Nickelodeon Pakistan Acquires Rights To "Burka Avenger" Season Two

C21Media is reporting the exciting news that Nickelodeon Pakistan has acquired the broadcast rights to the second season of "Burka Avenger", the locally produced cartoon series about a masked female schoolteacher who fights oppression!

The animated series (26×22') is one of the first animated productions to be made wholly in Pakistan and comes from Islamabad-based production firm Unicorn Black, which was set up by international pop star Aaron Haroon Rashid.

"Burka Avenger" first began airing in Pakistan on the Geo TV network in the summer of 2013 and quickly gained media attention worldwide for its portrayal of a schoolteacher who wears a burka to hide her identity while fighting evil.

Haroon, the campaign ambassador for Save the Children's Everyone Campaign that focuses on child health and nutrition, created the series as a way to emphasise the importance of girls' education in Pakistan and abroad, as well as issues such as equality and discrimination. It was commissioned for a second season following the success of the first on Geo TV.

The cartoon has since gone on to win numerous prizes internationally, including the award for best TV show at the Asian Media Awards in Manchester, UK, in 2014.

---

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Pakistan News and Highlights!

Nickelodeon Remixes Their Sitcom Formula To Adapt To Children's Media Consumption

The New York Times has unveiled a article in which Russell Hicks, the President of Content Development and Production at Nickelodeon, talks about Nickelodeon's latest new shows, and how Nickelodeon are trying to reflect more of the sophistication which found in shows aimed at adults in the networks new shows, including "Bella and the Bulldogs" and "100 Things to Do Before High School":

Nickelodeon Remixes Its Sitcom Formula to Adapt to Children's Media Consumption

New series, like “100 Things to Do Before High School,” are trying to reflect more of the sophistication of shows aimed at adults. Credit Robert Voets/Nickelodeon

LOS ANGELES — Buffoonish parents. Voice-of-reason best friend. Laugh track. Extra-bright lighting. Nifty girl's bedroom with window seat.

For years, Nickelodeon arranged and rearranged those children's sitcom building blocks to spectacular effect. By the time young viewers tired of watching slightly different versions of the same simple show, they were moving on to MTV. Their younger siblings cycled into Nickelodeon. The old formula was new to them.

But children — as ratings declines have taught Nickelodeon and its cable competitors — don't devour entertainment as mindlessly as they used to. "By the time kids are 8, they have now consumed so much media that they are demanding something different," said Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon's programming chief.

So Mr. Hicks is throwing out some of the cookie cutters and trying to make series for children that reflect more of the sophistication of shows aimed at adults. "We want to explore all of the things that kids' TV doesn't normally do," Mr. Hicks said. "This generation of kids does not want the last generation's leftovers."

Brec Bassinger, with Dorien Wilson, was cast in “Bella and the Bulldogs” because she was not groomed for Hollywood. Credit Robert Voets/Nickelodeon

Children’s sitcoms, for instance, are typically taped entirely in the fake bubble of a soundstage. It is expensive and more technically complicated to shoot on location (and executives would rather funnel money to cartoons, which perform better in reruns abroad). But “Bella and the Bulldogs,” a new Nickelodeon comedy about a high school girl who plays football, brings its cast outside to scrimmage under the actual sun.

"Bella," which made its debut on Saturday, is also experimenting with story lines that aren’t always wrapped up in 22 minutes — breaking with another children's television convention. And for the lead role, producers cast a 15-year-old Texan, Brec Bassinger, who had not been groomed for Hollywood.

"We wanted a real, grounded, not secretly 23, not a celebrity-in-training kind of teenage actress," said Gabriel Garza, one of the show's co-creators.

Another new series, "100 Things to Do Before High School," about completing a middle-school bucket list, tries to riff on pop culture in a layered way. Its first episode slyly lampooned "Glee," and it is shot on film, giving it visual distinctiveness.

Mr. Hicks is also working on a sitcom about two brothers that will be taped in the pseudo-documentary, single-camera style of NBC's "Parks and Recreation."

"There's this deeply held notion in the industry that kids only understand multicam shows," Mr. Hicks said. "That's silly. Have you heard of this new thing called YouTube? Believe me, they understand single camera."

To the average adult viewer without children, these changes may not even be noticeable. But to regular watchers of Nickelodeon and other children's channels, some of the adjustments — outdoor filming, for instance — may very well pop off the screen.

