Nickelodeon Star And "Supah Ninjas" Actress Gracie Dzienny Announces That Season Two Of "Supah Ninjas" Has Gone Into Production

According to a Tweet by Nickelodeon Star and "Supah Ninjas" actress Gracie Dzienny, who portrays 'Amanda McKay' on Nickelodeon's action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas", on her official Twitter profile page (@GracieDzienny), the production of the brand new episodes for the second season "Supah Ninjas" has begun, with the cast of "Supah Ninjas" attending a table read (also known as a 'read-through' or a 'table-read), a stage of the production process of a brand new episode of "Supah Ninjas" where the cast and crew of "Supah Ninjas" attend a organised reading around a table of a script for a brand new episode of "Supah Ninjas", which is read by the Nickelodeon actors and actresses with speaking parts in that brand new episode of "Supah Ninjas", on Wednesday 13th June 2012:

@GracieDzienny: First table read of season 2 went SUPAH today! Hehehehe :) so excited! #SupahNinjasSeason2 - Wednesday 13th June 2012.

are we allowed to come down to the set in Pittsburgh and watch or is the set closed?

@GracieDzienny: it's a closed set. - 13/6/2012.

Nickelodeon announced and confirmed that Nickelodeon has renewed the popular Nickelodeon action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas" for a second season as part of Nickelodeon's 2012-2013 season at Nickelodeon's 2012 annual upfront presentation, Nickelodeon Upfront 2012, where Nickelodeon USA plans to show more than 650 new episodes across every genre between 2012 and 2013.

The popular Nickelodeon series "Supah Ninjas" revolves around Mike Fukanaga (Ryan Potter), the Nickelodeon shows main protagonist, and his friends, Owen Reynolds (Carlos Knight) and Amanda McKay (Gracie Dzienny). After the death of his grandfather, Grandpa "Hologramps" Fukunaga (George Takei), Mike is given a mysterious letter which leads him to discover that he comes from a long line of ninjas. With Owen, and later Amanda, they are ushered into the world of crime-fighting, forming the team "Supah Ninjas." They are trained with a hologram of Mike's grandfather, whom Owen refers to as "Hologramps", to fight crime in Empire City.

Nickelodeon USA Experiences Ratings Drop For "SpongeBob SquarePants"

From the Wall Street Journal:

Viacom's SpongeBob Crisis

Overexposed or Netflixed? Ratings Sag for Long-Running Cartoon Hurts Network's Ad Sales

Ratings data show the driving force behind Nickelodeon's sharp audience declines in recent months has been SpongeBob SquarePants. John Jannarone on The News Hub explains how Nickelodeon is reacting.

After 13 years on the air, SpongeBob SquarePants, the cartoon about a talking sponge, is losing its hold on children. Ratings are down sharply for the cartoon, which accounted for as much as 40% of the network's airtime late last year. The shift is hurting both Nickelodeon and parent company Viacom.

Photo: Nickelodeon/Everett Collection.
Best known for getting laughs, Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" has become a wet blanket.

After 13 years on the air, the cartoon about a talking sponge is losing its hold on children. The average number of viewers aged 2 to 11 watching Spongebob at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Nielsen.

Getty Images / SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star in a scene from the first season.
And because "Spongebob" is the backbone of Nickelodeon—accounting for as much as 40% of the network's airtime late last year—it is dragging down the whole network. Nickelodeon's ratings fell 25% in the quarter, after a more-modest fall-off in the second half of last year.

Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Todd Juenger notes that "SpongeBob" could affect the ratings of other Nickelodeon programming because children often change channels to find their favorites program, then stay tuned in to that network.

'SpongeBob' Finally Sinks

Yanina Manolova/Associated Press / SpongeBob at the New York Stock Exchange in 2009
View SpongeBob SquarePants Slideshow

"SpongeBob" still averages two million viewers in the 2-11 age group during its top Saturday-morning showtime, according to Nielsen data provided by Nickelodeon. A Nickelodeon spokesman says "'SpongeBob' and the rest of our network were performing consistently well as it has for years until the sudden ratings decreases that we experienced in September. It remains the number one rated animated series in all of kids' television and there is nothing that we have seen that points to 'SpongeBob' as a problem."

Nickelodeon's recent ratings declines pose a serious challenge for parent company Viacom Inc. [VIAB] The channel accounts for about 15% of Viacom's operating profit, estimates RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank. The ratings slide it suffered in the December quarter contributed to a 3% dip in Viacom's ad revenue for that period. Analysts are watching closely to see the impact of the latest ratings declines on the March quarter, which Viacom reports on Thursday.

So what is turning kids off Spongebob? Partly it may simply be age. "SpongeBob" ranks among the longest-running cartoons to hold onto top ratings. "Rugrats," another Nickelodeon cartoon that aired in the 1990s and early 2000s, ended after running about as long as "SpongeBob" already has.

That shouldn't matter to a kids program, however, as the audience is constantly being refreshed. "Every year you've got a new crop of six-year-olds," says Mr. Bank. "That ought to work in their favor."

But the show may be suffering from overexposure. In recent years, Nickelodeon has expanded Spongebob's place on its schedule. For all of 2011, "SpongeBob" accounted for 31% of the network's programming, and even hit 40% toward the end up the year, according to Nielsen That's up from 23% in 2007.

Reruns traditionally have been seen as ideal for kids because, television executives say, children are often happy to watch the same programming over and over.

Paul Debenedittis, senior vice president of programming strategy at Disney Channels Worldwide, says his networks sometimes play their most successful shows more frequently, but only to a limit. "There's definitely a risk in relying on one or two shows to fuel your entire channel," he says.

Moreover, Viacom last year licensed the show and other Nickelodeon programs to Netflix, [NFLX] increasing its availability beyond the TV. While the shows became available on the site in May, Netflix introduced a "just for kids' section of its site in August using pictures to display program selections. The severe ratings declines began in September.

"This is pretty close to a smoking gun on SpongeBob getting worn out," says Mr. Juenger. He published a study last week showing that ratings for children's channels were lower in households with Netflix, even though those households are more likely to have children.

Another factor may be stricter parental attitudes. In September, the journal Pediatrics published a widely circulated study linking shows like "SpongeBob" to kids' poor performance on tests of skills such as following rules. And some parents say they don't let their kids watch the show. Ian Guarnieri of Maplewood, N.J., says he started letting his son watch the show when he was five years old, but quickly pulled the plug. "Once we started to watch it, we decided it wasn't something we wanted him to be watching. It's very low brow."

Nickelodeon decline to comment on criticism of "SpongeBob."

Nickelodeon recently has reduced its exposure to "SpongeBob." In the first quarter, the channel cut back on the number of episodes it aired by 16% compared with a year earlier. The network also aired far fewer episodes of "iCarly," another highly rated and long-running show.

It is also putting more effort into new shows. At its recent "upfront" presentation to showcase new shows, Nickelodeon announced the largest ever package of new programming, with 650 episodes over 2012 and 2013, including some "SpongeBob" episodes.

Also, from Investorplace.com:

Investors awaiting Viacom Inc.’s (NYSE:VIAB) earnings tomorrow and Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE:DIS) and News Corp’s (NASDAQ:NWSA) results next week shouldn’t breathe easy, however. New York-based Viacom has seen huge ratings declines at Nickelodeon and MTV, which for years have been reliable cash cows.

The declines have baffled many industry pundits. Expectations for the corporate home of SpongeBob SquarePants are muted. Revenue is expected to rise 2.2%, to $3.3 billion, in the first quarter and drop in the current quarter and fiscal year.

Also, from Contactmusic.com:

Are Nickelodeon Shows On Netflix Cannibalizing Its Own Ratings?

Analysts are divided over just how much harm the decision to make Nickelodeon programming available to Netflix has harmed the ratings of the kids cable channel. The issue came up at a panel discussion at The Cable Show in Boston on Monday when UBS cable analyst John Hodulik observed that Nickelodeon's ratings fall since it began selling programs to Netflix could be the catalyst to encourage other cable networks to stop selling programs to the streaming service. But, as reported by MultichannelNews.com, Deutsche Bank media analyst Doug Mitchelson observed that Viacom chief Philippe Dauman has acknowledged that Netflix viewing only represents about 2 percent of Nickelodeon's total viewership, while ratings for the channel have fallen 30 percent. "Nickelodeon has issues well beyond cannibalization from online," Mitchelson said.

