Update (6/25) - The 7th Annual Reality TV Awards has announcedAre You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? as the best Game/Variety Show!
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, Double Dare and The Substitute with Jace Norman have each received a nomination in the Overall Kids Reality Series category.
Meanwhile, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and Double Dare have each earned a nomination in the Game/Variety Show category.
And social media superstar Liza Koshy has been nominated in the Host/Hostess category for her role as hostess of Nickelodeon's revived Double Dare series.
'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?' Wins Best Game Show Award
At the Reality Television Awards on June 24, Nickelodeon’s reimagined “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” won the Reality Television Award for Best Game/Variety Show.
The reimagined game show features Southlake student Colin Heintz, who nabbed a spot on the show last year. Competing as the only student from Texas, Colin’s favorite subject is social studies.
“It was strange and exciting to see myself competing on TV. We were on a swim trip in Florida when the first episode I was in aired. We were watching with my family, teammates and coaches,” Colin says. “It was really fun. We were only able to watch about half of the show until the storms got so bad they knocked the TV off the satellite. I was so happy to be reminded of what a fun time we all had on the show and see how happy everyone was when they watched it.”
Originally published: Thursday, May 07, 2020.Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!
Update (2/2) - A huge congratulations to Bret Calvert, Seth Harrington and Rosemarie DiSalvo, who won the "Quiz and Audience Participation" award at the 2020 Writers Guild Awards for their work on Nickelodeon's Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader revival!
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has announced the exciting news that writers Bret Calvert, Seth Harrington and Rosemarie DiSalvo have been nominated for the "Quiz and Audience Participation" award in the 2020 Writers Guild Awards for their work on Nickelodeon's Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader revival! The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio, and promotional categories.
Hosted by WWE superstar John Cena, who also serves as executive producer, Nickelodeon's reimagined iconic family game show follows the original premise of kids helping adult contestants put their knowledge to the test with questions taken directly from an elementary school curriculum.
Joining Cena this season is a rotating cast of 12 brainy fifth graders: Amira from Orlando, Fla.; Chloe from Queens, N.Y.; Colin from Dallas; Cooper from Porter Ranch, Calif.; Isabella from St. Cloud, Fla.; Jamir from Atlanta; Mia from New Orleans; Nick from Broomall, Pa.; Patrick from Lehigh Valley, Pa.; Quinne from Los Angeles; Saya from Peachtree City, Ga.; and Tristan from Aurora, Ill.
In an all-new format that places kids in the center of the action, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader contestants must revisit the classroom to answer six questions on a variety of subjects from the first through fourth grade, before moving on to the final round where they must race against the clock to answer five questions taken from the fifth grade. Each time the contestants answer questions correctly, their bank increases with a possible winning of $100,000. Newly-added elements to the show include an additional “cheat” option and new ways contestants can enlist the help of their grade-school classmates.
Nickelodeon's reimagined iconic family game show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Gradermade its debut on Nick in the U.S. on Monday, June 10, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT), where it became a instant ratings hit, with more than one million total viewers tuning in for its debut. The series also handily won the day with kids, ranking as the number-one program on cable with Kids 2-11 (2.3/540K, +21% vs prior 4 weeks) and Kids 6-11 (2.3/343K, +10%). Additionally, the broad appeal of the series landed the premiere in the top spot for co-viewing on ad-supported TV for the day, and posted double-digit year-over-year and prior 4 weeks gains with Adults 18-49 (+33%).
Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader is part of the programming strategy of new Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins for a content slate, which focuses on co-viewing among kids and parents. Also falling in that category are musical reality series America's Most Musical Family, All That, Nick’s new sketch-comedy series revival, and upcoming new British family game show The Crystal Maze, premiering Friday, January 24, at 7:00 p.m. on Nickelodeon USA.
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader is executive produced by Mark Burnett, Chairman of Worldwide Television, MGM (Survivor, The Voice) and Barry Poznick, President, Unscripted Television, MGM (Beat Shazam, The World's Best). Production of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader for Nickelodeon is overseen by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content.
Bret Calvert serves as Head Writer on the series, along with writers Seth Harrington, Rosemarie DiSalvo.
The Writers Guild of America will announce the winners of the coveted 72nd annual WGA Awards on Saturday, February 1st, at dual ceremonies to be held in Los Angeles and New York. A full list of 2020 Writers Guild Awards nominees can be found at https://awards.wga.org.