"Sam & Cat" offers one sign that Mr. Hicks is moving in the right direction. That teenage sitcom, which began in 2013, was notable for its rapid-fire comedic pratfalls, an effort to bring a YouTube sensibility to traditional television. The show was an immediate hit, but Nickelodeon was forced to cancel it after one season; the two lead actresses (both in their 20s) were burned out on children's shows and wanted to pursue adult music careers.

Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
With billions of dollars on the line, even the most subtle programming changes carry risks. Nickelodeon generates annual ad sales and affiliate fees of $2.24 billion a year, according to the research firm SNL Kagan. Merchandising sales are estimated to total roughly $5.5 billion.

But standing pat was not an option. Nickelodeon's programming shift reflects a shake-up after a much-publicized 2011 ratings implosion. To recover from viewer declines of up to 30 percent, the channel parted ways with longtime content executives and promoted others, including Mr. Hicks. It also sharply increased spending on original programming, relying less on endless "SpongeBob SquarePants" reruns.

Ratings recovered in 2013, in part because of new animated hits, like "Sanjay & Craig," about a boy and his pet snake. But last year viewership began to erode anew. The number of children ages 2 to 11 watching the channel fell 14 percent in 2013 compared with the year before, according to Nielsen.

And this time Nickelodeon is not alone: Disney Channel is in even worse shape, suffering a 21 percent year-on-year decline. (Unlike Nickelodeon, however, Disney Channel does not rely on ad sales.)

One explanation for the decline involves viewer measurement. Firms that keep count have struggled to keep pace with the changing ways in which children consume television programming — TV sets, iPad apps, websites, video-on-demand services. But Mr. Hicks, citing focus group research, believes there also may be generational reasons.

"The media world for kids has expanded, and that means we have to change, too," he said, sitting in his office on the Paramount Pictures lot here. (Nickelodeon, like Paramount, is owned by Viacom.) Referring to new scripts, he added, "The days of 'that's worked for us before, we'll buy it again' are over."

"Bella and the Bulldogs" reflects how Mr. Hicks, 57, is trying to bring fresh writing to his network. The creators, Mr. Garza and Jonathan Butler, have never had their own series before and both were discovered through an in-house writers' development program that Nickelodeon will more than double in size this year.

Mr. Garza is Hispanic and Mr. Butler is black, adding some much-needed diversity to the producing ranks of children's television. Mr. Garza, 30, grew up in Texas and suburban Los Angeles. Mr. Butler, 40, is a former plumber from Buffalo who moved to California in 2007 to pursue his Hollywood dream.

"We don't want our show to be the same as every other show," Mr. Butler said. "We all know how a copy of a copy turns out."

---

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!

Nickelodeon Wins Two Awards At The Asian Licensing Awards 2014

Original Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia Press Release via VIMN Asia's official Pressroom:

NICKELODEON WINS TWO AWARDS AT THE ASIAN LICENSING AWARDS

JOINT CELEBRATION WITH CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP ON "BEST PROMOTION CAMPAIGN" AWARD AND WITH INNER MONGOLIA MENGNIU DAIRY (GROUP) CO., LTD ON "BEST LICENSEE" AWARD

HONG KONG/ SINGAPORE, 14 JANUARY 2015 – Nickelodeon today jointly celebrated its wins with Changi Airport Group and Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd for winning the "Best Promotion Campaign" award and "Best Licensee" award respectively at the recently concluded Asian Licensing Awards, held last night in Hong Kong.

"SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the world's most iconic characters and is beloved by fans everywhere. We are thrilled to see a win with our SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas holiday experience collaboration with Changi Airport Group, and to have Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd's specially-designed SpongeBob SquarePants dairy products get recognized by the licensing industry in Asia," said Jack Yew, Vice President, Consumer Products, Viacom International Media Networks Asia. "Both wins are successful examples of how Nickelodeon is all about creating surprising and playful entertainment experiences everywhere we go."

Best Promotion Campaign award recipient: (L-R) Ms Norleana Aidi, Senior Associate, Advertising & Promotions, Airside Concessions, Changi Airport Group (S) Pte Ltd and Ms Cindy Loh, Director, Licensing, Viacom International Media Networks Asia receiving award from Asian Licensing Association’s representative

In collaboration with Changi Airport Group in 2013, Nickelodeon launched an extensive SpongeBob SquarePants-themed Christmas experience at the Singapore Changi Airport to give fans and visitors a fun, one-of-a-kind SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas holiday experience, which made it SpongeBob SquarePants' first airport collaboration in Asia.

