Angry Birds Soar To Nickelodeon UK In An Exclusive Short Film, "Angry Birds in Space," Premiering Friday 23rd March 2012 At 6pm

Below is a Nickelodeon UK and Ireland press release announcing the Nickelodeon UK news that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing the latest brand new animated "Angry Birds" short movie called "Angry Birds in Space" on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK on Friday 23rd March 2012 at 6:00pm (repeated at 7.00pm on Nickelodeon UK's plus one (+1) timeshift channel Nick Replay UK) from GamesPress via Gamasutra:

ANGRY BIRDS SOAR TO NICKELODEON IN AN EXCLUSIVE SHORT FILM, "ANGRY BIRDS SPACE," PREMIERING FRIDAY 23RD MARCH AT 6 P.M.

[This unedited Nickelodeon UK press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]

London, 22nd March, 2012 - An all-new exclusive Angry Birds short film, “Angry Birds Space” lands on Nickelodeon on Friday 23 rd March at 6 p.m.

"Angry Birds Space" is a global exclusive to Nickelodeon and will also reveal six brand-new birds.

This animated short tells the story of how the Angry Birds end up in space. It begins on a day much like any other, but suddenly a cosmic vortex appears and brings visitors from another galaxy with some unfriendly intentions. This means the heroic birds have to slingshot themselves into a new adventure - space.

Angry Birds are the most downloaded games ever, with over 700M downloads in the two years since they launched. The Angry Birds Space game will be available worldwide on from today.

About Nickelodeon UK

Nickelodeon is the top performing commercial kids TV network in the UK. Launched in 1993, it comprises seven dedicated award-winning entertainment channels for kids aged 2-12: Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon HD, Nick Replay, Nicktoons, Nicktoons Replay, Nick Jr., and Nick Jr. 2.

The Nickelodeon network now reaches more than 10 million viewers a month and is available in 12.7 million cable and satellite homes.

The company has built a diverse multi-platform business by putting kids first in everything it does and includes critically acclaimed and hugely popular television programming and production in the United Kingdom and around the world, plus consumer products, online, events, recreation and feature films.

Nickelodeon is available on Sky 604, Virgin 712 and TalkTalk 315 nick.co.uk

Also, from Digital Spy:

'Angry Birds Space' cartoon to air on Nickelodeon

A new short film of Angry Birds Space is to air on Nickelodeon tomorrow, as Rovio launches its biggest ever integrated campaign for the blockbuster game.

Angry Birds Space today became available to download for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices, as well as Mac and PC. A retail copy of the game for PC will follow shortly.

The game marks the first integrated entertainment launch for Finnish firm Rovio, including accompanying Angry Birds Space merchandise, animation and books.

This also includes an Angry Birds Space cartoon airing exclusively on Nickelodeon on March 23 at 6pm, revealing six brand new birds in the series.

The animated short tells the story of how the Angry Birds ended up in space, after a cosmic vortex appears and sucks them into another galaxy. The feathered heroes then have to "slingshot themselves into a new adventure - space".

Since Angry Birds debuted on Apple's iOS devices in December 2009, it has become the most popular mobile game ever, racking up 700m downloads in its first two years alone.

The game is available to play for free supported by adverts, but around 25% of downloads are understood to be for the paid, advert-free versions on smartphones and tablets. Angry Birds remains one of the most popular paid apps in the iTunes App Store.

The success of Angry Birds has transformed Rovio Entertainment into a powerhouse in mobile gaming, helping the firm raise $42m in venture capital funding last March from Accel Partners, Atomico and Felicis Ventures.

Rovio has also been successful in developing Angry Birds into a successful brand, tapping into the lucrative markets for merchandising and licensing, including cuddly toys, branded goods and entertainment spinoffs.

The company announced yesterday that various Angry Birds-themed parks will be built around the world over the next year.

Rovio has teamed up with playground equipment maker Lappset Group to create the activity parks, which will feature interactive content and "exclusive" downloads.

The first Angry Birds park will be constructed in Finland this summer, with UK sites to follow.