nickelodeon. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120114/NY35975)
Based on one of the most popular internet characters of all time, the single-camera, 11-minute FRED: THE SHOW episodes build on the network's hugely successful Fred television movies, Fred: The Movie and Fred: Night of the Living Fred. Set to premiere in early 2012, Fred: The Show follows the character on his latest hilarious adventures at home and in school. Production on the series has begun in Los Angeles.

A multi-camera, half-hour comedy, the Marvin, Marvin pilot stars Cruikshank as a quirky, intergalactic new kid in school who clumsily tries to adapt to his new life as a human teenager.

"Lucas is an immensely talented actor and comedian whose unique brand of humor is a proven winner with our audience," said Cohn. "The 11-minute format of FRED: THE SHOW will be a great showcase for more of his signature adventures."

The projects come on the heels of the success of Cruikshank's most recent original television movie for Nickelodeon, Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred, which debuted on Oct. 22 and delivered 5.7 million total viewers for its primetime premiere, ranking as that week's number-one telecast with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11. Cruikshank made his TV debut in the mega-hit series iCarly in 2009, with his episode, "iMeet Fred" drawing 5.1 million total viewers. He later brought Fred to life in the 2010 smash hit Fred: The Movie which delivered 8.7 million total viewers, landing the two-hour premiere in the top spot as the number-one TV cable movie with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11. The Nickelodeon TV movie also ranked as the year's number-two entertainment telecast with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11 on all TV. In 2010, Cruikshank was named one of "10 Comics to Watch" by Daily Variety and was listed among the 50 Top Digital Power Players by The Hollywood Reporter.

FRED: THE SHOW is created and executive produced by Cruikshank. Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett of Varsity Pictures and Gary Binkow and Evan Weiss of The Collective also serve as executive producers.

Marvin, Marvin is created by Jon Ross (10 Things I Hate About You) and is being executive produced by show-runner Jeff Bushell (Beverly Hills Chihuahua). Evan Weiss and Gary Binkow are also executive producing through their company, The Collective.

FRED: THE SHOW producer Brian Robbins, founder and president of Varsity Pictures, is one of entertainment's most prolific producers. In features, Robbins has directed and/or produced films such as Disney's Wild Hogs, Dreamworks' Norbit, Paramount's Coach Carter, Disney's The Shaggy Dog, Sony's Radio, Paramount's Varsity Blues, and the upcoming Dreamworks movie, A Thousand Words, starring Eddie Murphy, which Robbins directed and produced. Robbins is also responsible for numerous popular and critical television hits, including the long-running CW series Smallville and One Tree Hill, Disney Channel's series Sonny With A Chance and Spike TV's new original scripted comedy, Blue Mountain State. Robbins was also the producing force behind series such as Nickelodeon's All That, WB's [and Nickelodeon UK's] What I Like About You and HBO's Arli$$.

The Collective is a leading entertainment management, production and distribution company. The Collective's mission is to unlock the value of the direct relationship between artists and their fans by identifying, developing building and maximizing opportunities for creative talent across a multitude of media platforms. Clients include Linkin Park, Counting Crows, Enrique Iglesias, Slash, Alanis Morissette, Godsmack, Martin Lawrence, Emile Hirsch, Eliza Dushku, Eddie Izzard, Lucas Cruikshank and Dane Boedigheimer, creator of Internet sensation "The Annoying Orange." Based in Beverly Hills, The Collective employs a staff of more than seventy employees.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

Nickelodeon UK To Show The New Episode Of "Supah Ninjas" Called "Dollhouse" On 16th January 2012

2012-01-15T19:12:00.001Z

According to Nickelodeon UK's new "In A Brand New Episode Of "Supah Ninjas",..." promo/trailer (below), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be showing the brand new episode of the popular new Nickelodeon show "Supah Ninjas" called "Dollhouse" on Monday 16th January 2012 at 5.00pm (repeated at 6.00pm on Nick Replay UK):

In the brand new episode of the Nickelodeon action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas" titled "Dollhouse", Supah Ninja Amanda McKay is captured by a villain named "Dollhouse" (played by Tyler Poelle) who turns people into his personal dolls. While Amanda's co-Supah Ninjas, Mike Fukunaga and Reynolds Owen, are trying to rescue her, Owen gets turned into a personal doll. It is revealed that Dollhouse is the son of the maker of Speelmachers, a famous toy company, and that he captures others because it is said he had no playmates when he was a kid.

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD showing the brand new "Dollhouse" episode of "Supah Ninjas", below is a high quality (HQ) streaming video featuring a sneak peek video clip from the brand new episode of "Supah Ninjas" titled "Dollhouse":

Supah Ninjas ~~"Morningstar Academy"~~ from Jessica Wilson on Vimeo.

Nickelodeon UK To Go Behind The Scenes Of "Supah Ninjas" In "Nick Extra"

2012-01-14T18:06:00.005Z

According to the official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK websites "What's On" schedule section, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing a brand new episode of Nickelodeon's "Nick Extra" (also sometimes known as "Nicksclusive") which will be taking Nickelodeon viewers behind the scenes of Nickelodeon's action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas" on Saturday 14th January 2012 at 8:35pm (repeated at 9.35pm on Nick Replay UK), and again on Sunday 15th January 2012 at 2.35pm (repeated at 3.35pm on Nick Replay UK), both straight after Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD shows the Nickelodeon television movie "The Best Player":

8:35pm Nick Extra Get the inside track as we go behind-the-scenes at Nick's all-action crime-fighting show, Supah Ninjas!

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will also be showing two episodes of the classic Nickelodeon show "Kenan & Kel" back-to-back from 9.00pm (repeated from 10.00pm on Nick Replay UK) on Saturday 14th January 2012 and Sunday 15th January 2012.

Nickelodeon's "Nick Extra"/"Nicksclusive" is a series of Nickelodeon shorts (Nickelodeon interstitials) which goes behind the scenes of popular Nickelodeon shows and Nickelodeon Movies.

The Official Nickelodeon UK Website Unveils Their Brand New Official "Winx Club" Website

2012-01-13T19:37:00.005Z

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK premiering and showing episodes from season 3 (series 3) of the animated series "Winx Club" from Monday 16th January 2012, the official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland website, Nick.co.uk, has unveiled their brand new official "Winx Club" website to accompany the "Winx Club" series on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD which you can view here on the official Nickelodeon UK website (Nick.co.uk/Winx) and Nick.co.uk/shows/winx).

Nickelodeon UK's brand new official "Winx Club" website features descriptions (bios) of the cast of "Winx Club", two online "Winx Club" games ('Dress Me Up', where you can create your very own "Winx Club" member, and 'World of Winx', where you have to help the "Winx Club" girls get Stella's ring back after The Trix have lured the Winx to Cloud Tower), and a picture gallery featuring exclusive photographs from "Winx Club".

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

Hey When is the Winx Club Page going t be up on http://Nick.co.uk?
@NickelodeonUK - Here it is! http://www.nick.co.uk/shows/winx/

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK's Digital Director, Roy Edmonds, on his official Twitter profile page (@RoyEdmonds):

Love #Winx? Then check out Nickelodeon's brand new Winx website and game - http://www.nick.co.uk/shows/winx/.

Nickelodeon Animation Studios Promotes Executive Rick Magallanes

2012-01-13T18:38:00.002Z

From C21Media:

Nick ups Magallanes

NEWS BRIEF: US-based Nickelodeon Animation executive Rick Magallanes has been promoted to a new role.

As senior VP of current series, Magallanes will manage Nickelodeon animation series Executives in Charge and oversee production of current animated series including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and The Penguins of Madagascar. He was formerly VP of current series, having been with Nickelodeon for 15 years.

C21 reporter
13-01-2012
C21Media

Also, from Kidscreen:

Nickelodeon names animation SVP

Fifteen-year Nickelodeon veteran Rich Magallanes has been promoted to SVP [Senior Vice President] of Nickelodeon Animation, current series.

Magallanes will now oversee production of current Nick series’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and The Penguins of Madagascar, as well as manage Nick's animation series' executives in charge.

Reporting to Nickelodeon’s president of animation Brown Johnson, Magallanes started his career at Nick in 1997 as a freelance story consultant (Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys and Angry Beavers), and eventually earned positions including executive director of animated and live-action series, and most recently VP of animated current series.

Nickelodeon UK To Premier Brand New "SpongeBob SquarePants" Special "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off" Soon

2012-01-13T18:20:00.008Z

UPDATE - According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUKPR), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere and show the brand new special episode of the hit animated Nickelodeon show ("NickToon") "SpongeBob SquarePants" called "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off" on Friday 3rd February 2012 (transmission (TX) time to be confirmed by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland):

Brand new eps of iCarly, VicTORious and a brand new ep of SpongeBob on 3rd Feb!

According to Nickelodeon UK's new ""SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off", Coming Soon To Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new special episode of the hit animated Nickelodeon show ("NickToon") "SpongeBob SquarePants" called "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off" soon, possibly as part of "February 2012 on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD.

In the brand new "SpongeBob SquarePants" episode titled "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off", SpongeBob SquarePants and the whole of Bikini Bottom participate through a race in a winter wonderland for $1,000,000. Meanwhile, Plankton sneaks inside the Krusty Krab to steal the Krabby Patty formula.

Below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Brand New SpongeBob SquarePants special "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off", Coming Soon To Nickelodeon!" teaser promo/trailer:

Coming soon...

[SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks and Mr. Krabs scream at seeing a monster]

...everyone in Bikini Bottom is going Head To Head...

[Sheldon J. Plankton (to Mr. Krabs): You don't stand a chance!]

...and Sled To Sled.

[Patrick Star: Good thing I brought out the heavy artillery.]

SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off, coming soon to Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD.

Nickelodeon UK To Premier Brand New "iCarly" Episode "iLost My Mind" In February 2012

2012-01-13T17:52:00.008Z

According to Nickelodeon UK's new "Brand New "iCarly" "iLost My Mind", Coming Soon, Only On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new episode of the hit Nickelodeon live action show "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK) as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month" programming stunt which Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will be holding throughout February 2012.

The brand new "iCarly" episode titled "iLost My Mind" is the first episode from season four of "iCarly" and is a continuation of the "iCarly" episode "iOMG" which Nickelodeon UK premiered on Friday 18th November 2011.

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have confirmed in a Twitter Tweet (post) on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nick UK and Ireland and Nick UK HD will be premiering the brand new episode of "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" in February 2012 (UPDATE - Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD will premiere the brand new episode of "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK)) ~~(Nickelodeon's Transmission (TX) date and time for the brand new "iCarly" episode "iLost My Mind" to be confirmed)~~:

GUESS WHAT I SAW THE END OF!!! It made me lose my mind! The promo for iLost My Mind!
@NickelodeonUK - Thats right.coming in Feb! Ahh!

Below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Brand New "iCarly" "iLost My Mind", Coming Soon, Only On Nickelodeon!" teaser promo/trailer:

In a brand new iCarly, Freddie is going to lay it all on the line for Sam.

[Gibby (Noah Munck): YES!]

But the big question is: what happens next?

[Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy): Just do it. I don't care! [...]]

Brand new iCarly 'iLost My Mind', coming soon, only on Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD.

The Official Nickelodeon UK Website Unveils Music Video For Victoria Justice's "Best Friend's Brother" Single

2012-01-12T20:04:00.001Z

The official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland website has added a brand new streaming video featuring the brand new music video for Victoria Justice's brand new music single 'Best Friend's Brother' to Nickelodeon UK's official "Victorious" website which you can view here on Nick.co.uk.

The song "Best Friend's Brother" is from the Nickelodeon Records "Victorious" soundtrack album called "Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show" which will be released in the UK on Monday 13th February 2012.

Also, posted by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

Yeahhhh yeahhhhhh yeahhhhh! HOT off the press, check out @VictoriaJustice amazing new music vid "Best Friend's Brother" http://www.nick.co.uk/shows/victorious/clips.aspx.

iCarly's Miranda Cosgrove Reveals That The USA's First Lady, Michelle Obama, "Has Great Comic Timing"

2012-01-12T18:43:00.008Z

From Digital Spy:

'iCarly' Miranda Cosgrove: 'Michelle Obama has great comic timing'

iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove has said First Lady Michelle Obama had "great comic timing" during her guest appearance on the Nickelodeon show.

Obama will appear in an episode of the sitcom called 'iMeet The First Lady' in which she meets Carly and her friends when they attempt to set up a birthday video chat between Carly and her military father, who is serving overseas.

© WENN / Carrie Devorah & © Nickelodeon
When asked for her thoughts on Obama's acting skills during an appearance on Today, Cosgrove said: "She's really good. She's really funny in real life so I think that's why she has good comic timing."

As for what the set was like during Obama's appearance, she said: "It's pretty crazy because there are Secret Service everywhere. They came about two weeks before and there was so much preparation.

"She was just really nice. She came to the set and was so easy to talk to. She loved fashion and dancing, so we got to dance in the episode."

Watch Miranda Cosgrove talking about the First Lady below:

"‘iCarly’ star: First lady a ‘really good’ actress"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama's appearance will highlight her work with the Joined Forces Initiative, which aims to bring attention to military families and provide support for partners and children of those serving, and military veterans.

Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami previously revealed that the episode had been written specifically for the First Lady by the show's creator and executive producer Dan Schneider.

Obama's episode of iCarly will air [on Nickelodeon USA] on January 16 [2012].

iCarly has been renewed for a fifth season.

"Michelle Obama dances on [the set of] iCarly":

"The United States' First Lady, Michelle Obama, stars in a special episode of the Nickelodeon show, iCarly."

