Nickelodeon (Indian TV channel)

Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon logo used since 2024[a]
CountryIndia
Broadcast areaIndia
Bangladesh[1]
Nepal[1]
Sri Lanka[1]
HeadquartersMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Programming
Language(s)
Picture format576i SDTV
Ownership
OwnerDisney Star (2024–present)
ParentNickelodeon
Sister channelsDisney Star Channels
History
Launched16 October 1999; 25 years ago (1999-10-16)
Links
Websitenickindia.com

Nickelodeon (abbreviated as Nick) is an Indian children's pay television channel based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is the Indian equivalent of the original American network and is owned by Disney Star, a joint venture between Disney India and Viacom18 under license from Paramount Global. Despite using the "Nickelodeon" branding, it does not air any content from the original channel in recent times[when?] as part of a localisation strategy; instead the original Nickelodeon content is only broadcast on the Nickelodeon HD+ channel. As of October 2020, Nickelodeon is the most watched children's channel in India.[2]

History

[edit]
Logo used from 2004 to 2010

Nickelodeon was launched in India on 16 October 1999. Zee TV was in charge of distributing the channel to cable operators, in a deal made with Viacom.[3] Zee TV also launched a Nickelodeon-branded programming block on its main channel as part of a distribution deal between Viacom International and Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was replaced by the Cartoon Network block in 2002.[3][4]

In 2004, Viacom revamped Nickelodeon in India to increase its viewership, including branding the channel just as Nick, creating local programs and launching a Hindi audio track.[5][6]

On 23 November 2006, Nickelodeon India ceased to be distributed in Pakistan and was replaced with a dedicated local version of Nickelodeon in that country.[7]

Viacom signed a programming deal with Sun TV Network in 2007 according to which Nickelodeon shows will air on Chutti TV dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. This deal was later cancelled when Nickelodeon decided to add Tamil and Telugu audio tracks to their own channel.[8]

In 2007, the joint venture between Viacom and TV18 called Viacom18 was formed, and the channels MTV, Nick India and VH1 became part of the new company.[9]

Shortened version of the current logo used on air
Nickelodeon Wordmark logo since 2009, given the slight vermillion tint in 2017

On 25 June 2010, Nick India was rebranded, using the newly launched logo used in US. It was the last major market to undergo this makeover.[10] In December 2011, Viacom 18 launched a new channel called Sonic.[11] Initially, the channel was focused on action and adventure, before switching their focus to comedy in 2016.[12]

Viacom18 Motion Pictures distributed Keymon Ache & Nani in Space Adventure, a film based on the Nickelodeon India series Keymon Ache in 2012.[13] Another theatrical film, Motu Patlu: King Of Kings from the Motu Patlu franchise was released in Hindi and Tamil on 14 October 2016.[14]

Nick Jr. was launched in late 2012 after being spun off from the main channel.[15] As the main channel did not air any live action shows, these shows aired on TeenNick, which was aired in the evenings on Nick Jr. until 1 February 2017, when it was discontinued.

In 2013, the channel hosted its first localized Kids Choice Awards.[16]

On 5 December 2015, Viacom18 launched Nickelodeon HD+, the first children's channel in High Definition in India.[17] It originates a different schedule than the main network, including previously unaired international programming such as The Legend of Korra.

In March 2016, Viacom18 launched a Nick programming block named "Nick Hour" on their free-to-air channel Colors Rishtey.[18] The programming consists of shows like Motu Patlu, Pakdam Pakdai, The Jungle Book, Go, Diego, Go!, Keymon Ache and Chhoti Anandi (Colors TV series).

Nick India added a Kannada audio track to the channel on 1 September 2018. Four additional language tracks in Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati and Malayalam were added in 2019.[19]

Nick India announced its first co-production with Nickelodeon International called The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj, which first premiered internationally in late 2022.[20] It premiered in India on 15 October 2023.[citation needed]

On 24 January 2022, in association with Nickelodeon India, Colors Tamil launched the "Nick Neram" block, airing Rudra: Boom Chik Chik Boom and Golmaal Jr..[21]

On April 15, 2024, the channel, along with its sister channel Nick Jr., started to use the Splat rebrand being used internationally. Unlike most Nickelodeon feeds adopting the Nickelodeon logo, the channel retained its on-air name as Nick.[22]

Programming

[edit]
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Nickelodeon (India)

In the channel's first years of broadcasting it aired mostly original programs from the US, such as Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, As Told by Ginger, Rocket Power, The Wild Thornberrys, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Rocko's Modern Life, The Angry Beavers, CatDog, Hey Arnold!, The Fairly OddParents, SpongeBob SquarePants and Danny Phantom. The network also aired live action shows, such as Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, Clarissa Explains It All, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and others.

After the success of Nickelodeon U.S. game shows, Nick India produced two local game shows, Dum Dama Dum[23] and Gilli Gilli Gappa.[24] They launched J Bole Toh Jadoo, a spin-off series of 2003's Koi... Mil Gaya. The series premiered on 14 November 2004 on Children's Day.