22/05/2012

Nickelodeon Brings 2012 Upfront Presentation To Los Angeles, Announcing 650 Episodes Of New Content And Returning Hits

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PR Newswire:

Nickelodeon Brings Upfront Presentation to Los Angeles, Announcing 650 Episodes of New Content and Returning Hits

Nick's 2012-13 Programming Slate to Feature New Scott Baio Project for Nick at Nite, James Franco in Multi-Episode Arc on Hollywood Heights, Premiere of The Legend of Korra, Original TV Movies, a SpongeBob SquarePants Stop-Motion Christmas Special, a Raving Rabbids series, and a Development Project for Hit-maker Dan Schneider and iCarly star Jennette McCurdy

LA Presentation Highlighted by Music Performances from Big Time Rush, How to Rock's Cymphonique Miller and Gravity 5, and Rachel Crow; and Appearances by Scott Baio, Keke Palmer and Cast of Hollywood Heights

LOS ANGELES, March 27, 2012 /Nickelodeon Press Release via PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon brought its annual Upfront presentation to Los Angeles, where it announced the pickup of Scott Baio's Daddy's Home for Nick at Nite and the casting of James Franco for a multi-episode arc on Hollywood Heights, in addition to a robust 2012-13 programming slate detailed in its March 14 presentation in New York, including an unprecedented 650 new episodes of brand-new content and returning hits, including: the highly-anticipated animated series The Legend of Korra; a stop-motion SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas special; original primetime TV movies; an original animated series based on the Raving Rabbids video games; and new projects with UK pop sensation One Direction, iCarly/Victorious show creator Dan Schneider and iCarly star Jennette McCurdy.

Nickelodeon has ordered 20 episodes of Daddy's Home (working title), starring Scott Baio. Daddy's Home is a multi-camera half-hour comedy for Nick at Nite that follows David Hobbs (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 series comes from creators/executive producers Tina Albanese and Patrick Labyorteaux and is helmed by executive producers Nat Bernstein and Mitchel Katlin who will show run. Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey are also executive producing through their production company Bischoff Hervey Entertainment (BHE), along with Baio. The series begins production later this year in Los Angeles.

Actor James Franco will also be joining the cast of Hollywood Heights, a daily scripted series premiering on Nick at Nite this summer. Franco will star in a multi-episode arc, playing the role of Osborne "Oz" Silver - a passionate, intense eccentric movie mogul who lives life to the fullest, often outrageously. Funny, offbeat, seductive, ruthless when he has to be, Oz adores the moviemaking process and does whatever it takes to make the films he wants.

Held this morning at Avalon in Los Angeles, Nick's presentation featured special guest appearances and contributions from: Scott Baio; Keke Palmer; the cast of Hollywood Heights; and performances by Nick's own Big Time Rush, How to Rock's Cymphonique Miller and Gravity 5; and Nick's newest star, Rachel Crow of The X Factor fame, who capped the presentation with a performance of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You".

Details of Nickelodeon's new content slate include:

ANIMATION:

Nickelodeon, the top producer of television animation in the U.S., will roll out a new roster of over 300 new animated episodes in 2012 which includes:

*New episodes of returning hit series including SpongeBob SquarePants, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and The Winx Club.

* The Legend of Korra, in which the mythology of the beloved animated franchise from Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko continues. The series centers around a new Avatar named Korra, a 17-year-old headstrong and rebellious girl who continually challenges and bucks tradition on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar in a world where benders are under attack. The half-hour series will debut on Saturday, April 14, at 11:00 a.m. (all times ET/PT), as part of Nickelodeon's Saturday morning block (8AM-Noon), which has been the number-one destination for Kids 2-11 for 12 consecutive years and currently delivers more than three million total viewers each week. The Legend of Korra will air regularly on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

* Raving Rabbids, which will join the net's animation line-up in spring 2013, brings to television the hysterical physical comedy that has become so popular in Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids video games. Nickelodeon has secured global broadcast rights for 26 new CG episodes of Raving Rabbids, which will be produced by Ubisoft.

* Monsters vs. Aliens, the all-new animated television series marking the third partnership between Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation. Green-lit for 26 episodes and based on the popular characters from the 2009 blockbuster hit feature film ($383 million worldwide gross), the new series will continue to follow the funny escapades of the beloved, well-meaning monsters.

* Robot & Monster, which will also be hitting Nickelodeon's air for a 26-episode run for the 2012-2013 season. Created by Josh Sternin, Jeff Ventimilia and Dave Pressler, this CG-animated buddy comedy is set in a unique world where gangs of Howling Cyber Monkeys roam the streets at night, everybody loves bacon, and robots and monsters live side by side, but typically don't get along.

* It's A SpongeBob Christmas! - Nickelodeon's first full-length stop-motion animated special is inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town) specials, and the popular SpongeBob song released in 2009, "Don't Be a Jerk, It's Christmas," written by Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob) and Andy Paley. In "It's A SpongeBob Christmas!," Plankton vows to get his Christmas wish -- the Krabby Patty formula -- by turning everyone in Bikini Bottom bad by feeding them his special jerktonium-laced fruitcake. The special features John Goodman as Santa Claus, and will air in December 2012.

* Seven new animation pilots picked up for the 2012-2013 season, including four pilots helmed by hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, T.U.F.F. Puppy[, Danny Phantom]).

LIVE ACTION:

As part of the overall 650 new episodes the network is rolling out this year, Nickelodeon's live-action slate will include:

* More new episodes of hit live-action hit series -- iCarly, Victorious, Big Time Rush and Supah Ninjas.

* A 26-episode pick-up of Marvin, Marvin, an original new series starring Internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank (AKA Fred). Executive Produced by Jeff Bushell and The Collective, the half-hour comedy follows the exploits of Marvin, an alien teen, living with a human family, while trying to fit into life on Earth.

* The third installment of the hit Fred movies -- Fred Goes to Camp, as well as a pick-up of 28 additional 11-minute episodes of FRED: THE SHOW.

* A development project for UK pop sensation One Direction, who will next collaborate with Nick when they perform live at Nickelodeon's 2012 Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 31.

* Rags, a music-infused modern-day fairy tale debuting this spring. The two-hour original TV movie centers on Charlie Prince (Max Schneider), an orphan living with his acerbic and unloving stepfather and spoiled stepbrothers, whose dream of being a singer might come true once he meets pop star Kadee Worth (Keke Palmer). Rags is executive produced by Nick Cannon, directed by Billy Woodruff (Beauty Shop, Honey) and features original music by Rodney Jerkins and choreography by Rosero McCoy (America's Best Dance Crew).

* A Fairly Odd Christmas, a sequel to 2011's hit live-action TV movie, A Fairly OddMovie: Grow Up Timmy Turner, which will bow this holiday season. The original TV movie follows the exploits of Timmy Turner (Drake Bell), and his well meaning fairy godparents, as he tries to save Christmas, but first he's got to get himself off the naughty list.

* Figure it Out, a contemporary revival of the hit '90s family friendly game show. The show,which begins production in Los Angeles this April, will launch later this year with 40 brand-new episodes. Figure It Out features a panel of celebrities trying to guess kid contestants' unique talents and skills by asking 'yes' or 'no' questions while being bombarded by messy visual and tactile clues.

* Hollywood Heights (previously titled Reach for a Star), a daily scripted series based on the wildly popular Televisa telenovela, Alcanzar Una Estrella, will debut in primetime on Nick at Nite in June. The 80 one-hour episodes currently in production will star Brittany Underwood, Melissa Ordway, Cody Longo and Justin Wilczynski. Hollywood Heights is a co-production with Televisa and is being produced by Sony Television.

Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami also highlighted several live-action projects currently in development, including a pilot for Nick at Nite, Wendell & Vinnie, a comedy starring Jerry Trainor (iCarly) about a goofball uncle who becomes the guardian to his conservative 12-year-old genius nephew; a new Nickelodeon series from hit-maker Dan Schneider that will star Jennette McCurdy from iCarly; and a series starring The X Factor sensation Rachel Crow.

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 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit 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.

SOURCE Nickelodeon

RELATED LINKS
http://www.nick.com

Also, from Variety:

Nick at Nite greenlights Baio series

Cabler orders 20 episodes of 'Daddy's Home'

Nick at Nite has ordered 20 episodes of multicam comedy "Daddy's Home," starring Scott Baio.

Tina Albanese and Patrick Labyorteaux created and will exec produce the series with Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey and showrunners Nat Bernstein and Mitchel Katlin. Baio will play an ex-TV star who becomes a stay-at-home dad while his wife resumes her own onscreen career in soaps.

The announcement came at Nickelodeon's Los Angeles upfront, which mostly repeated its presentation in New York two weeks ago.

Nickelodeon also said that first lady Michelle Obama would make a presentation at Saturday's Kids' Choice Awards honoring the philanthropic efforts of Taylor Swift.

Nickelodeon Announces Plans To Make Season Two Of The Action-Comedy Series "Supah Ninjas"

As part of Nickelodeon's recent annual upfront presentation, Nickelodeon Upfront 2012, Nickelodeon announced and confirmed that Nickelodeon has renewed the popular Nickelodeon action-comedy series "Supah Ninjas" for a second season as part of Nickelodeon's 2012-2013 season where Nickelodeon USA plans to show more than 650 new episodes across every genre between 2012 and 2013. Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas" news has also been confirmed by Nickelodeon Star and actor Ryan Potter, who portrays the character 'Mike Fukunaga' on the hit live action Nickelodeon show "Supah Ninjas", in a Tweet on his official Twitter profile page (@RyankPotter):

Supahtweetahs! Season 2 IS happening! Haha! Don't worry! The ninjaness will continue.

