Nickelodeon Upfront 2015 - Live Updates

* SpongeBob SquarePants has a new Broadway musical coming out!;

* Nickelodeon unveils "Mutt & Stuff";

* Marty Kroft ("Pufn'stuff", "Land of the Lost") is developing a brand-new show for Nickelodeon;

* Dan Schneider has a brand-new Nickelodeon show coming up about two teenage girls that create their own gaming empire!;

* Nickelodeon is working with the NFL, NBA, MLS, NHL, & NASCAR to create more awesome sports content for NickSports!;

* Echosmith performs at Nickelodeon Upfront 2015;

* Nickelodeon is planning to air more than 600 episodes of new series and returning hits during the 2015-2016 season!;

* Nickelodeon and Paramount's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie nearly made half a billion dollars in 2014!;

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Nickelodeon Unveils New Preschool Subscription Video-On-Demand Service "Noggin"

Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids and families, today announced that they are relaunching their Noggin brand as a brand-new streaming video subscription service aimed at preschoolers, handing consumers another way to get high-quality video without the need for cable or satellite!

The service, unveiled at the networks annual upfront pitch, Nickelodeon Upfront, to ad buyers, will cost $5.99 per month and will be available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch starting Thursday 5th March 2015. It will feature on-demand long- and short-form educational series and preschool music videos, all without ads.

Initial programming will include Nick Jr. favorites such as "Blues Clues", "Franklin and Friends" and "Little Bear", music videos featuring Nick characters, and viewer favorite hosts Moose A. Moose and Zee, a moose-and-bird duo who hosted the linear Noggin.

Nickelodeon is also in conversations with distributors about offering the service as a premium complement to authenticated cable and satellite TV subscribers, it said.

Noggin is envisioned as a complement to the company’s Nick Jr. app, which shows a live, linear feed of the Nick Jr. preschooler cable network for people who already subscribe to it. Noggin's content will also remain separate and distinct from Nickelodeon's preschool content already available on its existing distribution platforms.

Noggin was previously its own preschool cable channel in the USA. The channel was renamed Nick Jr. as part of Nickelodeon's network wide rebranding.

Sources: Advertising Age, Variety.

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Nickelodeon Suites Resort Marks Its 10th Birthday with a Yearlong Celebration

Original Nickelodeon Suites Resort Press Release via Business Wire:

Nickelodeon Suites Resort Marks Its 10th Birthday with a Yearlong Celebration

February 19, 2015 12:26 PM Eastern Standard Time

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nickelodeon Suites Resort is getting ready for a year-round birthday extravaganza as the hotel celebrates ten years of entertaining guests from all over the world. Beginning the weekend of March 6-8, 2015, the resort will host a weekend-long birthday event each month through November, featuring exciting shows, poolside entertainment, Nickelodeon characters, Slime and lots of surprises.

The Nickelodeon Suites Resort's world famous lagoon pool. (Graphic: Business Wire)

During the Birthday Weekend celebrations, guests can enjoy activities and entertainment for the entire family, such as:

* Evening Birthday Splash Bash parties at the Lagoon Pool

* A poolside mass sliming each day of the celebration weekend with birthday cupcakes for all guests

* Surprise Birthday Squad appearances throughout the weekend with pies and slime

* Singing of Nickelodeon Suites Resort's special "Happy Birthday" song throughout the weekend festivities

* Complimentary birthday buttons for all guests celebrating their birthday

"At Nickelodeon Suites Resort, we always have so much to celebrate — even more so this year," said Tony Aslanian, Director of Sales and Marketing for Nickelodeon Suites Resort. "What better way to commemorate 10 years of fun with our guests than with incredible birthday entertainment, featuring some of our favorite Nickelodeon friends. It will be a celebration that Nick fans won't want to miss!"

- from NickALive! on Vimeo.

Fans of Nickelodeon Suites Resort will also have the opportunity to leave birthday wishes for the hotel on Facebook and Twitter using #HBDNICKHOTEL. A full calendar of Birthday Weekend dates, as well as other events on property can be found at www.nickhotel.com/hbd.

About Nickelodeon Suites Resort

Located in the heart of Orlando's tourism district, Nickelodeon Suites Resort, otherwise known as the Nick Hotel, is much more than a place for guests to lay their heads at night. From two over-the-top pool complexes with slides and flumes, to live entertainment and character breakfasts featuring Nickelodeon's beloved characters, to a multimillion dollar 4-D Theater, to the colorfully themed kid suites and gallons upon gallons of slime, Nick Hotel offers non-stop activity from dawn to dusk for the entire family any time of the year. For more information about the Nick Hotel, visit www.nickhotel.com or call (877) NICK-KID.

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Nickelodeon USA To "Get Blake!" In April 2015

Zodiak Kids has announced the exciting news in the following press release that Nickelodeon USA will start to premiere and show "Get Blake!", Marathon Media's brand-new exciting cartoon style comedy series filled with visual gags and delirious characters, developed in partnership with Nickelodeon and Gulli, from April 2015!

The brand-new animated series will make its debut on NickToons UK on Monday 2nd March 2015 and on France's Gulli during Autumn/Fall 2015.

Additionally, Zodiak Kids has also announced in the same press release, below that they secured presales for "Get Blake!" in Europe with De Agostini Editore and JKN Global in Asia.

"Get Blake!" (56x11'), formally titled "Blake and the Aliens", is Marathon Media's latest action comedy for kids everywhere. Each 11-minute episode follows Blake Myers, a fearless, adventure-seeking kid as he races headlong into all of life's experiences along with his best friend Mitch.

What's impressive about Blake is that he lives for today, despite knowing the awesomeness that awaits him in the future: Blake is destined to become a courageous Space Ranger and protector of humankind against a marauding race of... ALIEN squirrels!