A huge congratulations and good luck to Bret Calvert, Seth Harrington, Rosemarie DiSalvo and Nickelodeon!
Brain expert Dr. Sweta Chakraborty puts her own mind to the test by answering questions and taking the final exam for her chance to win $100,000 in the season finale of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, "Behavioral Scientist", hosted by wrestling legend John Cena, premiering Sunday, November 3, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. on Nickelodeon as part of Cena Sunday, and to celebrate, Kidzworld has unveiled a super sneak-peek, which you can watch in the fantastic video clip below!
JOHN CENA TO GUEST STAR IN NICKELODEON’S THE SUBSTITUTE,
PREMIERING ON FRIDAY, OCT. 4, AT 7:00 P.M. (ET/PT)
Share it: @Nickelodeon #TheSubstitute
Nickelodeon is preparing tricks and treats with its hidden camera prank show The Substitute, this time with John Cena going undercover at the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills in Monrovia, CA. The debut episode airs on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
Using a full costume and prosthetics to hide his identity, Cena is transformed into three completely unrecognizable camp counselors, pranking campers as a quirky environmentalist, a fearful fire safety expert and a CPR instructor with an unusual best friend.
The series features stars who are transformed by a team of Hollywood special effects artists to go undercover as professionals in various fields, surprising unsuspecting kids in schools, camps and other locations. During the reveal at the end of the day, each organization receives a $25,000 donation.
Following the premiere of The Substitute, a new episode of the hit family game show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader will air at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, hosted and executive produced by Cena.
The premiere of The Substitute follows the strong performance of two specials that aired earlier this year, and has been picked up for a full 10-episode order. The Substitute’s first special debuted in April with guest star Jace Norman (Henry Danger), and the second special premiered in May, guest starring multitalented comedian Lilly Singh.
The Substitute is produced by Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corporation. Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Todd Hurvitz (Punk’d), serve as executive producers, with Hurvitz also serving as the showrunner. Jessica Brown, Nickelodeon’s Vice President of Current Series, also serves as an executive producer. Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader is executive produced by Mark Burnett, Chairman of Worldwide Television, MGM (Survivor, The Voice) and Barry Poznick, President, Unscripted Television, MGM (Beat Shazam,The World’s Best). Production of The Substitute and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader for Nickelodeon is overseen by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content.
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Update (10/13) - Following Nickelodeon accidentally including a fan-made The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie poster featuring characters from non-Nickelodeon properties, such as Winnie the Pooh, Nickelodeon has now corrected the blooper, and replaced the fan-made The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie poster with a official one:
The poster in the original edit of The Substitute with John Cena:
Should also be noted that as of writing this tweet, the Nickelodeon app still uses the original version of the episode. pic.twitter.com/uoOkIaabqs
John Cena Eats Trash Off the Ground in Nickelodeon Hidden-Camera Prank Show ‘The Substitute’ (Exclusive Video)
U Can’t (un)C This
John Cena was “slaughtering stale competition” in his WWE entrance theme “My Time Is Now.” And now, he’s eating stale sandwiches out of the garbage can.
Welcome to Nickelodeon’s hidden-camera prank show “The Substitute.”
In the wrestler-turned-actor’s episode, which serves as the series premiere, the former Doctor of Thuganomics plays tricks on and treats kids at the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills in Monrovia, Calif. He’s totally undercover the whole time.
Using a full costume and prosthetics to hide his identity, Cena is transformed into three completely unrecognizable camp counselors, pranking campers as a quirky environmentalist, a fearful fire safety expert and a CPR instructor with an unusual best friend.
TheWrap has your exclusive first look at Cena’s environmentalist character. Yeah, he gross.
Watch our sneak peek via the video above.
A pair of “Substitute” specials aired earlier this year. “Henry Danger” star Jace Norman was on the first, new NBC late (late) night host Lilly Singh did the second.
The 10-episode series features stars who are transformed by a team of Hollywood special effects artists to go undercover as professionals in various fields, surprising unsuspecting kids in schools, camps and other locations. During the reveal at the end of the day, each organization receives a $25,000 donation.
The Cena episode airs Friday, Oct. 4 at 7/6c on Nickelodeon.
A new episode of Cena’s family game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” will air immediately after his “Substitute” episode.
“The Substitute” is produced by Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corporation. Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Todd Hurvitz and Jessica Brown serve as executive producers. Hurvitz is showrunner.
Rob Bagshaw, Nick’s executive vice president of unscripted content, oversees production for the kids’ cable channel.