Nickelodeon UK To Premier The Nickelodeon 2012 Kids' Choice Awards On 1st April 2012

2012-01-12T17:45:00.007Z

According to this Nickelodeon UK News article from ATV Today, Nickelodeon UK will premiere Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards ceremony, the Nickelodeon 2012 Kids' Choice Awards, which will be presented by actor, singer and producer Will Smith, on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, Nickelodeon HD UK and Nick Replay UK on Sunday 1st April 2012 (transmission (TX) time to be announced by Nick UK), the very next day after Nickelodeon holds the the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2012 on Saturday 31st March 2012 at the Galen Center at USC [University of Southern California] in Los Angeles, California, USA:

Will Smith to host Children’s Award Show

The actor, singer and producer is to front Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards 2012. The event will take place at the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles, California.
“Will Smith is one of the world’s biggest stars and is instantly recognisable with kids and parents alike around the globe” said Tina McCann, Managing Director for Nickelodeon UK. “A mega blimp winner, Will is sure to be the life and soul of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2012 party. ”
Two-time Academy-Award® nominee Smith recently finished filming Columbia Pictures’ Men in Black III, which will be released this spring in the UK. Up next, he will begin filming and producing One Thousand A.E. co-starring Jaden Smith.
“The Kids’ Choice Awards is always the year’s liveliest, slimiest and most outrageous party for kids and teens,” said Will Smith. “I’m honoured they wanted me to host this year so I can have a front row seat to take part in the fun.”
Smith’s list of blockbusters includes the most recent I Am Legend and Hancock. He entertained a youth audience across the early 1990s with sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bell Air.

The premiere of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2011, hosted by actor and comedian Jack Black, was the highest rated Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards ever. The 2011 UK premiere received an 8.2% share, up +325% on the slot average, making Nickelodeon the #1 kids’ channel during the time slot. The performance was up +32% on the previous year, with nearly half a million viewers tuning into the show during its premiere slot.

The 2012 awards will air on Sunday April 1st. Nickelodeon is available on Sky 604, Virgin 712, through BT Vision and TalkTalk.

Below is a streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Will Smith To Host The Nickelodeon 2012 Kids' Choice Awards, April 1st, On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer:

[Female voiceover artist]

Initiating Kids' Choice 2012 Host Reveal...

He will bring the stars.

He will bring the slime.

Because this year, for the first time ever, the host of the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards is...

Will!

[Will Smith to Kids' Choice Awards audience: Let me hear you say "Hey Will!" Kids' Choice Audience reply: Hey Will!]

[Peter Dickson, also known as "Voiceover Man", takes over as the voice over artist of Nick UK's "KCA 2012 Host Reveal" promo]

The biggest star in Hollywood is hosting the biggest award show on earth!

Will Smith hosts the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards, Sunday April 1st on Nickelodeon!

[Original female voice over artist from the beginning of Nickelodeon UK's "KCA2012 Host Reveal" promo takes over as the promos voice over artist again]

Transmission Complete!

Also, posted by Nickelodeon UK staff member Adam J Parker (who is also a resident of Nickelodeon Towers in London) on his official Twitter page (@adamjohnparker):

@AJSawyer [Alex Sawyer/Alfred "Alfie" Lewis in Nickelodeon's House Of Anubis]: [...] How's Nick stuff [Nickelodeon stuff]?
@adamjohnparker - [...] Nick is very busy. I'm cutting some HoA stuff for the US...

@adamjohnparker - I'm up to episode 50 [of House Of Anubis], and it's getting pretty hardcore in the land of Sibuna... Apart from that we're gearing up for KCA's etc
@AJSawyer - Ah wow, early prep [preparation]! When do the nominations [Kids Choice Awards 2012 Nominations] come out?

Nickelodeon UK Still To Set A Premiere Date For The New Nickelodeon Show "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures"

2012-01-11T19:18:00.002Z

According to Nickelodeon UK on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK), Nickelodeon UK is still planning to premiere the brand new Nickelodeon live-action sitcom "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" in 2012 on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, Nickelodeon HD UK and Nick Replay UK, however, Nickelodeon UK have still got to set a launch date in the Nickelodeon UK schedules for the brand new Nickelodeon show:

Wish they'd let us know more about Bucket and Skinners!
@NickelodeonUK - The wonderful B & S!! On schedule to start this year. No set date yet but you'll b first to know

The "Nickelodeon 2012 Kids' Choice Awards" To Be The Most Global "Kids' Choice Awards" Ever

2012-01-11T18:18:00.002Z

According to Nickelodeon's "Will Smith Tapped To Host Nickelodeon's Milestone 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards" "Kids' Choice Awards 2012" press release, which Nickelodeon released on Tuesday 10th January 2012, "Nickelodeon's 2012 Kids' Choice Awards" will be the most global version of the "Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards" yet and will feature localised international voting like "Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards":

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards is more global than ever in 2012, seen in over 300 million households around the world. Within hours of airing live in the United States and Canada, the show will roll out in additional international markets, providing kids around the world the opportunity to tune into their local Nickelodeon channel to enjoy the show faster than ever. In many international markets, the 2012 KCAs will feature country-specific award categories and nominees, such as Nickelodeon Italia’s Favorite Star and Nickelodeon UK’s Favorite Show. Voting for the 2012 KCAs will span over six continents across 15 localized voting sites, giving kids practically everywhere the chance to decide who takes home a coveted blimp.

As part of the "2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards", Nickelodeon UK and Ireland viewers got the chance to vote in two UK exclusive "Kids' Choice Awards 2011" award category's, "Nick UK's Funniest Person", which was won by Nickelodeon Star Jerry Trainor, and "Nick UK's Favourite Show", which was won by the Nickelodeon series "House Of Anubis", on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's official "2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards" website at KCA.Nick.co.uk.

Nickelodeon Announces Will Smith As The Host Of The "2012 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards"

2012-01-11T17:51:00.006Z

From Nickelodeon's official "2012 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards Press Kit" Website:

WILL SMITH TAPPED TO HOST NICKELODEON’S MILESTONE 25TH ANNUAL KIDS’ CHOICE AWARDS LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY, MARCH 31, AT 8PM ET

1.10.12

Smith to Helm Silver Anniversary of Star-Studded, Slime-Dousing Telecast Honoring Kids’ Favorites in the Worlds of Film, Music, Sports and Television

Santa Monica, CA – Jan. 11, 2012 – World-renowned actor, producer and recording artist Will Smith (I Am Legend, The Pursuit of Happyness and the upcoming Men in Black III) will host Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, airing live on Saturday, March 31, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/tape delayed for West Coast) from the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles, California. Smith, a ten-time Blimp Award winner, will be joined by Hollywood’s biggest stars in an unforgettable, special anniversary slimefest where kids rule.

“How better to celebrate 25 years of Kids’ Choice Awards than with the biggest movie star in the world?” said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon Group and an Executive Producer of the show. “Will has enough KCA blimps at home to fill a room, having long been one of kids’ favorites. He’s a larger than life presence who knows how to play big and we’re excited he’ll be taking the stage for the biggest, loudest, messiest spectacle in the show’s 25-year history.”

"The Kids’ Choice Awards are always the year's liveliest, slimiest and most outrageous party for kids and teens," said Will Smith, "I'm honored they wanted me to host this year so I can have a front row seat to take part in the fun."

Two-time Academy-Award® nominee Smith recently finished filming Columbia Pictures’ Men in Black III, which will release on May 25, 2012. Up next, he will begin filming and producing One Thousand A.E. co-starring Jaden Smith.

Smith’s extraordinary list of blockbusters includes the most recent I Am Legend and Hancock. He also thrilled audiences in such huge hits as I, Robot, Independence Day, Men in Black and Men in Black II. Smith, along with partner James Lassiter of Overbrook Entertainment, also produced Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, Karate Kid, The Secret Life of Bees, Seven Pounds, Lakeview Terrace and The Human Contract, which marked the feature directorial debut of Overbrook Entertainment Partner, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Last year, Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards, hosted by actor/comedian Jack Black, ranked as basic cable’s top telecast for the week (March 28, 2011–April 3, 2011) with 7.3 million total viewers. The show also ranked as the week’s top telecast with kids and tweens on all TV, averaging a 9.8/3.5 million K2-11, 12.7/2.7 million K6-11 and 11.7/2.5 million T9-14. The star-studded telecast scored the most votes in the show’s history—a record 200 million (+70%, over 2010) votes were cast across Nick.com, Nick’s mobile site, a brand-new iPhone application and for the first time ever, an iPad-optimized site, TeenNick.com and Nick's Facebook page. Nick.com celebrated its highest trafficked day ever on April 2, earning 42 million page views (+9%) and reaching over 2.2 million visitors across its website, mobile and tablet sites (+14%). Additionally, the audience for the live simulcast of Countdown to Kids’ Choice across these digital platforms posted double-digit increases (+39%) over the previous year.

Once again, kids will pick the winners and get tons of Kids’ Choice Awards content online and across multiple devices. http://www.nick.com/KCA12 will serve as the official site for the Kids’ Choice Awards with nominee information, voting, videos, celebrity photos, news, and Orange Carpet and backstage webcasts. Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards is more global than ever in 2012, seen in over 300 million households around the world. Within hours of airing live in the United States and Canada, the show will roll out in additional international markets, providing kids around the world the opportunity to tune into their local Nickelodeon channel to enjoy the show faster than ever. In many international markets, the 2012 KCAs will feature country-specific award categories and nominees, such as Nickelodeon Italia's Favorite Star and Nickelodeon UK's Favorite Show. Voting for the 2012 KCAs will span over six continents across 15 localized voting sites, giving kids practically everywhere the chance to decide who takes home a coveted blimp.

Nickelodeon’s 25th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards is being produced by Nickelodeon Productions in association with Bob Bain Productions. Bob Bain, Marjorie Cohn and Paula Kaplan are Executive Producers. Media outlets can reference the most up-to-date information on Nickelodeon’s 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards by logging onto www.NickKCApress.com.

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

Also, from ATV Today:

Will Smith to host Children’s Award Show

The actor, singer and producer is to front Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards 2012. The event will take place at the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles, California.
“Will Smith is one of the world’s biggest stars and is instantly recognisable with kids and parents alike around the globe” said Tina McCann, Managing Director for Nickelodeon UK. “A mega blimp winner, Will is sure to be the life and soul of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2012 party. ”
Two-time Academy-Award® nominee Smith recently finished filming Columbia Pictures’ Men in Black III, which will be released this spring in the UK. Up next, he will begin filming and producing One Thousand A.E. co-starring Jaden Smith.
“The Kids’ Choice Awards is always the year’s liveliest, slimiest and most outrageous party for kids and teens,” said Will Smith. “I’m honoured they wanted me to host this year so I can have a front row seat to take part in the fun.”
Smith’s list of blockbusters includes the most recent I Am Legend and Hancock. He entertained a youth audience across the early 1990s with sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bellair.

The premiere of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2011, hosted by actor and comedian Jack Black, was the highest rated Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards ever. The 2011 UK premiere received an 8.2% share, up +325% on the slot average, making Nickelodeon the #1 kids’ channel during the time slot. The performance was up +32% on the previous year, with nearly half a million viewers tuning into the show during its premiere slot.

The 2012 awards will air on Sunday April 1st. Nickelodeon is available on Sky 604, Virgin 712, through BT Vision and TalkTalk.

Also, from the official MTV UK website, MTV.co.uk:

Will Smith To Host Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards

The Men In Black star will front the 25th KCAs on 31st March...

Will Smith has been announced as the host of the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

The Men In Black star, who has taken home ten KCA blimps over the years, claims he is "honoured" to be fronting the star-studded 25th KCAs on 31st March.

In a statement, the Switch hitmaker said: "The Kids' Choice Awards are always the year's liveliest, slimiest and most outrageous party for kids and teens. I'm honoured they wanted me to host this year so I can have a front row seat to take part in the fun."

President of Original Programming and Development Marjorie Cohn said of Smith's involvement: "How better to celebrate 25 years of Kids' Choice Awards than with the biggest movie star in the world?

"Will has enough KCA blimps at home to fill a room, having long been one of kids' favourites. He's a larger than life presence who knows how to play big and we're excited he'll be taking the stage for the biggest, loudest, messiest spectacle in the show's 25-year history."

Watch MTV News on the hour every hour on MTV - Sky Channel 126 and Virgin Channel 311

Also, from Digital Spy:

Will Smith to host Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2012

Will Smith has been named as the host of this year's Kids' Choice Awards.

The Men in Black III star will headline Nickelodeon's 25th KCAs ceremony on March 31 at 8pm ET.

"The Kids' Choice Awards are always the year's liveliest, slimiest and most outrageous party for kids and teens," he said. "I'm honoured they wanted me to host this year so I can have a front row seat to take part in the fun."

Will has earned ten awards at the annual show over the past few years.

"How better to celebrate 25 years of Kids' Choice Awards than with the biggest movie star in the world?" said President of Original Programming and Development Marjorie Cohn. "Will has enough KCA blimps at home to fill a room, having long been one of kids' favourites.

"He's a larger than life presence who knows how to play big and we're excited he'll be taking the stage for the biggest, loudest, messiest spectacle in the show's 25-year history."

The actor recently reunited with his former Fresh Prince of Bel Air castmates at a charity luncheon.

He is married to Jada Pinkett Smith, and is the father of Karate Kid actor Jaden Smith and 'Whip My Hair' singer Willow Smith.

Will Smith can next be seen in the third instalment of the Men in Black franchise, which opens in cinemas on May 25.