The popular Nickelodeon series "Supah Ninjas" revolves around Mike Fukanaga (Ryan Potter), the Nickelodeon shows main protagonist, and his friends, Owen Reynolds (Carlos Knight) and Amanda McKay (Gracie Dzienny). After the death of his grandfather, Grandpa "Hologramps" Fukunaga (George Takei), Mike is given a mysterious letter which leads him to discover that he comes from a long line of ninjas. With Owen, and later Amanda, they are ushered into the world of crime-fighting, forming the team "Supah Ninjas." With the help of Mike's grandfather, whom Owen refers to as "Hologramps", they are trained to fight crime in Empire City.

Michael Bay Confirms That The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Will Be Aliens In The Revamp

From Stuff We Like:

Michael Bay Talks Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

If you aren’t aware the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming back to the big screen December 25, 2013 brought to you by team Bay. Michael Bay. One can only begin to imagine how action packed this is going to be. The film itself will be live-action. I enjoyed the TMNT flick but man did I wish that I was watching a live-action flick instead. Looks like I’ll be getting my wish. Yay for me.

The following video is Michael Bay talking at the 2012 Nickeloden Upfront on March 14, 2012 at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.


Michael Bay talks Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by stuffwelike

The evening also featured an exclusive look at a previsualization (3D storyboard) of Paramount Pictures’ highly anticipated live-action Ninja Turtles feature, presented by producer Michael Bay.

Also a new TMNT animated TV series is hitting Nickeloden in the Fall of this year.

Also, Digital Spy:

Michael Bay: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be aliens in revamp'

The comic book heroes are aliens in Transformers producer's live action revamp.

Michael Bay has revealed a new origin for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the upcoming film.

The producer has said that the characters will be aliens in the live-action revamp of the franchise.

"When you see this movie, kids are going to believe, one day, that these turtles actually do exist when we are done with this movie," Bay said in a video at Nickelodeon Upfront posted by Stuff We Like.

"These turtles are from an alien race and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable."

The reptilian heroes are famously known as pet turtles who mutated into anthropomorphic beings after being exposed to toxic waste in the sewers on New York City.

The franchise first launched as a black and white comic book in 1984. It achieved huge commercial success in the late '80s and early '90s, spawning several live-action films and cartoon series and a massive array of merchandise.

Director Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans) is expected to helm the Ninja Turtles reboot for Paramount Pictures.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be released in US theatres on December 25, 2013.

Watch a 1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie trailer [The theatrical trailer to the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie] below:

Examiner.com Discusses The Possibilities Of What UK-Irish Boy Band One Direction's Brand New Nickelodeon Show May Be

From Examiner.com:

One Direction's development deal with Nickelodeon: the inside scoop

EXCLUSIVE REPORT

I’ve learned some very important details about One Direction's development deal with Nickelodeon that may clear up some of the confusion about what project(s) One Direction will do with Nickelodeon.

I contacted the Nickelodeon publicists who announced Nickelodeon's development deal with One Direction to see if they had any comment on what I’ve learned, and the publicists had no comment.

As previously reported, One Direction’s announced collaborations with Nickelodeon are a guest-starring appearance on “iCarly”; hosting Nickelodeon programs on Saturday nights throughout March 2012; and performing on the 25th annual Kids' Choice awards on March 31, 2012.

One Direction came in third place on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010.

Now here is what has not been announced:

Sources tell me that although Nickelodeon is keen to sign up One Direction to star in a scripted series (such the type of show that Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush has), One Direction will not go down this route for several reasons.

Instead, One Direction and their handlers wisely signed a development deal with Nickelodeon to explore their options on what type of TV show will best suit One Direction and appeal to the group’s fans. (More details on those options are at the end of this article.)

But first, here are the main reasons why One Direction won’t be doing a scripted TV series on Nickelodeon:

Touring Issues

A lot is riding on One Direction’s upcoming 2012 world tour, which is expected to be massive. So far this year, One Direction has done concerts in the U.K., Ireland, the U.S. and Canada, and April 2012 dates in Australia and New Zealand have been announced. The group also wants to headline shows in the U.S. and Canada, as well as do concerts in countries where One Direction hasn’t toured yet. There simply isn’t enough time to do a scripted TV series when One Direction’s main work priorities in 2012 will be touring, as well as recording its second album, which is being planned for a 2013 release.

Credibility Issues

This should come as no surprise, but the members of One Direction and their representatives don't want to lose credibility with One Direction fans, because they knew that a lot of the fans would be resistant to the idea of One Direction becoming actors in a juvenile Nickelodeon series. There is already a Nickelodeon boy band that does a scripted series (Big Time Rush), and One Direction does not want to be compared to Big Time Rush, or be perceived as being the 21st century version of the Monkees. It's an issue of losing credibility not just with fans but with the music industry. Starring in a scripted Nickelodeon series is not the kind of thing that gets the respect of Grammy voters.

Control Issues

Quite simply, One Direction and their representatives don't want to give a lot of control over the band's image and profits to Nickelodeon. Much of One Direction’s 2012 world tour will be filmed, and there are negotiations involved in what rights Nickelodeon will have to air the footage versus what Sony Music (the parent company of Syco Music/Columbia Records, which is One Direction’s record company) wants for release on home video and on the Internet.

One Direction is also considering the possibility of doing a documentary film to be released in cinemas. (Sony Pictures Entertainment would release the film.) Many people think that a One Direction documentary film would be even bigger than “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” which was the highest-grossing documentary film of 2011. (The U.S. box-office revenue for “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” totaled $73 million, according to Box Office Mojo.)

There are also issues about One Direction merchandising and who gets what cut of the profits. Let’s put it this way: One Direction doesn’t want Nickelodeon’s logo all over things like One Direction T-shirts and calendars.

"Breakout Star" Issues

When One Direction guest starred on the Nickelodeon sitcom “iCarly,” the members of the group (Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan) got a taste of what Nickelodeon might do to them if they starred in a scripted TV series for Nickelodeon. One Direction play versions of themselves in the “iCarly” episode titled “iGot Jungle Worms” (premiere date to be announced), and the script writers decided to put the spotlight on Styles by making him a potential love interest for Carly (played by Miranda Cosgrove).

It’s already been well-documented that One Direction does not want anyone in the group to be considered the “leader” or the “lead singer.” (But the reality is that Styles is the One Direction member who gets most of the attention from fans.) The rumors are true: Certain people at Nickelodeon see Styles as the breakout star of the group, much like Justin Timberlake was with ‘N Sync. If One Direction had signed up to do a scripted series with Nickelodeon, the scripts would have leaned heavily in Styles’ favor — and that’s something that One Direction collectively does not want.

Nickelodeon has been overshadowed by rival Disney Channel in making international stars from its TV shows (For example, Disney Channel alumni Miley Cyrus and Hilary Duff are lot more famous than most past and present Nickelodeon stars.) So it’s not too surprising that Nickelodeon would want to create a scripted TV series for One Direction in order to latch on to what certain people at the network think is the next Justin Timberlake. This doesn’t fit into One Direction’s current plans though, and that is why One Direction is not doing a scripted series with Nickelodeon.

And on another level, when it comes to “breakout star” issues, One Direction did its first North American tour (from February 24 to March 9, 2102) as the opening act for Big Time Rush, but it was clear that One Direction was the main attraction on the tour. One Direction has no interest in being compared to Big Time Rush (and vice versa), which is another reason why One Direction won’t be starring in a scripted series on Nickelodeon.

However, that does not mean that Big Time Rush and One Direction will not work together again. Big Time Rush member Carlos Pena Jr. said in a Teen magazine interview that One Direction and Big Time Rush will be collaborating on a song and music video to be announced.

And now, here are the options being considered for what One Direction will do in a starring project for Nickelodeon:

Musical Variety Show

Nickelodeon could go for a "One Direction and guests" type of show concept, which would have One Direction and guests performing separately and/or together. This could be a one-off TV special or recurring miniseries of specials. This variety show would also have the type of comedy bits that One Direction loves to do in its video diaries.

Reality Series

Speaking of One Direction video diaries, I’m told that Nickelodeon has been impressed with the video diaries, which is one of the reasons why the network was hot to sign up One Direction to a TV deal. A proposed One Direction reality show might have comedy bits but the overall concept would be to have a non-fiction approach so fans can get an inside look at the band’s lives.

Any One Direction reality show would center on touring, since that’s what the band will be doing for most of 2012. The tone of the show would still need to be worked out (such how much would be “reality” and how much would be “comedy”), and nothing has been decided yet.

Documentary special

This may or may not happen since there are issues with Sony Pictures Entertainment being interested in a possible One Direction documentary to be released in cinemas.

Concert special

This would be slightly different than a documentary special, because it could just focus on one concert instead of an entire tour. It remains to be seen what kind of tie-in this would have with Sony’s home entertainment department, which is releasing the DVD “Up All Night – The Live Tour” in 2012.

Scripted TV-movie

This project is probably the least likely to happen. Although Tomlinson, Styles and Horan are the members of the group who are most comfortable with acting, Payne and Malik aren’t as comfortable with being actors. Big Time Rush already did “A Hard Day’s Night”-type of Nickelodeon movie with “Big Time Movie.” Again, One Direction wants to avoid comparisons to Big Time Rush.