Originally published: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 at 18:27 BST.Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and The Substitute News and Highlights!
See John Cena With A Beard, Wig, Prosthetics And More In Makeover For ‘The Substitute’
John Cena, is that you?!
The WWE star is guest starring on Nickelodeon’s upcoming series, The Substitute and Access Hollywood has unveiled our first look in this sneak peek clip!
The star gets made over with a wig, prosthetics, a beer belly and a huge beard. He then goes on to prank some unsuspecting kids a the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills in Monrovia, Calif. who have hilarious reactions to his antics.
WRONG ANSWERS ONLY! 😆 Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader w/ John Cena | #KnowYourNick
John Cena is the right host for Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, but these answers are TOTALLY WRONG and 100% FUNNY! Which answer do YOU think is the MOST wrong? Let me know in the comments below! And catch more Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader on Nickelodeon!
WRONG ANSWERS ONLY: Where does SpongeBob SquarePants live? 🍍
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader's BIGGEST PRIZE EVER!
What would you do with $100,000? This was Nickelodeon's biggest prize EVERRR!!
Are You Smarter Than A… FIRST GRADER?? 🤓 Quiz Challenge w/ John Cena | #KnowYourNick
John Cena’s been slaying it as host of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader! Now he’s got all the best first grade questions for you to tackle! Start your school year with a test you are sure to ace! How did you do? Let me know in the comments below! And catch more Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader on Nickelodeon!
The Ultimate 5th Grader Challenge! 🍎 w/ All That Cast & GEM Sisters! | #KnowYourNick
Take the challenge of playing Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader along with Nathan Janak, Lex Lumpkin, Reece Caddell, Kate Godfrey, Gabrielle Green, GEM Sisters, Isaak Presley, Matte Martinez, Case Walker, and Emily Skinner! How many questions did you get right? Let me know in the comments below! Be more Nick!
Catch Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader on Nickelodeon!
❗THIS OR THAT❗ Would you rather FORGET YOUR HOMEWORK 📚 or SLIP IN THE CAFETERIA 🍕?
Originally published: Wednesday, September 04, 2019.Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon, All That and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader News and Highlights!
John Cena and Nickelodeon's Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader are back for new episodes on Friday evening, but you won’t have to wait until 7 o’clock to get a few chuckles over an adult struggling with basic math.
Not only is Alfred the assistant dean at Yale, he is a former Princeton professor. Both are Ivy League schools.
Here is Nick’s enjoyable logline for the “College Dean” episode:
In the episode, an Ivy League professor aims to prove his years of schooling haven’t gone to waste. But when his big brain starts to overthink, he considers cheating off a 5th grader!
Watch Alfred fret his way through a third-grad subtraction question via the sneak peek video below, unveiled by TheWrap.
School is back in session, and making the grade has never felt so good! Catch brand-new episodes of Nickelodeon's Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, hosted by WWE superstar John Cena, Fridays from 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT) starting Friday, September 6, 2019, only on Nick USA! For a list of all-new episodes of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader set to debut this September, visit http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2019/08/nickelodeon-usas-september-2019.html
Originally published: Wednesday, August 28, 2019.Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader News and Highlights!
Canada - YTV is set to launch Nickelodeon's reimagined iconic family game show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader on Friday 9th August 2019 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)! Hosted by John Cena, who also serves as executive producer, the new series follows the original premise of kids helping adult contestants put their knowledge to the test with questions taken directly from an elementary school curriculum.
Joining Cena this season is a rotating cast of 12 brainy fifth graders: Amira from Orlando, Fla.; Chloe from Queens, N.Y.; Colin from Dallas; Cooper from Porter Ranch, Calif.; Isabella from St. Cloud, Fla.; Jamir from Atlanta; Mia from New Orleans; Nick from Broomall, Pa.; Patrick from Lehigh Valley, Pa.; Quinne from Los Angeles; Saya from Peachtree City, Ga.; and Tristan from Aurora, Ill.
In an all-new format that places kids in the center of the action, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader contestants must revisit the classroom to answer six questions on a variety of subjects from the first through fourth grade, before moving on to the final round where they must race against the clock to answer five questions taken from the fifth grade. Each time the contestants answer questions correctly, their bank increases with a possible winning of $100,000. Newly-added elements to the show include an additional “cheat” option and new ways contestants can enlist the help of their grade-school classmates.
