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Nickelodeon (TV channel)
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Nickelodeon (TV channel)

Nickelodeon, Nick for short, is the name of an American cable TV network well known for its children's programming. It is also the first cable channel which shows children's and youth programming in the world. Nickelodeon went on the air in 1979 as Pinwheel (renamed to "Nickelodeon" in 1981) and thoughout its lifetime has produced innovative programming, such as Pinwheel, You Can't Do That on Television, Double Dare, Clarissa Explains It All, Rugrats, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Fairly Oddparents. Starting with You Can't Do That On Television, Nickelodeon also became known for its famous variation of synthetic green slime which has since been used in a variety of shows on the network, most obviously in Nick's Slime Time program.

Nickelodeon, owned by Viacom, has also spun off the following cable networks: Nick Too, Nick Games and Sports (Nick GAS), NickToons, and Noggin/The N (originally a joint venture with Sesame Workshop). They also operate language- or culture-specific Nickelodeon channels for various markets in different parts of the world, and have licensed translated versions of some of their cartoons and other content to TV and cable stations (such as Kinderkanal of Germany, YTV (Youth TV) of Canada (with the exception of some parts of Nunavut), Canal J of France, and Alpha Kids from Greece) in areas not directly served by Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon began producing original animated shows, known as Nicktoons, in 1991. The original three Nicktoons created were Doug, Rugrats, and Ren and Stimpy, all released that year.

Each year in April, the Kids Choice Awards is held. It features awards given to casts, and so on. As the title suggests, the winners are chosen by kids.

Nick produces a website, nick.com, and a periodical, Nick Magazine. The current magazine launched in 1993, following a short-lived effort from 1990. It contains informative non-fiction pieces, humor, and monthly crosswords.

In the US, Nick daily airs its Nick at Nite programming block from prime time to early morning. It features various Paramount Pictures- and Viacom-owned programs from the 1980s and '90s such as The Cosby Show, Roseanne, and Cheers. Nick at Nite later launched TV Land in 1996; it currently airs a variety of shows, primarly sitcoms, from the 1950s to the present. Nick at Nite also introduced Fatherhood, a show based on the book by Bill Cosby.

List of countries with the Nickelodeon channel

See also: List of Nickelodeon Shows.

External links