Nickelodeon Hopes For Ratings Rescue By The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

From Los Angeles Times:

Nickelodeon hopes for rescue by 'Ninja Turtles'

A newer, hipper version of the '80s and '90s cartoon franchise is the latest effort by the children's network to combat a ratings plunge.

A hipper version of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” a hugely popular cartoon franchise in the ’80s and ’90s, is the latest effort by Nickelodeon to combat a ratings plunge. (Nickelodeon / July 24, 2012)

The turtles are being unleashed in the nick of time.

On Saturday morning, Nickelodeon will take the lid off a slicker, hipper version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." The armed reptiles, a hugely popular cartoon franchise in the '80s and '90s, are the latest effort by the children's network to combat a dramatic ratings plunge.

Over the past year, Nickelodeon has lost 28% of its young audience, according to ratings firm Nielsen. The network's signature programming, "SpongeBob SquarePants" and tween sensation "iCarly," have lost cache with kids who are turning to other channels and other entertainment such as video games.

That has provided an opening for competing networks to make gains. Arch rival Disney Channel last year surpassed Nickelodeon among its target audience of viewers aged 2 to 11, shattering Nick's 16-year streak of ratings victories.

"I can't think of another instance in television history in which a network that has been so dominant for so long has fallen so far and so fast," said Todd Juenger, media analyst with investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

Nickelodeon's ratings stumbles have captured the attention of Wall Street because the network is a crucial profit center for parent company Viacom Inc. The Nickelodeon networks, which include Nick Jr. and TeenNick, last year generated $2.5 billion in revenue for the company — and more than 37% of Viacom's cash flow, according to consulting firm SNL Kagan.

Although Viacom's stock has not suffered because of the market's general enthusiasm for media stocks, analysts nevertheless have become increasingly concerned about the youth defection.

With so much at stake, Viacom has thrown tens of millions of dollars into development of new programs for Nickelodeon, including the latest reboot of the masked marauders from the sewers of New York who first towered over the cartoon landscape in the 1980s.

Viacom acquired the rights to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" three years ago for $60 million and has given them an updated, computer-generated look and more contemporary cronies. For example, April O'Neil, originally a grown-up TV reporter, is now a spunky, pony-tailed 16-year-old girl.

The network has ordered 26 new episodes of the turtles. And more new shows are on the way.

Last week, Viacom's chief executive told investors that Nickelodeon stepped up its production pipeline, and would run 70% more original programming during the fourth quarter than it did in the year-earlier period. Nickelodeon said that it plans to launch four new series, including "See Dad Run" with '80s heartthrob Scott Baio.

Last year, Nickelodeon spent nearly $400 million on programming, according to SNL Kagan.

The network desperately needs new animated hits that will delight young children and send them and their parents to stores to buy action figure toys, T-shirts, backpacks and DVDs.

"Content, and the creation of great content, drives everything," Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman said last week during an investor conference. The company was particularly excited by the turtles' revenue prospects, he said. "We are already selling out the merchandise we are putting out there," Dauman said.

Even muscle-bound reptiles won't be enough to fend off challenges from competitors Disney Channel, Disney XD, Cartoon Network, PBS Sprout and the Hub, a 2-year-old channel owned by Discovery Communications and toy company Hasbro Corp.

Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Channel has been notching gains after overhauling its animated division in recent years. The company brought in Eric Coleman to lead Disney Television Animation four years ago. Coleman spent 15 years at Nickelodeon, where he championed such shows as "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Disney's revitalized cartoon studio produced the TV network's first $1-billion animated franchise, the abstractly drawn series "Phineas and Ferb." The show, about two step-brothers who create fanciful machines, rolled out in 2007.

While competitors ramped up, Nickelodeon continued to rely on old stalwarts, including its famous squid, sponge and starfish.

"More than 40% of Nickelodeon's schedule has been 'SpongeBob,' " said Brian Wieser, senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group, an equity research firm. "A workhorse would be a charitable definition of the situation, but we would call it dependency."