Nickelodeon's reimagined iconic family game show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Gradermade its debut on Nick in the U.S. on Monday, June 10, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT), where it became a instant ratings hit, with more than one million total viewers tuning in for its debut. The series also handily won the day with kids, ranking as the number-one program on cable with Kids 2-11 (2.3/540K, +21% vs prior 4 weeks) and Kids 6-11 (2.3/343K, +10%). Additionally, the broad appeal of the series landed the premiere in the top spot for co-viewing on ad-supported TV for the day, and posted double-digit year-over-year and prior 4 weeks gains with Adults 18-49 (+33%).
Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader is part of the programming strategy of new Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins for a content slate, which focuses on co-viewing among kids and parents. Also falling in that category are new British family game show The Crystal Maze, and All That, Nick’s new sketch-comedy series revival which also premiered in June on Nick USA, and is slated to debut on YTV this fall.
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader is executive produced by Mark Burnett, Chairman of Worldwide Television, MGM (Survivor, The Voice) and Barry Poznick, President, Unscripted Television, MGM (Beat Shazam, The World's Best). Production of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader for Nickelodeon is overseen by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content.
Online at YTV.com, viewers can find out more about Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader.
SNEAK PEEK, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grade | YTV
You can get a sneak peek of YTV's NEW SERIES "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" hosted by John Cena!
You can catch Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader this August! on YTV!
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader | NEW SERIES Fridays at 7pm E/P | On YTV!
John Cena wants to know ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER!? Get ready for the quiz show where kids help grown-ups make the grade.
You can catch the new series Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader Fridays at 7pm E/P on YTV!
YTV - Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Nickelodeon) Promo (2019)
YTV Promo (Summer 2019)
About MGM Television:
MGM Television is an award-winning, leading producer and global distributor of premium content for television and digital platforms, with distribution rights to original productions and a robust catalogue of television episodes and feature film titles including such premiere entertainment franchises as James Bond, Rocky, Stargate and The Hobbit trilogy. Current scripted and unscripted projects include Fargo (FX); Vikings (HISTORY); The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu); Get Shorty (EPIX); Condor (AT&T AUDIENCE Network); The Voice (NBC); Survivor (CBS); Shark Tank (ABC); TKO: Total Knock Out (CBS); The Contender (EPIX); Beat Shazam (FOX); and LUCA Underground (The El Rey Network); and through its distribution entity, Orion TV Productions, the syndicated daytime courtroom series Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court and Couples Court with The Cutlers. In addition, MGM owns Evolution Media, producers of The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vander pump Rules, and Botched (E!); and Big Fish Entertainment, producers of A&E’s Live PD, the Black Ink Crew franchise for VH1, Live PD Presents: Women on Patrol for Lifetime and Hustle & Soul for WE TV. MGM’s television programming regularly airs in more than 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
About Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon, now in its 40th 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 brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. 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 YTV
Celebrating over 25 years on the air, since its launch in 1988, YTV features high quality programming from entertaining live-action comedies and reality series for kids and their families, to night time drama for teens. With hosted dayparts such as the popular after-school block The Zone and weekend movies for the entire family in Big Fun Movies, there are plenty of entertaining options for viewers of all ages. For more information about YTV, please visit www.ytv.com.
Originally published: Wednesday, July 17, 2019.Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Canada and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader News and Highlights!
-- Delivered Strong Results Across Key Financial Metrics, with Year-over-Year Increase in Consolidated Revenues, as well as Reported and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
-- Returned Domestic Advertising Revenue to Growth, up 6% Year-over-Year, Driven by Continued Acceleration in Advanced Marketing Solutions
Achieved Tenth Straight Quarter of Year-over-Year Improvement in Paramount Adjusted Operating Income
-- Continued to Expand Pluto TV, with the Launch of 28 New Channels and Pluto TV Latino; Monthly Active Users Advanced to 18 Million in July
NEW YORK--Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30th, 2019.
Statement from Bob Bakish, President & CEO
“Viacom delivered another strong quarter, as our core businesses and investments in strategic priorities fuel our growth and evolution. Importantly, we returned Domestic Advertising Revenue to growth, which is a direct result of the strategy we have been executing for the last two years and the significant progress we have made in scaling Advanced Marketing Solutions. Paramount’s momentum also continues, keeping us on track to deliver full year profitability. As this quarter shows, Viacom’s brands are strong, our strategy is delivering, and our investments continue to position us well for the future.”
FILMED ENTERTAINMENT
Paramount delivered its tenth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted operating income improvement. Revenue growth was driven by strong licensing and home entertainment results.
