Nickelodeon USA Presents World Television Premiere Of "Little Ballers" Documentary, Wednesday 25th February 2015 During NickToons' NickSports TV Block

Original Nickelodeon USA Press Release via NickPress.com:

NICKELODEON PRESENTS WORLD TELEVISION PREMIERE OF LITTLE BALLERS DOCUMENTARY, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, AT 9 P.M. (ET), DURING NICKTOONS' NICKSPORTS TV BLOCK

Acclaimed Sports Documentary Produced by Amar'e Stoudemire and Lupe Fiasco and Directed by Crystal McCrary

New York, NY – Feb. 19, 2015 – Nickelodeon will debut on Wednesday, Feb. 25, the world television premiere of Little Ballers, a two-hour sports documentary exploring the journey of four 11-year-old basketball players and their quest to win an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) championship. Airing 9-11 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 25, during the NickSports programming block on Nicktoons, Little Ballers is executive produced by NBA player Amar'e Stoudemire and rapper Lupe Fiasco, and directed by Crystal McCrary. Little Ballers is the first original documentary to join NickSports, a lineup of sports-themed content including series, specials and documentaries from professional leagues and key athletes. NickSports on Nicktoons airs every Wednesday from 9-11 p.m. (ET).



Set against the backdrop of New York City, Little Ballers tells the story of four diverse 11-year old boys and their coach as they set out to win an AAU National Championship. For these young men, basketball is more than a game. It is a deep passion that holds a special meaning for each of them: escaping their environment, getting an education, living the American dream and a bond of friendship, but more than anything, basketball offers them hope.

Little Ballers features interviews with NBA players Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Russell Westbrook, Joakim Noah, Walt Frazier, Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith and Chamique Holdsclaw. The film also includes perspectives from New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, Award-Winning journalist Roland Martin, Black Enterprise President and CEO Butch Graves, Rogue Sports agent Travis King, ESPN senior writer Pablo Torre and HBO Sports Senior VP Kery Davis, among others.

Cole Anthony

Coach Billy

Judah McIntyre

Kevin Greene

Tyriek Chambers

NickSports, a primetime programming block airing every Wednesday (9 – 11 p.m. ET) on Nicktoons, features a rotating lineup of sports-themed content including series, specials and documentaries from professional leagues and key athletes, as well as acquired theatrical movies. The weekly block includes original and acquired long- and short-form content from the NFL, MLS, NASCAR and WWE, including the hit animated series Wild Grinders from Rob Dyrdek, the NFL RUSH ZONE franchise, the magazine-format show NFL RUSH, NASCAR's Hammer Down and WWE Slam City.

Follow NickSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @NickSportsTV #NickSports

About Nicktoons

Nicktoons has the highest concentration of B2–11 across all television and offers a roster of hits that have defined kids' and animation lovers' TV, including the Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon and Power Rangers franchises; Avatar: The Last Airbender; Invader Zim; Danny Phantom; SpongeBob SquarePants; The Fairly OddParents; and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. The network also features NickSports, a weekly programming block showcasing a mix of original and acquired long- and short-form content from professional sports leagues NFL, MLS, NASCAR and WWE; series including Wild Grinders from Rob Dyrdek, the animated NFL RUSH ZONE and the magazine-format show NFL RUSH; documentary programming; and acquired sports-themed theatrical movies. Nicktoons currently reaches almost 68 million homes via cable, digital cable and satellite. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nicktoons and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

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Viacom Announces Restructuring Of Groups

Philippe Dauman, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Viacom Inc, today, Thursday 19th February 2015, announced a consolidation of Viacom's leadership team, giving more power to executives Doug Herzog and Cyma Zarghami, both of whom will now lead new or expanded programming groups.

Herzog will head a newly-formed Viacom Music and Entertainment Group, while Zarghami will lead an expanded Viacom Kids and Family Group.

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman announced the restructuring via a internal memo, saying that the "new groups are an enormous opportunity for us to take advantage of our strong creative teams, to share our expertise, and to promote greater cross marketing and, in some cases, cross channel programming activity."

The restructuring follows the departure of 28-year MTV veteran Van Toffler earlier this week. Toffler, among the last executives with a connection to MTV's musical roots, announced that in April he would leave his post as head of MTV, MTV2, VH1 and LOGO. Those networks will now become part of Herzog's Viacom Music and Entertainment Group portfolio, which already includes Comedy Central, Spike and all digital offshoots including MTV's "Always On". Herzog, however, also has a connection to MTV, joining the network in 1984 and rising to president of MTV productions and later head of Comedy Central, where he helped to launch the latter's most iconic series; "South Park" and "The Daily Show".

The Viacom Kids and Family Group will comprise all the brands currently in the Nickelodeon Group, including Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nick at Nite, NickMom and NickToons, as well as TV Land, CMT and CMT Pure Country.

TV Land will move to Zarghami's group immediately, and the other networks will transition between now and Van Toffler's previously announced departure in mid-April. More information on the specific organizational changes will come from the Group leaders in the coming weeks, Dauman said.

