LOVEFiLM UK Adds Nickelodeon And Nick Jr. Programming

Amazon UK has announced in the following press release, from the technology news website Engadget, that the UK version of the European online streaming video subscription service LOVEFiLM, a Amazon subsidiary, has today, Thursday 29th August 2013, added a variety of content from a range of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) UK's channels, including Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.!

Available from today, a whole host of quality children's entertainment from Nickelodeon, one of the world's leading entertainment brands for kids and families, is available on LoveFilm. Programming includes Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award-winners "Dora The Explorer" and "Blue's Clues", BAFTA Award-winner "SpongeBob SquarePants" and a raft of other well-known characters such as "Team Umizoomi", "Bubble Guppies" and "Go Diego Go!"!

Amazon and Viacom announced their deal to bring popular Nickelodeon programming to LoveFilm's subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) service in June 2013:

AMAZON'S LOVEFiLM ENHANCES REALITY TV, COMEDY AND CHILDREN'S OFFERING WITH NEW VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS DEAL

LOVEFiLM, an Amazon company, today announced the arrival of hundreds of hours of popular reality TV series, comedy and children's entertainment on the LOVEFiLM Instant streaming service following a deal with worldwide entertainment leader Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN).

The wide selection of new shows will allow members of LOVEFiLM Instant in the UK to experience some of the greatest entertainment from across VIMN's exciting broadcast portfolio – which includes MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Comedy Central.

Reality TV fans can now consume entire seasons of hit series The Hills, Teen Mom and Jersey Shore, as well the British smash-hit spin-off Geordie Shore. Ashton Kutcher's celebrity prank show Punk'd is also available to stream.

Also available from today –– is a whole host of quality children's entertainment, with popular series now available including Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Award-winners Dora The Explorer and Blue's Clues, BAFTA Award®-winner SpongeBob SquarePants and a raft of other well-known characters such as Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies and Go Diego Go!

Chris Bird, Director of Content Strategy at LOVEFiLM, said: "We're thrilled to announce the arrival of hundreds of great shows from prestigious broadcasters such as MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. These new additions to our already extensive selection of entertainment will offer our members – kids and adults alike – more variety than ever before."

David Lynn, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of VIMN UK, said: "This is a great way for our audience to access some of VIMN's most well-known content, across any device. This partnership will create a fantastic gateway through which fans can view their favourite VIMN shows."

Source: Lovefilm.

Also, from Broadcast:

Lovefilm turns on Geordie Shore and Spongebob

Episodes of Geordie Shore and SpongeBob SquarePants are to be made available on Lovefilm for the first time after the Amazon-owned VoD service struck a deal with Viacom International Media Networks.

The deal will see a raft of series from MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central air on the digital platform in the UK.

These include MTV programmes The Hills, Teen Mom, Punk’d and Jersey Shore and Nickelodeon shows Dora The Explorer, Blue’s Clues, Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies and Go Diego Go!

Chris Bird, director of content strategy at Lovefilm, said: “These new additions to our already extensive selection of entertainment will offer our members - kids and adults alike - more variety than ever before.”

David Lynn, executive vice president and managing director of VIMN UK, added: “This is a great way for our audience to access some of VIMN’s most well-known content, across any device.”

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Nickelodeon UK, Nicktoons And Nick Jr. To Launch On Freeview HD Via IPTV Service VuTV In September 2013

Media news websites are reporting the very exciting Nickelodeon UK News in the following articles that a range of pay-TV channels, including Nickelodeon UK, Nicktoons UK, Nick Jr. UK, Comedy Central, and MTV will soon be made available to Freeview HD homes outside of any annual subscriptions, via a brand new TV service called VuTV!

VuTV, co-owned by interactive TV specialist Strategy & Technology and video streaming operator Simplestream, and run by their joint venture Synapse TV, will launch on Freeview channel 238 in September 2013, and will enable a range of premium channels from Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), A+E Networks, and Turner Broadcasting to be watched via Freeview HD boxes, through pay-as-you-go monthly payments.

Details surrounding the monthly price packages of the channels are currently being kept under wraps, but among the first wave of channels to be made available to internet-connected Freeview HD homes are Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. Channel, MTV, Comedy Central, BIO, MTV, CNN, HISTORY, H2, Crime & Investigation Network, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.

VuTV hopes to tap into a new gap in the market presented by internet-connected televisions, by offering consumers a low-cost alternative to traditional pay-TV platforms. Unlike traditional pay-TV providers, VuTV will also offer the digital channels without any long-term contract commitments.

There are now more than 11 million Freeview homes in the UK and the number of homes with Freeview HD on their main television set is believed to be 3.53 million, and growing.

Barb will measure viewing of all VuTV channels in the same way as traditional over-the-air channels, helping to increase the broadcasters' individual ad revenues.

VuTV is said to be the first of a number of services to be powered by Synapse TV, a joint venture between Simplestream and Strategy & Technology.