-- Adjusted OI increased by $41 million YOY – nearly doubling from the prior year quarter.
-- Licensing revenue increased 29% driven by monetization of the library and growth in TV production.
-- Home entertainment revenue grew 35%, primarily benefiting from last quarter’s release of Bumblebee.
-- Theatrical revenue reflected the strong performance of Rocketman and Pet Sematary, which was more than offset by the performance of A Quiet Place in the prior year quarter.
Operational Highlights
-- Paramount benefited from the successful releases of Rocketman and Pet Sematary in the fiscal third quarter.
− Rocketman was a global success, generating over $185 million at the global box office.
− Pet Sematary drove over $110 million at the global box office.
-- Current quarter releases include:
− Crawl, which received great reviews and is performing well in theaters.
− Dora and the Lost City of Gold, a live action film based on Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer franchise, premieres in August, rekindling this beloved Nickelodeon franchise.
-- Paramount’s fiscal 2020 film slate is now at 16 films, and includes Gemini Man, Terminator: Dark Fate, and the sequel to Top Gun.
-- Paramount Television continues its momentum, with 26 shows ordered to or in production.
− Third season of 13 Reasons Why premiering on Netflix in the second half of 2019.
− New series ordered include Shantaram for Apple, Made for Love and Station Eleven for HBO Max, When the Street Lights Go On for Quibi and Sexy Beast for Paramount Network.
− Also producing The Angel of Darkness, the sequel series to the highly praised limited series The Alienist for TNT, as well as a second season of Boomerang for BET.
Viacom delivered strong results across key financial metrics.
MEDIA NETWORKS
Viacom Media Networks benefited from strong advertising performance, as domestic ad sales returned to growth.
-- Domestic advertising revenue rose 6% in the fiscal third quarter, driven by accelerating growth in Advanced Marketing Solutions (AMS).
-- Domestic affiliate revenue declined 1%.
− Performance driven by subscriber declines, partially offset by higher contractual rates and OTT and studio production revenues.
− From a timing perspective, certain revenue shifted from FQ3 to FQ4.
-- Viacom International Media Networks delivered strong constant currency results † :
− International advertising revenue increased 9% driven by strong growth in Argentina and the U.K.
− Affiliate revenue increased 8% benefitting from growth in linear, as well as SVOD and other OTT deliveries.
-- Adjusted OI declined 6% impacted by marketing for current and upcoming original programming launches, as well as investments in key growth initiatives.
Domestic advertising revenue rose 6% in the fiscal third quarter, driven by accelerating growth in Advanced Marketing Solutions (AMS).
Operational Highlights
-- Domestic Media networks continued to grow audience share as total portfolio share increased by 1% YOY.
− Comedy Central delivered its ninth consecutive quarter of share growth – up 6% YOY.
− Paramount Network earned its third straight quarter of share growth – up 11% YOY – and its largest P18-49 share gain in 5 years.
− Viacom owned more top 20 original cable series in the quarter than any other cable family among key demos.
-- Internationally, Telefe remained #1 in ratings for 19 straight months, while Channel 5, Comedy Central and Paramount Network International all grew share YOY in the quarter.
-- Studio production continued to expand worldwide with premieres of The Perfect Date and Trinkets on Netflix, and season 2 of Light as a Feather on Hulu in July.
-- In June, Viacom announced a joint venture with Tyler Perry to launch BET+, a premier subscription video-on-demand service focused on the African American audience.
-- Viacom Digital Studios extended its video consumption growth, placing 7th in Tubular’s Media & Entertainment ranking in June, up from 13th a year ago.
− Video views grew 17% YOY to 5.9B and watch time increased by 85% YOY with 9.6B minutes viewed.
- Viacom’s live events drew close to a million fans in the fiscal quarter, with attendance at BETX up, sold out shows at JoJo Siwa’s D.R.E.A.M Tour, Clusterfest, Slime City and several new Bellator events.
AMS continued to scale in the quarter, with revenue increasing 84% YOY.
SPOTLIGHT ON DOMESTIC AD SALES, UPFRONT AND PLUTO TV
Viacom’s return to growth in domestic advertising was a milestone achievement in the company’s evolution.
DOMESTIC AD SALES
-- The return to growth in domestic ad sales is the result of the strategy Viacom began executing two years ago to launch AMS and help offset secular industry declines.
− Organically, the company introduced Vantage, one of the most sophisticated ad targeting platforms in the industry, and built key advanced marketing partnerships with MVPDs.