Before rejoining Viacom in 2004, Doug Herzog served as president of USA Network and also president of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company. Herzog will continue to be based in Los Angeles and New York with his new title.

Cyma Zarghami actually predates Dauman at Viacom — she marks 30 years at the company this year — and the two have had a close working relationship. Dauman described Zarghami as "an insightful and extremely capable leader" citing the relaunch of Nickelodeon's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise as an "example of her ability to reimagine properties and take them to new heights". Zarghami joined Nickelodeon in 1985, was named general manager of Nickelodeon in 1996 and became Group president in 2006.

The other two Viacom network groups — the Debra Lee-led BET Networks and Viacom International Media Networks under Bob Bakish — remain intact, with Herzog, Zarghami, Lee and Bakish continuing to report to Dauman.

During the Q4 earnings call a couple of weeks ago, Dauman said he expects to see a "substantial net cost savings throughout our organization" as a result of a restructuring that includes an "organizational realignment as well as rationalization of content that no longer meets our goals."

Here is Dauman’s memo on the reorganization:

Dear Colleagues,

In the nearly 30 years I have been fortunate to be associated with Viacom, we have always been a leading force in our industry, through our breakthrough programming, through our creative innovation and most of all through our ability to continually reinvent ourselves.

Today, we are announcing changes in three of our domestic network groups, creating two new organizations built around proven leaders with great creative track records. Doug Herzog, will lead the newly formulated Viacom Music and Entertainment Group, and Cyma Zarghami, will lead the expanded Viacom Kids and Family Group. The new groups are an enormous opportunity for us to take advantage of our strong creative teams, to share our expertise, and to promote greater cross marketing and, in some cases, cross channel programming activity.

* The Viacom Music and Entertainment Group will consist of MTV, MTV2, LOGO, VH1, Comedy Central and Spike, as well as the related digital networks and MTV’s “Always On,” which fuses the immediacy of social conversation with the power of television. MTV, VH1 and LOGO are among the most iconic and engaging brands in our industry, and thanks to Van ‘s long-term and stable leadership, they have top teams who will no doubt make this a seamless transition.

The Music and Entertainment Group will house a portfolio of popular programs, ranging from Teen Wolf and the VMAs on MTV and Guy Code on MTV2; to Bar Rescue and Ink Master on Spike; to Love & Hip Hop on VH1; to Broad City, Key & Peele and South Park on Comedy Central; to RuPaul’s Drag Race on LOGO.

The role is in part a coming home for Doug, who joined MTV in 1984 and rose to become President of MTV Productions, and later, President of Comedy Central, where among his notable accomplishments, he launched The Daily Show and South Park. Before rejoining Viacom in 2004, Doug served as President of USA Network and also President of Entertainment for FOX Broadcasting Company. Doug has a proven ability to move seamlessly between the business and creative worlds. He understands what it takes to stay relevant and on the leading edge of popular culture, and under his leadership, Comedy Central, Spike and TV Land have established distinctive programming voices in the entertainment landscape. Doug will continue to be based in Los Angeles and New York.

· The Viacom Kids and Family Group will comprise all the brands currently in the Nickelodeon Group, including Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nick at Nite, NickMom and NickToons, as well as TV Land, CMT and CMT Pure Country.

TV Land, which originated in this group, and features classic shows and new originals such as Younger, and CMT, which appeals to heartland audiences and includes major events like the CMT Music Awards, have talented teams and established brand presence. Both will benefit from the expanded group’s leadership in family programming that includes iconic live action and animated Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and TeenNick programs like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards.

Cyma, who will celebrate 30 years with Nickelodeon this year, has a long history and formidable track record as a creative programmer and successful executive. She is an insightful and extremely capable leader and has grown Nickelodeon and its sibling networks into brands that are beloved by kids and families around the world. The successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is just one example of her ability to reimagine properties and take them to new heights. Cyma joined Nickelodeon in 1985, was named general manager of Nickelodeon in 1996 and became Group President in 2006.

Doug and Cyma, along with Debi Lee at BET Networks, Bob Bakish at Viacom International Media Networks and Brad Grey at Paramount Pictures, will continue to report to me. TV Land will move to the Viacom Kids and Family Group immediately, and the other networks will transition between now and Van’s departure in mid-April. More information on the specific organizational changes will come from the Group leaders in the coming weeks.

Our industry is in transition and change does not always come easy, but we have a tremendous amount of talent at Viacom and we are innovating at every level and at every brand. We are working hard to adapt to changing audience behavior, to incorporate new forms of distribution and to better integrate technology into everything we do. That includes our expanded data and research capabilities; our multi-platform, multi-distributor approach; our groundbreaking advertising sales units, Velocity and Echo; and our new central hub for digital research and development, The Viacom Lab. Just to name a few.

I have great confidence that by working together to embrace the changing landscape and by continuing to bring our best creative work to audiences — we will succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work. I know you join me in congratulating Doug and Cyma on their new responsibilities.

Warm regards,

Philippe

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, The Wrap

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