Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2007 Winners Press Release

From NickKCApress.com:

Adam Sandler, Dakota Fanning, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Ben Stiller, Spongebob Squarepants, Harry Potter, American Idol, Happy Feet — AND MORE — Walk Off with Honors at Nickelodeon's Slime-soaked, Milestone 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards

Kids Cast Record-Breaking 40 Million Votes for Their Favorites in 16 Categories

Nickelodeon Breaks Slime Barrier, Soaks Eight Stars

Vince Vaughn Drenched in First Interactive Sliming; Justin Timberlake, Mandy Moore, Jackie Chan, Tobey Macguire, Chris Tucker, Steve Carell – and Hundreds of Kids – Get the Goo, Too

World Record Set in Jaw-Dropping Bungee Jumping Slime Stunt

Los Angeles, Calif. – March 31, 2007 – Adam Sandler, Dakota Fanning, Beyoncé, Queen Latifah, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, American Idol and Harry Potter are among those who nabbed coveted orange Blimps at Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, in a live telecast featuring the hottest stars of TV, movies, music and sports, Saturday, March 31 (8-9:50 p.m. ET/tape delay PT). Kids reigned and slime blanketed this year's star-studded, anything goes kudos/mess-fest at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, hosted for the first time by Justin Timberlake, who also clinched Favorite Singer. Unrelenting, super-sized slime-bursts made the day sublime, breaking the slime barrier and soaking stars – and hundreds of kids -- at the biggest, loudest, messiest spectacle in the show's history. To absorb all the fun, Nick treated kids to 20 magical minutes more.

Topping last year's record by over 13 million votes, more than 40 million kids cast votes March 5-31 in 16 categories to honor their favorites. And for the first time, voters could choose to use any of Nickelodeon's digital platforms including Nick.com, Nicktropolis and TurboNick or to text in their votes via cell phones.

Tally yielded Favorite Movie Actor for Adam Sandler (Click), who won that honor in 2003 and 2005 as well as a Wannabe Award in 2004; and Favorite Movie Actress for Dakota Fanning (Charlotte's Web). Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest seized treasured Favorite Movie award, while Happy Feet ran away with Favorite Animated Movie (Orlando Bloom and Nicole Kidman respectively accepted). Former Wannabe Award winner Queen Latifah (2005) clinched a Blimp as Favorite Voice in an Animated Movie (Ice Age: the Meltdown). SpongeBob SquarePants absorbed honors for the fifth consecutive year as Favorite Cartoon and also scored for Favorite Video Game (SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab). Top TV awards went to American Idol as Favorite Show and to last year's winner Drake Bell (Drake & Josh) and to Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) as Favorite Actor and Actress. Shaquille O'Neal netted his fourth Blimp for Favorite Athlete (1995, 1997 & 2000). In music, host Justin Timberlake triumphed as Favorite Male Singer, while Beyoncé nabbed Favorite Female Singer honors; her Irreplaceable won for Favorite Song and Black Eyed Peas got the nod for Favorite Group. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling notched Favorite Book honors.

An unprecedented triple-star slime-fest opened the show, with green goo thoroughly soaking Mandy Moore, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Before long, kids and stars alike joyfully weathered slime showers throughout the telecast. Tobey Maguire got down and messy, and craving a sliming, host Timberlake and Steve Carell turned green with glee.

Absorbing the spirit of Nick for the show's climactic barrier-breaking star sliming, Vince Vaughn also made history by reaping the rewards of the first-ever interactive sliming: Viewers voted on nick.com for a stunning, goo-gushing mode and sat back for the real-time spectacle.Their three choices: blowing out a section of the house with slime, hence dousing hundreds; having an elephant suck all the excess slime out of the house and blow it out his trunk; or activating a huge geyser under the stage. The latter won out and with it Vaughn joined a fraternity of venerated stars who have sloshed through KCA history including Jack Black, Robin Williams, Johnny Depp, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, James Earl Jones, Rosie O'Donnell, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller.

