Nickelodeon USA To Premiere Brand-New Episode Of "The Haunted Hathaways" On Saturday 6th September 2014

Trevor Kirschner, a director and associate producer on Nickelodeon's "The Haunted Hathaways", has announced the exciting Nick News in a Tweet (post) on his official Twitter profile page, ‏@trkirsch, that Nick USA will premiere a brand-new episode of Nickelodeon's hit original comedy series "The Haunted Hathaways" on Saturday 6th September 2014 at 7:30pm (ET/PT), just before Nickelodeon USA debuts the all-new movie "Sophia Grace & Rosie's Royal Adventure"!:

The news you've been waiting for #HauntedHathaways all new episodes starting 9/6 at 7:30 on @NickelodeonTV @DailyNickNews @NickKidsNet.

To celebrate Nickelodeon showing a all-new episode of THH, Nickelodeon Star Amber Montana, who plays Taylor Hathaway in the popular Nick sitcom, has hinted in a Tweet on her official Twitter feed, @Amber_Montana, about one of the storylines that will feature in the brand-new episode!:

So.... Maybe some serious Taylor romance goes on in the next new #HauntedHathaways episode? [Emoji]

Additionally, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland/HD will be premiering a brand-new episode of "The Haunted Hathaways" the weekend of Friday 5th September 2014 as part of a special "Gotta Spot It" weekend!

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Nickelodeon USA To Premiere "Lalaloopsy Girls: Welcome to L.A.L.A. Prep School!" On 9/7

The television news website The Futon Critic is reporting the exciting Nick News that Nickelodeon USA will premiere and show a brand-new "Lalaloopsy" TV special called "Lalaloopsy Girls: Welcome to L.A.L.A. Prep School!", which will be based on MGA Entertainment's "Lalaloopsy Girls", a brand extension of MGA's popular doll line, on Sunday 7th September 2014 at 12:00pm (ET/PT)!

Photo from the official Lalaloopsy Girls Facebook profile page.

"Lalaloopsy Girls" are your favorite "Lalaloopsy" characters now all grown up! Join the girls as they embark on an adventurous and magical year at Lalaloopsy Academy for Learning Arts (L.A.L.A. Prep)! Their motto is "Stitched Together... Friends Forever!".

Additionally, Nick Jr. USA is expected to debut a brand-new one-hour "Lalaloopsy" TV special titled "Lalaloopsy Babies" soon! MGA Entertainment are also planning to release their "Lalaloopsy Babies" movie on DVD in October 2014.

"Lalaloopsy Babies" is based on MGA Entertainment's popular brand extension of their "Lalaloopsy" doll line, in which each doll features a soft body.

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Nickelodeon Suites Resort And HeBS Digital Launch New Website Set to Drive Conversions in a Multi-Device World

Nickelodeon Suites Resort, the only Nickelodeon-themed resort of its kind in the world, and HeBS Digital, the leading hotel digital technology, full-service digital marketing and website revenue optimization consulting firm, recently announced in the following press release, from Hospitality Net, the relaunch of the official Nickelodeon Suites Resort website, NickHotel.com! Set to drive higher direct online revenues for the property, the new family-friendly resort website offers an excellent user experience on desktops, mobiles and tablets to meet the needs of its guests on every screen.

Original Nickelodeon Suites Resort and HeBS Digital Press Release:

HeBS Digital and Nickelodeon Suites Resort Launch New Website Set to Drive Conversions in a Multi-Device World

Hospitality eBusiness Strategies, Inc.

HeBS Digital, the leading hotel digital technology, full-service digital marketing and website revenue optimization consulting firm is proud to announce the launch of the new Nickelodeon Suites Resort website. Set to drive higher direct online revenues for the property, the new family-friendly resort website offers an excellent user experience on desktop, mobile and tablet to meet the needs of its guests on every screen.

HeBS Digital's team of designers, programmers, developers, marketers and copy + SEO specialists worked together to develop a website utilizing state-of-the-art CMS technology, entertaining content with vibrant full-screen images, search engine-optimized copy, and adaptable design layouts. Employing a new experience in website design, parallax scrolling, the website dynamically animates as the user scrolls. SLIME drops down the page and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animate, grabbing the attention of the visitors and distinguishing the site from those of its competitors.

"Our website is a vital component of our marketing strategy and is an essential channel for us to bring Nickelodeon to life. Designed for parents, we also have an area just for kids." said Tony Aslanian, Director of Sales, Marketing & Revenue Strategy at Nickelodeon Suites Resort. "As a result of HeBS Digital's state-of-the-art technology and years of industry knowledge, we are expecting to increase our ROI and guest experience."