One Direction and their handlers definitely pay attention to what fans have to say on the Internet, so it’s important to let the band know through Twitter, Facebook and on the official One Direction website what kind of Nickelodeon TV show the fans want One Direction to do the most. It really comes down to One Direction respecting the fans and giving them what they want without compromising what One Direction wants. The members of One Direction have said in many interviews that they want to stay true to who they are, so any Nickelodeon project that they do should be a reflection of those priorities.

Scenes From Nickelodeon's "Nickelodeon Upfront 2012" Presentation

From Blog.Viacom, the official blog of Viacom Inc., who is the parent company of the Nickelodeon brand:

Scenes from the Nickelodeon Upfront

With more than 650 new episodes across every genre in the pipeline, Nickelodeon was most definitely not lacking for variety in its annual upfront presentation Wednesday in New York.

Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami took the stage at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall to unveil a host of upcoming programming and projects across television and film, live-action and animation, on-air and digital – all part of the network’s master plan to cement its leadership with kids. In addition to announcing new episodes of hits SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly, VicTorious and other returning series, Nickelodeon treated the packed house to performances and sneak peeks at all-new shows.

Below is a photo tour of just a few of the highlights...

Big Time Rush opened the evening with a performance of “Music Sounds Better With U” before welcoming the crowd and recounting its whirlwind rise to massive popularity on Nickelodeon. “We've performed for over hundreds of thousands fans around the world, including opening for Justin Bieber in Mexico. And the other night, we played to a sold-out crowd at Radio City Music Hall for the first time,” said Rusher Carlos Pena, Jr. His bandmate Logan Henderson looked genuinely stunned to recall that Big Time Rush’s first live performance ever was only two years ago at the Nickelodeon Upfront. The group will embark on a 50-city U.S. tour of its own this summer. Big Time Rush also talked its Big Time Movie – a reimagining of The Beatles' Hard Day's Night – which pulled in 13 million total viewers over in its debut over the course of last weekend.

UK sensation One Direction followed touting a debut album, Up All Night, sitting atop the U.S. iTunes chart and generating tremendous buzz among the tween set (an MTV marketing exec we sat next to said t her 14-year-old daughter to tears at the band’s recent Radio City gig opening for Big Time Rush). Sort of The Stones to Big Time's Beatles (with apologies to Mick and Keith), One Direction recently appeared on an episode of iCarly and will perform at the upcoming Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 31st.

The telenovela format has borne fruit for Viacom networks across the globe – most notably in Latin America with Nickelodeon's Grachi and MTV's Niñas Mal – and Nickelodeon continues its expansion of the format in the U.S. with the upcoming Hollywood Heights, debuting on Nick at Nite in June. Nickelodeon introduced the cast (above) during the presentation, which includes Brittany Underwood, Melissa Ordway, Cody Anthony Logan and Justin Wilczynski. Also, awesomely, the show has signed James Franco for a four-episode arc.

After an earth-rattling sizzle reel of his greatest hits – from The Rock to Pearl Harbor to the Transformers trilogy – Michael Bay gave the crowd a first look at the previsualization – filmmaker speak for a 3D, digitally animated storyboard – for Ninja Turtles, Paramount Pictures’ live-action reinvention of the franchise set to hit theaters next year. “We want this film to have the impact of a Transformers one,” said Bay. If the stunning previs is any indication, Bay is making good progress against that lofty goal in his role as producer. Another tidbit he offered up is that the Turtles origin story has been updated, from the decidedly 80s radioactive waste accident to an alien planet. The “teenage mutant” remains intact, however, for the brand-new CG-animated TMNT series debuting on Nickelodeon this fall – good news for those of us who grew up in a time when the names Leonardo and Donatello were more closely associated with pizza and kung fu than art.

Nick Cannon, who counts Chairman of TeenNick among the many hats he wears, brought stars Keke Palmer and Max Schneider on stage to preview Rags, a modern-day, gender-reversed TV movie take on the Cinderella fairy tale. Cannon got nods of approval from the crowd when he invoked the Michael Jackson/Diana Ross musical The Wiz as his inspiration for the new project.

14-year-old Rachel Crow of X Factor fame closed the show with a G-rated version of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You." Nickelodeon is developing a show for Crow that will no doubt make good use of her preternatural pipes.

Tags:

Big Time Rush, Hollywood Heights, Keke Palmer, Max Schneider, Michael Bay, Nick Cannon, One Direction, Rags, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Upfront

You can find high resolution Nickelodeon photographs of the Nickelodeon images above on the original Blog.Viacom blog post here on Blog.Viacom.com.

Nickelodeon USA Confirms Plans To Premier The New Nickelodeon "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Series In Fall 2012

As part of Nickelodeon's recent annual upfront presentation, Nickelodeon Upfront 2012, Nickelodeon announced and confirmed that Nickelodeon USA will premiere Nickelodeon's brand new CGI-animated (animated using computer-generated imagery) "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television series during Fall 2012 (Autumn 2012) as part of Nickelodeon USA's 2012-2013 season. Nickelodeon's Upfront 2012 presentation also featured an exclusive look at a previsualization (3D storyboard) of Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount Pictures' highly anticipated live-action "Ninja Turtles" feature film, which was presented by producer Michael Bay. While speaking at the 2012 Nickelodeon Upfront on March 14, 2012, Michael Bay revealed that the new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie will be called "Ninja Turtles", and will be a reboot of the of the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" storyline, which will include the 'Ninja Turtles' no longer being mutants, but instead be members of an alien race. The brand new Nickelodeon Movie "Ninja Turtles" is expected to be released in movie theater's in the USA during December 2013/Christmas 2013:

The evening [Nickelodeon Upfront 2012] also featured an exclusive look at a previsualization (3D storyboard) of Paramount Pictures' highly anticipated live-action Ninja Turtles feature, presented by producer Michael Bay. The feature film will bow in 2013, following this year's fall TV premiere of the brand-new CG-animated TMNT series on Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon USA has still to confirm whether or not Nickelodeon USA will still be giving TMNT fans a sneak peek of Nickelodeon's brand new CGI-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television series on Saturday 31st March 2012, possibly just after Nickelodeon USA holds the "Nickelodeon 2012 Kids' Choice Awards" on the same night.

Video Of Nickelodeon USA's "The Legend of Korra" Release Trailer

Hot of the Nickelodeon News Press! Below is a high definition (HD) high quality (HQ) streaming video and transcript of Nickelodeon USA's brand new official "The Legend of Korra" trailer/promo which Nick USA used to unveil, showcase and promote at Nickelodeon's 2012 Upfront Presentation that Nickelodeon USA (Nickelodeon North America) will be premiering Nickelodeon's latest animated action adventure series "The Legend of Korra", which is based on and the sequel of the popular animated Nickelodeon show "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (also known as "Avatar: The Legend of Aang"), on Saturday 14th April 2012 at 11:00 a.m. (all times ET/PT). Nickelodeon's "The Legend of Korra" Release Trailer was designed and created by New York, USA based creative design studio "Perceptional Production":

The Legend of Korra - Release Trailer from perceptional production on Vimeo.

The Legend of Korra - Release Trailer

The action adventure series "The Last Airbender" is set to debut the latest chapter in the franchise "The Legend of Korra" on Nickelodeon April 14th. We were given the opportunity to create an epic feature film style trailer from scratch using our very own editorial, graphics, mix, and custom sound design services. Being fans of the series, we put a lot of love and attention into the fine details about what surprises are in store.

Event: Nickelodeon Upfront Presentation
Client: Nick Media Marketing Creative Group for Video Games & Corporate
Services: Editorial, Producer, Graphics, Design, Audio Mix, Sound Design
View more at: http://perceptionalnyc.com/#The-Legend-of-Korra-Trailer

From the creators of The Last Airbender comes the story of a new generation.

[Man #1: What makes you so sure that your daughter is "the one"?]

[Caption: A search for identity]

[Korra yells

Man #2: That was a two thousand year old historical treasure(!)

Korra: Whoops.]

[Woman: It's time for your generation to take over the responsibility of keeping peace [...] balance the world.]

[Caption: A story of friendship]

[Man #3: You're best friend is a Polar Bear Dog.]

[Korra whistles to call Naga]

[Man #3: Somehow, that makes perfect sense.]

[Caption: A Test Of Courage]

[Man #4: Who do you think you are?

Korra: Why don't you come and find out.]

[Caption: As Evil Stirs Once Again]

[Man #5: The era of bending is over.]

[Korra: [...], but it needs me to.]

[Man #6: I will destroy you.]

[Korra (tearfully): I've never felt like this before! I don't know what to do!]

[Man #7: It's okay, you're scared.]

[Caption: A New Hope Rises]

[Man #8: There's no place in the world for you anymore.]

[Korra: I wouldn't count us out just yet.]

Nickelodeon The Legend of Korra.

