MUMBAI: Nickelodeon has vaulted ahead of all kid-focused channels to become the most widely distributed children's TV network in Europe and the world, with 28 channels reaching 198 million TV households in 81 territories.
Nickelodeon program blocks in 21 key markets such as China, Russia and Indonesia reach an additional 122 million TV households and extend Nickelodeon to a total of 169 territories.
The channel reached this milestone with the launch of Nick to 33 million TV households in Germany. This was announced by MTV Networks International (MTVNI) president and vice chairman Bill Roedy.
Nick Germany's launch is part of Nickelodeon's extensive global expansion effort, including seven new international services in 2005 - of which five are in Europe.
Since January, Nickelodeon has launched four channels (Germany, Korea, Portugal, Holland - Nick Jr.) and two programming blocks (China, Turkey), and the momentum continues with the December launch of a Nickelodeon channel in France.
This growth has driven significant gains across all lines of business, netting Nick 28 per cent revenue growth internationally during the first half of 2005 versus the same period in 2004.
The international roll-out of Nickelodeon properties such as Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants tripled revenue growth in Consumer Products in 2004 versus 2003.
"Building Nickelodeon's position as the pre-eminent brand for kids all over the world continues to be a top priority for MTVN International. We are seeing fantastic momentum in our business and brand connections with kids on every measure, as a result of both significant local expansion and strong integration with Nickelodeon's market-leading US team. As our growth continues, we look forward to celebrating the world's diverse kid culture by providing unique Nick experiences for our viewers and partners through our channels and properties like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Avatar," said Roedy.
MTV Networks vice chairman and Nickelodeon Networks president Herb Scannell added, "Nickelodeon's unifying global mission is to serve kids and put them first in all that we do. We are thrilled to bring to German audiences our universally popular characters and shows. And we are also eagerly looking forward to Germany becoming another creative breeding ground for new ideas in kids' programming that will not only entertain kids on Nick Germany, but also be shared with our channels around the world."
Nick Germany began broadcasting to 86 per cent of German television households, extending the diversity of audiences served by MTV Networks portfolio of channels in the world's third largest ad market and Europe's biggest economy. Nick in Germany is also available as a branded mobile TV service on Vodaphone, as well as a dedicated Web Site, www.nick.de.
Nick Germany replaces the music channel MTV2 Pop in the market, broadcasting alongside MTV Networks' other German channel offerings that include Viva, Viva Plus and MTV.
The launch of Nick Germany marks the latest phase of MTV Networks' growth strategy in Germany, following last year's acquisition of Viva Media AG.
The network celebrated another milestone in June 2005 when Nickelodeon US, powered by shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Zoey 101, The Fairly OddParents and Avatar, recorded its tenth consecutive year as the number-one cable network on a total day basis, according to Nielsen.
Beyond channels, MTVNI is expanding the entire Nickelodeon brand experience with local events, such as Nick's signature Kids' Choice Awards show. Recently, CCTV-Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Honors became the first event of its kind in China, and will be televised on CCTV14, CCTV1 and CCTV4 on 23 September reaching 300 million households throughout China. Nickelodeon now has seven fully localised Kids' Choice Awards around the world.