Viacom International Talks About Their Asian Plans

2012-01-10T17:38:00.000Z

From C21Media:

Asia specific

The Asian pay-TV market is fast coming of age, and local adaptations of unscripted formats look set to play a key role. Andrew McDonald reports.

Improvements in technology and infrastructure and a growing middle class have seen the pay-TV market rise rapidly across Asia in recent years. In October, regional pay-TV body Casbaa said multi-channel TV distribution had grown 12% in the past year, and that there are now more than 420 million non-terrestrial TV connections in the Asia-Pacific region. This is more than in the rest of the world combined, according to researcher SNL Kagan.

This boom has produced growth in channel numbers and new opportunities for content owners – both locally and further afield. But with a glut of Western channels already filling Asian EPGs, how important is local content in attracting subscribers in the region? And what role will international formats play in feeding that demand for local content?

The rise of pay-TV platforms across Asia has both changed viewing habits and arguably increased viewers’ expectations. The largest pay-TV market in the world is now China, and Sony Pictures Television’s (SPT) general manager of Asian networks Ricky Ow estimates that across the entire region, pay-TV penetration has reached 50%.

Furthermore, Hong Kong-based industry analyst Media Partners Asia expects pay-TV penetration in Asia-Pacific to grow to 57% of TV homes (486 million subscribers) by 2015 and to 62% of TV homes (570 million) by 2020.

“The consumer has gone from the stage of questioning why they should pay for pay-TV to seeing it as part of their daily diet and the subscription as part of their household expenses. Asian consumers have become more affluent over the years,” says Ow, noting that in high-penetration markets like China, Korea and India, uptake is more than 75%.

ABI Research’s senior analyst Sam Rosen adds that the growth of the middle classes and their ability to afford content is the most prevalent feature of the growing market. “In China, the cable subscriptions are US$3 to US$5 a month. In India, they’re starting to get a little bit higher but are still below US$10. You have more and more consumers who are able to afford that.”

This has opened up a market where there is a thirst for content like never before. James Ross is CEO and co-founder of Lightning International, a Hong Kong firm set up to help non-Asian broadcasters break into the region. He earned his stripes at Bloomberg, where he launched its Asia-Pacific channel in 1996, and later moved to UK broadcaster ITV, where he helped launch formats into China, Korea and India.

“The infrastructure here, in terms of cable, IPTV, DTH satellite and so on, has been way behind Europe or the US but now is really getting up to speed,” he says. “Consumers are really demanding the choice of channels and programming that Europe has become used to over the past 10 or 15 years.”

This has already led to the emergence of aspirational lifestyle channel brands, particularly female-skewing networks, with local home-grown channels like Malaysia-based lifestyle net Li TV competing in the same space as Western rivals such as AMC Networks-backed WE TV and Scripps’ Food Network Asia.

Li TV’s general manager Anne Chan says her network aims for a “cosmopolitan audience” that understands both Eastern and Western content. The high-definition net’s English-language programming is mixed with a handful of original productions – such as cooking show The Maverick Chef – and Chan claims to have “many creative concepts in the pipeline.”

Since launching in 2009, Li TV has been set up in five territories, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and has more channel launches planned for markets including China, Vietnam, Korea and the Philippines. But while Li TV illustrates the rising ambitions of Asia’s pay-TV players, the type of pan-regional content that it airs will arguably always struggle to compete with mainstream local-language entertainment.

AMC/Sundance Channel Global’s senior VP and general manager Harold Gronenthal admits that although his firm’s female-focused 24/7 lifestyle network WE TV is “very exportable,” it operates in a particular Asian “niche.”

Airing in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, WE TV carries the same English-language shows that are popular on its US counterpart. These include wedding programmes Bridezillas and Platinum Weddings and reality series Braxton Family Values, which made its Asian debut in November. “You have to be realistic and accept that Asia’s no different to any other part of the world. Home-grown content – films, entertainment shows or whatever – will undoubtedly always dominate,” says Gronenthal.

IHS Screen Digest analysis shows that in the Indian market, local-language channels such as Star TV’s Hindi stations fare better than their international equivalents. At the end of 2010, entertainment channel Star One reached some 22.3 million households, compared with BBC Entertainment’s 3.4 million reach and FX’s 3.6 million.

“An interesting indicator to how TV channels are perceived locally is that the international channels are largely found within the higher tier packages, while the local channels will be in the base packages,” says senior IHS analyst Richard Broughton. “This is normally a good sign of how important the channel is – the more exclusive the package, the less essential the channel. If you consider UK packaging from the likes of Virgin, you’ll get all the essential channels in the basic package and all the ‘nice-to-have’ but non-essential channels in the additional packages.”

However, with News Corp in charge of Star and the Star World channel a core part of its Asian content strategy across territories such as Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, the line between ‘local’ and ‘Western’ companies is increasingly blurring. Part of the issue is that while home-grown Asian pay-TV networks are succeeding on a local basis, few players are carving out a solid presence across the entire region without the input of a major Western media conglomerate.

Lightning’s Ross claims that while companies such as Malaysian satellite TV firm Astro, Singapore-based broadcaster MediaCorp and Hong Kong-based commercial station TVB are all “starting to have regional aspirations,” none are yet at the point of securing widespread, multi-territory channel footprints. “One of the advantages that Western producers still have is they generally produce in English, which is still probably the common language of Asia. The Chinese don’t speak Korean, the Japanese don’t speak Chinese, but they all have some understanding of English,” says Ross.

Although ‘localising’ Western content has long been an established idea for Western firms trying to enter Asian markets, some of the biggest Hollywood studios are now starting to take a more innovative approach and adapting their output to local tastes.

Viacom already has a firm foothold in Asia. It airs its MTV and Nickelodeon channels across South-East Asia and Korea, and also runs MTV in Japan and China. Earlier this year it also launched MTV Live HD and Nick Jr and plans to expand these throughout South-East Asia later this year and early next.

Although shows like MTV’s US hit Jersey Shore don’t pass the censors in Malaysia, the Asian versions of the music channel still air around 70% music, tailored to popular regional music styles like Korea’s K-Pop, according to Viacom International Media Networks Asia’s executive VP and MD Indra Suharjono. The network also airs a number of local events, such as World Stage Live in Malaysia and the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

Nickelodeon has also started experimenting with Chinese-produced content in Asia, finding success with shows such as Pleasant Goat and Big Bad Wolf. “We created a block called China Toon a year and a half ago. We acquired shows from China and put them on and they did really well. That was our first test in acquiring local content,” says Suharjono.

With Viacom’s international strategy now focused on adult rather than child or teen-focused channels, the firm aims to step up its local production strategy. “We’re planning to launch Comedy Central in South-East Asia sometime in April next year, and the channel will be programmed with 70% Comedy Central US content and about 30% local content,” explains Suharjono.

Over time, she adds, the content division may move to 50/50, with the potential to split the channel into local feeds catering for the different senses of humour in each of these markets. Coproductions with local free-to-air stations could also be a possibility, with windowing options allowing content to appear on both the pay and free channels.

Local production plans are not yet on every Western channel’s agenda. Gronenthal at AMC/Sundance says that his company is currently concentrating on distribution for its Asian-focused Sundance Channel, which offers Hollywood films and AMC dramas such as Mad Men and Hell on Wheels.

Asked about local production or coproduction plans, Gronenthal says: “We’ve been at it for not quite two years in Asia, so we’re not at that place yet. We’re still trying to find our footing in general, so those things are still down the road. They are worth considering and always worth reviewing, but clearly down the road.”

At Fox International Channels (FIC), the focus is squarely on decentralising and localising output to tailor it to each market, according to Joon Lee, senior VP of programming, creative and channel operations. He is responsible for FIC’s 37 channels across 13 markets in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, including the brands Star World, Star Movies, National Geographic, TvN and Fox.

“Local guys are coming up very strongly and now we have no choice but to face the reality that local or even Chinese or Korean content is a lot more popular than Hollywood programming, with the exception of some Hollywood movies,” says Lee.

Although he claims it is likely to be a few years before FIC becomes “more serious” about producing local versions of its shows, it is already taking steps in this direction. In partnership with Astro and fellow News Corp-owned firm Shine, FIC’s Star World channel in Malaysia is already adapting the MasterChef cooking format. The firms will make the standard competition show, and a second ‘masterclass’ series to run alongside it, with Astro broadcasting the former and Star World the latter. FIC’s Korean channel TvN Asia is also making a pop talent show in partnership with Korean media giant CJ Group.

FIC’s current main aim is to localise its channels for each market, altering its core Western programming with appropriate dubbing, local music, graphics, promos, clips and local presenters.

The group has already launched Fox Thailand as a fully dubbed station and it is performing strongly, according to Lee. In Malaysia, it has also launched a local feed of Star World and National Geographic, and is looking to do the same thing in Vietnam – following the lead of Fox channels in Japan and South Korea.

“If you watch Fox Korea, it smells like kimchi. If you watch Fox Japan, it smells like sushi, because that’s the focus we make. But if you come to Hong Kong and Singapore and watch the channels, they smell of nothing. They smell like a hotel network because they’re very safe. But if you take ‘hotel’ channels to any other country in Asia – except maybe the Philippines, because they’re very familiar with US culture – you won’t be considered as a serious competitor there anymore,” Lee claims.

Elsewhere, SPT is making a bold Asian play with its bouquet of five channels. Ow says that SPT’s AXN, AXN Beyond and SET networks are focused on high-quality English-language content while Animax Asia concentrates on cartoons and One is a Korean drama network – “Korean drama not for Korea but for Asia in general, dubbed into local languages,” he explains

“We have moved from English to Asian content, while maintaining a balance between international and Asian content, and continue to grow into those markets. We are going more and more into local languages to get an even wider audience,” says Ow.

The One network is wholly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, has an exclusive distribution and output deal with South Korean content supplier and broadcaster SBS – covering shows such as spy drama Athena Goddess of War, romcom Scent of a Woman and variety show Strong Heart – and is currently available in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Cambodia. “We are giving viewers in Asia first-run content that has a very short window from the Korean broadcast. We are dubbing the content, where it’s relevant, into the local language, and it’s content that’s popular. These are the three selling points for the channel,” adds Ow.

He believes there is also potential to localise further by adapting Korean formats and is looking to produce content of its own – although again this is for the future, with the current emphasis remaining on boosting the brand. However, he doesn’t rule out new versions of the channel even outside Asia if there is a demand for it.

Lightning’s Ross predicts a massive increase in production and investment in distribution networks in Asia, claiming: “A lot of the things that we’ve seen in our industry in other parts of the world in the last 20 years will happen in Asia over the next five or 10 years – whether it’s India, China or South-East Asia.”

With the growing internationalisation of content, Western firms are increasingly seeking out pay-TV opportunities in Asia. But with local productions and platforms also starting to mobilise, the region’s content market could have a bright future on the world stage, and for vendors of formats for local production this can only mean more opportunities.

Andrew McDonald
10-01-2012

C21Media

"Genie in the House" Choreographer Danny Bayne To Reprise His Role of 'Danny Zuko' For The 2011/2012 UK Tour Of "Grease"

2012-01-10T17:11:00.004Z

From Crawley Observer:

Robin Cousins joins Grease cast

Skating legend Robin Cousins will swap the ice rink for the stage to guest star as ‘Teen Angel’ in the smash hit musical Grease for its limited 1 week season in Crawley.

The former Olympic champion and Dancing on Ice judge will leave audiences hopelessly devoted to his charms when Grease rocks into The Hawth Theatre from 26- 31 March 2012.

Following its electrifyin’ 4 year London run, and for the first time in over 5 years, the hit West End show began a new tour last spring. Back by popular demand, Grease premiered at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 6 May 2011 and has since played venues throughout the UK and Ireland. Grease will continue to rock ‘n’ roll around the UK in 2012 with confirmed venues in Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Bristol, Nottingham, Northampton, Stoke, Sheffield and many more.

Danny Bayne stars as ‘Danny’ with Carina Gillespie as his sweetheart ‘Sandy’, as the couple follow in the footsteps of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John who famously played the roles in the hit 1978 movie. The cast also includes: Ricky Rojas (‘Kenickie’), Kate Somerset How (‘Rizzo’), Laura Wilson (‘Jan’), Richard Vincent (‘Doody’), Lauren Stroud (‘Frenchy’), Josh Dever (‘Sonny’), Lois Urwin (‘Marty’), Darren John (‘Eugene’), Sammy Kelly (‘Patty’), Nancy Hill ‘(Miss Lynch’), Sophie Zucchini (‘Cha Cha’) and Stuart Reid (‘Vince Fontaine’), with other parts played by the ensemble.

Robin Cousins is one of Britain’s most famous and best loved individual ice skaters. He retired from the ice rink in 2000, after 30 years on the ice and 20 years of professional skating. During his highly successful career, Robin won the World Free Skating Championship Gold medal three times (‘78, ‘79, ‘80) and rose to the top in 1980, winning World Championship Silver and capping his amateur career with the European Championship and Olympic Gold medals. He was awarded the M.B.E. that year for his services to sport and skating, and more recently was made an Official Team GB Ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Robin is also a member of the host committee for the European Figure Skating Championships being held at the Sheffield Arena from 22- 28 January 2012.

As a professional skater, Robin made several appearances as a guest star with Holiday on Ice and Ice Capades (USA) and as a director and choreographer, he has worked extensively on shows for the ice spectacular Holiday on Ice including Tropicana- The Passion Tour (UK tour, 13 Jan- 19 Feb 2012). Robin’s extensive choreographic credits also include ice interpretations of The Wizard of Oz, Starlight Express and Disney’s Toy Story and many shows for his own ice company such as Electric Ice. Away from the ice, Robin has forged a successful career in theatre including starring roles Cats, The Rocky Horror Show (West End) and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Robin will reside as head judge on the ice panel of ITV1’s hit show Dancing on Ice for the new series, which starts in January 2012, before gliding back into Grease on 6 March 2011.

