Nick Music and BBC Kids are joining the Australian platform Fetch TV, as replacements for Cartoon Network and Boomerang, which are leaving the service on April 23rd.
The ViacomCBS-owned NickMusic, which launched in Australia in July 2020, is a dedicated 24-hour music channel for kids, offering a dedicated 24-hour music channel for kids featuring chart-topping hits by the world’s most popular artists. From Ariana Grande and The Weeknd to Sia and Taylor Swift, Nick Music is curated by Nickelodeon with a line-up of the latest music videos and Top 40 hits kids will love.
Nick Music joins Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. in the Fetch Kids Pack, bringing the total ViacomCBS subscription channels on the platform to nine, including Spike, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Music and MTV Dance.
BBC Kids, meanwhile, is aimed at 6- to 10-year-olds, and offers comedy, drama, entertainment, natural history and documentaries. The programming roster at launch includes the dance drama The Next Step; football drama Jamie Johnson, featuring cameos by some of the UK’s biggest soccer stars; adaptations of David Walliams’ hilarious best-selling children’s novels Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink; Horrible Histories, the hit show that explores the side of history that they don’t teach you about in school; Deadly 60 on a Mission, with wildlife presenter Steve Backshall coming face-to-face with some of the world’s deadliest animals; and the teen spy drama MI High.
Described as "entertaining, energetic, unpredictable and clever", BBC Kids is making its Australian debut on Fetch, and will sits alongside the BBC’s pre-school channel CBeebies in the Fetch Kids Pack.
Beverley McGarvey, chief content officer and executive vice president (EVP) for ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand, said: “We know Aussie kids love music, so we wanted to create a safe place for them to be able to watch their favorite artists and listen to chart-topping hits from around the world, curated just for them. Nick Music is a channel kids will love, and parents can trust.”
Tim Christlieb, director of branded services for BBC Studios ANZ, said: “We are delighted to launch this new virtual playlist channel on Fetch that fits perfectly with our preschool channel CBeebies, offering a destination for older kids to enjoy a diverse range of programming all with the hallmark of BBC quality.”
The new channels will be added to the $6 Kids Pack from April 24, as replacements for Cartoon Network and Boomerang, which will become exclusive to Foxtel from April 23rd.
Fetch has been left furious after Foxtel used its programming deal with Warner Bros to secure exclusive Australian rights to Cartoon Network, Boomerang and news channel CNN. Fetch is now taking its complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and is urging subscribers to write to the ACCC.
Today’s announcement brings the number of BBC channels now available on Fetch to 7, with BBC Kids joining BBC First, UKTV, BBC Earth, BBC Brit, BBC World News, and CBeebies on the Fetch service. Fetch also recently added SVOD service BritBox, which is a JV between BBC Studios and ITV.
Sam Hall, chief content and commercial officer at Fetch TV, said: “Fetch TV is excited to be the Australian launch partner for BBC Kids and to further extend our partnership with BBC Studios demonstrating our commitment to offering quality British content.
“Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. are the two top-rating kids’ channels on Fetch. We are delighted to add another great offering from Nickelodeon, and are confident that Nick Music will fill a void in the market.”
Scott Lorson, CEO of Fetch TV said: “As a master aggregator, Fetch continues to expand and enhance our content offerings to ensure that we cater to all audiences and viewing preferences. We recognize that free-to-air channels and BVOD apps, subscription channels, SVOD services, and transactional on-demand content are all critical to a complete content offering, and our focus remains on delivering on our consumer promise of ‘All your Entertainment, easy.’”
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Sky, WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS ‘Turn on the Subtitles’ for more than 500 episodes of their most popular kids’ content
Monday 8 March 2021
Sky, WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS Networks UK have partnered to improve the literacy skills of thousands of children across the UK and Ireland by turning on the subtitles of more than 500 of their most popular episodes of kids’ content.