Wowing the crowd and setting a world record with a never-before-attempted slimy feat, daredevil stuntman Ron Jones bungee jumped from a height of 225 feet and plunged into a bucket of Nickelodeon's signature green slime 12-feet in diameter and five feet deep. Ryan Seacrest provided colorful commentary for this sixth World Record Slime Stunt.

In a show highlight, The Wannabe Award, an annual honor bestowed on a celebrity role model who kids most "want to be," was presented to Ben Stiller by last year's Kids' Choice Awards host, Jack Black.

The sixth annual burp contest resounded with a terrific new twist, as Kenan Thompson announced that two-time Burp Award winner Timberlake had a worthy opponent: all the kids in the audience! And the kids pumped up the volume to an all-time high. Past proud Burp Award winners include Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba and Steve Irwin (shared honor), Justin Timberlake (two-time winner) and Hugh Jackman.

The star-studded telecast featured celebrity participants including Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Orlando Bloom, Dakota Fanning, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Bindi Irwin, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba, Jamie Lynn Spears, George Lopez, Jon Heder, Chris Evans, Chris Tucker, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Tobey Maguire, Jackie Chan, Mandy Moore, Drake Bell, Emma Roberts, Jesse McCartney, Nelly, Ciara, Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Panettiere, Ice Cube, Masi Oka, Ty Pennington, Tyler James Williams, Rihanna, Devon Werkheiser, Lil' JJ, Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff, Chris Brown, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Ryan Sheckler.

Grammy Award-winning superstar Gwen Stefani ignited the kid crowd with the hit title song from her new album, "The Sweet Escape" also featuring popular singer-songwriter Akon. Grammy Award-winning rock-soul band Maroon 5 also rocked the house with their brand-new single "Makes Me Wonder" from their forthcoming album "It Won't Be Soon before Long," performing it for the first time live on TV.

TEENick's J. Boogie and Victoria Justice (Zoey 101) kicked off the night with a unique star-studded two-hour pre-show telecast, Countdown to the Kids' Choice Awards, featuring a musical performance by Drake Bell and Orange Carpet arrivals/interviews interlacing programming from 6 to 8 p.m. ET/PT. An episode of SpongeBob SquarePants capped the 9 p.m. hour at 9:50 p.m. The entire awards telecast will encore Sunday, April 1 at 1 p.m., and Kids Choice Awards: Best of the Mess, a 30-minute program of highlights, will air Tuesday, April 3 at 5 p.m.; Thursday, April 5 at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 7 at 12 p.m. and Sunday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m. (all times are ET/PT). Kids can also catch a half-hour version of the awards show on TurboNick, Nickelodeon's broadband video service on Nick.com, the week after the live event.

Following are Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards winners:

MOVIES:

Favorite Movie
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Favorite Female Movie Star
Dakota Fanning

Favorite Male Movie Star
Adam Sandler

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
Queen Latifah/Ice Age: The Meltdown

Favorite Animated Movie
Happy Feet

MUSIC:

Favorite Music Group
Black Eyed Peas

Favorite Female Singer
Beyoncé

Favorite Male Singer
Justin Timberlake

Favorite Song
Irreplaceable (Beyoncé)

TELEVISION:

Favorite TV Show
American Idol

Favorite Television Actress
Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana

Favorite Television Actor
Drake Bell/Drake & Josh

Favorite Cartoon
SpongeBob SquarePants

SPORTS:

Favorite Athlete
Shaquille O'Neal

OTHER CATEGORIES:

Favorite Video Game
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab

Favorite Book
Harry Potter (series)

Nicktropolis offered a brand-new virtual Kids' Choice Awards themed world where kids could stroll down the Orange Carpet, check out the KCA Control Room, sneak in Backstage, create their own Kids' Choice branded room and chat about the event in real time while watching the live TurboNick webcast together in viewing parties. TurboNick, Nickelodeon's broadband video service on Nick.com, served as the fully interactive home during the awards show, featuring a three-hour live Kids' Choice streaming event including coverage of the Orange Carpet, backstage, and the Kids' Choice Awards after-party, all hosted by ME:TV's Alexandra Gizela and Jordan Carlos.