"We couldn't be more excited to partner with Nickelodeon Suites Resort and bring the signature style of their brand to life through this innovative and interactive website," said Mariana Safer, SVP, Marketing of HeBS Digital. "Families will enjoy dreaming of their upcoming trip through this visually rich website, supported by the industry's most advanced digital technology on the back end. The site and the supporting digital marketing strategy is already bringing in substantial direct revenues for the resort."

Nickelodeon's biggest fans can enjoy an interactive "Kids Corner," with entertaining quizzes to discover a collection of kooky jokes and riddles. A kid-friendly interactive resort map allows users to scroll over each area of the expansive resort to get more information and preview the fun that waits. Click here to visit the new Nickelodeon Suites Resort website.

About HeBS Digital:

Founded in 2001, HeBS Digital is the industry's leading digital technology, full-service hotel digital marketing, website design and direct online channel consulting firm based in New York City (www.hebsdigital.com).

HeBS Digital has pioneered many of the "best practices" in hotel digital marketing and website revenue optimization, as well as a range of industry-first digital technology applications. The firm has won more than 250 prestigious industry awards for its digital marketing and website design services, including numerous Adrian Awards, Davey Awards, W3 Awards, WebAwards, Magellan Awards, Summit International Awards, Interactive Media Awards, and IAC Awards.

A diverse client portfolio of top-tier major hotel brands, luxury and boutique hotel brands, resorts and casinos, hotel management companies, franchisees and independents, and CVBs are benefiting from HeBS Digital's direct online channel strategy and digital marketing expertise. Contact HeBS Digital's consultants at (212) 752-8186 or success@hebsdigital.com.

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 http://www.nickhotel.com or call (877) NICK-KID.

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"The Legend of Korra" Video Game Release Dates Announced; TLoK Stars And Creators Talk About Book 3 And Book 4

In a exclusive video interview with the entertainment news website IGN UK, below, Activision producer Robert Conkey has announced that Platinum Games and Activision will release their highly anticipated brand-new downloadable video game based on Nickelodeon's popular original fantasy steampunk-themed animated series (Nicktoon) "The Legend of Korra" on Tuesday 21st October 2014 on PlayStation Network and PC, and on Wednesday 22nd October 2014 on the Xbox Marketplace! Conkey also discusses working with Nickelodeon voice actors Janet Varney, David Faustino and P.J. Byrne on the game, talks about what it would take for Activision to continue with additional Legend of Korra games, and demonstrates the games new pro-bending mode.

Additionally, IGN has also unveiled video interviews with "Korra" stars Janet Varney (voice of Korra) and David Faustino (voice of Mako) were also on hand, along with show creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino, to discuss the game, the epic finale of "Book Three: Change", and what's ahead in "Book 4", which you can also watch in the online streaming video clips below!

Game Interview With Activision's Robert Conkey:

In the video below, Conkey reveals to IGN the Korra release date and pro-bending mode. He also discusses working with Janet Varney, David Faustino, and P.J. Byrne on the game and talks about what it would take for Activision to continue with additional Legend of Korra games:



New Game Mode (Pro-Bending):

Take a look at a demo of the pro-bending mode below.



Book 4, Book 3 Finale and Game Interview with Korra Creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino:

Konietzko and DiMartino discuss the game, the emotional Book 3 finale, airbender antics, Zaheer's remarkable bending skills and ultimate defeat, the devastated state that Korra was left in, and where things are headed for Team Avatar from here in the video below.



Hypeable notes:

According to Mike DiMartino, who heads the show's writing team, The Legend of Korra was structured "around Korra's big sacrificial moment of saving the Air Nation and giving her that really big heroic moment. But," he notes, "it definitely came at a big price – a big cost to her emotionally and physically."

"It's a bittersweet victory for Korra," DiMartino observes. In Book 4, he says, Korra will have "some recovering to do."

The co-creators also address the unprecedented intensity and drama of Book 3.

"There were some discussions [with Nickelodeon] about how far we could take it," DiMartino admits, discussing the euphemistic language the show had to employ to avoid words like "death" or "killed."

Related: The Legend of Korra season 3 finale recap: Your earthly tether

But "we weren't just trying to do it because we like doing mean things to our characters. We had to back Zaheer's talk up with this very serious action."