Best Licensee award recipient: (L-R) Ms Cecillia Chi, Senior Director, Consumer Products, Viacom International Media Networks Asia receiving award from Asian Licensing Association’s representative

Over a seven-week holiday season, visitors who went through Changi Airport were able to discover surprises with the following:

* The world's tallest SpongeBob SquarePants' Giant Pineapple House structure at the heart of Terminal 3's Departure Hall, which created an extravaganza of sights and sounds that included 'smoke bubbles' lighting up the Bikini-Bottom inspired Pineapple House and a chance to do some sleigh pedaling. The Bikini Bottom-inspired House stands at 11 metres high.

* The biggest SpongeBob SquarePants Super Bouncy Playground in Singapore at Terminal 3's Departure Hall, where kids were able to take a tumble in the Krusty Krab Ball Pit, challenge themselves in the Pineapple House Maze and cruise their way down giant bouncy slides.

* Spot SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends at famous places from around the world through stunning landmarks in giant topiaries such as Italy's Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa, Russia's St Basil's Cathedral and Turkey's Trojan horse.

* Limited edition plush toys of SpongeBob and his friends were collected at just $3 per plush toy when visitors shopped at Changi Airport.

The dairy products from Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd, featuring characters from Nickelodeon's hit show SpongeBob SquarePants, launched across China last year. This marks Nickelodeon's third-year collaboration with the China manufacturing and distribution company of dairy products and ice-cream.

Since the inauguration of the Asian Licensing Awards in 2012, Nickelodeon has taken home the "Best Licensee" award over the last two years through its master licensee Guangzhou Art-land and through Guangzhou Art-land's sub-licensee, Vinda Group, respectively.

Organized by the Asian Licensing Association, the Asian Licensing Awards, recognizes the outstanding achievements of licensed properties, licensing companies, licensing agents, advertising and promotional firms for their development, launch and promotion of licensed properties and trademarks throughout Asia for the preceding year. The Asian Licensing Awards celebrate excellence, innovation and creativity across the licensing spectrum.

Best Promotion Campaign Award from Asian Licensing Awards 2014

Best Licensee Award from Asian Licensing Awards 2014

Merry-go-round at Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants Activity Area Pic 1 (Credit - Changi Airport Group)

Merry-go-round at Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants Activity Area Pic 2 (Credit - Changi Airport Group)

Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants' Pineapple House at Terminal 3 (Credit - Changi Airport Group)

Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants Super Bouncy Playground at Terminal 3 (Credit - Changi Airport Group)

Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants in front of the Pineapple House at Terminal 3(Credit - Changi Airport Group)

World's tallest Pineapple House Structure and Santa Village take centre stage at Terminal 3 Departure Hall this Christmas (Credit - Changi Airport Group)

Children having a bouncy good time at SpongeBob-themed playground that features a ball pit, maze and a slide (Credit - Changi Airport Group)

SpongeBob at St. Basil's Cathedral 1 (Credit - Nickelodeon & Zara Ebrahim)

SpongeBob at St. Basil's Cathedral 2 (Credit - Nickelodeon & Zara Ebrahim)

Mr Krabs at Leaning Tower of Pisa at T3 Transit Area 1 (Credit - Nickelodeon)

Redemption Booth at T3 Transit Area (Credit - Nickelodeon)

Mr Krabs at Leaning Tower of Pisa at T3 Transit Area 2 (Credit - Nickelodeon)

SpongeBob and Friends at T3 Transit Area (Credit - Nickelodeon)

Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd. SpongeBob SquarePants Product Pic 1

Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd. SpongeBob SquarePants Product Pic 2

Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd. SpongeBob SquarePants Product Pic 3

Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd. SpongeBob SquarePants Product Pic 4

# # #

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 36th year globally and 17th year in Asia, is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family. Creating surprising and playful entertainment experiences everywhere it goes, Nickelodeon has a portfolio that includes television programming and production around the world, plus special events, consumer products, digital offerings, recreation, books, feature films and pro-social initiatives. Nickelodeon's brands are seen globally in more than 450 million households in over 100 territories via more than 70 locally programmed channels and syndication. For more information about Nickelodeon in Asia, visit www.nick-asia.com.

About Viacom International Media Networks

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world's most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel and more. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 3.2 billion households in approximately 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. Keep up with VIMN news by visiting the VIMN PR Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VIMN_PR. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com, blog.viacom.com and the Viacom Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

###

---

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Asia News and Highlights!