Leading up to the award show, TurboNick featured a KCA playlist, along with various clips from past awards shows and promotions for the 20th Annual Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. Mini-site features of the KCA 2007 area in TurboNick included KCA clips, quizzes, games, and more.

Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards was produced by Nickelodeon Productions in association with Bob Bain Productions. Bob Bain and Marjorie Cohn are executive producers. Paula Kaplan is co-executive producer. Burger King, General Mills and Kia Motors are the presenting sponsors of Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, with Hasbro, Nestle, Skechers and Wal-Mart serving as associate sponsors. Media outlets can reference the most up-to-date information on Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards by logging onto www.NickKCApress.com.

Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards was seen in more than 205 million households across Nickelodeon's 34 channels in the UK, Europe, Russia, Israel, Asia, Australia, Latin America and Brazil, as well as the U.S.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, in its 28th 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, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

Maroon 5 to Perform Brand-New Single for First Time Live on TV at Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards

From NickKCApress.com:

Maroon 5 to Perform Brand-New Single for First Time Live on TV at Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, Joining Gwen Stefani on Musical Bill of Live Telecast, Saturday, March 31, 8-9:50 PM

Ryan Seacrest to Host World Record Slime Stunt

First-Ever Interactive Sliming Puts Gushing Mode in Kids' Hands, When Viewers Vote in Real-Time on How Secret Star Slimee Will Get the Goo

Los Angeles, Calif. – March 22, 2007 – Two-time Grammy Award-winning rock-soul band Maroon 5 will perform their brand-new single "Makes Me Wonder" for the first time live on TV, at Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, joining previously announced KCA superstar performer Gwen Stefani to rock this year's milestone telecast hosted by Justin Timberlake, Saturday, March 31 (8-9:50 p.m. ET/PT). The song is from the band's forthcoming (May 22) album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long." Stefani will ignite the kid crowd with the hit title song from her new album, "The Sweet Escape" also featuring popular singer-songwriter Akon.

Kids will rule and record-breaking slime will rain at the kudos/mess-fest, with Ryan Seacrest set to host the breathtaking, never-before-attempted World Record Slime Stunt featuring bungee jumping. And in the first-ever interactive sliming, Nickelodeon, the kid channel at the forefront of user-generated programming, will put goo-gushing in kids' hands by asking viewers to vote on nick.com for the drenching mode of this year's secret celebrity slimee and sit back for the awesome, real-time spectacle. The 2007 slime recipient will join the venerated list of stars who've sloshed through KCA history, including Jack Black, Robin Williams, Johnny Depp, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, James Earl Jones, Rosie O'Donnell, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller. Of course, glorious green slime-bursts will drench who knows whom throughout the show, breaking the slime barrier.

"We are thrilled that Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards has evolved into such a must-see Hollywood event that Maroon 5 would select our stage to perform their new single on TV live for the first time," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming, Nickelodeon and an Executive Producer for the award show. Cohn adds, "By extending the show by 20 more minutes, giving kids a real-time voice through our first interactive slime vote and with a slime-stunt 20-times more challenging, we're hoping to break the slime barrier this year!"

To mark the biggest, loudest, messiest, starriest spectacle in 20 years, Nick will treat kids to 20 additional, magical, messy minutes. The surprises, the slime, the stars, the music and the unabashed fun will just keep on coming. Then, at 9:50 p.m., the hour will be capped appropriately with an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards – the only awards show that gives kids the power to vote for their favorites in movies, television, music, sports and more – boasts a massive popular vote and sweeping audience participation. To date, an overwhelming, record-breaking 26 million already have cast votes in advance in a total of 16 categories – breaking last year's final record-breaking total. Voting began online March 5 on Nick.com, and a different category is featured on-air in ME:TV each week. In fact, for the first time, kids can vote on all available Nickelodeon digital platforms including Nick.com, Nicktropolis and TurboNick or text in their votes via cell phones. Surprise awards also will be announced during the show.