Though fans were intrigued by Zaheer and the Red Lotus, the co-creators don't intend to set up the lone survivor as Korra's nemesis for Book 4.

"He's not dead," Konitezko confirms, "but we do have a new threat and a new enemy for Korra to face."

"But it all ties in… to Book 3," he teases.

Similarly, fans can expect to see "the residual effects" of Tenzin's new mandate for the airbenders in Book 4. As a wide-scale peacekeeping force, the Air Nation can take some of the burden of maintaining balance off of Korra's shoulders – though many fans question whether or not Korra will welcome this change.

Konietzko and DiMartino also speak about the upcoming Legend of Korra video game, which they considered a "fun, rewarding and positive" experience. With a story written by staff writer Tim Hedrick and "an awesome new villain," the co-creators seem just as eager as fans to get their hands on the new downloadable game.

Korra Stars Janet Varney and David Faustino Discuss Book 3 and 4:

Varney and Faustino talk about where we found their characters at the close of Book 3, the challenges ahead for Korra and her team, as well as the various couples that fans - and they themselves - root for in the video below.

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Nickelodeon Gets Smart With Their New Preschool Lineup

In the highly competitive preschool space, where global demand for cross-platform content that both entertains and educates continues to grow, kidcasters are increasingly looking to develop quality new concepts that best reflect the changing needs of today's early learners and their parents.

In a series of special article, below, Kidscreen and The New York Times takes a look at Nickelodeon's legacy of delivering high-quality preschool shows driven by engaging characters, stories and interactivity, such as "Blue's Clues" and "Dora the Explorer", and a look at Nickelodeon's preschool programming highlights for the networks 2014-2015 season, including "Dora and Friends: Into the City!", "Blaze and the Monster Machines", "Shimmer & Shine" and "Fresh Beat Band of Spies", plus brand-new episodes from current preschool series such as "PAW Patrol", "Bubble Guppies", "Dora the Explorer", "Peter Rabbit" and "Team Umizoomi"! The articles also talk about why Nickelodeon Preschool decided to delay the release of their highly anticipated Nick Jr. App until Fall 2014.

From Kidscreen.com:

Nick gets smart with its new preschool lineup

In the highly competitive preschool space, where global demand for cross-platform content that entertains and educates continues to grow, kidcasters are increasingly looking at new concepts that best reflect the changing needs of today's early learners and their parents.

For Nickelodeon, which has maintained a legacy of delivering high-quality preschool shows (Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer) driven by engaging characters, stories and interactivity, its 2014/15 season is notably significant.

It marks Nick's biggest ever in terms new content production across multiple platforms, demos and genres. And the kidsnet is zeroing in on its youngest viewers with particular vigor. Stateside, more than 100 episode premieres are lined up for the channel's preschool block, from a bevy of brand-new animated series including Wallykazam!, Dora spin-off Dora and Friends: Into the City!, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Shimmer & Shine and Fresh Beat Band of Spies. (Also on-deck are a whack of new eps from current preschool series such as PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Dora the Explorer, Peter Rabbit and Team Umizoomi.)

"Two years ago we made a decision to increase our pipeline by developing and producing more content than ever before, and now we are seeing the fruits of our labor," says Teri Weiss, EVP of production and development for Nickelodeon Preschool. "With every market, there is more content and stronger worldwide competition than ever, especially in the preschool space. So it's crucial that we cut through the clutter and remain best-in-show for kids content."

Playful learning

A big reason for Nickelodeon's success with preschoolers is its ongoing commitment to research and curriculum diversification. Among its new shows, Wallykazam! is Nick's first literacy-themed series. Blaze and the Monster Machines is billed as the first preschool show dedicated to all aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Dora and Friends: Into the City!, meanwhile, examines social-emotional skills like community service and peer relationships. Shimmer & Shine stresses learning from mistakes in its emotional-intelligence curriculum, while Fresh Beat Band of Spies teaches problem-solving.

"What we bring is the strength of our characters and storytelling, combined with a really unique way to approach the curriculum of each show, and integrate it in a way that feels very organic. This is our domestic and global challenge," says Weiss.

She points to Wallykazam! and Blaze and the Monster Machines as great examples of how Nick is integrating curriculum in new ways. For both series, in fact, Nickelodeon took its usual storybook episode-testing and curriculum consultations a step further.

"In addition to educational consultants, we started to integrate preschool and kindergarten teachers into our collective group for feedback, which was tremendously helpful. They could really identify what kids are struggling with and the things they are interested in/responding to," says Weiss.