Danny Bayne won ITV’s Grease is the Word (2007) and went on to make his West End debut as ‘Danny’ in Grease playing the role for over 2 years at the Piccadilly Theatre to sell-out audiences. His other theatre credits include: Top Cat the Musical, Snow White, On Show at the Royal Albert Hall and Popcorn. More recently he co-starred with Julian Clary in Cinderella at the Hawth Theatre Crawley and appeared as ‘Corny Collins’ in the tour of the hit musical Hairspray. Danny also has a passion for both dance and choreography. Formerly a major world competitor, his dance credits include: British Champion in Freestyle, Hip Hop and ‘Rock ’n’ Roll’ and 3rd place in Latin American at the Italian World Championships. His choreographic credits include: Genie in the House (for Nickelodeon), West End Eurovision (Piccadilly Theatre) and several Hip Hop shows, carnivals and events. Danny reprises the iconic role of ‘Danny Zuko’ for the 2011/12 tour of Grease.

Carina Gillespie trained at the Liverpool Theatre School and made her professional stage debut as ‘Maria Elena’ in the hugely successful musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story. Her further theatre credits include the role of ‘Linda’ in Bloodbath -The Musical, and ‘Princess Tamara’ in Jack in the Beanstalk in Ipswich. Carina’s other credits include performing as a regular session singer for ‘Love to Infinity Records’, releasing a debut single (with the new pop-dance band Ezcapade, 2010), appearing as a support act for ‘Basshunter’ (UK tour 2010) and as a dancer in numerous music videos. More recently Carina made her West End debut as ‘Sandy’ in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, Grease’s place has been firmly established in the cultural Hall of Fame, having seduced the hearts of millions with its back-to-back sizzling tunes. It’s the original high-school musical featuring everyone’s favourite characters - ‘Sandy’, ‘Danny’, the groovy ‘T Birds’, the sassy ‘Pink Ladies’ and the whole gang at Rydell High - with all the unforgettable songs from the hit movie including ‘You’re The One That I Want’, ‘Grease Is The Word’, ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’, ‘Sandy’, ‘Greased Lightnin’’ and many more.

Voted the “No 1 Greatest Musical”* Grease has proved that a musical love story, bursting with denim, cheerleaders, slick hairstyles, rock ’n ’roll, 1950’s pop culture and an irresistible mix of teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal. Grease is the ultimate feel-good, pick-me up musical - an electrifyin’ extravaganza, packed with fun, energy and vibrant physicality. The show is guaranteed to thrill audiences and leave everyone hand-jiving the night away with “a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a wop-bam-boom!”

Grease returned to the West End in July 2007 and during its triumphant run, the audience favourite played over 1,500 performances and was seen by over 1½ million theatregoers at the Piccadilly Theatre where it became the longest running show in the venue’s history. Grease closed in London on 30 April 2011 after a hugely successful 4 years and immediately began its new tour.

This production originally opened in the West End in 1993 (co-produced with Robert Stigwood) where it enjoyed a fantastic run of 6 years. The last international tour of Grease was a phenomenal success, playing to sell-out audiences and smashing records at many venues. Since 1993 the show has been seen by audiences totalling over 12 million people in the UK alone. Last year, a second production played internationally in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Auckland and Hong Kong. Grease continues to maintain its everlasting popularity, proving its enduring appeal with audiences of every generation worldwide.

Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, directed by David Gilmore (Daisy Pulls It Off, Happy Days, Song & Dance, Footloose) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance The Musical & BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing), Grease is produced in the West End and on tour by Paul Nicholas and David Ian and is presented by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.

Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds Group's "Monkey Quest" Massively Multiplayer Online Game The Most Played Game On TeePee Games In 2011

2012-01-10T16:56:00.001Z

From Your-Story.org (press release):

Top 10 Games on TeePee Games in 2011

Top 10 Games on TeePee Games in 2011

Monkey Quest seizes number one

London, UK – 9th January 2012 – TeePee Games, the innovative discovery platform pioneer for social, smartphone, MMO and online Flash games, is pleased to announce the top ten games to be played via www.teepeegames.com and the TeePee Games Facebook application in 2011.

The top ten games of 2011 are:

1 – Monkey Quest (http://bit.ly/vOGPre)
2 – Car Town (http://bit.ly/v7vthY)
3 – MMA Pro Fighter (http://bit.ly/pFfEo8)
4 – Monopoly Millionaires (http://bit.ly/oklsTT)
5 – Bubble Popp (http://bit.ly/xHPHZG)
6 – Zombie Lane (http://bit.ly/tkigG7)
7 – Jungle Jewels (http://bit.ly/o81Dku)
8 – Maya Pyramid (http://bit.ly/rb6lQU)
9 – Age of Conan: Unchained (http://bit.ly/ubDDk3)
10 – World Series Superstars (http://bit.ly/yjVBOe)

Despite getting signed up to the games discovery platform quite late on in the year, Nickelodeon’s child friendly MMO Monkey Quest was able to capture the attention of a huge number of individuals to become the number one most played game on TeePee Games in 2011. Following closely behind in second is Cie Games’ free-to-play racing game Car Town, which had a very eventful year clashing with monkey Quest for the top spot on a number of occasions. MMA Pro Fighter, a sports game developed and published by Digital Chocolate, punches in at number three, while Monopoly Millionaires lands at number four. Puzzle games performed particularly well in 2011, with three titles from the genre making an appearance in the chart. Bubble shooter style puzzle game Bubble Popp deservedly takes up fifth, just ahead of the action packed Zombie Lane which staggered to sixth. Meanwhile taking their places as the seventh and eighth most popular games of 2011 are match-3 game Jungle Jewels and card based puzzler Maya Pyramid respectively. In ninth place is the fantasy themed Age of Conan: Unchained, one of the first MMOs to be signed up to TeePee Games. Finally, taking its place as the tenth most popular game on TeePee Games in 2011 is World Series Superstars, a baseball management sim by EA’s Playfish. Although the game only ever made a brief appearance in the TeePee Games top ten it was never far off and consistently ranked well outside of the chart.

Individuals who would like to find and play fun free online Facebook, MMO and online Flash games can visit the TeePee Games website (http://www.teepeegames.com) or Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/teepeegames).

#ENDS#

For more information contact:

COMMERCIAL ENQUIRIES
Tony Pearce, CEO
Tel: +44 (0)7775 500847
Email: tony.pearce@teepeegames.com

CONTENT ENQUIRIES
Darren Newnham, Head of Content
Tel: +44 (0)7919 891451
Email: darren.newnham@teepeegames.com

MEDIA
Quoc Truong, Peppermint P
Tel: +44 (0)207 240 2645
Email: teepeegames@peppermintp.com

# # #

Notes to Editors

About TeePee Games
TeePee Games is a game player’s discovery platform for smartphone, social and Flash games located at www.teepeegames.com. The service allows casual game players access to the games best suited to their profile, cutting through the noise of app stores and top-ten lists. TeePee Games has already served over 1.6 million personalised game recommendations from its extensive directory of more than 150 Android, 400 Facebook, 2,500 online Flash games. The company was founded in 2010 and is funded by private equity. TeePee Games is headquartered in London, United Kingdom and the company website is located at: www.teepeegames.com.

TeePeeGames, the tent logo and “where your games live” are trademarks of TeePee Games Ltd. All rights reserved

DC Thomson & Co. Ltd Closes Down Production On Second Version Of Nickelodeon Magazine UK

2012-01-09T19:02:00.006Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have confirmed to NickALive! that the company which produced the second incarnation of the UK version of Nickelodeon Magazine, DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, who also produces the famous "The Beano" and "The Dandy" children's comics, has decided to cancel, cease making and not publish any more issues of Nickelodeon Magazine UK, bringing an end to the latest (2011) version of Nickelodeon Magazine UK.

The first issue of the second incarnation of Nickelodeon Magazine UK was published and released in shops by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd on Wednesday 16th February 2011 with the final issue of Nickelodeon Magazine UK hitting the shelves on Wednesday 14th September 2011 and also covered the months of October 2011, November 2011, and December 2011 (from Wednesday 14th September 2011 to Wednesday 28th December 2011) and did not contain any "Next Issue" information, such as when it would be released in shops and what that issue's free Nickelodeon gifts would be. Each issue came with one or more free Nickelodeon-themed gift, such as an "iCarly" book, a Nickelodeon pen and other various Nickelodeon stationary (Nickelodeon Pencils, etc), a Nickelodeon Autograph book, a Nickelodeon clapperboard, a "Big Time Rush" book bag, Nickelodeon jewelry, and Nickelodeon stickers. Each issue also came with one or more Nickelodeon-themed poster featuring the stars and casts of popular Nickelodeon shows, such as "Big Time Rush" posters, "iCarly" posters, and "Victorious" posters. Each issue of Nick Mag UK also featured the latest Nickelodeon News, such as when Nickelodeon UK and Ireland would be showing brand new shows and brand new episodes.

The official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland website, Nick.co.uk, also took down the official Nickelodeon Magazine UK website, Nick.co.uk/Magazine, during December 2011.

The first version of Nickelodeon Magazine UK was published and sold in shops in the early Naughties (early 2000's).

Nick Jr. UK Unveils New "Create With Olive The Ostrich" Competition

2012-01-09T16:17:00.005Z

The official Nick Jr. UK and Ireland website has unveiled a brand new exclusive competition where Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland and Nick Jr. 2 viewers and NickJr.co.uk website visitors can enter "Olive the Ostrich" themed drawings they've made using the official Nick Junior UK websites "Create with Olive the Ostrich" feature for a chance for their pictures to be featured on television in an upcoming episode of the Nick Jr. show "Olive the Ostrich".

Posted by Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickJrUK):

Create with Olive the Ostrich for a chance to be featured in an upcoming episode of the Nick Jr. show http://on.nickjr.co.uk/cwo

Also:

Help Olive the Ostrich draw things for her new episode & your child's picture could be featured on TV! http://on.nickjr.co.uk/cwo #NickJrUK.

And:

Olive the Ostrich needs your child's help creating things for her new episode about football. So get creative http://on.nickjr.co.uk/cwo.

Nickelodeon UK To Premier More Brand New Episodes Of "Big Time Rush" After The Band's Visit To London, UK In February 2012

2012-01-09T15:56:00.003Z

Nickelodeon UK have announced and confirmed on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering more brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon series "Big Time Rush" (BTR) after the the stars and band members of the hit Nickelodeon show and boyband "Big Time Rush", Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight), James Maslow (James Diamond), Carlos Pena (Carlos Garcia), and Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell), visit and tour London, UK in February 2012:

#HeyNickWeWantMoreBigTimeRush [Hey Nick We Want More Big Time Rush] that means new episodes too!
@NickelodeonUK - Great #tag! BTR boys r visiting UK & new eps will follow [...].

According to the official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK websites schedule section for Nickelodeon UK's schedule for Saturday 3rd March 2012, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere the brand new episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "Big Time Rush" called "Big Time Wedding", where James' fairy tale romance with a princess becomes an escape mission after he inadvertently proposes marriage, and the Big Time Rush guys have to free him before he's forced into a royal wedding, on Saturday 3rd March 2012 at 5.30pm (6.30pm on Nick Replay UK). Time and date subject to change.

Nickelodeon UK Job Opportunity - Retail Sales Manager

2012-01-09T15:20:00.003Z

According to Toy News, Nickelodeon UK is on the lookout to recruit a new Retail Sales Manager to join their team of staff:

Job Of The Week - Retail Sales Manager – Nickelodeon UK

Jobs

Position - Retail Sales Manager – Nickelodeon
Salary - TBC
Employer - Nickelodeon
Location - UK
Contact - Anna Bullock
Apply to - www.nick.co.uk/jobs
Website - [www.nick.co.uk]

Company Description

Nickelodeon UK is the number 1 commercial kids' TV network in the UK. Launched in 1993, it comprises of dedicated award-winning entertainment channels for kids aged 2-12, including Nickelodeon, Nick Toons, and the EA British Academy Children's Awards channel of the year for 2009, Nick Jr.

The Nickelodeon channels are available in over 11 million cable & satellite homes. The company has built a diverse business by putting kids first in everything it does and includes critically acclaimed and hugely popular television programming and production in the UK and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation and feature films.

Nickelodeon UK is a joint venture between MTV Networks and BSkyB

The Department

Consumer Products facilitates the development of merchandise for our Nickelodeon brands through UK retail outlets. Consumer Products license all types of products with the key areas being: Toys and Games, Books, Clothing and Accessories, Food and Promotions, Video/DVD and Video Games.

They do not manufacture product ranges internally but work with third party companies,“licensees”, who sell branded product at retail and pay a defined royalty on each item sold. Another key aspect of the Consumer Products business is liaising with all UK retailers from Tesco and Toys R Us to New Look to ensure they support Nickelodeon brands by stocking licensees’ product ranges.

The Job

Primary responsibilities include:

Overseeing the day-to-day management of retail accounts in designated class of trade and carry out strategic direction and business goals set by the Director, International Retail and the UK Vice President. (Accounts include: Argos, Toys R Us, Amazon and other Specialist retailers).

Sell in franchises, strategic product ranges, and retail solutions to assigned account base aimed at maximizing Nickelodeon and Viacom CP revenues

Analyzing weekly sales reports to ensure accuracy, identify trends, and pinpoint opportunities at assigned accounts.