Grammy and two-time Burp Award winner/host Timberlake will set the stage for KCA traditions including the Wannabe Award, an honor bestowed on a celebrity role model who kids most "want to be." Past recipients (chronologically 2001-06) are: Tom Cruise, Janet Jackson, Will Smith, Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah and Chris Rock. The sixth annual burp contest will offer a terrific new twist, featuring kids and stars, and take the noise level to a new high. Past Burp Award winners include: Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba and Steve Irwin (shared honor), Justin Timberlake (two-time winner) and Hugh Jackman. And the World Record Slime Stunt hosted by Seacrest will astonish as never before. Last year, U.S. Olympic Freestyle Aerial Skier Ryan St. Onge set a World Record with a gravity-defying aerial skiing slime stunt off a snowy slope, plunging into 10,000 gallons of Nickelodeon's signature green slime.

Set to amp up the wattage this year are Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Dakota Fanning, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Bindi Irwin, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba, Jamie Lynn Spears, George Lopez, Jon Heder, Chris Evans, Drake Bell, Emma Roberts, Jesse McCartney, Nelly, Ciara, Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Panettiere, Ice Cube, Masi Oka, Ty Pennington, Tyler James Williams, Rihanna, Devon Werkheiser, Lil' JJ, Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff, Chris Brown, Tom Kenny and Ryan Sheckler.

Nickelodeon's "Slime across America," a 50-market interactive tour that brings the green goo directly to kids, one city at a time, kicked off at the Nick Hotel in Orlando on February 26 and continues – in an 18-wheel Slime Mobile driven by Pick Boy – to 20 slimy stops before arriving in LA for Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards. The tour features the Nick Live! Slime Edition stage show, a user-generated area where kids can create content to submit to Nick's new ME:TV interactive day-part (5-7 p.m. ET/PT), Nick stars and costumed characters, karaoke, auditions – and of course slimings! Various slimings are featured on Nick throughout March during ME:TV. (A schedule of tour stops may be found at www.nick.com/slime. Nickelodeon's GoCityKids website also will also offer tour info.)

In a unique star-studded pre-show telecast hosted by TEENick's J. Boogie and Victoria Justice (Zoey 101) and featuring a musical performance by Drake Bell, the Orange Carpet arrivals will interlace programming from 6 to 8 p.m. ET/PT. Celebrity interviewees will climb atop a unique stage – a.k.a. the "Slime across America" truck, conveniently parked next to the Orange Carpet.

Nicktropolis will offer a brand new virtual Kids' Choice Awards themed world where kids can stroll down the Orange Carpet, check out the KCA Control Room, sneak in Backstage, create their own Kids' Choice branded room and chat about the event in real time while watching the live TurboNick webcast together in viewing parties. TurboNick, Nickelodeon's broadband video service on Nick.com, will serve as the fully interactive home during the awards show, featuring a three-hour live Kids' Choice streaming event including coverage of the Orange Carpet, Backstage, and the Kids' Choice Awards after party, all hosted by ME:TV's Alexandra Gizela and Jordan Carlos.

Leading up to the award show, TurboNick will feature a Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards playlist, along with various clips from past awards shows and current promotions for the 20th Annual Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. Mini-site features of the KCA 2007 area in TurboNick will include KCA clips, quizzes, games, and more.

Nickelodeon's 7th Annual Kids' Choice Awards was the first to air internationally in 1994 on Nickelodeon's channel in the UK and now, more than a decade later, the US show is seen in more than 205 million households across Nickelodeon's 34 channels in the UK, Europe, Russia, Israel, Asia, Australia, Latin America and Brazil. Since premiering the first KCAs in the US in 1987, Nickelodeon has launched eight fully localized versions around the globe starting with Meus Premios Brasil in 2000 and Mis Premios Nick Mexico in 2003. Annual events now also take place in Sweden, Holland, Italy, China and Australia with additional shows to launch later this year.