In 2006 Nick India started acquiring Japanese animated shows such as Ninja Hattori, Perman and Mighty Cat Masked Niyander.[25] Due to poor performance of original Nickelodeon content,[6][26] the channel started to rely more on third party programming and focused on animated content only. Newer live-action shows like iCarly were not aired until the launch of TeenNick in 2012 and some ongoing Nickelodeon cartoons at that time such as The Fairly OddParents were permanently removed from the channel. Only some shows like Tak and the Power of Juju and The Penguins of Madagascar premiered in later years.

Nick started airing Colors's show Jai Shri Krishna in 2009. The show was re-edited and customized for a younger audience.[27] They also acquired Little Krishna, an animated series produced by BIG Animation India and The Indian Heritage Foundation in May 2009.[28] Also, in 2009 the channel started acquired the French series Oggy and the Cockroaches.

Starting in 2011, Nickelodeon India started producing local animated shows, starting with Keymon Ache and a theatrical movie based on the series.[13] The local strategy became successful with Motu Patlu in 2012, and they later launched more local animated series like Pakdam Pakdai in 2013 (which later moved to Nickelodeon Sonic), Shiva in 2015, Gattu Battu in 2017, Rudra in 2018, Ting Tong in 2020 and Chikoo aur Bunty in 2021. The success with domestic products gave the network the latitude to reduce their dependence on foreign content, and with the launch of Nickelodeon HD+ in 2015, the original shows from the American and British networks migrated to that channel space instead.

Sister channels

[edit]

Nickelodeon HD+

[edit]

Nickelodeon HD+ (abbreviated as Nick HD+) launched on 5 December 2015. It is the high-definition counterpart of Nickelodeon India. Original content from the U.S. television channel are shown only on the channel.

Nick Jr.

[edit]
Main article: Nick Jr. (Indian TV channel)

Before the launch of the channel, Nick Jr. was started as a block on Nickelodeon at morning times which broadcast shows for kids like Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, etc. On 21 November 2012, Viacom18 launched TeenNick and Nick Jr. as a single channel in which Nick Jr. airs in the daytime while TeenNick aired at night. However, TeenNick was discontinued on 1 February 2017, which made Nick Jr. a 24-hour channel. The block on Nickelodeon was discontinued in 2018.

Nickelodeon Sonic

[edit]
Main article: Nickelodeon Sonic

Nickelodeon Sonic was launched on 20 December 2011, focusing on action and teens. In 2016, the channel changed strategy to attract younger audiences, including producing local original content for the channel.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The logo's wordmark has been in use since 2010. Additionally, this logo is a variant meant to be used for white backgrounds; the main variant has a white wordmark in conjunction with a fully orange splat.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Singh, Paramveer (5 August 2021). Indian Silver Screen. K.K. Publications. p. 162. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Nickelodeon becomes highest viewership in India". Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "ZEE TV TO LAUNCH NICKELODEON". 11 October 1999. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Cartoon Network block replaces Nick on Zee TV". 14 August 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Nickelodeon India business and operations head Pradeep Hejmadi – AnimationXpressAnimationXpress". www.animationxpress.com. 2 September 2004. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Nick to get 'MTV India treatment' for makeover". Indian Television Dot Com. 22 May 2004. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  7. ^ Clark, Steve (23 November 2006). "MTV and Nickelodeon launch in Pakistan". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007.
  8. ^ "Sun's Chutti TV targets 25% ad growth in 2010". 19 December 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Viacom-TV18 JV named Viacom-18". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Nick India undergoes makeover, to don new logo from June 25". The Economic Times. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Viacom18 to launch new channel Sonic for "new young adults"". Campaign India. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Nick rebrands their kids channel Sonic with refreshing new logo and their successful show 'Shiva' – AnimationXpressAnimationXpress". www.animationxpress.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Nick's Keymon Ache to make its theatrical debut on 9 November". 6 November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Viacom18 to bring 'Motu Patlu King of Kings' animation film". The Times of India. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Viacom18 launches Nick Jr. to enter preschool segment in India | TelevisionPost.com". www.televisionpost.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017. [unreliable source?]
  16. ^ "Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards now in India". Indian Television Dot Com. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Viacom18 to launch HD kids channel Nick HD+, unveils local IP 'Shiva' for Nick | TelevisionPost.com". www.televisionpost.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  18. ^ ""Nick Hour" on Rishtey". 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Nick & Sonic adds four new local language feeds". Indian Television Dot Com. 20 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Nicktoons Global Premieres 'The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj'". NickALive.net. 27 December 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Colors Tamil launches kids' special segment in association with Nickelodeon". Exchange4Media. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Nickelodeon Launches Splat Rebrand in India". NickALive.net. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Nick brings 'Double Dare' Hindi version". Indian Television Dot Com. 9 November 2004. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Nick launches "Gilli Gilli Gappa" on Holi". 14 March 2006. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Nick scores hat trick with new shows on board – AnimationXpressAnimationXpress". www.animationxpress.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Toon Today – Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  27. ^ "Colors to share Jai Shri Krishna with Nick, but with a different touch". 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Animation series 'Little Krishna' debut on May 11". 7 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
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