Developing strong relationships with licensee sales reps to ensure regular updates on N&VCP sales [Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products sales] as well as with buyers and senior buyers in all categories at assigned retailers.

The ideal candidate should have a strong background in sales, preferably with a promotions or advertising agency, retailer, or entertainment company and ideally with experience of working with Argos, Toys, and/or licensed products.

This role could only be fully maximized by a car owner/driver and extensive UK travel is an essential function of this role, accounting for 20-30% of time.

For a full Job Profile, and to apply, please visit our website www.nick.co.uk/jobs

Also, more from Toy News:

JOB OF THE WEEK: Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon's consumer products division is looking for a Retail Sales Manager.

Working at Nickelodeon, your duties will include overseeing the day-to-day management of retail accounts while working towards business goals and a strategic direction set by the director and UK VP. Accounts include the likes of Argos, Toys R Us and Amazon.

You will have to develop strong relationships with licensee sales reps as well as buyers and senior buyers in all categories.

Ideal candidates will have sales experience, preferably with a promotions or advertising agency, retailer or entertainment company. Experience working with Argos and toys or licensed products is an advantage.

You will need to be a car owner or driver, as the role involves extensive travel within the UK.

Click here for details on how to apply and to see the vacancy in full.

Also, from the official Nickelodeon UK Jobs website:

Nickelodeon UK Job Details

Nickelodeon UK Retail Sales Manager, Consumer Products

Ref Nick000112
Location London
Office Rathbone Place
Company Nickelodeon
Contracted Hours 35
Department Consumer Products
Closing Date for Applications 26 January 2012

Nickelodeon UK Job Summary

Nickelodeon is a top performing commercial kids TV network in the UK. Launched in 1993, it comprises seven dedicated award-winning entertainment channels for kids aged 2-12: Nickelodeon, NickToons, NickToons Replay, Nick Jr, Nick Jr 2, Nick Replay and Nickelodeon HD, the first HD kids channel in the Sky Kids Pack.

The Nickelodeon network now reaches more than 10 million viewers a month and is available in 12.7 million cable and satellite homes.

The company has built a diverse multi-platform business by putting kids first in everything it does and includes critically acclaimed and hugely popular television programming and production in the United Kingdom and around the world, plus consumer products, online, events, recreation and feature films. Nickelodeon UK is a joint venture between MTV Networks and BSkyB.

Nickelodeon network shows include: SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Penguins of Madagascar, live action hits iCarly and Victorious as well as UK produced Summer in Transylvania and Humf.

Nickelodeon UK Department

Consumer Products facilitates the development of merchandise for our Nickelodeon brands through UK retail outlets. Consumer Products license all types of products with the key areas being: Toys and Games, Books, Clothing and Accessories, Food and Promotions, Video/DVD and Video Games.

They do not manufacture product ranges internally but work with third party companies, “licensees”, who sell branded product at retail and pay a defined royalty on each item sold. Another key aspect of the Consumer Products business is liaising with all UK retailers from Tesco and Toys R Us to New Look to ensure they support Nickelodeon brands by stocking licensees' product ranges.

Key Responsibilities

Based at our offices in Rathbone Place, and reporting into the Director of International Retail, this role’s primary responsibilities include:

Overseeing the day-to-day management of retail accounts in designated class of trade and carry out strategic direction and business goals set by the Director, International Retail and the UK Vice President. (Accounts include: Argos, Toys R Us, Amazon and other Specialist retailers).

Sell in franchises, strategic product ranges, and retail solutions to assigned account base aimed at maximizing Nickelodeon and Viacom CP revenues

Analysing weekly sales reports to ensure accuracy, identify trends, and pinpoint opportunities at assigned accounts.

Developing strong relationships with licensee sales reps to ensure regular updates on N&VCP [Nickelodeon And Viacom Consumer Products] sales as well as with buyers and senior buyers in all categories at assigned retailers.

Role-Specific Skills/Attributes

The ideal candidate should have a strong background in sales, preferably with a promotions or advertising agency, retailer, or entertainment company.

In addition the essential skills required include:

Strong written and oral communication skills

Knowledge of assigned markets and retail structure

Existing relationships in assigned accounts and a proven track record of developing and executing successful promotional opportunities

Strong organisational, analysis and project management skills are key

A considered risk taker and creative thinker

Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel

This role could only be fully maximised by a car owner/driver and extensive UK travel is an essential function of this role. Travel between accounts may account for 20 – 30% of time.

March 2012 On Nickelodeon UK, Nickelodeon HD UK, NickToons UK, Nick Jr. Channel UK And Nick Jr. 2

2012-01-08T22:01:00.003Z

Here are Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's, Nickelodeon UK HD's, Nick Replay UK's, Nicktoons UK and Ireland's, NickToons Replay's, Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland's, and Nick Jr. 2's channel highlights for March 2012:

More of Nickelodeon UK's March 2012 schedule highlights will be posted in this NickALive! blog post when they are announced.

Brand New House of Anubis Season 2 - Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, has posted (Tweeted) on his official Twitter profile page (@kangas911) confirming that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will start to premiere and show brand new episodes from the long-awaited brand new second series (second season) of the hit original Nickelodeon live action teen mystery/drama television show "House of Anubis" in March 2012 (exact air date and airtime to be announced by Nickelodeon UK).

Nickelodeon UK To Premiere Brand New "Big Time Rush" Episode "Big Time Wedding" On 3rd March 2012 - According to the official Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK websites schedule section for Nickelodeon UK's schedule for Saturday 3rd March 2012, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere the brand new episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "Big Time Rush" called "Big Time Wedding", where James' fairy tale romance with a princess becomes an escape mission after he inadvertently proposes marriage, and the Big Time Rush guys have to free him before he's forced into a royal wedding, on Saturday 3rd March 2012 at 5.30pm (6.30pm on Nick Replay UK). Time and date subject to change.

There has been unconfirmed reports that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK may premiere the brand new Nickelodeon sitcom show "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" sometime in March 2012, however, Nickelodeon UK has yet to confirm these Nickelodeon News reports.

February 2012 On Nickelodeon UK, Nickelodeon UK HD, NickToons UK, Nick Jr. Channel UK And Nick Jr. 2

2012-01-08T20:20:00.017Z

Here are Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's, Nickelodeon UK HD's, Nick Replay UK's, Nicktoons UK's, NickToons Replay's, Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland's, and Nick Jr. 2's channel highlights for February 2012:

More of Nickelodeon UK's February 2012 schedule highlights will be posted in this NickALive! blog post when they are announced.

Nickelodeon and "Victorious" star Victoria Justice, who plays Tori Vega on the hit Nickelodeon show "Victorious", will be visiting London, UK in February 2012.

The cast and band members of the hit Nickelodeon show and boyband "Big Time Rush", Kendall Schmidt (Kendall Knight), James Maslow (James Diamond), Carlos Pena (Carlos Garcia), and Logan Henderson (Logan Mitchell), will be visiting London, UK in February 2012 to launch and celebrate the release of their second album "Elevate".

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom series "iCarly" in February 2012 as part of "iCarly Month on Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, has hinted on his official Twitter page (@kangas911) that Nickelodeon (either Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK or Nickelodeon International) maybe planning a "Victorious Takes Over Nickelodeon Month", or another big "Victorious" event on Nickelodeon in February 2012.

According to the official Nickelodeon UK websites schedule section for Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's and Nickelodeon UK HD's schedule for Thursday 24th February 2012, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere two brand new episodes of the popular Nickelodeon show "Victorious" (or the UK premiere of the "Victorious" special episode "Locked Up!") on Thursday 24th February 2012 at 6.00pm and 6.30pm (7.00pm and 7.30pm on Nick Replay UK). Time and date subject to change.

According to Nickelodeon UK's new "Brand New "iCarly" "iLost My Mind", Coming Soon, Only On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new episode of the hit Nickelodeon live action show "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" in February 2012 (UPDATE - Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD will premiere the brand new episode of "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK)) ~~(Transmission (TX) date and time to be confirmed by Nickelodeon UK)~~ as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month" programming stunt which Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will be holding throughout February 2012.

Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office (the Nickelodeon Communications Team) on their official Twitter page (@NickelodeonUKPR):

when is there new victorious? icarly? and HOUSE OF ANUBIS?! please reply!
@NickelodeonUKPR - new eps of iCarly and Victorious coming up in February so keep your eyes peeled for more info!

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUKPR), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere and show the brand new special episode of the hit animated Nickelodeon show ("NickToon") "SpongeBob SquarePants" called "SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off" on Friday 3rd February 2012 at 5.00pm (repeated at 6.00pm on Nick Replay UK):

Brand new eps of iCarly, VicTORious and a brand new ep of SpongeBob on 3rd Feb!

According to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK), Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the brand new episode of the hit Nickelodeon live action show "iCarly" called "iLost My Mind" on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK) as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month" programming stunt which Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will be holding throughout February 2012:

when is iLost My Mind airing?
@NickelodeonUK - Monday 6th February 5.30pm! It's going to be SO GOOD!

And:

Is it true that iLost My My mind airs on 6th February???? #EEEEEEPPPP.
@NickelodeonUK - YES! 5.30pm! OMG!

iLost My Mind Promo from BTR Luver on Vimeo.

Sam and Freddie start dating but does Sam start having second thoughts? Mrs. Benson freaks out when she finds out that her son Freddie is dating Sam.

It was the iCarly kiss that shocked the world.

But nothing will prepare you for what happens next!

[Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress) to Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy): Can we talk about the kiss?

This August...

[Gibby (Noah Munck) to Marissa Benson/Mrs. Benson (Mary Scheer): You're son Freddie...

...is dating Sam. [Freddie's Mom screams]]

Are Sam and Freddie in love?

Will Carly keep them together?

Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove): Am I supposed to sit here and wait for you guys to have a fight so I can settle it?

Sam: Pretty much.

[...]]

And the biggest question of all...

...[Sam: Have I lost my mind?!]

iLost My Mind, coming this August, only on Nick!

According to Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Brand New iCarly, Coming This February, Only On Nickelodeon!" promo/trailer (below with transcript), Nickelodeon UK will be premiering and showing four brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom "iCarly" as part of Nickelodeon UK's "iCarly Month on Nickelodeon/HD" programming stunt which Nickelodeon UK will be holding on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK during February 2012. The first brand new episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "iCarly" Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK will premiere and show will be "iLost My Mind", which is the first episode from season four of "iCarly" and is a continuation of the "iCarly" episode "iOMG", on Monday 6th February 2012 at 5.30pm (repeated at 6.30pm on Nick Replay UK).

[Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove): What's happening here?]

This February on Nickelodeon...

[Spencer Shay (Jerry Trainor): I'm just going to give it a few more minutes.]

...iCarly's world will come crashing down over four brand new episodes.

[Gibby (Noah Munck) to Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy): [...] my back]

Find out what's making the iCarly crew more dysfunctional than ever!

[Carly to Spencer: Corn juice and offal?! Spencer: Yes it is!]

And just when you think it can't get any more crazy, someone goes and turns the heat up!

Brand new iCarly, coming this February, only on Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced and confirmed on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing two brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious" In February 2012.

According to Nickelodeon UK's Tweet on Twitter, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon UK HD will be premiering the brand new episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "Victorious" called "Beggin' on Your Knees" on Monday 20th February 2012 at 6pm (repeated at 7.00pm on Nick Replay UK), and the brand new episode of "Victorious" titled "Locked Up!" on Friday 24th February 2012 at 6.00pm (repeated at 7.00pm on Nick Replay UK).

OMG DYING ARE YOU REALLY SHOWING LOCKED UP & BEGGING ON UR KNEES IN FEB?
@NickelodeonUK - Mon 20th (Beggin') & Fri 24th (Locked Up) 6pm!!!

Nickelodeon UK Announces Plans To Launch A Brand New "House of Anubis" Competition Soon

2012-01-07T17:16:00.008Z

Nickelodeon UK has announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK are planning to launch a brand new exclusive "House of Anubis" competition soon to celebrate Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK premiering brand new episodes from season two of "House of Anubis" in the UK and Ireland in March 2012:

House of Anubis will b back soon with new mysteries, new drama & maybe new characters! Keep ur eyes peeled for sneakpeeks & an AWESOME comp!

UPDATE - Nickelodeon Star Alex Sawyer, who plays Alfred "Alfie" Lewis on the hit Nickelodeon series "House Of Anubis", has hinted in a Twitter Tweet on his official Twitter profile page (@AJSawyer) at what he thinks Nickelodeon's first place prize will be in Nick UK's upcoming HOA competition:

UK fans, you've got a bit longer til new eps but u get an amazin comp and if its what I think, winning could be the best day of your life!

Nick UK have not yet announced what kind of competition Nickelodeon UK's new "House of Anubis" competition will be and what the competition prize(s) will be, but some possibilities could be a "Meet And Greet The Cast Of House of Anubis" competition, a "Visit The Set Where House of Anubis Is Filmed" competition, a exclusive screening of a brand new "House Of Anubis" episode, or a brand new "House of Anubis Super Fan" competition.