The new collection, in support of the Turn on the Subtitles campaign and available from March 8th to Sky customers with Sky Kids, aims to improve the reading and writing skills of children while they’re watching their favourite shows.
Poor literacy skills can hold a person back throughout their life and currently one in four children in the UK leave primary school without being able to read fluently. Turning on same-language subtitles for children’s content can double the chance of them becoming a proficient reader.
Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content at Sky, said: “At Sky, we connect millions of children to stories they love.
"We’re delighted to partner with WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS to support the Turn on the Subtitles campaign and help improve the literacy skills of thousands of children in the UK and Ireland through something as simple as turning on the subtitles to their favourite shows”
Vanessa Brookman, Head of Kids, WarnerMedia EMEA, said: “We are so pleased to be a part of this important initiative from Sky. By providing a range of our best loved titles from Cartoon Network and Boomerang, such as The Amazing World of Gumball and Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, we hope to contribute to improving children’s reading skills across the UK and Ireland.”
Louise Bucknole, VP Programming Kids, ViacomCBS Networks UK & Ireland, added: “Turn on the Subtitles is a great way to help improve children’s reading and writing skills in the UK & Ireland. We’re thrilled to support this great initiative with Sky and to add subtitles to our much-loved shows from the Nickelodeon catalogue such as PAW Patrol, SpongeBob Squarepants, Henry Danger, The Thundermans and many more”.
Oli Barrett MBE, Co-founder of Turn on the Subtitles, added: "Some ideas are so powerful that something must be done about them. Subtitles improving literacy is one of those ideas. This campaign takes an incredibly simple insight and uses it to improve people's lives. We are incredibly grateful for the support of Sky, Viacom and Warner Media who are now taking this seriously, and to the many high-profile names who are helping us to spread the word."
Eye-tracking behaviour research shows that 94% of children engage with subtitles while watching their favourite shows which can improve spelling, grammar, and vocabulary, with the child often unaware they are learning.
The Sky Kids ‘always-on’ subtitled collection has been curated with some of the most popular children’s content including SpongeBob SquarePants (Nicktoons), PAW Patrol (Nick Jr.), The Amazing World of Gumball (WarnerMedia), Be Cool, Scooby-Doo (WarnerMedia), and Sky Kids Originals like Pirates Love Underpants and Moominvalley.
Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Across six countries, we connect our 24 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content.
Our technology, including the market leading Sky Q, connects people to everything they love - TV, music, games, online video, fitness and educational content, all in one place, easy. Our streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.
Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, I Hate Suzie and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, while Sky Arts, the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel, makes the arts accessible for everyone. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone.
We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity and we’ve put in place a new programme to invest £30million across our markets over the next three years to tackle racial injustice.
About WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. The organization also includes Xandr’s suite of advanced advertising solutions designed to help to improve advertising for brands, publishers, and consumers.
About ViacomCBS Networks UK
ViacomCBS Networks UK (VCN UK) forms part of ViacomCBS Networks International, a unit of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAC). Comprised of many of the world’s most popular entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Network and public service broadcaster Channel 5, VCN UK is the third largest commercial TV network in the UK. With 26 channels reaching 98% of TV viewers, it is the second largest TV channel portfolio in the UK.
VCN UK’s suite of streaming products includes Channel 5’s AVOD service, My5, which has 5M registered users; MTV Play, MTV’s first ever direct-to-consumer SVOD mobile streaming app; and ViacomCBS’ AVOD platform Pluto TV, which offers over 90 live TV channels. In addition to its innovative streaming services and digital video products, VCN UK provides powerful capabilities in production through in-house studio Viacom International Studios UK (VIS UK).