These alien squirrels – or "Squaliens" – have been sent from the future by their Squalien General. Their mission: is to make sure Blake Myers never grows up to be Blake Myers, Space Ranger. Hero. Defeater of Squaliens.

From their super high-tech command center – now cunningly disguised as a regular earth tree in Blake's very own backyard – the Squaliens must use everything they have at their disposal to put an end to Blake Myers.

Only Blake and Mitch are aware of the alien squirrels' existence and together, must fight this battle on their own. But the Squaliens soon discover that stopping Blake Myers isn't as easy as it sounds...

The series boasts world-renowned creative teams with long-standing credentials in animation including director Daniel Klein, executive producer Eryk Casemiro; and Derek Dressler ("Kick Buttowski", "Johnny Test", "Breadwinners" and "Annoying Orange"), who supervised the writing, and features a American comic sensibility whilst preserving the distinctive French artistic style.

Original Zodiak Kids Press Release:

Zodiak Kids Announces Presales For Get Blake!

Get Blake! Set to launch in the US & UK this Spring

Zodiak Kids has secured presales for its production company Marathon Media’s brand new series Get Blake! in Europe with De Agostini Editore and JKN Global in Asia, the company announced today.

De Agostini Editore have acquired the comedy cartoon for their Italian kids channel Super!. Get Blake! has also been presold to JKN Global for their JKN and Bright Channels in Thailand.

Get Blake! (52x11’) is a hilarious new animated comedy series developed in partnership with Nickelodeon and Gulli. Recently launched at MIPCOM, the series features 13 year-old Blake Myers, and his best friend Mitch, who constantly find themselves under siege by three alien squirrels. These “Squaliens” are sent from the future to capture Blake in order to prevent him from one day becoming the hero that thwarts a future squalien invasion. But this trio of bumbling alien squirrels quickly learns that operation Get Blake isn’t easy as it sounds…

Get Blake! is set to premier in the UK on Nickelodeon channel Nick Toons on 2nd March 2015, which will be followed by launches on Nickelodeon US in April and Gulli in the Autumn.

The series boasts world-renowned creative teams with long-standing credentials in animation including director Daniel Klein, executive producer Eryk Casemiro; and Derek Dressler (Kick Buttowski, Johnny Test, Breadwinners and Annoying Orange), who supervised the writing.

Zodiak Kids holds worldwide TV and licensing rights to the series.

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Nickelodeon and Papercutz to Team Up on New Graphic Novel Line; to Relaunch Nickelodeon Magazine

Original Nickelodeon and Papercutz Press Release via Papercutz.com:

NICKELODEON AND PAPERCUTZ ANNOUNCE "FIRST LOOK DEAL"

Kids' Media Powerhouse and Leading Comics Publisher to Team Up on New Graphic Novel Line

February 5, 2015 – New York, NY – Nickelodeon and Papercutz, the industry leader in children's graphic novel publishing, are proud to announce an innovative first look deal, the first agreement of its kind that the network has made with a graphic novel publisher. The partnership will give Papercutz the first option to adapt all-new Nickelodeon original properties into comics and graphic novels.

The new partnership will allow Papercutz to work with Nickelodeon at the earliest stages of property development, ensuring that the graphic novels based on these new programs are as faithful to the original look and spirit of the series as possible. In addition, Papercutz will be able to introduce properties to book stores and the comic book market much closer to the debut of new animated shows.

"Papercutz's strong track record with licensed properties for kids made them our ideal choice for a publishing partner," explained Linda Lee, VP of Nickelodeon Domestic Publishing. "As we grow our stable of original animated properties, we wanted to work with a company that could reach the broadest possible audience. We're excited to work with the Papercutz team and we look forward to adding the Nickelodeon characters to one of the most diverse lists offered by any children's publisher."

These strong properties are just the start of the ambitious Nickelodeon/Papercutz publishing program. Plans call for two more series to debut in the first half of 2016, with further series to be announced at a later date. In addition, to its ambitious graphic novel publishing slate, Papercutz also plans to publish an all-new NICKELODEON MAGAZINE. The new version of the magazine will preview the comics content that will be featured in the graphic novels, debut new properties in comics form and also feature a variety of games, puzzles and other activities for kids. The first issue of the new NICKELODEON MAGAZINE is scheduled for release in late June 2015.

The first two properties slated for launch in Papercutz books are Nickelodeon's hits, SANJAY AND CRAIG and BREADWINNERS.

SANJAY AND CRAIG is the story of an adventurous 12-year-old boy who proves the old adage: there's nothing you can't accomplish (or destroy) as long as your best friend is a talking snake. The adventures of this dude-snake duo have been a ratings smash for Nickelodeon with the series ranking as the #2 animated show across all TV among kids 2 to 11. SANJAY AND CRAIG is set to make its graphic novel debut in September 2015, just in time for the premiere of the series' third season on Nickelodeon.

BREADWINNERS features the adventures of SwaySway and Buhdeuce, two carefree ducks who fly around in a super sweet rocket van, delivering bread to hungry beaks everywhere. Like SANJAY AND CRAIG, BREADWINNERS has been an instant hit with kids. These "quazy ducks" will join the Papercutz lineup with their first graphic novel in October 2015 and comics will never be the same!

"Our partners at Nickelodeon have created some terrific characters that really reach out to kids," said Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salicrup. "And we can't wait to translate that magic into the graphic novel format. Of course, the best part of this deal is getting to see what they're working on next! SANJAY AND CRAIG and BREADWINNERS are just the start of a really exciting publishing program that's sure to keep kids thoroughly entertained and clamoring for more!"

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 35th 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 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

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