Nickelodeon UK Unveils Exclusive Sneak Peek Pictures From The Brand New "True Jackson, VP" Special "Mystery in Peru"

2012-01-06T17:20:00.003Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have posted three sneak peek Nickelodeon press images from the brand new "True Jackson, VP" hour-long movie "Mystery in Peru" on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) to promote Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK premiering the brand new "True Jackson, VP" series finale special called "Mystery in Peru" on Friday 6th January 2012 at 7.30pm and 8.00pm (8.30pm and 9.00pm on Nick Replay UK):

PHEW! Week one of back to school o-v-e-r! To celebrate we have a NEW True Jackson special at 7.30pm! Heres a sneak peek http://ow.ly/i/pa0b - Thank Nick It's Friday 6th January 2012 3.45pm

Heres another little exclusive peek at tonights True Jackson special "Mystery in Peru". What on earth is going on?! http://ow.ly/i/pa0p - Friday 6th January 2012 4.30pm

One final snap from tonights True special... will you be tuning in at 7.30pm? How does Ryan always get in SO much trouble!... http://ow.ly/i/pa0x - Friday 6th January 2012 5.00pm

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have also posted a few more exclusive sneak peek press photographs from the final episode of "True Jackson, VP" called "Mystery in Peru" on their official Facebook page (Facebook.com/NickelodeonUK) which you can view here.

Nickelodeon's Official "House of Anubis" Facebook Page Unveils Exclusive Interviews With The Cast Of "House of Anubis"

2012-01-06T16:38:00.007Z

Nickelodeon's official "House of Anubis" Facebook profile page (Facebook.com/HouseOfAnubis) have put up some exclusive videos which feature exclusive interviews with the cast of Nickelodeon's hit live-action mystery series "House of Anubis" where the "House of Anubis" cast, including Nathalia Ramos (Nina Martin), Brad Kavanagh (Fabian Rutter), Jade Ramsey (Patricia Williamson), Eugene Simon (Jerome Clarke), Ana Mulvoy Ten (Amber Millington), and Burkely Duffield (who plays the new "House Of Anubis" character Eddie, who is a self-styled punk bad boy from America), answer "House of Anubis" fans' (Sibunas') questions, such as where they see themselves in ten years time? Which has been their favourite scene so far? If they could switch Anubis characters for a day, who would they switch roles with and why? What has been their most embarrassing moments on set? Is Eugene Simon's shell necklace a lucky charm and where did it come from? Is Joy Mercer (Klariza Clayton) coming back in season 2? What are the cast member's favourite parts of working on "House Of Anubis"? Who is Eddie? How did Jade develop Patricia's personality? What do the cast have in common with their "House Of Anubis" characters? Has anything spooky ever happened on the "House Of Anubis" set? Now that Joy is back, what will happen to Nina and Fabian? What happens in season two of "House Of Anubis"? Are the "House Of Anubis" cast as close off-set as they are on-set? How does Nathalia Ramos like England? Which "House Of Anubis" character is the most "jokie"? who do the cast look up to? and what happens to Jerome and Mara in season two of "House Of Anubis"?, straight from the set of the second season of "House Of Anubis", which you can view here on the "Talk to the Cast" page on Nickelodeon's official "House of Anubis" Facebook page.

Nickelodeon UK To Premier Brand New Episodes Of "iCarly" During February 2012

2012-01-06T15:29:00.007Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing brand new episodes of the hit Nickelodeon show "iCarly" in February 2012 as part of "iCarly Month on Nickelodeon":

when are we getting more icarly episodes??
@NickelodeonUK - February will be ALL about new @iCarly !

Also, Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Press Office (the Nickelodeon Communications Team) on their official Twitter page (@NickelodeonUKPR):

when is there new victorious? icarly? and HOUSE OF ANUBIS?! please reply!
@NickelodeonUKPR - new eps of iCarly and Victorious coming up in February so keep your eyes peeled for more info!

[Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove): What's happening here?]

This February on Nickelodeon...

[Spencer Shay (Jerry Trainor): I'm just going to give it a few more minutes.]

...iCarly's world will come crashing down over four brand new episodes.

[Gibby (Noah Munck) to Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy): [...] my back]

Find out what's making the iCarly crew more dysfunctional than ever!

[Carly to Spencer: Corn juice and offal?! Spencer: Yes it is!]

And just when you think it can't get any more crazy, someone goes and turns the heat up!

Brand new iCarly, coming this February, only on Nickelodeon!

Also available on Nickelodeon HD

Nickelodeon UK Confirms No Current Plans To Bring Back The "TeenNick" Programming Strand

2012-01-06T15:18:00.002Z

Nickelodeon UK have confirmed on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) that Nickelodeon UK has no current plans to relaunch and bring back Nickelodeon's teen-oriented television programming block "TeenNick" to Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK:

Please tell me if TeenNick is returning!
@NickelodeonUK - No plans for TEENick block! Tons of great new stuff for 2012 tho - news soon!

And:

So TeenNick is returning
@NickelodeonUK - No plans so far for TeeNick in 2012! Jst amazing new shows, new eps, trips & music!

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland originally aired the UK version of Nickelodeon's "TEENick"/"TeenNick" programming block between July 2009 and August 2010 and was presented live by Nickelodeon Presenters Olly Murray and Nathan A. Thomas from Nickelodeon UK's studios in Rathbone Place in Central London, with Nickelodeon stars (such as Miranda Cosgrove and the cast of "H2O - Just Add Water") popping in to occasionally co-host as well. Nickelodeon UK's "TeenNick" block featured shows aimed towards Tweens and teenagers such as "Big Time Rush", "H2O: Just Add Water", "iCarly", "The Rock Princess", "The Troop", "True Jackson, VP", "Drake & Josh", and "What I Like About You" and also featured interviews with celebrity's and Nickelodeon Stars.

Viacom International Media Networks Clocks Up Latin American Sales

2012-01-05T16:56:00.000Z

From C21Media:

Viacom clocks up Lat Am sales

Broadcasters across Latin America have acquired more Nickelodeon and MTV programming from Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN).

Among the deals: Costa Rica’s Teletica and Venezuela’s Venevision have picked up Nick content packages including boys-skewed CGI toon Planet Sheen and new episodes of Penguins of Madagascar, plus more SpongeBob SquarePants episodes.

Elsewhere: Brazil’s TV Globo, Band TV and TV Cultura; Honduran net Canal 11; TV Jamaica; Chile’s TVN; Ecuador’s Ecuavisa; Uruguay’s Canal 10; and Mexico’s Canal Once and Televisa have also taken new VIMN children’s programming.

Nicaragua's Telenica has signed the first seasons of Planet Sheen, Bubble Guppies and Tuffy Puppy, along with MTV content including reality series 16 & Pregnant, The Hills (seasons 1-6 and specials) and Jersey Shore (season one and specials).

Finally, Honduran net Campus TV has signed has signed the 2011 MTV EMA and 2012 MTV Video Music Awards broadcasts and El Salvador’s Canal 12 has acquired the latter and the 2012 MTV Movie Awards.

Jesse Whittock
05-01-2012
C21Media

Johnny Cupcakes Releases Third Wave Of "Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon" T-Shirts

2012-01-05T15:44:00.002Z

According to the latest Johnny Cupcakes e-newsletter, the clothing brand Johnny Cupcakes has released the third and final installment of their "Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon collaboration" clothing and accessories line.

The third batch (also known as "Nickelodeon Episode 3") of Johnny Cupcakes' and Nickelodeon's "Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" clothing and accessories line, also known as "JCxNick" and which Johnny Cupcakes released worldwide on Saturday 31st December 2011, includes a brand new "The Angry Beavers" T-shirt which features Norbert Foster Beaver and Daggett Doofus Beaver floating on a log flume in a river with a Piranha fish swimming near them, a brand new "Hey Arnold!" T-Shirt depicting a scene similar to a scene from the very first episode of "Hey Arnold!" called "Downtown as Fruits" and features Arnold and his friends dressed in "Johnny Cupcakes" themed costumes (Arnold is dressed in a Cupcake costume, Gerald Johanssen is dressed in a cake Frosting tin costume, Helga G. Pataki is dressed in a Baking Flour packet costume, Harold Berman is dressed in a Oven Mitt costume, and Rhonda Wellington Lloyd is dressed as a whisk cooking utensil), and a brand new "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?" Tee Shirt which features a slogan similar to an episode title of AYAOTD? which says "The Tale Of The Johnny Cupcakes Curse" in the style and font of the "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?" logo.

You can buy the brand new "Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon collaboration" T-shirts by heading on over to your local Johnny Cupcakes store or by placing an order online now while stocks last. Johnny Cupcakes ship worldwide!

Nickelodeon fans and Johnny Cupcakes fans in the UK can buy the brand new Nickelodeon-themed "Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" shirts at Johnny Cupcakes' London, UK shop (or shoppe) located at 10 Fouberts Place, Carnaby Street, London, W1F7PF, UK, or through the official Johnny Cupcakes website.

To celebrate the release of the third and final wave of Johnny Cupcakes's "A Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" Nickelodeon clothing and accessories line, which feature characters from classic Nickelodeon shows from the 1990's, worldwide on Saturday 31st December 2011, Johnny Cupcakes released a high quality high-definition exclusive video which charts and details the creative processes that made Nickelodeon's retro "A Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" clothing and accessories line possible, from the beginning to the actual 'episode' releases, which you can view here on NickALive!.

Video Clip Of The Brand New Nickelodeon Worldwide Animated Preschool Show "Tickety Toc"

2012-01-05T14:44:00.003Z

Below is a high quality (HQ) streaming video featuring a sneak peek trailer for the upcoming brand new animated Nick Junior show called "Tickety Toc" which Nickelodeon channels around the world, including Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland and Nick Jr. Channel USA, are due to premiere in 2012:

Tickety Toc - Promo from Patrick Kydd on Vimeo.

Promo for Tickety Toc, produced and created by The Foundation, part of Zodiak Media Group [and who also made the Nickelodeon UK live action series "Summer In Transylvania"]

"Tickety Toc" (formally known as "Tic Toc House") is a preschool animated property about a special clock in a old clock shop called the "Tickety Toc" clock. As every hour passes, it's Chime Time, and the Tic Toc Clock springs into life to chime in the time. It all happens as regular as clockwork! But chiming the time isn't as easy as it seems! For behind the face of the Tickety Toc Clock lies an extraordinary wooden world where things definitely don’t always run so smoothly. This slapstick show centres on our inseparable heroes, Tommy and Tallulah, and their remarkable friends as they race against time to keep the clock ticking. In this beautifully crafted series, the pressure is always on and every madcap minute counts!

Nickelodeon Very Close To Wrapping The Filming Of "House Of Anubis Season 2"

2012-01-04T18:35:00.010Z

UPDATE - Posted by Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, on his official Twitter profile page (@kangas911):

So thats a wrap for season 2 Mr D, is that the end of the show or a possible another season [House Of Anubis Season 3/Season 3 Of House Of Anubis]?
@kangas911 - who can say. Let's see what season 2 brings. Enjoy!!

Nickelodeon UK's Director of Original Production, David Kangas, has posted (Tweeted) on his official Twitter profile page (@kangas911) that Nickelodeon Productions is in the final stages and very near to wrapping the filming of the brand new episodes of the second season of "House of Anubis":

Off to God's country again to cover the last filming days of HOA2 for a certain @nathalia73 [Nathalia Ramos/Nina Martin] - 6.36am Wednesday 4th January 2012
@Jade_Ramsey (Jade Ramsey/Patricia Williamson) - @kangas911 YAY YOUR BACK!!!!!! and i may have made @nathalia73 [Nathalia Ramos/Nina Martin] an amazing cake for her last day eh eh..get excited!!!!! its delicious - 7.15am Wednesday 4th January 2012
@Jade_Ramsey @nathalia73 hit me up Jade, I'm on my way to studio and in need of your CAKE!! - 10.14am Wednesday 4th January 2012

That's a wrap for @nathalia73 [Nathalia Ramos/Nina Martin] season 2!! Great job, well done you!! xXx - 3.39pm Wednesday 4th January 2012
@annawilliamsTV [Nickelodeon UK Presenter Anna Williamson] - @kangas911 @nathalia73 can't wait to watch!! - 4.25pm Wednesday 4th January 2012
About to do House of Anubis season 2 VO session [voice over session] with the delightful @JulieAlexandria [Julie Alexandria]. Yey! - 4.16pm Thursday 5th January 2012

Just finished another House of Anubis VO session with the delightful @JulieAlexandria. Boy that girl is good! Nailed it every time! A joy! - 4.13pm Wednesday 18th January 2012
@JulieAlexandria - Brilliant!!! (I can't say that word w/o [without] using a british accent) Thx for the session 2day- pleasure as always! How was the Tea? - 4.25pm Wednesday 18th January 2012
Tea was fab! Made all the better with a great session and my Beatles mug!! http://pic.twitter.com/DFZtXncS

Also, posted by Nickelodeon Star Nathalia Ramos, who plays the character Nina Martin on "House of Anubis", on her official Twitter profile page (@nathalia73):

So excited for @Jade_Ramsey to get to set today. HURRY!!!!! - 7.35am Wednesday 4th January 2012

Wow, can't believe I just wrapped on Anubis! Feeling very bittersweet. It's been one wild ride. I'll miss you all!! - 4.40pm Wednesday 4th January 2012

But on the brightside....who's tuning in to the season premiere on Monday?!? - 4.41pm Wednesday 4th January 2012

Also, posted by Nickelodeon Star Jade Ramsey, who portrays the character Patricia Williamson on "House of Anubis", on her official Twitter profile page (@Jade_Ramsey):

@nathalia73 and the cake I made for her [Nathalia Ramos] last day!!!!! It's bigger than her!!!! :) http://pic.twitter.com/McaR6t8t - 11.24am Wednesday 4th January 2012

[...] we all finish next week she [Nathalia Ramos] just has school so finishes her scenes a couple days early!!! [...] - 12.38pm Wednesday 4th January 2012
Most fans want to know why today is @nathalia73's [Nathalia Ramos] last day. - 1.34pm Wednesday 4th January 2012
cos she has school so we all finish next week filming but she finishes a bit early to go bk to LA! - 2.00pm Wednesday 4th January 2012

Also, posted by Nickelodeon UK staff member Adam John Parker (also known as Adam J Parker, and who is also a resident of Nickelodeon Towers in London) on his official Twitter profile page (@adamjohnparker):

Just finished voice over for #houseofanubis promos [House Of Anubis commercials] with @JulieAlexandria [Julie Alexandria] ... Was like icecream for the ears! Season 2 very close now!