Wal-Mart has signed on to become the first and exclusive KCA retail sponsor. The advertising and promotional agreement between Wal-Mart and Nickelodeon will be divided among several Nickelodeon platforms including Nickelodeon television, Nickelodeon Magazine and Nick online.

In stores, Wal-Mart will feature exclusive products and a designated Kids' Choice Awards display, and on-line kids can vote for their favorite DVD at www.nick.com/walmart. The official Kids' Choice Awards - Volume 3 CD was released on March 1 and will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart locations. The CD is a compilation of recent hit songs selected by kids from a who's who of popular artists.

Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards is being produced by Nickelodeon Productions in association with Bob Bain Productions. Bob Bain and Marjorie Cohn are executive producers. Paula Kaplan is co-executive producer. Media outlets can reference the most up-to-date information on Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards by logging onto www.NickKCApress.com.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, in its 28th 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, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

April On Nickelodeon UK And NickToons

From The Nick Insider #20, Nickelodeon UK's official newsletter:

Hi! Welcome to the Nick Insider, with all the latest news from Nick! Bet you thought we'd forgotten you, huh? No way - and we've got a ton of hot news for you too...

A SPLASH OF MAGIC!
EXCLUSIVE!
Meet Cleo, Ricki and Emma - ordinary girls with all the usual problems, and supernatural powers! Oh, and did we mention that they're mermaids? This smash hit show is coming your way in April, but we won't keep you waiting - catch a preview right now on TurboNick! Plus, check out our brand new H2O Website packed with everything you want to know about Nick's newest seafaring stars!
H2O: STARTS MONDAY APRIL 9TH ON NICK

SIT DOWN TO BROWN (AND PURPLE)
Let's face it, there aren't that many good things in life that are brown. And Purple isn't that much better, either. But Nick's very own plasticine performers Purple & Brown are ready to change all that, as we take time out to celebrate their award-winning adventures!
PURPLE & BROWN SPECIAL: SATURDAY 24TH & SUNDAY 25TH MARCH AT 9.30 ON NICK

If you haven't noticed yet, NickToons has got a brand new look! It's still the funniest channel in the whole history of the world ever, but now the bits between the programmes are even more better. See NickToons on Sky 606, Virgin 717, and if you've got some other kind of telly then it's probably on another number..
NICKTOONS: AND IT'S GOT A WEBSITE
AS WELL, WHICH IS EVER SO GOOD..

PHANTASTIC!
Danny Phantom is half kid, half ghost, and all action - and he's back with ALL NEW EPISODES in April, and a special feature-length episode where Danny visits the Phantom Planet!

EVERY DAY AT 5 ON NICKTOONS!

YUGIOHOHOH!
Great news for duel fans - we're bringing on brand new episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh GX in April on NickToons! With new monsters, new challenges, and new duellists, the action just keeps on coming!
BRAND NEW EPISODES: WEEKENDS
AT 10.30 & 4.30, ONLY ON NICKTOONS!

COMING NEXT MONTH.. EXCLUSIVE
If there's one question we get asked more than anything else, it's "When will there be new episodes of Zoey 101?" - well, today we're answering that question, and Nick Insider readers are the FIRST to know!

Zoey 101 is BACK with a brand new third series starting in APRIL, only on Nick! Watch for more details in the next edition of The Nick Insider, plus news of even more brand new shows and new episodes coming at ya!

THE BIG NICK HITLIST
We've hand-picked our funniest and favouritest highlights from schedule - here's your cut-out-and-keep guide to the best bits:

MARCH 28th, 3pm: Drake attempts the turkey-balancing record in The Amanda Show.

MARCH 31st, 6pm: Jack teaches Chris how to dance in The Complete Savages.

APRIL 2nd, 11.45 & 6.30: Your first sneak peek of our brand new series H2O!

APRIL 2nd, 10am: The premiere of Stuart Little kicks off a Nick Flicks week of big-screen movies!

APRIL 12th, 9am & 4pm: Eric accidentally punches Drake in a brand new episode of Drake & Josh!

APRIL 14th, 10am: Your first chance to see the USA Kids Choice Awards 2007!