From MediaWeek:

'Peppa Pig' and Ashton Kutcher coming to Freeview HD

A range of pay-TV channels, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV and Cartoonito, will soon be made available to Freeview HD homes outside of any annual subscriptions, via a new TV service called VuTV.

VuTV: to offer a range of pay-TV channels through pay-as-you-go monthly payments

VuTV is hoping to disrupt the status quo when it launches in the UK this autumn through a partnership with Freeview channel 238 and a number of carriage deals.

It will enable a range of premium channels from A+E Networks, Viacom International Media Networks and Turner Broadcasting to be via Freeview HD boxes, through pay-as-you-go monthly payments.

Details surrounding the monthly price packages of the channels are currently being kept under wraps, but among the first wave of channels to be made available to internet-connected Freeview HD homes are Comedy Central (home to Ashton Kutcher's 'Two and a Half Men'), Nickelodeon (home to 'Peppa Pig'), BIO, MTV, CNN, HISTORY, H2, Crime & Investigation Network, Nicktoons, Nick Jr, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.

VuTV hopes to tap into a new gap in the market presented by internet-connected televisions, by offering consumers a low-cost alternative to traditional pay-TV platforms.

Unlike traditional pay-TV providers, VuTV will also offer the digital channels without any long-term contract commitments.

There are now more than 11 million Freeview homes in the UK and the number of homes with Freeview HD on their main set is believed to be 3.53 million, and growing.

Dan Finch, director of one of VuTV's parent companies, Simplestream, said: "We work with a wide range of broadcasters to stream their linear and on-demand TV to multiple devices. The content owners we engaged with embraced the idea of targeting the Freeview HD market with their portfolio of channels.

"As the public get wiser to connecting up their TVs, and the TVs get smarter, it's a great opportunity for channel providers to tap into the Freeview market and gain access to real-time viewing data of their channels that can be used to help shape their own marketing strategy."

Barb will measure viewing of all VuTV channels in the same way as traditional over-the-air channels, helping to increase the broadcasters' individual ad revenues.

VuTV is said to be the first of a number of services to be powered by Synapse TV, a joint venture between Simplestream and Strategy & Technology.

Also, from CNET's Crave blog:

VuTV brings Comedy Central to Freeview HD via the Web

Voulez vous regardez la TV avec moi? Oui? Then may I suggest, messieurs et mesdames, VuTV, a new service coming soon to Freeview HD that streams premium channels over the Internet.

Wait, hang on un moment -- it streams over the Internet but it's for Freeview HD? Bien sur. VuTV is a collection of channels, including such televisual luminaries as Comedy Central and the History Channel, that's accessed via one channel on the Freeview guide.

You pay upfront -- VuTV hasn't said exactly how, or how much it will cost, but it has promised "a low monthly subscription with no long-term contract". The channels are delivered over the Internet to a second guide that appears when you select channel 238 on your TV, either as standard channels, or on-demand programmes.

It's an interesting model that turns Freeview into a kind of easy jump-off point to many more channels than the current spectrum has room for. The downside is you'd be flicking between different TV guides, which could be confusing, especially when you're trying to figure out what's on later.

YouView offers something similar, with channels and on-demand shows delivered over the Internet, but featuring in the same TV guide as normal Freeview channels. Seeing it all together side by side makes it really easy to use, which is a problem VuTV will have to overcome.

Premium channels

So which channels will VuTV offer? Comedy Central is probably the biggest deal, with The Daily Show, Anger Management, Big Bad World and wall-to-wall Friends. Others on offer are the sort of thing you find on the more expensive packages on Sky and Virgin: Bio, MTV, CNN, History, H2 and the Crime & Investigation Network. Kids are catered for too, with faves such as Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.

What's not known is how much it'll be, whether you can subscribe to individual channels, or when it launches. VuTV says there'll be more details in mid-September. I'll be right here on the edge of my seat.

Also yet to be revealed is exactly what tech you'll need. It requires Freeview HD, which comes built-in with many modern tellies, but otherwise you'll need a separate box. As it's streamed over the Internet, you'll need a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection too. It's possible in future set-top boxes and TVs will be advertised as VuTV-compatible.

Would you pay extra for Comedy Central and the rest? What do you think of the concept? [...]

Also, from Digital Spy:

VuTV subscription service coming to Freeview HD

VuTV, a new subscription service, is launching for Freeview HD customers in the UK.

The premium platform will grant viewers access to popular US channels including Comedy Central, Bio, MTV, CNN and Nickelodeon.

Synapse TV's VuTV premium channel for Freeview; © Synapse TV

VuTV is co-owned by interactive TV specialist Strategy & Technology and video streaming operator Simplestream, and run by their joint venture Synapse TV.

"We work with a wide range of broadcasters to stream their linear and on-demand TV to multiple devices. The content owners we engaged with embraced the idea of targeting the Freeview HD market with their portfolio of channels," said Simplestream director Dan Finch.