April 14

"The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra" will focus on Korra, a teenage female from the Southern Water Tribe and the current incarnation of the Avatar, who is "hotheaded, independent, and ready to take on the world". The series plans to follow Korra as she learns Airbending, having mastered the three other elements (Water, Earth, and Fire), while facing an anti-bender revolution. Korra will have to learn Airbending from master Tenzin, son and youngest child of Aang and Katara. Korra will also have an Animal Guide who is a Polar Bear Dog called Naga. "The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra" will also be set at least seventy years after the defeat of Phoenix King Ozai and Princess Azula in the original "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series. You can visit Nickelodeon USA's official websites' official "The Legend of Korra" page at Nick.com/shows/legend-of-korra.

According to this television news article on Digital Spy about the casts of "The X-Files" and "Married with Children" stars reuniting to celebrate Fox's 25th Anniversary, actor David Faustino, who played the character 'Bud Bundy' on "Married with Children", will be lending his voice to Nickelodeon's upcoming brand new original animated series The "Legend of Korra". According to the IMDb, he will be providing the voice of the character 'Mako' in a episode called 'A Leaf in the Wind'. David Faustino also provides the voice of the character 'Helia' in Nickelodeon's "Winx Club" animated series.

Nickelodeon Announces Development Project For The UK-Irish Boy Band One Direction

From Sugarscape:

One Direction's Nickelodeon TV project is confirmed

Nickelodeon tweeted the news. Some of the big details are yet to be revealed..

Yesterday we reported that there were rumours a One Direction television series was in the works and now, it has been confirmed via Nickelodeon’s Twitter.

Nickelodeon tweeted last night: ‘The rumors are true, our live-action slate does include a development project for @onedirection. Welcome to the family!’

We then had a read of Nickelodeon’s press statement about their year ahead and all the exciting the plans they have.

In the ‘Live Action’ section it said:

‘A development project for UK pop sensation One Direction, who will next collaborate with Nick when they perform live at Nickelodeon’s 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 31.’

At the moment, none of One Direction have tweeted anything about it, possibly so that they can wait and see what the directioners are thinking about it.

Sadly, if you’re dead against it all then you’ll just have to start getting used to the idea that you will be seeing One Direction on their very own Nickelodeon show sometime soon.

Also, from International Business Times:

One Direction: UK Boy-Band Getting Own Nickelodeon Show, But Are Fans Happy With The News?

The rumors are true! UK boy band One Direction are getting their own TV show on the Nickelodeon network.

Nickelodeon tweeted the confirmation on their official account: "The rumors are true, our live-action slate does include a development project for @onedirection. Welcome to the family!"

The group will announce their deal to have their own live action series at Nickelodeon's up fronts happening this week in New York.

Are fans happy with the news? It seems like fans may be slow to warm up to the idea. After Nickelodeon confirmed the deal, "#1PleaseDontGoToNick" began trending on Twitter.

One fan wrote: "I think Simon [Cowell] needs to get on this case, he signed the boys to become famous singers, not actors?"

Another fan said: "1thing I don't want to hear: "Hi, we are One Direction on Nickelodeon."

Some fans are opposing One Directions' choice of network.

"One Direction going on Nickelodeon ): They are gunna lose older fans and be known as some band on a kids show. They deserve more than this!" tweeted a user.

Details of the show are not yet available. One Direction joins U.S. boyband Big Time Rush on the Nickelodeon network.

One Direction features Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. The band rose to fame after the individual members were featured in the UK version of the singing competition 'X-Factor'.

Also, from Digital Spy:

One Direction to have own Nickelodeon show?

Nickelodeon has confirmed that a show featuring the members of One Direction is in the works.

The band have already signed up to perform at the Kids Choice Awards on March 31 and will appear in an episode of iCarly.

Nickelodeon has now posted on Twitter that the network is developing a show for the group.

"The rumours are true," the message reads. "Our live-action slate does include a development project for One Direction. Welcome to the family!"

One Direction have also signed up to perform on Saturday Night Live on April 7.

Katy Perry and Justin Bieber are among the stars who have recently congratulated the band on their success in the US.

> Justin Bieber, One Direction collaboration "very possible"

Watch One Direction perform 'What Makes You Beautiful' on Today [here on Digital Spy]

Also, from Zimbio:

TV Roundup: UK Boy Band One Direction Coming to Nickelodeon

(L-R) Musicians Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Harry Styles of One Direction attend the 2012 Nickelodeon Upfront presentation at Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 14, 2012 in New York City. (Getty Images)

If you haven't heard of British-Irish pop phenomenom One Direction yet, you soon will.

The boy band, which came in third on the UK version of The X Factor in 2010, has inked a deal with Nickelodeon to star in their own television series.

Tween fans are already very familiar with the floppy-haired quintet, made up of Louis Tomlinson, 20, Zayn Malik, 19, Harry Styles, 18, Niall Horan, 18, and Liam Payne, 18. One Direction recently toured with Nickelodeon boy band/TV stars, Big Time Rush, and they will be performing at the Kids' Choice Awards on March 31. Their debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful," peaked at #1 on the UK charts and their recently released debut album, Up All Night, looks poised to do them same.

"A year ago we would never have expected any of this stuff that's happening now," Harry Styles told People magazine recently. "We just want to keep working hard and making sure we keep on delivering the best we can and having fun and we'll see what happens."

Also, from People Magazine:

One Direction Is Heading to TV

Boy band import One Direction is taking over the music world, and now they're headed for American TV.

The group, which came in third on the U.K. edition of The X Factor in 2010 has inked a deal with Nickelodeon.

"The rumors are true, our live-action slate does include a development project for @onedirection. Welcome to the family!" the network tweeted last week.

The group, made up of Louis Tomlinson, 20; Zayn Malik, 19; Harry Styles, 18; Niall Horan, 18; and Liam Payne, 18, recently toured with Nickelodeon's boy band/TV stars, Big Time Rush, and will be performing at the Kids' Choice Awards on March 31.

"A year ago we would never have expected any of this stuff that's happening now," Styles tells PEOPLE. As for the future, he says, "We just want to keep working hard and making sure we keep on delivering the best we can and having fun and we'll see what happens."

We'll also be watching their album "Up All Night," which was released last week and could hit the No. 1 spot this week.

From Stereoboard.com:

One Direction To Star In Own TV Show

X-Factor boyband One Direction have confirmed the rumours that they were going to receive their own US television show, after their hugely successful American tour alongside Big Time Rush – who also boast their own program in the states.

The group toured with the all-American boygroup, who began their career on their Nickelodeon show of the same name, and impressed fans and critics alike – with one Canadian newspaper even suggesting that they’d outshined their US counterparts on their own headline tour. Now, it seems like they’ve impressed Nickelodeon too – who confirmed that the boys would be getting their own show via their official Twitter page.

The network wrote: “The rumours are true, our live-action slate does include a development project for @onedirection. Welcome to the family,” before an inevitable rush of One Direction fans began bombarding the page with questions regarding the potential show. One fan asked “Can you say whether it a show / documentary? Can't wait to see it, so excited right now,” to which they replied: “All we can say is development project, sorry.”

We’ll give you more on this story as it develops – for UK fans, though, you’ll be able to see the group onstage rather than on television as they tour the country in 2013. If you’re a fan, check the dates and details out below and grab yourself a pair of tickets.

One Direction UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:

Fri February 22nd 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Sat February 23rd 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Sun February 24th 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Tue February 26th 2013 - SECC, Glasgow
Wed February 27th 2013 - SECC, Glasgow
Fri March 1st 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Sat March 2nd 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Sun March 3rd 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Tue March 5th 2013 - O2 Dublin, Dublin
Wed March 6th 2013 - O2 Dublin, Dublin
Thu March 7th 2013 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Fri March 8th 2013 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Sun March 10th 2013 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Mon March 11th 2013 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Tue March 12th 2013 - O2 Dublin, Dublin
Wed March 13th 2013 - O2 Dublin, Dublin
Fri March 15th 2013 - MEN Arena Manchester, Manchester
Sat March 16th 2013 - MEN Arena Manchester, Manchester
Sun March 17th 2013 - Liverpool Echo Arena, Liverpool
Tue March 19th 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Wed March 20th 2013 - Capital FM Arena Nottingham, Nottingham
Fri March 22nd 2013 - LG Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
Sat March 23rd 2013 - LG Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
Sun March 31st 2013 - Liverpool Echo Arena, Liverpool
Mon April 1st 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Tue April 2nd 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Thu April 4th 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Fri April 5th 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Mon April 8th 2013 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tue April 9th 2013 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Wed April 10th 2013 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Fri April 12th 2013 - SECC, Glasgow
Sat April 13th 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Sun April 14th 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Wed April 17th 2013 - LG Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
Fri April 19th 2013 - MEN Arena Manchester, Manchester
Fri April 26th 2013 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield

Click Here to Compare & Buy One Direction Tickets at Stereoboard.com.

Also, from the Daily Mail:

The deal with Nickelodeon could prove to be lucrative for the lads as the show would be broadcast across the whole of America and would ultimately increase their exposure.