APRIL 29th, 10AM: The Spring Break special kicks off a Zoey 101 marathon!

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" Co-Creators on Season 3 Finale

From SCI FI Wire:

Avatar To End With Battle

The creators of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender animated fantasy series told SCI FI Wire that the third set of episodes will end with an epic battle that will please the fans.

"The current Avatar story will culminate in an epic battle between Aang and the Fire Lord at the end of book three," co-creator Mike DiMartino said in an interview. "Book three is all mapped out, and much of it is written. We're excited about it, and we know the fans will be, too!"

All 20 episodes of the animated series' first season are available in a DVD box set, and the second volume, subtitled Earth—Volume 1, has just been released on DVD. The new set features commentary from the voice cast and DiMartino and co-creator Bryan Konietzko.

The story follows Aang, a 12-year-old powerful "Avatar," who wants to be a regular kid but is called upon to help fight the vicious Fire Nation. He is joined by Katara, a girl known as a Waterbender, and her stubborn brother, Sokka, as well as a flying lemur and flying bison.

The creators intended Avatar to be both whimsical and edgy. "Bryan and I wanted to create a show that had a lot of heart and integrity, and we wanted to create a show that we would like to watch," DiMartino said. "Like Aang trying to balance the four elements, we try to balance comedy, action, drama and spirituality in every episode so there is something for everyone. Also, there is a message of balance that is pervasive throughout the series: characters trying to balance their lives."

DiMartino said that he and Konietzko love "serious and dramatic stories and believe you can do that without shocking violence." For example, the episode "Lake Laogai" deals with the nefarious Long Feng, who brainwashes Jet and eventually kills him—not the usual stuff of children's shows. Such dark moments are "written and directed in a very tasteful and dramatic way, where it's clear what's going on without having to show gratuitous violence," DiMartino said. "And we are always careful to balance the serious moments with humorous ones."

Purple and Brown Coming To Mobile Phones

From Player X:

Player X and Aardman Animations team up on mobile video

March 19th 2007

Academy Award®-winning company Aardman Animations has appointed Player X as its exclusive distributor for its premium mobile video content in North America.

Player X will launch Aardman classic content such as Wallace & Gromit, Angry Kid and Creature Comforts on two of the US’s major carrier networks with other deals expected to follow.

Player X already exclusively distributes Aardman mobile video across Scandinavia and on O2 UK. Later this month the company will launch a dedicated Aardman channel on the O2 UK deck as part of its ongoing promotions, as well as distribute upcoming original made-for-mobile content such as Purple and Brown and Shaun The Sheep. Aardman’s deals with Player X have all been brokered by Aardman’s global mobile agent, Crucible Media.

“Aardman has a strong portfolio of digital content, many of our films are among the top-rated mobile downloads in the UK and we are looking forward to working with Player X to reach North American audiences,” said Robin Gladman, Digital Content Manager at Aardman.

To underscore the strong relationship between the two companies, Player X is also sponsoring an Aardman short film competition. When the winner is announced later this quarter, Player X will extend full marketing support for the exclusive global rights of the winning entry.

“We already enjoy a very productive and innovative relationship with Aardman and it’s a natural progression to extend this relationship across the Atlantic. Millions of people have seen Aardman content such as Angry Kid online and we’re delighted to be taking this content to mobile,” said Tony Pearce, Player X CEO.

The announcement follows Player X's continuing impact in the emerging mobile video market. In December last year the company launched its mobile TV channel geekTV with UK operator 3 UK, and has recently sold the channel in territories as disparate as India, Chile and Scandinavia.

For more information, please contact monty.munford@playerx.com or +44 (0) 7970 673695 or go to www.playerx.com

Notes to Editors
About Player X

Player X is a mobile media company that specialises in games, video and TV. It develops, publishes and distributes mobile entertainment content through global operators, portals and handset manufacturers.

Player X has direct deals with more than 100 global operators and a potential audience of more than two billion people. The company operates in all five continents across the world and has offices in all the key territories in Europe, Asia and the Americas.