Three years ago, "SpongeBob" attracted 2.8 million viewers an episode during its daytime runs, including nearly 1.5 million children in Nickelodeon's target audience of children aged 2 to 11, according to Nielsen. This year, the "SpongeBob" audience had fallen to 2.1 million viewers in daytime, including 1.1 million in the 11 and under set.

Declines for "SpongeBob" in the evening, when more adults were watching, were even greater. Two years ago, "SpongeBob" episodes attracted 3.5 million viewers in the Nick-at-Nite programming block. By this year, 1.75 million viewers were tuning in at night.

Some analysts worry that Nickelodeon's declines signal a fundamental shift in viewing behavior. Many young viewers are as likely to watch streamed episodes of cartoons on their game consoles, smart phones and tablets as they are on cable TV channels. Currently, the industry's profitability depends on cable subscription revenue, a source that is threatened by the incursion of online video services such as Netflix and Hulu.

Juenger, the Bernstein analyst, made waves earlier this year when he suggested that Nickelodeon's ratings erosion was caused, in large part, by more children watching "SpongeBob" reruns on Netflix.

He and his colleagues began scrutinizing children's networks because their ratings declines were more pronounced than for channels targeting broader audiences.

Young viewers are a bellwether of future trends.

Viacom and others disagreed with Juenger's conclusions, saying he relied on too narrow a data sample.

Wieser, of Pivotal Research, doesn't buy into the "Netflix effect" as the primary cause for the network's troubles.

"It's the programming. Nickelodeon's programming just hasn't produced the ratings," said Wieser. "They have been overly reliant on just a few hits. 'SpongeBob' and 'iCarly' have gotten a bit stale and now the issue becomes whether this is a fixable problem."

Zodiak Kids' And Anchor Bay Entertainment Join Forces For The UK And North American Home Entertainment Release Of The Hit Nick Jr. Preschool Show "Tickety Toc"

Below is a Anchor Bay Entertainment Press Release from the official Anchor Bay Entertainment website, AnchorBayEntertainment.com:

Zodiak Kids’ and Anchor Bay Entertainment Join Forces for the Home Entertainment Release of the Hit Preschool Show Tickety Toc

Zodiak Kids is delighted to announce that they have secured a North American & U.K. home entertainment partner for the hit preschool show Tickety Toc (52 x11') produced by The Foundation, part of Zodiak Kids, and Korea-based FunnyFlux Entertainment. Anchor Bay Entertainment has picked-up the North American and U.K. home entertainment rights to the series. They will launch in fall 2013, at the same time as U.S. & U.K. master toy partners Just Play LLC & Vivid Imaginations. Zodiak Kids has also secured deals with several other broadcasters internationally including: PTS (Taiwan) and ATV (Turkey).

Karen Vermeulen, SVP Global Sales and Coproduction, Zodiak Kids, comments: “We are delighted Tickety Toc will be joining the brilliant Anchor Bay stable which includes preschool favourites such as Chuggington in the U.S. It's also great to be able to follow the U.S. broadcast with the announcement of more free to air TV partners set to broadcast the series later this year.”

"Anchor Bay has consistently been home to quality preschool programming," stated Bill Clark, president of Anchor Bay Entertainment. "We're excited to offer Tickety Toc as well and look forward to working with Zodiak Kids."

Tickety Toc is a colourful CGI animated series which follows the fast-paced, energetic, comedic adventures of twins, Tommy and Tallulah and their remarkable friends as they race against time to keep the clock ticking and chime in the time. Through Tommy and Tallulah’s madcap adventures, Tickety Toc explores concepts of teamwork, social responsibility and problem solving in a fun and engaging way.

Tickety Toc launched on Nick Jr. in the U.K. this April as its number one show for that month* and on Nickelodeon® U.S. and France 5 earlier this month. Tickety Toc is originated and directed by FunnyFlux Entertainment founder and president, Gil Hoon Jung. Executive producers are Nigel Pickard and Vanessa Hill for The Foundation and the Series Producer is Karina Stanford-Smith.

