 | |
| Country | Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Network | ARY Digital Network |
| Headquarters | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Programming | |
| Languages | English Urdu |
| Picture format | 576iSDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ARY Group M/s. ARY Communication (Pvt.) Ltd. |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | 23 November 2006; 18 years ago (2006-11-23) |
| Closed | 28 October 2024; 11 months ago (2024-10-28)[1] |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| PTCL Smart TV | Channel 21 |
Nickelodeon Pakistan orNick Pakistan, was a Pakistani pay television channel. It was the Pakistani feed ofNickelodeon, which is operated by domestic media companyARY Group's Digital Network subsidiary under abrand licensing and programming agreement withParamount Networks EMEAA.[2] The network transmitted over theAsiaSat 7 satellite to cable and satellite viewers in Pakistan and features some portions of the scheduledubbed orsubtitled inUrdu, along with some content directly imported from itsIndian sister network (owned byViacom 18). It also occasionally licenses Western market children's films.
The channel was available as a free to air channel until it became encrypted on satellite in 2015. Unlike its Indian counterpart, which it replaced, this feed regularly airs Nickelodeon-related content, as the Indian feed has recently been airing local content more often due to the localization strategy.
On 23 November 2006, ARY Digital Network launched Nickelodeon Pakistan, with a brand licensing agreement withViacom. Prior to the launch of the localized Pakistani feed of Nickelodeon, theIndian feed was provided in Pakistan.[3] It mainly broadcast content in English, along with some programming aired inHindi rather than being dubbed in Urdu. This caused PEMRA to temporarily suspend Nickelodeon's license in 2016, although the channel later resumed broadcasting.[4]
In 2010, Nickelodeon Pakistan was rebranded to match with the network'sworldwide imaging at the time, including its logo. Its website was shut down in early 2021, presumably as it heavily utilized the discontinuedAdobe Flash graphics/video format, and it was deemed more cost-effective to utilize the network'sFacebook page than build out an entirely new modern website. On 1 April 2022, Nickelodeon Pakistan officially began carrying their schedule in native or dubbed Urdu full-time.
On 28 October 2024, Nickelodeon Pakistan suddenly went off air.[1]
In 2005, thePakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority issued an order regarding the ban of several non-private channels because programming which should have been dubbed intoUrdu or used Urdu subtitles instead usedHindi terms and references blended into the local scripts or the networks carried all-Hindi versions imported from India outright.
In early 2010, PEMRA again issued a notice against children's networks and suspended the licenses of Nickelodeon andCartoon Network, disallowing them from broadcasting in Pakistan. In the meantime, the Pakistani government pushed unsuccessfully forPTV or another domestic broadcaster to launch a children's network to replace private broadcasters in order to assure PEMRA compliance with language standards.
On 1 August 2011, theMinister for Information and Broadcasting,Firdous Ashiq Awan, announced the restoration of the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network licenses, allowing them to resume programming in Pakistan, though she expressed disappointment that a domestic Pakistani broadcaster would not step up to broadcast children's programming, nor PTV would launch one, and that PEMRA would accommodate the launch any such network.[5]
In the aftermath of the2016 Uri attack, PEMRA again focused on Nickelodeon Pakistan as the network had begun to share programming with Nickelodeon India due to cost concerns, both within ARY andViacom, and felt ARY was shirking off PEMRA's orders in order to economize against their orders; this also included the return of Hindi-blended and all-Hindi content to the Nickelodeon Pakistan schedule since their 2011 relaunch in Pakistan. The regulatory authority ordered a ban of the broadcasting of all Indian-originated media after 19 October, though PEMRA ruled that ARY Group had disregarded the order and continued to air imported programming with Hindi language content from Nickelodeon India during the restricted period. The network's license to broadcast was suspended on 31 October, with local providers pulling the network on PEMRA's orders.[6][7] Shortly thereafter, on 10 November, a stay from theSindh High Court effectively nullified the PEMRA order and allowed Nickelodeon to resume programming, stating the body had no authority for the suspension without a comprehensive explanation. ARY also stated that the rulingPML-N party had used the regulatory power of PEMRA to oppose its networks due to its differing political opinions from the PML-N.[8]
On 27 April 2017, the network carried an episode ofWinx Club which featured a scene of what PEMRA alleged was an "indecently dressed" character, violating the body's 2015 Electronic Media Code of Conduct. After a month of appeals, PEMRA issued ARY a fine of₨ 500,000 and warned the network against any further violations.[9][10][11]
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