About Turn on the Subtitles
TurnOnTheSubtitles was set up to persuade broadcasters and streaming services to do just that - turn on the subtitles - specifically for children's content, to help improve literacy. TurnOnTheSubtitles isn’t a company, it's just some like-minded people who think this idea is so blindingly obvious that it just has to happen. It was devised by Oli Barrett MBE and Henry Warren; old friends who have started multiple businesses and charities over the years. We are absolutely thrilled that Sky, Viacom and Warner Media are backing this campaign and have decided to create subtitled content for children. Their efforts will help countless numbers of children improve their reading and we are sure that parents will see this as a huge benefit in these unprecedented times. Thank you all! You can find out more about what we are doing at www.turnonthesubtitles.org.
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Official Sky press release:
Lucy Murphy on why we’ve chosen to turn on the subtitles for Sky Kids
Wednesday 17 March 2021
For many of us, when we’re watching our favourite TV shows, films or maybe just catching up on the news, subtitles play the role of language translator. While for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, subtitles are a crucial way to ensure everyone can enjoy the content they love. But there’s another huge benefit to turning the subtitles on.
Studies show that by turning on same-language subtitles while children are watching TV you can double the chances of a child becoming a good reader. Reading skills might be something we take for granted, but 16% of adults in UK can be described as having ‘very poor literacy skills’, and poor literacy skills can affect a person throughout their life. Not being able to read fluently doesn’t just hold you back at school; it limits life chances and job prospects, increases the risk of turning to crime and can even impact life expectancy.
We know that building and improving reading and writing skills is a critical part of a child’s development. It’s shocking to know that currently one in four children in the UK leave primary school without being able to read fluently.
Last week we announced a new collection of always-on subtitled kids’ content and our support for the Turn On the Subtitles campaign. TOTS is reaching out and raising awareness of the benefits of children watching content with same language subtitles. Their eye-tracking research shows that 94% of children engage with subtitles while watching their favourite shows and begin to improve their spelling, grammar and vocabulary, often unaware they are learning.
Working in partnership with WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS UK, we have curated a collection of kids content with the subtitles permanently on. It includes more than 500 of our most popular episodes of kid’s content like SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol and Gumball as well as some of our Sky Kids Originals like Pirates Love Underpants and Moominvalley.
At Sky, we connect millions of children to the entertainment, learning and factual shows that they love. We’re proud to support this simple initiative, that could play an important role in developing the skills and prospects of our next generation. It’s incredible that something as simple as turning on the subtitles could have far reaching consequences that you simply cannot put a price on.
Time to pry open the legendary gates of Paramount Pictures.
ViacomCBS leadership has set a tentative timeline for employees to return to the media giant’s numerous offices, though in limited capacity, as COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines continue to rollout across the country and around the world, Variety reports.
In a memo released from CEO Bob Bakish released on Thursday, March 11, the executive outlined plans to return as early as just after the upcoming July 4 holiday.
“Return to office dates will differ market by market based on local conditions, and may happen at different times in some international locations, but based on projections from current vaccination and infection rates, among other factors, we now anticipate that U.S. employees will have the option of returning to our offices starting after the July 4th weekend, at the earliest,” Bakish wrote.
Bakish underscored that the return would be “limited, optional and completely voluntary,” and under the strictest safety criteria, including ongoing COVID-19 testing, masking and social distance.
The conglomerate’s offices include Nickelodeon Studios in Burbank, California, the Paramount Pictures lot and the various New York-based studios and suites for its broadcast and cable divisions including Nickelodeon, CBS and MTV.
Read the full memo:
Team,
This month marks one year since most of us began working in unprecedented ways due to COVID-19, joining those on our international teams who were already being impacted by this pandemic. A majority of us have been working from home full-time, while many of you have had to reinvent your roles to ensure our productions continue safely, and our systems run smoothly.
I am so grateful for how this company has navigated through all of these changes. You have adjusted to the impacts of a historic merger while simultaneously dealing with the hardship of a global pandemic, including, for many, the devastating loss of loved ones and friends. You’ve united to overcome professional and personal challenges with resiliency, adaptability, agility and optimism. Thanks to your efforts, our business continues to thrive, as seen in the monumental launch of Paramount+ last week – a remarkable accomplishment especially given the circumstances.