− Viacom also made strategic acquisitions, including AwesomenessTV, WhoSay and Pluto TV.
-- As a result, AMS now engages customers across linear and digital video, influencer and shopper marketing, branded content and Pluto TV.
-- AMS continued to scale in the quarter, with revenue increasing 84% YOY, more than offsetting linear headwinds and fueling domestic ad sales growth.
UPFRONT
-- Viacom delivered strong Upfront results, with high-single to double-digit price increases – the highest rate of change in over a decade – and doubled agency commitments across its digital, social and advanced advertising portfolio.
-- The strength of Viacom’s brands and demand for its AMS portfolio, especially Pluto TV, drove significant shifts to Viacom’s premium digital video inventory.
Pluto TV’s leadership in free streaming TV continues to grow, with monthly active users (MAUs) up 50% this calendar year.
PLUTO TV
-- Pluto TV’s leadership in free streaming TV continues to grow, with monthly active users (MAUs) up 50% this calendar year.
− Pluto TV is now integrated on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and launching on Cox Communications’ Contour video and broadband platforms.
-- Pluto TV launched 28 new channels and continued to extend its international presence:
− In July, it launched Pluto TV Latino, a suite of 11 channels with 2,000-plus hours of programming in Spanish and Portuguese.
− Pluto TV was also added to UK on-demand platform My5.
BALANCE SHEET AND LIQUIDITY
-- Viacom continues to strengthen its balance sheet and improve free cash flow.
-- At June 30, 2019, gross debt outstanding was $8.96 billion. Adjusted gross debt was $8.31 billion.
-- For the nine months ended June 30, 2019, net cash provided by operating activities increased 11% to $1.1 billion.
-- For the nine months ended June 30, 2019, free cash flow increased 10% to $984 million, driven by an improvement in working capital management, partially offset by higher cash taxes.
Viacom 2019 Q3 Earnings Highlight Video
About Viacom
Viacom creates entertainment experiences that drive conversation and culture around the world. Through television, film, digital media, live events, merchandise and solutions, our brands connect with diverse, young and young at heart audiences in more than 180 countries.
For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Viacom may also use social media channels to communicate with its investors and the public about the company, its brands and other matters, and those communications could be deemed to be material information. Investors and others are encouraged to review posts on Viacom’s Twitter feed (twitter.com/viacom), Facebook page (facebook.com/viacom) and LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com/company/viacom).
This news release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations concerning future results, objectives, plans and goals, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and which may cause future results, performance or achievements to differ. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: technological developments, alternative content offerings and their effects in our markets and on consumer behavior; competition for content, audiences, advertising and distribution in a swiftly consolidating industry; the public acceptance of our brands, programs, films and other entertainment content on the various platforms on which they are distributed; the impact on our advertising revenues of declines in linear television viewing, deficiencies in audience measurement and advertising market conditions; the potential for loss of carriage or other reduction in the distribution of our content; evolving cybersecurity and similar risks; the failure, destruction or breach of our critical satellites or facilities; content theft; increased costs for programming, films and other rights; the loss of key talent; domestic and global political, economic and/or regulatory factors affecting our businesses generally; volatility in capital markets or a decrease in our debt ratings; a potential inability to realize the anticipated goals underlying our ongoing investments in new businesses, products, services and technologies; fluctuations in our results due to the timing, mix, number and availability of our films and other programming; potential conflicts of interest arising from our ownership structure with a controlling stockholder; and other factors described in our news releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document, and we do not have any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. If applicable, reconciliations for any non-GAAP financial information contained in this news release are included in this news release or available on our website at ir.viacom.com.
You can read Viacom's press release featuring the company's 3rd Quarter 2019 report in full, including tables of Viacom's statements and balance sheets, here on BusinessWire.com.
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During their Fiscal Third Quarter 2019 Earnings Call, Viacom revealed that:
-- After three months on-air, Ryan's Mystery Playdate has become the number-one show on TV for preschoolers! The show is #1 with K2-5 & Top 5 with K2-11, with 42% of show's viewers being new to Nick.
-- Viacom and Nickelodeon have been encouraged by the performances of Nick's All That and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader,both of which have been attracting new audiences to the network!
-- Nickelodeon will be debuting its latest ever slate of new content across its portfolio during Fall 2019!
-- Nickelodeon saw enormous success with the premiere of "SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout", SpongeBob SquarePants' 20th anniversary special in July 2019!