Tickety Toc was an enhanced acquisition deal with Nickelodeon® channels around the world. Zodiak Kids has previously announced free TV sales of the 52 x 11’ series to Channel 5/Milkshake! (UK); France 5 (France); Disney Junior (Canada); TG4 (Gaelic-language terrestrial channel in Ireland); Pop TV (Slovenia); NRK Super (Norway) and YLE (Finland).

Zodiak Kids control all worldwide rights for Tickety Toc except in Korea and Japan.

About Zodiak Kids

Zodiak Kids is the global independent leader in kids’ entertainment, combining Zodiak Media Group's dedicated kids’ Production Companies, Consumer Products and Sales Division. Zodiak Kids represents a yearly output of over 350 episodes of new programming produced by prominent producers: The Foundation (UK); Marathon Media (France) and Tele Images Productions (France).

Sales for Zodiak kids are handled by a dedicated team within Zodiak Rights, one of the leading international distributors in the industry.

Zodiak Kids boasts one of the largest, high-quality kids catalogues in the world, which includes Totally Spies!, the international hit animation series; Waybuloo, the CBeebies pre-school hit; Redakai, a brand new series on Cartoon Network US; Mister Maker, the ultimate arts and craft show; Gormiti, based on the extraordinarily successful figurine range that sold over 100 million pieces; Street Football, one of the top rated animated shows in France and Italy.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation.

*Source: BARB, C&S homes, K4-15, Nick Jr., April 2012, July 2012.

-Ends-

Also, from Home Media Magazine:

Anchor Bay Picks Up Rights to ‘Tickety Toc’

Anchor Bay Entertainment has nailed down the North American and U.K. rights to preschool show “Tickety Toc,” with plans for a multiplatform release in late 2013.

Toy companies Just Play and Vivid Imaginations will partner on merchandising timed with the release, while show owner Zodiak Kids will have the show broadcast on Taiwan’s PTS and Turkey’s ATV channels.

“Anchor Bay has consistently been home to quality preschool programming,” said Bill Clark, president of Anchor Bay Entertainment. “We’re excited to offer ‘Tickety Toc’ as well and look forward to working with Zodiak Kids.”

Karen Vermeulen, SVP of global sales and coproduction for Zodiak Kids, added: “We are delighted ‘Tickety Toc’ will be joining the brilliant Anchor Bay stable which includes preschool favorites such as ‘Chuggington’ in the U.S. It’s also great to be able to follow the U.S. broadcast with the announcement of more free to air TV partners set to broadcast the series later this year.”

The CGI animated series follows the adventures of two twins and their friends, and launched on Nick Jr. in the U.K. in April, and on Nickelodeon in the United States and France earlier in September.

Nickelodeon UK Unveils Extensive "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Launch Promotion

From The Drum:

Nickelodeon undertakes one of its biggest programme launches with the return of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Children's entertainment channel, Nickelodeon, is embarking on one of the biggest UK programme launches in its history as it promotes the return of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, premiering Monday 1 October at 5pm.

The 3D art installation at Riverside Walkway
Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo will emerge onto the streets on London’s Southbank this morning through a specially commissioned 3D art installation at Riverside Walkway by St Gabriel’s Wharf. On top of this Nickelodeon has already commissioned promotional spots, phone boxes, ring tones, and taxis to support the launch.

“The marketing campaign is inspired by the show itself, with the Turtles emerging from the sewers onto the city streets, first with the phone boxes that has each one of our heroes in situ and now with a literal unveiling of the lair below our feet,” said Alison Bakunowich, VP Director of Marketing and Communications, Nickelodeon UK. “Nickelodeon has a fantastic history in creating iconic animation that captures the imaginations of audiences and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an awesome addition to the canon. I cannot wait for audiences to see it.”