Nickelodeon USA will be premiering brand new episodes from the second season of the popular live-action Nickelodeon mystery series "House of Anubis" (also known as HOA 2) from Monday January 9th 2012 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT), and Nickelodeon UK has announced that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will start to premiere the second season of "House of Anubis" from March 2012.

You can view a high quality [HQ] video featuring Nickelodeon USA's latest brand new official "House of Anubis" Season 2 trailer/promo which Nick USA is using to promote Nickelodeon USA (Nickelodeon North America) premiering season two of "House of Anubis" on Monday 9th January 2012 at 7pm ET/PT/7pm Central here on NickALive!'s Nickelodeon design blog, Nickelodeon TV Media.

Nickelodeon USA Announces The Airdate For The North American Premiere Of The Brand New "iCarly" Episode "iMeet the First Lady"

2012-01-04T17:50:00.005Z

From Digital Spy:

Michelle Obama 'iCarly' guest appearance airdate announced

The US First Lady guest stars in an iCarly episode about military families.

Michelle Obama's guest appearance on the Nickelodeon series iCarly will air later this month.

The US First Lady will star in the special episode 'iMeet the First Lady' on January 16.

In 'iMeet the First Lady', Carly's (Miranda Cosgrove's) friends enlist Obama's help to reunite the teen with her Air Force colonel father for her birthday.

© WENN / Carrie Devorah & © Nickelodeon
Saturday Night Live's Taran Killam also appears as the First Lady's personal secret service guard.

iCarly actor Noah Munck previously declared that he was "really excited" to be working with Obama.

Michelle Obama's guest appearance on iCarly airs on Monday, January 16 at 8/7c on Nickelodeon.

Watch a behind-the-scenes look at Michelle Obama's appearance on [the] iCarly [episode 'iMeet the First Lady'] below:

Also, from HULIQ:

iSee / uSee First Lady Michelle Obama on iCarly [VIDEO SNEAK PEEK]

First Lady Michelle Obama will be appearing on the popular tween Disney show iCarly, but it is not to show off her acting chops.

The First Lady will be making her appearance on Jan. 16 on Nickelodeon at 7:30 p.m., but don’t expect her to promote the show --- although she does say it is a big hit with her daughters Sasha and Malia. She will be appearing as herself, and she will be continuing a longstanding mission to support our troops abroad.

The plot in the episode centers on the disappointment Carly Shay, the protagonist of the series, experiences when her dad cannot return home from active duty abroad. After Carly and her dad connect via the web, Michelle Obama makes her appearance to offer support to the heartbroken girl.

iCarly is an American sitcom about a girl who creates her own show web show – hence iCarly – with the help of her best friends Sam and Freddie. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, and it premiered on Nickelodeon in September 2007.

Carly lives in Seattle, Washington with her 26-year-old brother (and legal guardian) Spencer and produces the show in a makeshift third-floor studio loft in their apartment. Their mother has never been seen or mentioned in the show, but their father is a U.S. Air Force officer ("Col. Steven Shay") who is temporarily stationed on a submarine, and is often mentioned but had never been seen in person.

The show is very popular with the teen/tween set and is shown in many countries around the world, including the U.K. and Canada. As is usual these days, the sitcom has generated many iCarly franchises, including a website, icarly.com, which [features] many promotional videos by the cast (as their respective characters), as well as content created and sent in by viewers. Other features on the site include characters' blogs, pictures from the set, songs, games, and comments from viewers.

There are also iCarly-inspired video games, including an animated PC hidden object game, iCarly: iDream in Toons, and a game for Nintendo DS and Wii. A sequel, iCarly 2: iJoin the Click, was released on November 16, 2010 for the same platforms.

And of course there is an iCarly Facebook page, which announced in 2010 an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch [...] called “Sam’s Remote” which is essentially a compilation of buttons and corresponding silly sound effects.

iCarly iMeet The First Lady Sneek Peek

Source
Source.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Boss Amanda Thompson Awarded OBE In New Year Honours 2012

2012-01-02T17:50:00.001Z

From Click Lancashire:

Pleasure Beach boss Amanda lands New Year honour

The boss of Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been named in the New Year's honours list.

Amanda Thompson, Managing Director of Pleasure Beach Blackpool is to be awarded the OBE for her services to tourism.

Keeping up a long family tradition, Amanda has followed in the footsteps of her father
who was also awarded the same honour.

The great-granddaughter of Pleasure Beach founder, William George Bean, Amanda became Managing Director of the family company in 2004 having previously served as Deputy Managing Director since 2000 and as a Director of the company.

As MD, Amanda has become one of the few gifted females to hold the title in the amusement park industry and in fact runs one of the largest amusement parks in the world.

Amanda is also President of Stageworks Worldwide Productions, the entertainment division of Pleasure Beach, which she formed in 1982 to present spectacular live shows on stage and ice.

With more than twenty years experience producing and directing ice shows, Amanda has brought Stageworks to the forefront of live entertainment, creating outstanding productions for venues worldwide.

Since taking over the helm, Amanda has continued to invest and to improve the aesthetics of Pleasure Beach and the whole visitor experience, bringing new and exciting concepts including the opening of the UK’s only Nickelodeon Land, which opened in May 2011 representing an investment of £10.3 million.

Commenting on the New Year Honour, Amanda Thompson said: "I feel very honoured and deeply privileged to have received this accolade and to follow in my father’s footsteps as he was also awarded the OBE for his services to tourism.

"It’s very important for me to carry on in the tradition of Pleasure Beach and long may the success continue."

Nickelodeon UK Announces A Few Of Their Big Plans For "2012 On Nickelodeon UK"

2012-01-02T16:39:00.008Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have announced on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK) a few of Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's big exciting plans for "2012 on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland", which include more brand new episodes of popular Nickelodeon shows, more brand new shows, including the brand new Nickelodeon sitcom series "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" (rumoured to premiere on Nick UK and Ireland in March 2012), and Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice (Tori Vega in Nickelodeon's "Victorious") and the stars of the Nickelodeon sitcom and Nickelodeon boyband "Big Time Rush" visiting London, UK in February 2012:

Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be SO good to you. Brand new episodes, visits from Victoria Justice AND the BTR boys, new shows.. WOO!

And:

So TeenNick is returning
@NickelodeonUK - No plans so far for TeeNick in 2012! Jst amazing new shows, new eps, trips & music!

Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland have also posted (Tweeted) a few of the Nick Juniors 2012 highlights for "2012 on Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2" on their official Twitter profile (@NickJrUK):

Happy New Year! We hope 2012 will be as exciting for you as it will be for us! New episodes of your favourite shows and much much more!

Nickelodeon USA has Tweeted (posted) on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonTV) announcing that Nickelodeon's New Year's resolution for 2012 in to keep creating great new Nickelodeon shows and episodes in 2012:

Our New Year's resolution is to keep creating great new shows and episodes!

Nickelodeon UK Unveils 2012 Brand Refresh

2012-01-02T16:07:00.018Z

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland today (Monday 2nd January 2012) completed their latest brand new channel brand refresh, which features more brand new Nickelodeon channel Idents (Nickelodeon Station Id's), and more brand new Nickelodeon channel bumpers.

As part of Nickelodeon UK's 2012 refresh, all of Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's channel bumpers have been updated and feature the stars of current Nickelodeon shows, such as the cast of the Nickelodeon show "iCarly", SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star from the hit animated Nickelodeon show (NickToon) "SpongeBob SquarePants", the cast of the Nickelodeon series "Supah Ninjas", and the cast of the Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious". Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's "Now", "Next", "After The Break" and "Now Back To" bumpers have also been updated in Nickelodeon UK's 2012 brand refresh, and mainly feature the stars on the Nickelodeon show they are talking about, and feature a new unnamed voice over artist. Nickelodeon UK have also unveiled brand new Nickelodeon Idents (also known as a Nickelodeon Station Id's). One of Nick UK's brand new Idents features the Nickelodeon logo jumping on to the screen to the tune of a Nickelodeon jingle, and another brand new Nickelodeon UK Ident features SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star from "SpongeBob SquarePants" catching small I's that are in the style of the Nickelodeon logo with their Jellyfishing nets. Another brand new Nick UK ident features Squidward Tentacles from "SpongeBob SquarePants" sticking his head out of a top floor window of a white coloured version of Squidward's Easter Island stone tiki head house which is located to the left of the Nickelodeon logo protesting at SpongeBob SquarePants annoying him by using a loud "reef blower" in front of the Nickelodeon logo.

Nickelodeon UK's latest refresh is from Nickelodeon USA's 2011 Image Campaign, which was created by New York-based creative studio "Trollbäck + Company".

Here is more information about Nickelodeon UK's 2012 refresh, from Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's Wikipedia page:

Nickelodeon UK Refresh (2012)

On January 2nd 2012, Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) started using new style bumpers. They are not the style that Nickelodeon USA uses currently, they are the ones that they used from Summer 2010 till April 2011. All bumpers were updated, for every show. Also every show now has bumpers for 'Next', 'Now', 'After The Break' & 'Now Back To'. They also include a new voice over artist (her name is unannounced). Also updated in the refresh were the Nickelodeon indents. These are the videos with the Nickelodeon logo jumping on to the screen and the Nickelodeon tune would be played.

Below is a selection of Nickelodeon's latest on-air presentation from Nickelodeon UK's latest brand refresh ("Nickelodeon UK Refresh (2012)"):

Nickelodeon UK's brand new 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' "Victorious" bumpers, featuring the cast of the Nickelodeon series "Victorious":

Nickelodeon UK's brand new "Supah Ninjas" 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' channel bumpers, featuring the cast of the Nickelodeon action series "Supah Ninjas":

Nickelodeon UK's brand new "The Fairly OddParents" 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' channel bumpers, featuring the cast of the Nickelodeon original animated show ("NickToon") "The Fairly OddParents!", and also includes a brand new Nickelodeon UK ident that features Timmy Turner, Cosmo, Wanda and Poof singing the famous Nickelodeon 'Nick-Nick-Nick-Nick-N-Nick-Nick Nick' jingle while in a white version of Fairy World, and a brand new Nickelodeon UK ident where Timmy, Cosmo and Wanda turn into the Nickelodeon logo, and the brand new "The Fairly OddParents!" Nickelodeon channel bumpers where Timmy Turner, Cosmo, Wanda and Poof form a band and play rock star guitars:

Nickelodeon UK's brand new "SpongeBob SquarePants" 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' channel bumpers, which feature SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star and Gary The Snail from the original Nickelodeon animated show ("NickToon") "SpongeBob SquarePants", and also includes Nickelodeon's new "SpongeBob SquarePants" idents where SpongeBob SquarePants turns into the Nickelodeon logo, and where SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star are Jellyfishing in front of the Nickelodeon logo, trying to catch Nickelodeon-orange coloured Jellyfish:

Nickelodeon UK's brand new "iCarly" 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' channel bumpers, which feature Miranda Cosgrove (Carly Shay), Jennette McCurdy (Sam Puckett) and Nathan Kress (Freddie Benson) from the cast of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom "iCarly":

Nickelodeon UK's brand new "T.U.F.F. Puppy" 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' channel bumpers, which include Dudley Puppy chasing and catching a green Dog 'CHEW' bone, and Dudley Puppy turning himself into the shape of the Nickelodeon logo:

A second brand new 'Next' Nickelodeon UK channel bumper for the Nickelodeon show "Victorious":

Nickelodeon UK's brand new "The Penguins of Madagascar" 'Next', 'After The Break, and 'Now' channel bumpers, which include one where Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico morph into the shape of the Nickelodeon logo, and one where Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico dance with King Julien XIII before they all turn into the shape of the Nickelodeon 'Nick' logo, and a brand new "The Penguins of Madagascar" Nickelodeon ident which features the cast of "Penguins of Madagascar" standing in action poses:

Happy New Year From NickALive!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.001Z

NickALive! and Nickelodeon TV Media would like to wish everyone a very Orange Happy New Year! To celebrate and ring in 2012, NickALive! and Nickelodeon TV Media has a great Nickelodeon Fireworks display below starring a few great classic and present firework-themed Nickelodeon Idents (Station IDs)! Hope everyone enjoys them!

Classic Nickelodeon Fireworks Ident (also known as 'Classic Nickelodeon Space Ident') From 1984:

Nickelodeon's "90s Are All That" Remake Of The Classic Nickelodeon Fireworks Ident (also known as 'Classic Nickelodeon Space Ident') From 2011:

Nickelodeon Internationals ""SpongeBob SquarePants" "The Year Of The Sponge"" Fireworks Ident From 2009:

SPONGEBOB The Year Of The Sponge from Davide Tappero Merlo on Vimeo.