Also, from The Music Network:

One Direction get Nickelodeon show

‘The rumours are true, our live-action slate does include a development project for @onedirection. Welcome to the family!'

With this single tweet, Nickelodeon confirmed what countless One Direction fans hoped wasn't wishful thinking on their part, that the UK boy band have signed to the network to star in their own kids show.

Industrial Strength columnist Christie Eliezer points out that this week the act could make US chart history: if debut album Up All Night enters at #1 (which pundits are suggesting may very well happen), this will make them the first UK act in history to do so (The Beatles couldn't manage it).

Of course, with a wacky Nickelodeon Monkees-esque TV show to help add to their legion of fans, prepare for One Direction to storm America in a Spice Girls fashion. Plus, there's five of them.

An artist's rendition... (intro and theme tune to the animated original Nickelodeon show ("NickToon") "AAAHH!!! Real Monsters")

Also, from Kidscreen:

Boy band sensation 1D enters licensing fray

West Hollywood, California-based Global Merchandising Services has sewn up a number of licensing deals for boy band sensation 1D (One Direction).

The clear successor to the Biebs with tween girls, UK-based 1D has more than 4.7 million Facebook fans and 3.1 million Twitter followers and has become one of the breakout hits of 2012. It also has a global series in development with Nickelodeon.

New licensing partners include Accessory Innovations (bags/backpacks), Browntrout Publishers (calendars), First Act (musical instruments), Hasbro (master toy), I Star (plush, light up toys), Jazwares (electronics), LFUSA (sleepwear), Jay Franco (bedding) and Trends International (posters).

Products will begin to rollout at retail around the globe in the fall.

Tags: 1D, Global Merchandising Services, Hasbro, One Direction

Nickelodeon Unveils Plans For More Than 650 New Episodes Across Every Genre At Nickelodeon's 2012 Upfront Presentation

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PRNewswire:

Nickelodeon Unveils Plans at Annual Upfront for More than 650 New Episodes Across Every Genre

Announcements Include Premiere Date for Highly Anticipated The Legend of Korra; Original TV Movies; a SpongeBob SquarePants Stop-Motion Christmas Special; a Raving Rabbids series; and Development Projects for UK Pop Sensation One Direction, Hit-maker Dan Schneider and iCarly star Jennette McCurdy

Special Appearances During Presentation Made By Nick Cannon, Michael Bay, Keke Palmer, One Direction; With Performances by Big Time Rush, How to Rock's Cymphonique Miller and Gravity 5, and Rachel Crow

NEW YORK, March 14, 2012 /Nickelodeon Press Release via PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, at its annual upfront presentation held today at Jazz at Lincoln Center, unveiled plans for an unprecedented 650 new episodes—the top-ranked network's most ever—of both brand-new content and returning hits, as well announcing premiere details for the highly anticipated animated series The Legend of Korra; a stop-motion SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas special; original primetime TV movies; casting for the new Nick at Nite series Hollywood Heights (formerly Reach for a Star); an original animated series based on the Raving Rabbids video games; and new projects with UK pop sensation One Direction, iCarly/Victorious show creator Dan Schneider and iCarly star Jennette McCurdy.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120314/NY70412-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120314/NY70412-b)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120314/NY70412-c)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120314/NY70412-d)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120314/NY70412-e)

The presentation was punctuated with appearances by Nick Cannon, Keke Palmer, One Direction and musical performances by Nick's own Big Time Rush and How to Rock's Cymphonique Miller and Gravity 5, making their live-performance debut. Nick's newest star, Rachel Crow of The X Factor fame, capped the evening with a performance of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You." The evening also featured an exclusive look at a previsualization (3D storyboard) of Paramount Pictures' highly anticipated live-action Ninja Turtles feature, presented by producer Michael Bay. The feature film will bow in 2013, following this year's fall TV premiere of the brand-new CG-animated TMNT series on Nickelodeon.

"Kids have a ferocious appetite for new content and it is our intention to serve them more, innovative work than ever before," said Cyma Zarghami, President of Viacom's Nickelodeon Group. "We are tapping into new sources and proven hit-makers to maintain our position as the top entertainment brand for kids and families."

Details of Nickelodeon's new content slate include:

ANIMATION:

Nickelodeon, the top producer of television animation in the US, will roll out a new roster of over 300 new animated episodes in 2012 which includes:

* New episodes of returning hit series including SpongeBob SquarePants, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and The Winx Club.

* The Legend of Korra, in which the mythology of the beloved animated franchise from Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko continues. The series centers around a new Avatar named Korra, a 17-year-old headstrong and rebellious girl who continually challenges and bucks tradition on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar in a world where benders are under attack. The half-hour series will debut on Saturday, April 14, at 11:00 a.m. (all times ET/PT), as part of Nickelodeon's Saturday morning block (8AM-Noon), which has been the number-one destination for Kids 2-11 for 12 consecutive years and currently delivers more than three million total viewers each week. The Legend of Korra will air regularly on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

* Raving Rabbids, which will join the net's animation line-up in spring 2013, brings to television the hysterical physical comedy that has become so popular in Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids video games. Nickelodeon has secured global broadcast rights for 26 new CG episodes of Raving Rabbids, which will be produced by Ubisoft.

* Monsters vs. Aliens, the all-new animated television series marking the third partnership between Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation. Green-lit for 26 episodes and based on the popular characters from the 2009 blockbuster hit feature film ($383 million worldwide gross); the new series will continue to follow the funny escapades of the beloved, well-meaning monsters.

* Robot & Monster, which will also be hitting Nickelodeon's air for a 26-episode run for the 2012-2013 season. Created by Josh Sternin, Jeff Ventimilia and Dave Pressler, this CG-animated buddy comedy is set in a unique world where gangs of Howling Cyber Monkeys roam the streets at night, everybody loves bacon, and robots and monsters live side by side, but typically don't get along.

* It's A SpongeBob Christmas! - Nickelodeon's first full-length stop-motion animated special is inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass (Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town) specials, and the popular SpongeBob song released in 2009, "Don't Be a Jerk, It's Christmas," written by Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob) and Andy Paley. In "It's A SpongeBob Christmas!," Plankton vows to get his Christmas wish – the Krabby Patty formula – by turning everyone in Bikini Bottom bad by feeding them his special jerktonium-laced fruitcake. The special features John Goodman as Santa Claus, and will air in December 2012.

* Seven new animation pilots picked up for the 2012-2013 season, including four pilots helmed by hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, T.U.F.F. Puppy).

LIVE ACTION:

As part of the overall 650 new episodes the network is rolling out this year, Nickelodeon's live-action slate will include:

* More new episodes of hit live-action hit series -- iCarly, Victorious, Big Time Rush and Supah Ninjas.

* A 26-episode pick-up of Marvin, Marvin, an original new series starring internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank (AKA Fred). Executive Produced by Jeff Bushell and The Collective, the half-hour comedy follows the exploits of Marvin, an alien teen, living with a human family, while trying to fit into life on earth.

* The third installment of the hit Fred movies – Fred Goes to Camp, as well as a pick-up of 28 additional 11-minute episodes of FRED: THE SHOW.

* A development project for UK pop sensation One Direction, who will next collaborate with Nick when they perform live at Nickelodeon's 2012 Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 31.

* Rags, a music-infused modern-day fairy tale debuting this spring. The two-hour original TV movie centers on Charlie Prince (Max Schneider), an orphan living with his acerbic and unloving stepfather and spoiled stepbrothers, whose dream of being a singer might come true once he meets pop star Kadee Worth (KeKe Palmer). Rags is executive produced by Nick Cannon, directed by Billy Woodruff (Beauty Shop, Honey) and features original music by Rodney Jerkins and choreography by Rosero McCoy (America's Best Dance Crew),

* A Fairly Odd Christmas, a sequel to 2011's hit live-action TV movie, A Fairly OddMovie: Grow Up Timmy Turner, which will bow this holiday season. The original TV movie follows the exploits of Timmy Turner (Drake Bell), and his well meaning fairy godparents, as he tries to save Christmas, but first he's got to get himself off the naughty list.

* Figure it Out, a contemporary revival of the hit '90s family friendly game show. The show, which begins production in Los Angeles this April, will launch later this year with 40 brand-new episodes. Figure It Out features a panel of celebrities trying to guess kid contestants' unique talents and skills by asking 'yes' or 'no' questions while being bombarded by messy visual and tactile clues.

* Casting for the new Nick at Nite series Hollywood Heights (previously titled Reach for a Star), a daily scripted series based on the wildly popular Televisa telenovela, Alcanzar Una Estrella. The 80 one-hour episodes currently in production will star Brittany Underwood, Melissa Ordway, Cody Longo Anthony and Justin Wilczynski. Hollywood Heights is a co-production with Televisa and is being produced by Sony Television and will debut in primetime on Nick at Nite in June.

Nickelodeon President Zarghami also highlighted several live-action projects currently in development, including pilots for Nick at Nite with Scott Baio (Daddy's Home); Wendell & Vinnie, a comedy about a goofball uncle (Jerry Trainor from iCarly) who becomes the guardian to his conservative 12-year old genius nephew; and a new Nickelodeon series from hit-maker Dan Schneider that will star Jennette McCurdy from iCarly; and a series starring The X Factor sensation Rachel Crow.