[Nickelodeon UK's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" telephone box promotion, featuring Leonardo (also known as Leo)]

On air, 60 and 30-second promotional spots, created by the Nickelodeon creative team, are currently airing across Nickelodeon and Nicktoons, in addition to other kids' networks and ITV and Channel 5. Across the UK, 2500 phone boxes have been adorned with Turtles with each box featuring a QR code that gives fans access to a free download of the show's opening theme.

A comprehensive online campaign, including site takeovers, is currently running across selected kid-focussed sites, and 50 digital screens across two Westfield retail locations feature a ten-second reel for the show. Future roll outs include a fleet of 37 Turtles-branded taxis to appear nationwide from Tuesday 16 October. All media for the campaign was planned and booked by UM London.

The all-new CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will air on Nickelodeon just two days after the U.S. premiere. Considered to be one of the most popular kids' television programmes of the 1980s, the re-working, featuring the voices of American Pie’s Jason Biggs (Leonardo) and Lord of the Rings’ Sean Astin (Raphael), hopes to bring the show to a new generation.

Extra tags: Advertising Design Entertainment Marketing Public Relations UK Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Nickelodeon UK Unveils 3D "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Art Installation On London's Southbank!

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland has unveiled their very special "Top Secret Super Special Plan" which Nick UK and Eire hinted at earlier this week: Nickelodeon UK has commissioned a very special three-dimensional (3D) art work installation featuring a sewer scene from Nickelodeon's brand new CGI-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television series on London's Southbank which was unveiled today (Thursday 27th September 2012) to celebrate and promote Nickelodeon UK premiering and showing Nickelodeon's brand new CGI-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television series from Monday 1st October 2012 at 5.00pm (BST (GMT+1)), starting with a very special one-hour television event! Tweeted (posted) by Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on their official Twitter profile page (@NickelodeonUK):

AWESOME art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - watch 5pm Monday!! #nickturtlesuk pic.twitter.com/Z6gbudGu

Also:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artwork is at Southbank, London. Head there and show me your pics! I'll RT some! :) #nickturtlesuk.

And:

More cool Turtles art from fans! RT if you like ! :) #nickturtlesuk pic.twitter.com/wGhqjJrc

Also, from Licensing.biz:

NCP reveals Turtles 3D art installation on London's Southbank

Stunt is latest part of nationwide promotional campaign to launch new Ninja Turtles series.

A specially commissioned 3D art installation featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can be seen on London's Southbank today.

The piece, which can be viewed until 5pm today (Thursday September 27th), is the latest part of Nickelodeon's nationwide promotional blitz to launch the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.

It is due to premiere on Monday October 1st at 5pm.

The campaign is set to be one of the largest UK launches in Nickelodeon's history and includes promotional spots, phone boxes, ring tones and taxis.

On air, 60 and 30-second spots have been created to air across Nickelodeon and Nicktoon, in addition to other kids networks, ITV and Channel 5. An online campaign includes site takeovers, while 2,500 phones boxes across the country have been adorned with Leo, Donnie, Raph or Mikey.

"The marketing campaign is inspired by the show itself, with the Turtles emerging from the sewers onto the city streets, first with the phone boxes that has each one of our heroes in situ and now with a literal unveiling of the lair below our feet," explained Alison Bakunowich, VP director of marketing and communications at Nickelodeon UK.

"Nickelodeon has a fantastic history in creating iconic animation that captures the imaginations of audiences and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an awesome addition to the canon."

Also, from Digital Spy:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles erupt onto the Southbank - pictures

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles celebrate their return to television.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have erupted onto the street of London's Southbank to mark their return to television.

In an artwork created by British artists 3D Joe and Max, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael burst out onto the streets of the capital.

> 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' returns - preview

The show returns this month with Jason Biggs as Leonardo, Rob Paulsen as Donatello, Sean Astin as Raphael and Greg Cipes as Michelangelo.

All new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premieres on October 1 at 5pm on Nickelodeon with a one-hour special.

There have been two previous animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.

The first began in 1987, spawning ten seasons and 193 episodes. This was followed by a new series in 2003, consisting of seven seasons and 156 episodes.