To ensure STEM concepts in Blaze would resonate with its youngest audience, for example, Weiss says Nick paid special attention to visual and musical cues. "When you talk about force, adhesion and inertia, they can be very heady concepts. But because we have the ability to demonstrate them visually by showing vehicle impact, or the way car suspension works, it helps get the difficult concepts across more easily," she says. The use of catchy songs is also a good method to help kids define scientific terms, she adds. "If kids can recite the songs in their heads, the science will stick. Repeat viewing is really important, too."

Building momentum

So far, Nick's 2014/15 programming strategy for preschool is paying off. As of April, its preschool block's year-to-date average sat at 4.9 for kids ages two to five on US television—an 11% increase versus the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen ratings.

PAW Patrol and Wallykazam! also filled the number- one and two spots, respectfully, as the top-rated preschool shows for kids ages two to five on all US cable TV for the same period.

As new shows continue to roll out (Dora and Friends in late summer, Blaze this fall, Shimmer & Shine and Fresh Beat Band of Spies in 2015), Weiss says the future is bright for Nick's preschool production, noting the importance of cultivating talent internally and identifying new talent outside the network through its Nick Jr. animated shorts program.

"Our success rate for developing preschool series out of our shorts program has been terrific, and we'll soon be able to showcase shorts on the Nick Jr. App, giving us another great opportunity to expose talent," says Weiss.

The Nick Jr. App, originally slated to launch in the US this spring, is now expected to debut this fall, according to Nickelodeon's SVP of digital Matthew Evans. "It gives us a better opportunity to launch with our upcoming new shows like Dora and Friends," he says. "And it gives us extra time to ensure we will have double the amount of interactive activities and more original content. It will ultimately be a stronger experience for our audience and better reinforce our focus on curriculum."

Also, from NYTimes.com:

Television That Is More Than Child's Play

TV Networks Aim to Develop Quality Shows for Preschoolers

Talking trucks. Dinosaur trucks. Builders who use elaborate trucks. Then there are space adventurers, animal and alien, as well as genies and fairies. Television networks and their online streaming equivalents are awash in new characters intended to appeal to preschoolers.

In recent years, adult television viewers have reveled in an overflow of quality programs that critics have called a new golden age. So why shouldn't preschoolers be equally spoiled?

At a family-focused charity benefit on a sultry June day in Central Park, kids lined up to strap into the "Astroblast! Zero Gravity Bungee Jump" hovering high overhead. The lengthy wait was encouraging to executives at Sprout, a cable channel for preschoolers that this summer is taking this ride and other attractions on a seven-city tour to raise awareness for its newest show, "Astroblast!" That animated series chronicling the adventures of the smoothie-drinking animal crew of a space station is based on Bob Kolar's books and will debut next Saturday.

[...]

Sprout is just one of several channels and online outlets going to great lengths to court 2-to-5-year-olds. PBS in September will double up on "Sesame Street," adding a half-hour version to its afternoon lineup, in addition to the traditional morning hour — all part of an effort to appeal to the younger set. Disney Jr. is prepping a cartoon spinoff of "The Lion King," one of its parent company's major franchises. Within the next year, its rival Nickelodeon will push out five new preschool series, many pegged to an educational curriculum, starting Aug. 18 with "Dora and Friends: Into the City!," a spinoff of its still-going-strong "Dora the Explorer."

Online, Hulu in April started rolling out 52 episodes of "Doozers," its first Hulu Kids original, based on the construction worker characters from the 1980s series "Fraggle Rock." Amazon's new shows include "Creative Galaxy" and "Wishenpoof!" from Angela Santomero's Out of the Blue Enterprises; her past hits include Nickelodeon's "Blue's Clues." Among the original preschool shows that DreamWorks Animation is making for Netflix are a remake of the religious theme "Veggie Tales" for this fall and "Dinotrux" for next spring.

Media companies are focused on preschoolers because there are currently so many of them: nearly 16 million in the United States, said Cyma Zarghami, president of the Nickelodeon Group. Her channel expects that figure to grow in the coming years. Get them early, the thinking is, and these viewers can be hooked for decades, shepherded through a media company's offerings, whether ad-dependent or subscription-driven, as the youngsters grow up. "As the generation turns over at this particular point in time, they're more important to us than ever before," Ms. Zarghami said.