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 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit 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

Streaming Nickelodeon Videos from the above Nickelodeon Press Release:

The Legend of Korra will debut on Saturday April 14 at 11:00 a.m. on Nickelodeon:

Rags, a music-infused modern-day fairy tale debuting this spring starring Keke Palmer!

Nickelodeon Images and Nickelodeon Photographs from the above Nickelodeon Press Release:

The Legend of Korra will debut on Saturday April 14 at 11:00 a.m. on Nickelodeon. (PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon)
Nickelodeon announces new series starring The X Factor sensation Rachel Crow. (PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon)
Rags a music-infused modern-day fairy tale debuts on Nickelodeon this spring starring Keke Palmer!UK pop sensation One Direction has been signed to a development project with Nickelodeon. (PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon)
Hollywood Heights is the new Nick at Nite series that will debut in primetime in June and star Brittany Underwood, Melissa Ordway, Cody Anthony Logan and Justin Wilczynski. (PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon)
SOURCE Nickelodeon

RELATED LINKS
http://www.nick.com

Also, from Multichannel News:

Upfronts 2012: Nick Rolls Out Expansive Development Slate

Kids Service Commits To More Than 650 New Episodes of Original Series

New York -- Vowing not to let recent ratings woes stop its programming creativity, Nickelodeon announced the development of more than 650 new episodes of original series as part of its upfront presentation here Wednesday.

Stating that the network is "in fantastic shape," president of Viacom Inc.-owned Nickelodeon Group Cyma Zarghami told advertising executives gathered at Jazz at Lincoln Center that the network has been the top-rated cable network for 17 straight years (on 24-hour basis) and the network is "not planning to give that up."

Pop group Big Time Rush Performs at Nickelodeon's upfront event.
The upfront featured performances by Cymphonique Miller and Gravity 5 (How to Rock), boy band Big Time Rush and former The X Factor competitor Rachel Crow.

"Brands with real equity survive and thrive in times of change," she said. "Our brand has a strong history and a lot to be proud of."

She also said the network's recent ratings slip, which has been on the decline since mid-September and has allowed competitor Disney to overtake the network in the key kids 6 to 11 and challenge Nick for supremacy among kids 2 to 11, will not affect the network's aggressive original programming push.

"We have no intention of letting a recent slip in Nickelodeon ratings slow down our creative momentum," Zarghami said.

Among the new programming developments for Nickelodeon on the animation side is the April 14 launch of animated series The Legend of Korra, a sequel to the network's popular Avatar: The Last Airbender. Other new projects include Raving Rabbids, based on the popular video game of the same name; Monsters vs. Aliens, based on the characters from the 2009 film; and Robot & Monster, a CG-animated buddy comedy.

The network will also develop new episodes of existing series T.U.F.F. Puppy, Kung Fu Panda, Legends of Awesomeness, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and The Winx Club. SpongeBob SquarePants will also receive a new batch of episodes as well as a full-length, stop-motion animated Christmas special, the network said.

On the live action front, the network has greenlit a 26-episode run of Marvin, Marvin, starring Lucas Cruikshank (Fred: The Show) as an alien teen living with a human family and trying to fit into life on earth. Cruikshank will also star in a third Fred movie -- Fred Goes to Camp -- as well as in additional episodes of Fred: The Show.

The network also has development projects for UK pop music group One Direction; iCarly stars Jennette McCurdy and Jerry Trainor; veteran actor Scott Baio; and The X Factor star Crow.

Nickelodeon will also develop original movies Rags, a musical rags-to-riches story starring KeKe Palmer and produced by Nick Cannon; and A Fairly Odd Christmas, a sequel to the 2011 live action TV movie based on the popular animated series.

Also, from Kidscreen:

Nickelodeon unveils 650 new eps

Despite lingering controversy over its fall ratings drop, it was best-foot forward at Nickelodeon’s annual upfront presentation in New York this afternoon. The overall leading US kidsnet announced its upcoming season, unveiling plans to air 650 new episodes of programming across all genres. Additionally, Nick greenlit three new animated series and three original live-action shows.

On the animation front, the planned 300 new eps of programming will include new seasons of returning series SpongeBob SquarePants, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and The Winx Club.

New to the net are: The Legend of Korra, a spin-off Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the series’ original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko return to tell the tale of a new headstrong female Avatar, Korra; a full 26 half-hours of Raving Rabbids, based on the popular video game from Ubisoft, which the gameco is also producing; DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters Vs. Aliens, based on the feature film that grossed US$383 million worldwide in 2009; and Robot & Monster, also set for 26 eps that tells the tale of two buddies that inhabit a world populated by roaming gangs of Howling Cyber Monkeys.

Nick has also picked up four unnamed animated pilots from master toon man Butch Hartman.

On the live-action front, expect new eps of current series iCarly, Victorious, Big Time Rush and Supah Ninjas to join the sked. In terms of new series, Nick’s picked up 26 eps of Marvin, Marvin, starring internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank (AKA Fred). Then there’s Rags, a music-based series centering around a modern-day fairytale, which will debut with a two-hour original movie. Finally, the net has signed a development deal with UK pop group One Direction,which is slated to perform live at Nickelodeon’s 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards on March 31.

Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami also highlighted live-action projects in development, including a new series from resident Nick hit-maker Dan Schneider that will star iCarly‘s Jennette McCurdy and a series starring The X Factor‘s Rachel Crow.

Tags: iCarly, Nickelodeon, Raving Rabbids, SpongeBob SquarePants, upfront

Also, from Examiner.com:

One Direction signs Nickelodeon deal; 1D and Rachel Crow at Nick upfront event

One Direction at the Nickelodeon upfront event in New York City on March 14, 2012. Pictured from left to right: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles Credit: Getty Images
"X Factor" alumni One Direction and Rachel Crow were among the stars who attended Nickelodeon's 2012 upfront advertising presentation on March 14 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. During the event, it was announced that One Direction has signed a development deal with Nickelodeon.

One Direction came in third place on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010. The members of One Direction are 18-year-old Harry Styles, 20-year-old Louis Tomlinson, 18-year-old Liam Payne, 19-year-old Zayn Malik, and 18-year-old Niall Horan.

Crow, who is 14 years old, came in fifth place on "The X Factor" U.S. in 2011.

One Direction and Crow are both signed to Syco Music/Columbia Records in the U.S. and Canada.

One Direction's debut album, "Up All Night," was released in the U.S. and Canada on March 13, 2012. It is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart when the chart rankings are announced on March 21, 2012. "Up All Night" has already been a Top 10 hit in several countries around the world.

Crow's debut album is due out in 2012 on a date to be announced.

As previously reported, One Direction had been rumored to star in its own Nickelodeon series. On March 6, 2012, One Direction did an an interview with radio station G105 in Durham, North Carolina. When asked about if One Direction would be starring in its own Nickelodeon series, One Direction's Styles replied, "We filmed an episode of 'iCarly,' and the guys were great. But at the moment, we just want to focus on the music thing and see what happens there."

One Direction's development deal with Nickelodeon may not be for a TV series but could be for a TV special or a documentary film.

As for Crow, she has signed a previously announced Nickelodeon deal that includes a recurring guest role on "Fred the Show" (her episodes begin airing in the spring of 2012) and a starring role in a musical TV series whose title and premiere date are to be announced.

One Direction did not perform at Nickelodeon's upfront event on March 14, but Crow did. She sang Cee Lo Green's "Forget You."

Big Time Rush, How to Rock's Cymphonique Miller and Gravity 5 also performed at the event, whose celebrity attendees included Nick Cannon and Keke Palmer.

One Direction's Horan commented on Twitter about meeting Crow for the first time at the event: "We just met @iamrachelcrow what a lovely girl, she's soo funny and bubbly, gona go a long way."

One Direction has several connections to Nickelodeon:

As previously reported, One Direction filmed a guest appearance on Nickelodeon sitcom "iCarly" in the episode titled "iGot Jungle Worms." The episode's premiere date is to be announced.

In addition, One Direction is set to perform "What Makes You Beautiful" on the 25th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 31, 2012. One Direction is also hosting Nickelodeon shows on Saturday nights in March 2012.

One Direction's first North American tour (from February 24 to March 9, 2012) was as the opening act for boy band Big Time Rush, which stars in its own self-titled series on Nickelodeon.

Crow is doing her first North American tour as the opening act for Big Time Rush in the summer of 2012.

On February 29, 2012, Crow was a special guest of Big Time Rush at the group's iHeartRadio Theater performance presented by P.C. Richard & Son in New York City.

Also, from C21Media:

Nick unveils record Upfront

A series pick-up for a new live-action series featuring internet teen star Lucas Cruikshank is among 650 new episodes US cablenet Nickelodeon unveiled at its Upfront presentation in New York.

Nick has been suffering on the ratings front in recent months and come under increased pressure from the Disney Channel but yesterday revealed its new slate comprises a record number of new and returning animated and live-action episodes for the 2012-13 season.