In addition to making headway on our business goals, we’re also progressing in our return-to-office planning. We continue to closely monitor developments as conditions improve, and are working with medical experts to develop a comprehensive plan that prioritizes your health and safety. Return to office dates will differ market by market based on local conditions, and may happen at different times in some international locations, but based on projections from current vaccination and infection rates, among other factors, we now anticipate that U.S. employees will have the option of returning to our offices starting after the July 4th weekend, at the earliest.
This initial phase of our return – expected to last at least a few months – will be limited, optional and completely voluntary. We anticipate that we will continue to operate under strict safety criteria, including testing, mandatory mask wearing and social distancing.
Our current plan is to initially cap capacity in our buildings to maintain social distancing and manage elevator capacity; we will gradually increase capacity based on careful review of health metrics and our testing systems.
In the coming weeks, we will provide another update about the sign-up process and additional information.
This planning fits into our broader effort to evolve our workplace for the long term, including the transition for everyone to return in a hybrid, fully remote or fully onsite model of work after the phased-in voluntary period.
I know this past year has not been easy, and the current dynamics remain challenging for everyone. But, you continue to show up for one another during this difficult time, even while juggling the demands of work and home, including your responsibilities as parents, caregivers, partners and family members. Please remember to take time off to rest and recharge, and do your part to promote a culture of empathy, patience and flexibility.
I also encourage you to consult our resources to help manage your work-life balance. Today, I’m pleased to share our Guide to Sustaining Remote Work, where you’ll find tips and advice to navigate common challenges of working remotely, including how to address “Zoom Fatigue,” set healthy boundaries and advance your career and personal development. We’ll continue to share similar tools, and make them accessible on the ViacomCBS Brand and Resource Center.
Next month, we’ll be holding a BOB LIVE townhall to discuss all these updates (and more), and, as always, I look forward to this opportunity to hear from you and answer your questions. In the meantime, let’s continue to build off our momentum and be there for each other. You are doing an incredible job – it is really shining through – so thank you for all the time and energy you put into this company, our brands and our organization.
Nickelodeon UK Network Ratings for week of Monday 8th - Sunday 14th March 2021.
Ratings were up across the Nickelodeon UK Network this week compared to the previous week (March 1-7), according to BARB data, with only Nick Jr. Too recording a slight increase of viewership.
Nickelodeon Total:
1. DANGER FORCE (SAT 16:31) - 48,200
2. DANGER FORCE (SAT 11:00) - 41,300
3. SAM & CAT (WED 11:59) - 41,200
4. THE THUNDERMANS (MON 12:31) - 34,800
5. HORRID HENRY (MON 16:13) - 33,900
6. SAM & CAT (MON 11:59) - 33,600
7. VICTORIOUS (SUN 12:00) - 32,299
8. ICARLY (SAT 18:59) - 31,100
9. HORRID HENRY (TUE 16:12) - 28,500
10. HORRID HENRY (MON 15:59) - 28,300
11. THE THUNDERMANS (MON 16:29) - 27,700
12. HORRID HENRY (TUE 15:59) - 27,100
13. HENRY DANGER (SAT 17:00) - 26,500
14. ICARLY (SAT 19:31) - 25,700
15. SIDE HUSTLE (SAT 15:59) - 23,900