Just as grown-ups now expect hundreds of cable channels along with YouTube and streaming services to serve up an endless supply of video discoveries, so, too, do preschoolers, who increasingly are joined in their viewing by parents. (The number of adults 18-49 watching Nick with their preschoolers has risen 18 percent in two years, according to the channel.) "There's a premium put on new," Ms. Zarghami said.

At least some of the frenzied competition also reflects the entry of deep-pocketed players. NBCUniversal bought full control of Sprout in November, and in May the Sprout chicken character Chica walked the red carpet along with the Kardashians and the "Sharknado" cast at an event for advertisers. This fall, Sprout's live morning show will move from Philadelphia to a studio in NBCUniversal's 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where Sprout executives hope celebrity guests will stop by when in the building for "Today." The company's Universal Studios Hollywood theme park will help with Sprout's marketing, and its sister channel Syfy will run 90 minutes of "Astroblast!" the morning after the premiere.

When Scholastic Media pitched "Astroblast!," said Sandy Wax, Sprout's president, the channel was drawn to the graphic style and the concept of a group of friends in space. The show, she said, also has humor that will appeal to parents and older siblings, and with all sorts of aliens stopping by the space station, "an embedded diversity message."

"There were not really that many space shows," she added. Both Amazon and American Public Television have since introduced space-theme preschool programs.

Next year, Sprout, which broadcast reruns of "Caillou" and "Bob the Builder," among others, when it started in 2005, will introduce a new original show every quarter. Two others feature aliens.

[...]

The proliferation of outlets has been good for program producers. Sprout picked up "Astroblast!," which now promotes social and emotional themes, after PBS passed on its original incarnation as a show with a math curriculum. The Jim Henson Company, which is co-producing "Doozers" for Hulu and also produces PBS's "Dinosaur Train" and "Sid the Science Kid," is developing shows for Amazon and others. "We have a very supportive, mutually friendly relationship with PBS Kids, but they only launch one or two series a year, and their real estate is quite rare and hard to get," said Lisa Henson, the company's chief executive.

The barriers to getting a show in front of the audience "are pretty much dissolving in front of us," said Ann Daly, chief operating officer at DreamWorks Animation.

Creators with a good idea have more of a shot, too. Nickelodeon's coming "Shimmer and Shine" is from a first-time creator. "The number of people who make preschool programming is not unlimited," said Linda Simensky, vice president of children's programming for PBS, who has been seeking out authors to convince them to try their hand at a preschool show. Competition, she said, "has made everyone hungry for new voices."

The online services, in particular, are providing "more opportunity for a more diverse slate of programming to be available," said Deborah Forte, who is president of Scholastic Media, which produces "Clifford the Big Red Dog," and executive producer of "Astroblast!" She added that until recently preschool television had been stuck in something of a rut, with each outlet locked in to specific brand parameters. "They really are open to new and inventive things," she said.

Photo: Characters from "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" Credit Nickelodeon/Viacom International, Inc.

[...]

But the glut of new shows has made getting attention more challenging. Scholastic will use its book fairs to promote "Astroblast!" Henson is in the early stages of a project to make "Doozers" the subject of a traveling children's museum show. And Nickelodeon, which will debut a Nick Jr. app in the fall, is taking the unusual step of starting the "Dora" spinoff, featuring an older version of the Hispanic title character even as the original show remains on the air.

"Dora" still has what Ms. Zarghami called a "magical" relationship with viewers, so Nickelodeon decided it did not make sense to "recreate a second heroine when we already had one."

The new Dora has grown to the age of 10 and with her friends works to give back to her community. Despite 14 years of success with the original Dora, nothing is being left to chance. At a March testing session at a Chelsea preschool, three groups of progressively older children gathered in lines on the floor to watch Alyssa Mazzei, a research assistant, read aloud a flip-page storyboard of an episode in which the group saves a golden parrot and the hidden city of El Dorado.

Two researchers and a camera monitored the kids' faces. After each episode, the kids answered questions to determine if they had followed the plot, learned the Spanish, absorbed the empathy lessons, seen anything that made them sad and thought the parrot was funny. A subsequent test of an animated black-and-white storyboard would check at what point the young viewers' eyes wandered.

Chris Gifford, co-creator of both "Dora" shows, sat in the back taking detailed notes, miming story actions along with the kids and laughing silently as Ms. Mazzei squawked like a parrot.

But when it came to cutting dialogue that the kids didn't understand, he was ruthless, reworking the episode on the fly. "We write these lines, and we laugh and laugh," he said. But ultimately, he said, it would be the children who would determine what made the cut.

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