The channel has acted quickly to take comedy Marvin, Marvin (26x30’) to series following a pilot greenlight in January. The show is about the exploits of an alien teen living with a human family and trying to make sense of Earth.

It comes from Jon Ross (10 Things I Hate About You), and The Collective’s Evan Weiss, with Gary Binkow and Jeff Bushell exec producing.

Nick is already working with internet star Cruikshank on Fred: The Show, which began life as a YouTube series. The TV version has been given a third season.

Other news coming out of the event includes toon hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, T.U.F.F. Puppy) helming four of seven new toon pilots, and a development project for UK teen pop group One Direction.

New toons for the 2012-13 season include The Legend of Korra, which comes Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzo and shares the mythology of their Avatar: The Last Airbender. Korra is due to debut on April 14.

Other titles include Raving Rabbids, Monsters & Vs Aliens, and Robot & Monster. Nick is also readying It’s a SpongeBob Christamas!, which will be the channel’s first full-length stop-motion special, for December this year.

Returning toons include SpongeBob SquarePants, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and The Winx Club. On the live-action front, iCarly, Victorious, Big Time Rush and Supah Ninjas all get more episodes.

“We are tapping into new sources and proven hit-makers to maintain our position as the top entertainment brand for kids and families,” said Nick group president Cyma Zarghami.

Jesse Whittock
15-03-2012
©C21Media

GENRES: Children's

SHOWS: Figure it out, Hollywood Heights, It’s a SpongeBob Christmas, Marvin Marvin, Monsters Vs Aliens, Rags, Raving Rabbids, Robot & Monster, The Legend of Korra

Also, from Deadline.com:

Nickelodeon Unveils Plans 650 Hours Of New And Returning Programming

The kids and family-focused cable channel laid out an aggressive plan of original and returning series, movies and more today as part of its advertiser update in New York. Highlights include a new music-themed series, Rags, debuting this spring; a revival of the 1990s game show Figure It Out that will air later this year; an animated series — The Legend Of Korra — based on the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated franchise that debuts April 14 as part of the channel’s Saturday morning kids block; 26 episodes of the new CG-animated series Raving Rabbids, based on the video game of the same name; and, as revealed first by Deadline earlier today, the pickup of the 26-episode comedy series Marvin, Marvin, starring Internet celebrity Lucas Cruikshank (his Fred shorts are popular among kids).

The network also confirmed that Nickelodeon is developing a new series about Rachel Crow, one of the stars from the first season of The X Factor.

Also announced: Hollywood Heights (formerly known as Reach For The Stars), based on a Televisa telenovela format; a show in development for Brit Pop band One Direction, which gets to make some noise locally when it performs on Nick's Kids Choice Awards on March 31; and two new animated series, Monsters & Aliens, based on the DreamWorks Animation feature, and Robot & Monster. Nickelodeon also announced new episodes of such hits as iCarly, Big Time Rush and The Fairly Odd Parents, among others.

Also, from USA TODAY:

Disney gives Nickelodeon a run, sparks run on new series

The race for young viewers is tightening as Disney Channel challenges the once-dominant Nickelodeon as the top home for tyke TV.

That's forcing Nick to ramp up production of new shows in a bid to stave off Disney, which Friday also unveils its full-time Disney Junior preschool network to compete with Nick Jr.

Season to date, Disney Channel's ratings among children ages 2 to 11 inched up 1%, while Nick's plummeted 22%, and Nick leads by an average of just 31,000 viewers. But that margin has been halved since January, and Disney eclipsed Nick last year among the older half of that age group.

"We've been the No. 1 network for kids for the past 17 years, and we're not planning to give that up," Nick chief Cyma Zarghami told advertisers last week. "We have no intention of letting our recent ratings slip slow down our creative momentum."

Like Disney, Nick is plotting more music-fueled movies, and several networks plan more TV spinoffs from movie and video-game franchises, meant to grab kids' shortened attention spans.

President Gary Marsh says Disney Channel has been "girding ourselves for what might be the fallout" after top hits Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place ended their runs last year, adding several new shows that have been hits among its tween audience, including Shake It Up! and A.N.T. Farm.

"We only launch a handful of shows a year, each of us," he says, and "kids are much more media snackers; they want to sample" a variety of shows.

Here's a look at some of the kids' snacks on the way:

Nickelodeon

The struggling leader is refilling its programming pipeline, putting its money on Lucas Cruikshank, the Nebraska teen who gained YouTube fame with his Fred Figglehorn videos. In addition to more episodes of Fred: The Show and a third movie, Fred Goes to Camp, next January Marvin, Marvin will star Cruikshank as an alien living with a suburban family.

The channel also is prepping a new CGI take on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for fall, to be followed by a feature film; a revival of '90s game show Figure It Out; and spinoffs of video game Raving Rabbids in spring 2013 and DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens, also next year.

Coming this spring: movie musical Rags, a male spin on Cinderella; the 25th Kids' Choice Awards (March 31), hosted by Will Smith; and The Legend of Korra, a sequel to cult hit Avatar: The Last Airbender (April 14, Saturdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT). In summer, look for Hollywood Heights, a 16-week, 80-episode adaptation of a daily Mexican telenovela about a rock singer and his idolizing fan. And in development are projects featuring teen X Factor finalist Rachel Crow and U.K. pop group One Direction.

Disney Channel

New shows include Phineas & Ferb companion Gravity Falls (June), about twins who spend the summer with their great-uncle in a weird Oregon town; Wander Over Yonder, a sort-of-space Western from producer Craig McCracken (Dexter's Laboratory); and Code 9, a summer hidden-camera show in which kids prank parents. Three original movies are on tap: hip-hop-flavored Let It Shine (June 15), Shake It Up: Made in Japan (August) and Girl vs. Monster (October).

*Disney XD. This boy-targeted channel unveils a Marvel- programming block April 1 with Ultimate Spider-Man, and will add futuristic car cartoon Motorcity (April 30), movie spinoff Tron: Uprising and Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (fall).

*Disney Junior. This new 24-hour channel, launching in 30 million homes, includes Doc McStuffins, about a 6-year-old stuffed-animal healer, and will add Sofia the First, featuring Disney's first pint-sized princess, with a fall movie and winter 2013 series. The main Disney Channel will continue to air a Disney Junior preschool block.

Cartoon Network

The No. 3 children's network will give advertisers a first look next week at a new series based on the Annoying Orange, another YouTube phenomenon, due in summer or fall, along with a spinoff of DreamWorks movie How to Train Your Dragon, which was announced last year, and Omniverse, the latest edition in its long-running Ben 10 series.

PBS Kids

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, due this fall, marks the first sequel to the celebrated Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It will turn that show's puppets into the parents of a new generation of animated preschoolers, with an emphasis on music.

The Hub

This fledgling channel, a joint venture of Discovery and toymaker Hasbro, this summer will add Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot, on the American Greetings franchise's 30th anniversary, and Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, based on the trading-card game. Fall brings Littlest Pet Shop and Spooksville, based on the youth horror-novel series. Hedging its bets, on April 2 the Hub also begins airing a block of weeknight classic sitcom repeats, including Mork & Mindy and The Facts of Life.

Also, from Gamersyndrome:

Assassin’s Creed Movie Being Fast-Tracked

London, uk — October 22, 2012 — Today, Ubisoft® and New Regency announced that they are partnering on the forthcoming Assassin’s Creed® film.

Ubisoft Motion Pictures, the film and television division of Ubisoft, will develop the Assassin’s Creed film in close collaboration with New Regency. The development of a screenplay is beginning immediately and the project is being fast tracked as the creative pieces come together, while allowing Ubisoft to maintain control of key elements of the movie’s creative direction. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

“Ubisoft chose to partner with New Regency because they are a talent- and filmmaker-driven company, with the same independent and creative mindset that we have at Ubisoft Motion Pictures,” said Jean-Julien Baronnet, chief executive officer, Ubisoft Motion Pictures. “Bringing aboard New Regency’s renowned production and distribution expertise while maintaining our own creative and financial flexibility ensures that Assassin’s Creed will be a high-quality film that respects the lore and fans of the video game franchise.”

The partnership with New Regency comes hot on the heels of Ubisoft Motion Pictures attaching distinguished actor Michael Fassbender to the Assassin’s Creed film.

“We wanted to do everything we could to secure the rights to Assassin’s Creed, which Ubisoft has maintained with such care and quality over the years,” said Brad Weston, president and chief executive officer, New Regency. “Having just finished working with Michael on Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave (with Plan B) made the partnership even more irresistible.”

Ubisoft Motion Pictures was created in January 2011 to expand the audience of Ubisoft’s successful video game brands by bringing them to film, television and Web series.

In addition to the Assassin’s Creed movie, the studio also is in production on the Rabbids TV series, a collection of 78 seven-minute CGI episodes based on the insane, hilarious and silly stars of the video game franchise of the same name, in partnership with France Televisions and Nickelodeon. Ubisoft Motion Pictures also has two additional feature-length films in development based on the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon video game franchises.