Nickelodeon Confirms New Nickelodeon Logo

From Variety:

Nickelodeon unveils new logo
New branding will connect sister nets

Nickelodeon is undergoing its biggest makeover in 25 years.
The kids' cabler and its sister nets will unveil a new logo scheme in fall to replace its "splat" identity -- which was first introduced in 1984.

Branding will connect Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. (formerly Noggin) and TeenNick (formerly the N), all of which will use similar-looking lower-case logos.

According to Cyma Zarghami, prexy of Nick and MTV Networks' Kids and Family Group, the decision to streamline the network identities came after they started putting all of the channels' logos on the same business card -- and decided that it looked like a mess.

"We wanted to clean it up and allow Nick to be the stamp on all of these channels," she said.

That ultimately meant jettisoning the familiar Nickelodeon "splat."

"In asking ourselves if everything could live under the splat, we decided that the splat was dated," she said. "It just couldn't be done in a streamlined way."

Decision to update comes as Nickelodeon celebrates its 30th anniversary. It also comes as Nick rebrands Noggin into Nick Jr. and the N into TeenNick in September -- putting "Nick" into all of its channels' names for the first time.

"With Nick turning 30, it felt like this was the year (for an update)," Zarghami said.

You can view a larger image of the brand new Nickelodeon logo here.

Nickelodeon Debuts Brand New Nickelodeon Logo

According to reports, Nickelodeon recently launched a brand new Nickelodeon logo in June 2009, which uses a brand new font typeface. The following image of the brand new Nickelodeon logo was originally posted in Toon Zone's Nicktoons Forum (click on the image below to view the full-sized image):

Nickelodeon has already started using the new Nickelodeon logo on the packaging of upcoming Nickelodeon DVD releases, as well as on the Nickelodeon Animation Festival 2009 logo, in the Nickelodeon Rewind iTunes store, on a invitation to Nickelodeon staff for an advanced screening for Nickelodeon's upcoming new CGI Nicktoon, Fanboy & Chum Chum, and on the Nickelodeon Getaway logo.

Nickelodeon has yet to confirm whether the new Nickelodeon logo will be used on air (as part of Nickelodeon's idents, bumpers and DOGs (Digital On-screen Graphics)/BUGs), and whether Nickelodeon's Nicktoons Network, TeenNick and Nick Jr channels (Nickelodeon's TeenNick and Nick Jr channels are scheduled to launch in September 2009, with TeenNick replacing The N and Nick Jr replacing Noggin) will be getting brand new logos to go with the design of the new Nickelodeon logo, however, Nickelodeon is expected to fully launch the brand new Nickelodeon logo in September 2009.

It is also unknown whether Nickelodeon UK and Nickelodeon's other international channels will start to use the new Nickelodeon logo branding as well.

Nickelodeon UK Announces New TEENick Strand, New Presenter, New Live-Action Commission, Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 Schedule Plans And More

From Broadcast Now:

Nickelodeon to take on Disney in tween battle

Nickelodeon will take on rival Disney in the teen and tween girls market with a major new UK sitcom and the launch of a young-skewing daily T4-style strand.


RDF Kids is making a 20 x 30-minute live action series under the working title Frankentwins, which has been conceived by My Parents are Aliens creator Andy Watts. TX is planned for 2010.

Nickelodeon managing director Howard Litton told Broadcast: “It used to be Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network doing battle for the top spot but now it’s Disney. To me, this is about trying to compete with the iCarlys or the Hannah Montanas of this world, but with UK originations. Genie in the House did well, but it still hasn’t reached those sorts of levels. Working with Andy Watts and RDF is us taking the next step up.”

The channel is also poised to launch the Teenick strand at the end of this month, fronted by Olly Murray and targeting girls aged between 10 and 14. Produced inhouse, it will air between 5pm and 7pm, seven days a week, and will host pop acts and LA features, as well as visits to UK events such as Camp Bestival. Currently, the strand is commissioned to the end of September but will be made permanent if it is successful.

Meanwhile, the broadcaster has tied its longstanding Nicktrition healthy eating strand to the government’s Change For Life campaign - commissioning its in-house team to produce two extra spots and to rebrand the 14 existing ones to feature both campaign logos.

Litton said the government has not invested any funds in the project, but that he hoped a commercial relationship would follow. “It’s a good thing to do and we believe in demonstrating the commitment first,” he said.

Litton also pledged to continue investing in UK-originated content for younger audiences on Nick Jr.

Also, from C21 Media:

Nickelodeon unveils live-action commission

UK kids network Nickleloden is launching a new live-action series and a daily teen and tween strand in a bid to retain its older viewers.

Frankentwins (20x30'), from RDF Media, follows a family's move to Transylvania. The show was created by My Parents Are Aliens creator Andy Watts and is set for a 2010 launch.

Speaking at the network's autumn/winter schedule launch last night, MD Howard Litton said 16 series will return to the channel. All of the shows, including iCarly and True Jackson, will feature new episodes. Seven new programmes are also set to make their debut.

Litton said the live-action programming was about keeping connected to "the slightly older end" of the channel's audience.

"It's about the teen and tween audiences that we've always done well with on Nickelodeon. But now want to take it up a notch," he said.

Seemingly set on going head-to-head with Disney, Litton said: "ICarly is a phenomenon in the states. There's been a lot of press about (the show's star) Miranda Cosgrove being the next, or bigger than, Hannah Montana. So getting new episodes of that in the fourth quarter is going to be great for us."

Nickelodeon is also set to launch a new strand called Teenick towards the end of July, targeting tween girls and featuring pop acts, fashion and news. Produced in-house, the strand will run from 17.00 to 19.00, hosted by Olly Murray.

In its Nicktoons strand, the channel has acquired Marvel Animation's The Super Hero Squad Show (26x30'), featuring a stylised renditioning of the publisher's characters fighting to save Super Hero City.

And maintaining its commitment to public service responsibilities, the broadcaster has linked its healthy-eating Nicktrition strand to the UK government's Change For Life campaign. Nickelodeon has commissioned its in-house team to produce two new spots focusing on the importance of a balanced diet.

Martin Buxton
9 Jul 2009
© C21 Media 2009

Nickelodeon UK To Reinvent Grizzly Tales

From C21 Media:

Grizzly Tales reinvented for Nick

Award-winning UK animated series Grizzly Tales, which originally aired on ITV, is being reinvented for Nickelodeon UK.

Twenty-six new 11-minute episodes have been devised based on the series of books written by Jamie Rix (Not Going Out, The Revenge Files of Alistair Fury).

As in the original series, Grizzly Tales will be narrated by Nigel Planer (The Young Ones, Hairspray).

The new series will be broadcast in 2011, preceded by re-runs of the 79 original episodes in 2010.

The original six series ran from 2000 to 2006 on ITV1 and are based on the original book Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids. It is co-exec produced and directed by Sara and Simon Bor and will be distributed by ITV Global Entertainment.

Jules Grant
18 Jun 2009
© C21 Media 2009