"As the public get wiser to connecting up their TVs, and the TVs get smarter, it's a great opportunity for channel providers to tap into the Freeview market and gain access to real time viewing data of their channels that can be used to help shape their own marketing strategy."

VuTV will be available on Freeview channel 238 in September.

[...]

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Nickelodeon Announces Big Time Rush To Perform At The 10th Annual Worldwide Day of Play In Brooklyn's Prospect Park On Saturday 21st September 2013

Nickelodeon USA has announced the exciting Nickelodeon News in a post on their official Facebook profile page, facebook.com/Nickelodeon, that Nickelodeon's hit boy band Big Time Rush will be performing at Nickelodeon's 10th Annual Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP) at the Nethermead in Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Saturday 21st September 2013!:

The rumors are true! BTR will perform at this year's Worldwide Day of Play! It's all going down at Prospect Park in NYC on September 21st: http://at.nick.com/wwdop

Find out more information and how to get your tickets to attend WWDoP 2013 here on NickALive!.

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Nickelodeon Australia And New Zealand Launches "Dare To Be Square" 2013

Nickelodeon Australia has announced on their official "Dare to be Square" website the exciting Nickelodeon News that, to further help celebrate Nickelodeon Australia's upcoming second annual SLIMEFEST event, where, on Friday 27th September 2013, Nick Australia will be taking over the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre to hold SLIMEFEST 2013, Australia's first music festival just for kids, tweens and teenagers, Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand has announced the return of their "SpongeBob SquarePants"-themed pro-social campaign called "Dare to be Square", an exciting initiative launched at 2012's inaugural SLIMEFEST event to promote positivity and inclusiveness and to give Aussie and Kiwi kids a voice!

Nick AU has also announced that Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand will be showing SLIMEFEST on Monday 30th September 2013 at 5pm!

In this round world there is one hero who dares to be square. One hero who dares to be himself. One hero who is happy and positive no matter what the world throws at him. That hero is SpongeBob SquarePants. Inspired by SpongeBob, Nickelodeon is inviting kids in Australia and New Zealand to band together in a celebration of positivity, optimism, and being an individual.

To celebrate SLIMEFEST 2013 and "Dare to be Square", the Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian has written a brand new song and Nickelodeon and Guy Sebastian are daring Australian and Kiwi kids to be part of it! To join in, simply learn the lyrics to Guy's new "Dare to be Square" song on daretobesquare.com.au, record yourself singing the chorus, and YOU could be singing along with Guy as part of Nick's virtual choir on the big screen when Guy performs at SLIMEFEST 2013! Join in, be heard and together we'll show the world that nobody can stop us from being who we are, and that just like SpongeBob, we are going to be positive no matter what and Dare to be Square! With YOUR help, let's spread the word and be heard. So stand up, sing it loud and Dare to be Square! By submitting your entry, you will join hundreds of other kids in a voice against meanies everywhere, and you just might see yourself on the giant video wall screens singing along with Guy! Record the chorus as many times as you like. You can even throw a square to show you care!

The craziest kids' concert ever, Nickelodeon's SLIMEFEST is jam-packed with cool celebrities, mega-messy stunts, electrifying musical performances, and of course, Nickelodeon's trademark slime! It's a festival experience that makes it THE ultimate family concert event for 2013. Joining Guy Sebastian for two 90 minute shows on Friday 27th September 2013 at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre will be Nickelodeon's very own Big Time Rush, the US duo Heffron Drive (Kendall Schmidt and BTR's current guitarist, Dustin Belt), Samantha Jade, Justice Crew (Lukas Bellesini, Paul Eric Merciadez, John Len Ruela Pearce, Len John Ruela Pearce, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Samson Cosray Smith, and Solo Tohi), and Commando Steve Willis!

At SLIMEFEST 2012, celebrities Rove, Delta Goodrem, Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic, Ruby Rose and Cody Simpson introduced the new pro-social campaign for positivity, inspired by the ever-optimistic SpongeBob SquarePants. A newly-blonde Stan Walker sang "Dynamite", with the lyrics re-versioned to lead the 5000-strong crowd to "throw their squares up in the air sometime". Square photos sent in by both kids and celebrities flashed up on the big screen while kids in the audience threw up their own square symbols, creating an amazing moment of solidarity against meanies - a touching display representing positivity and inclusiveness.

Nick AU & NZ has also launched a brand new competition and App called "Gif-tastic Dance", in which Aussie and Kiwi kids can win an aweslime VIP experience at SLIMEFEST to have the slime of your life! The prize includes flying to Sydney, be put up in style AND get backstage access to meet Big Time Rush! Simply create your very own Gif-tastic Dance here on the contests official webpage on Nickelodeon.com.au to be in the running! Here's what you could win:

4 kids + 1 x parent to become SLIMEFEST Royalty!
Trip to Sydney for 2 nights & 3 days
VIP Thrones & Seating at SLIMEFEST
Guaranteed SLIMING (& SLIME OF YOUR LIFE!)
VIP Meet & Greet with Big Time Rush!