NickToons Total:
1. ALVINNN!!! AND THE CHIPMUNKS (SAT 13:45) - 96,900
2. ALVINNN!!! AND THE CHIPMUNKS (SAT 13:30) - 90,000
3. 44 CATS (SAT 14:00) - 64,099
4. LEGO CITY ADVENTURES (SAT 08:15) - 64,000
5. LEGO CITY ADVENTURES (SAT 08:00) - 62,800
6. 44 CATS (SAT 14:15) - 59,100
7. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (SAT 11:45) - 54,100
8. 44 CATS (SAT 12:00) - 54,100
9. 44 CATS (SAT 12:15) - 54,100
10. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (SAT 11:30) - 54,100
11. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (SAT 17:45) - 49,800
12. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (SAT 17:15) - 49,400
13. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (SAT 17:00) - 49,000
14. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (WED 16:15) - 45,400
15. ALVINNN!!! AND THE CHIPMUNKS (SAT 13:15) - 45,300
Nick Jr. Total:
1. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:14) - 206,700
2. PEPPA PIG (TUE 13:59) - 165,900
3. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:04) - 157,400
4. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:19) - 142,500
5. PEPPA PIG (WED 13:59) - 134,600
6. PEPPA PIG (WED 11:20) - 125,700
7. PEPPA PIG (THU 13:14) - 122,100
8. PEPPA PIG (MON 14:29) - 122,000
9. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:49) - 121,100
10. PEPPA PIG (MON 14:34) - 120,900
11. PEPPA PIG (TUE 13:49) - 117,800
12. PEPPA PIG (THU 16:14) - 117,500
13. PEPPA PIG (THU 12:59) - 115,900
14. PEPPA PIG (THU 16:19) - 113,000
15. PEPPA PIG (FRI 26:50) - 110,200
Nick Jr. Too:
1. PEPPA PIG (MON 08:10) - 85,500
2. PAW PATROL (FRI 11:44) - 76,700
3. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:15) - 75,300
4. PEPPA PIG (SAT 08:25) - 68,200
5. PAW PATROL (FRI 06:59) - 67,300
6. PEPPA PIG (MON 08:15) - 62,700
7. PEPPA PIG (TUE 17:15) - 61,000
8. PAW PATROL (SUN 13:15) - 60,900
9. PEPPA PIG (MON 17:40) - 60,000
10. PAW PATROL (SUN 12:44) - 59,500
11. PAW PATROL (FRI 07:15) - 54,900
12. PEPPA PIG (MON 18:10) - 54,400
13. PEPPA PIG (SUN 09:45) - 53,600
14. PAW PATROL (SUN 13:30) - 52,300
15. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:10) - 49,700
Note: Nick Jr. Too is listed as Nick Jr 2 on BARB.
Nickelodeon Network:
1. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:14) - Nick Jr Total - 206,700
2. PEPPA PIG (TUE 13:59) - Nick Jr Total - 165,900
3. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:04) - Nick Jr Total - 157,400
4. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:19) - Nick Jr Total - 142,500
5. PEPPA PIG (WED 13:59) - Nick Jr Total - 134,600
6. PEPPA PIG (WED 11:20) - Nick Jr Total - 125,700
7. PEPPA PIG (THU 13:14) - Nick Jr Total - 122,100
8. PEPPA PIG (MON 14:29) - Nick Jr Total - 122,000
9. PEPPA PIG (TUE 14:49) - Nick Jr Total - 121,100
10. PEPPA PIG (MON 14:34) - Nick Jr Total - 120,900
11. PEPPA PIG (TUE 13:49) - Nick Jr Total - 117,800
12. PEPPA PIG (THU 16:14) - Nick Jr Total - 117,500
13. PEPPA PIG (THU 12:59) - Nick Jr Total - 115,900
14. PEPPA PIG (THU 16:19) - Nick Jr Total - 113,000
15. PEPPA PIG (FRI 26:50) - Nick Jr Total - 110,200
Ratings data provided by BARB.
Programmes of less than 5 minutes duration are excluded from these reports.
Linear TV viewing only; Data for viewing programming on PC/laptops, Tablets and Smartphones is currently unavailable.
Originally published: Monday, March 22, 2021Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon UK News and Highlights!
Rugrats, provided to Creators Syndicate by Nickelodeon, based off the popular animated television series has been created for children and family's to laugh and enjoy together.
Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.