International ident for Spongebob's "year of the sponge - think happy" campaign 2009

Client: Nickelodeon

Director: Davide Tappero Merlo for Bonsaininja

Creative Poducer: Davide Tappero Merlo

Post Production: Bonsaininja

Sound Design: Carlos Zarattini / Jinglebell Communication

Agency: Milano Design Studio

Art Director: Fabio Ardemagni [Creative Director at Nickelodeon]

Producer: Eleonora Cremascoli [writer & producer for MTV Networks (Nickelodeon South Europe & Comedy Central)]

Report About Viacom's 2011 Earnings And Outlook For 2012

2011-12-30T20:17:00.002Z

From Deadline.com:

2011 Earnings: Media Stocks Beat The Dow

YEARENDER: Wall Streeters throughout 2011 became starry eyed when they talked about tech stocks. But they still had a soft spot in their hearts for traditional media companies all year long. Five of the seven companies in the Big Media group beat the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 6.1% increase (through December 29th) — four of them by a lot. And they weren't outliers: The Standard & Poor’s broadcasting index was +15.2% while the S&P movies and entertainment index was +10.2%. Many of the stocks were bolstered by the industry-wide improvement in ad sales. In addition, there was a general sense of relief — perhaps a pipe dream — that digital companies don’t yet pose a clear and present danger to the way traditional movie and TV companies do business. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Here’s how each of the Big Media companies fared in 2011, in order of how well the stock performed. Next to the company name is the percentage increase or decrease in the stock price this year as well as the price-earnings ratio (the stock price divided by the expected earnings per share) which is a rough measure to compare how cheap or expensive the stock is compared to its industry peers.

[...]

Viacom (Stock: +13.8%, PE: 12.7) Viacom’s shares probably would have closed the year much higher if it weren't for the startling, and still perplexing, recent decline in Nickelodeon’s ratings. The drop in its live plus same-day audience accelerated from -5.4% in 3Q to -15.7% in October and -18.1% in November. CEO Philippe Dauman called the Nick situation a “blip,” touted the channel’s new programming plans, and questioned Nielsen's measurements. He also announced in November an eye-popping increase in Viacom's share repurchase authorization to $10B from $4B. Investors still want proof that Nick and other Viacom networks aren't running out of gas. That said, they liked a lot of other things that they heard from the company in 2011 including its strong upfront ad sales and new digital syndication deals. Movie service Epix became profitable. Paramount also had a great year at the box office with releases including Transformers: Dark Side Of The Moon, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Viacom probably will have to settle for less in 2012 as the Marvel titles shift to Disney. EPS (FY ended in September) $3.78, +25.2%.

You can read the full article here on the official Deadline.com website.

Also, more from Deadline.com:

2011 Big Media: Recalling Moguls Lost Year

YEARENDER: We’ll probably remember 2011 as a lost year for Big Media. Tech companies continued their drive to harness the Web in ways that could topple existing infotainment businesses. But most traditional media execs just smiled and said that their industry has nothing to fear but fear itself. You’ll go blind looking for major new initiatives, with one exception: Dish Network’s Charlie Ergen bought airwave spectrum and took Blockbuster out of bankruptcy as part of a plan to create a national video streaming service. Other companies didn’t even try to cut transformative deals although Comcast had its hands full trying to fix NBCUniversal, which the cable giant formally took over in January.

[...]

Meanwhile the giants are grappling with unique concerns. For example: CBS may find it has nowhere to go but down following its recent success in ratings and ad sales. Comcast has the opposite problem at NBC; hits have eluded the network as its ratings continued to fall. Disney’s also struggling to boost ABC’s audience while its cash cow, ESPN, could face growing competition – including from Comcast, which hopes to turn its cable channel Versus into a sports power after January when it will be renamed NBC Sports Network. News Corp has to fend off investors calling for the company to ditch its declining newspapers, which include The Wall Street Journal. Time Warner has to prove that it can develop a film franchise strong enough to replace Harry Potter. And Viacom faces new questions about whether Nickelodeon can recover from its declining ratings, and Paramount can repeat this year’s strong performance at the box office with fewer releases to distribute from DreamWorks Animation and Marvel.

You can read the full article here on the official Deadline.com website.

Nickelodeon USA Gives Viewers A First Look Sneak Peek At Nickelodeon's Brand New Comedy Show "How to Rock"

2011-12-30T16:56:00.015Z

To celebrate "2012 On Nickelodeon", Nickelodeon's big plans for the new year, and Nickelodeon USA premiering Nickelodeon's latest brand new live-action comedy series "How to Rock" on Saturday February 4, 2012, Nickelodeon USA recently aired a exclusive "First Look At How to Rock" sneak peek special (streaming video below) which Nickelodeon North America aired as part of Nick USA's "The Best Week On TV" programming stunt, in which Nickelodeon unveiled to Nickelodeon viewers Nickelodeon's brand new sitcom "How to Rock", which included behind the scenes of "How to Rock" footage (including shots of a famous Nickelodeon Directors Chair, Nickelodeon Star Cymphonique Miller getting welcomed onto the "How To Rock" set on the Nickelodeon soundstage, and a famous Nickelodeon Green Room), how the cast of "How to Rock" are good friends on-screen and off-screen, that "How to Rock" will introduce "totally new music" and "hilarious characters", and an exclusive interview with Nickelodeon star and "How to Rock" lead actress Cymphonique Miller, who plays the lead character 'Kacey Simon' on Nickelodeon's "How to Rock", who talks about how funny her "How To Rock" co-stars Noah Crawford (Nelson) and Chris O'Neal (Kevin) are, the casts 'energy ritual', and what it's like to film and shoot "How to Rock" in front of a live studio audience.

How to Rock: First Look

What rocks about the new show How to Rock? Find out, when the cast dishes about the show behind-the-scenes! And don't miss the new series, How to Rock - This February!

Watch a Sneak Peek of the New Live-Action Series on Nickelodeon:How To Rock with Cymphonique Miller and the Cast.
Premieres February 4th on Nickelodeon!

Nickelodeon UK has yet to announce the premiere date for when Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, Nickelodeon HD UK, and Nick Replay UK will start to air the brand new Nickelodeon show "How To Rock".

Nickelodeon Asia's January 2012 Highlights

2011-12-29T20:43:00.003Z

According to the official Nickelodeon Asia websites, Nick-Asia.com, "TV Shows - What's New?" section here are Nickelodeon Asia's January 2012 highlights for "January 2012 on Nickelodeon Asia":

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (New Show!)

Monday 23rd January 2012 at 12.00pm (MY (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore), PH (Nickelodeon Philippines))

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness tells the continuing adventures of Po the Panda as he takes on many new responsibilities and face brand-new adversaries in his continuing education as the Dragon Warrior ... for being the Dragon Warrior is not a destination, it’s a journey (unfortunately for Po, that journey is uphill).

The Best Player (TV Movie, Premiere!)

Monday 2nd January 2012 at 12.00pm (MY (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore), PH (Nickelodeon Philippines))

In Best Player, Quincy is a thirty-something baggage handler by day and online video game master by night. Perfectly happy to live in a tricked-out basement in his parents' home, Quincy has dedicated his life to sell their house and move to Florida. His only chance to maintain his "perfect" life is to enter a tournament introducing a brand-new video game - Black Hole - and win the prize money to buy his parents' house. As the current multi-player champion, Quincy thinks it’s a done deal.. until he encounters "Prodigy", who threatens to annihilate him.

Spongebob Squarepants Special: Frozen Face-Off (New Episode)

Friday 13th January 2012 at 7.00pm (MY (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore)) 6.30pm (PH (Nickelodeon Philippines))

Bikini Bottom is buzzing with excitement as the town prepares for a sleigh race sponsored by an anonymous donor. But the gang’s dreams of winning the $1 million prize come to a screeching halt when they discover Plankton’s scheme to steal the Krabby Patty formula during the race.

Spongebob and his friends must work together to navigate through the icy tundra and past a menacing snow mollusk before Plankton gets his hands on Mr Krab's secret formula.

Grachi (New Show!)

Begins Monday 16th January 2012 at 5.30pm (Weekdays, PH only (Nickelodeon Philippines only))

Moving to a new town, making new friends, and fitting in at a new school is hard enough...

This is the adventure of Grachi, an adolescent who will discover her incredible magical powers, all while coping with school, boys and growing up, which will cause her many tangles... but none as the tangle when she discovers, for the first time, love... and understands that it is the true power.

Her rivalry with classmate Matilda for the affection of heart-throb Daniel sets the stage for a bewitching battle of spells that is sure to captivate viewers worldwide.

Dora's Birthday Adventures

Saturday 14th January 2012 @ 11.00am (MY (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore)))

It's Dora's birthday and you know what that means .. A fun filled party with all her friends. The only problem is Dora and Boots are stuck in storybook land!

Ni Hao Kai Lan : Kai Lan's Monkey King Adventure

Saturday 7th January 2012 @ 11.00am (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore))

Do you know who Kai-lan’s favorite superhero is? The Monkey King! He has amazing magical powers, and he can transform into all kinds of things. Today, Kai-lan, Rintoo, Tolee and Hoho are having a Monkey King PARTY at their playhouse.

TV Movies: Winx Club Specials

1. The Battle for Magix

Monday 23rd January 2012 @ 11.00am (MY (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore), PH (Nickelodeon Philippines))

After the Trix steal Bloom’s Dragon Power, the Winx set out to stop them from destroying the Magic Dimension. Daphne tells Bloom that in order to defeat the Trix, she must believe in herself and find her own Dragon Power within.

2. The Shadow Phoenix

Tuesday 24th January 2012 @ 11.00am (MY (Nickelodeon Malaysia), SG (Nickelodeon Singapore), PH (Nickelodeon Philippines))

Sophomore year begins at Alfea College, but with an orientation party!

Johnny Cupcakes Releases Video About The Making Of Their "A Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" Nickelodeon Clothing And Accessories Line

2011-12-29T20:03:00.005Z

To celebrate the release of the third and final wave of Johnny Cupcakes's "A Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" Nickelodeon clothing and accessories line, which feature characters from classic Nickelodeon animated shows from the 1990's, worldwide on Saturday 31st December 2011, Johnny Cupcakes have released this high quality high-definition exclusive video which charts and details the creative processes that made Nickelodeon's retro "A Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" clothing and accessories line possible, from the beginning to the actual 'episode' releases, and features interviews with Nickelodeon USA staff members and executives Rob LaQuinta (Creative Director of Product Design & Development at Nickelodeon), Thad Baltimore (Associate Art Director at Nickelodeon / MTV) and Suzy Lee Raia (Vice President (VP) Licensing and Apparel at Nickelodeon) who talk about what it was like to have the rare chance to work with Nickelodeon's classic properties from 10-20 years ago which were the "life force" of Nickelodeon, such as "Rugrats", "The Ren & Stimpy Show", "Rocko's Modern Life", "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters", "CatDog", and "Hey Arnold!" for Nickelodeon's 1990's programming block ("The '90s Are All That" on Nickelodeon's TeenNick channel), how all of Johnny Cupcakes's stores/shops are like bakery's and them being about insider knowledge, and how Nickelodeon wondered what the Nickelodeon brand would look using Johnny Cupcakes's famous design.

Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon | Conception to Completion from Johnny Cupcakes on Vimeo.

The third and final installment of the Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon collaboration is here and this video details the project from its conception to its completion and execution.

The third batch (also known as "Nickelodeon Episode 3") of Johnny Cupcakes' and Nickelodeon's "Johnny Cupcakes Nickelodeon Collaboration" clothing and accessories line, also known as "JCxNick", will be released worldwide at all of Johnny Cupcakes's stores and online on the official Johnny Cupcakes website, JohnnyCupcakes.com, on Saturday 31st December 2011.

Also, posted on the official Johnny Cupcakes Blog on the official Johnny Cupcakes website:

Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon | Conception to Completion

The third and final installment of the Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon collaboration is upon us and the video seen above details the project from its conception to its completion and execution. What was once a dream of mine—working with Nickelodeon turned into a goal, a working progress—& now a trophy of positive memories. This entire collaboration would not have been possible without the Johnny Cupcakes team, the Nickelodeon team, and all of you for continuing to support this brand. Without you, we wouldn't be able to keep successfully creating these fun projects and unique experiences.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to the folks over at Nickelodeon that made this all possible. Their guidance and support was invaluable throughout this entire project. The Johnny Cupcakes family did a fine job of executing everything from promotion to order fulfillment. I’d like to especially thank Lucas Dunn for keeping this project well planned and organized on the daily; our creative superhero Chris DeLorenzo for elevating this collaboration far beyond our midnight society campfire chats of trying to decide which cartoons to work with—to bringing these characters to life; and most of all, my loving parents for getting cable and allowing me to build forts in their living room. This lead to eating pounds of Dunkaroos while watching (and falling in love with) Nickelodeon. Thanks for the best childhood and adulthood ever—love you mom and dad!

We can all take a step back now and smile at what we were able to achieve with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Nickelodeon USA Unveils "Brand New Episodes Of House of Anubis" Billboard In New York Cities Times Square

2011-12-29T16:10:00.002Z

Nickelodeon Star and "House of Anubis" actress Jade Ramsey, who plays Patricia Williamson in the Nickelodeon series "House of Anubis", has posted a exclusive photograph on her official Twitter profile page (@Jade_Ramsey) of Nickelodeon USA's "Brand New Episodes Of "House of Anubis"" billboard which Nickelodeon USA have put up in the middle of New York City's famous Times Square (in New York City, New York, USA) above Foot Locker's Times Square, NYC, NY, USA store branch which is located at 1530 Broadway, Times Square, New York, NY, United States (which is directly opposite Nickelodeon USA's/Viacom's/MTV's New York offices and studios) to advertise that Nickelodeon USA will be premiering brand new episodes from the second season of the popular live-action Nickelodeon mystery series "House of Anubis" from Monday January 9th 2012 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)):

House of Anubis billboard in times square NYC! Ohhhhh Yeahhhhhhh! Not long til new series Jan 9th #notlongnow :) http://pic.twitter.com/7gEqnQ6C