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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | One Astor Plaza New York, New York, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) |
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| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Media Networks |
| Parent | Nickelodeon Group |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | May 1, 2002; 22 years ago (2002-05-01) |
| Former names |
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| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Affiliated Streaming Service | Paramount+ |
| YouTube TV,Sling TV,DirecTV Stream,Philo,Hulu + Live TV,Vidgo | |
Nicktoons[a] is an Americanpay televisionchannel and sister service toNickelodeon. It was launched in 2002, and is named afterNicktoons, which is the brand used for Nick’s original animated programming. Both Nicktoons and Nickelodeon are owned by theParamount Media Networks division ofParamount Global through theNickelodeon Group. The channel is geared towards children aged 7 to 11.[1]
As of December 2023[update], Nicktoons is available to approximately 43,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2013 peak of 69,000,000 households.[2]
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| 1977 | Pinwheel broadcasts onQube |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Nickelodeon is launched byWarner-Amex Satellite Entertainment |
| 1984 | A&E is launched as a block on Nickelodeon Nickelodeon introduces itsBalloon font logo |
| 1985 | Nick at Nite is launched after A&E spins off into a 24-hour channel |
| 1986 | Viacom acquired NY-based MTV Networks (nowParamount Media Networks), giving full ownership of Nickelodeon |
| 1987 | The Big Ballot (later known as theNickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards) premieres |
| 1988 | The preschool-aimed morning programming blockNick Jr. is launched |
| 1991 | Nickelodeon introduced their "Nicktoons" brand |
| 1992 | The weekend night programming blockSNICK is launched Nickelodeon Animation Studio is founded |
| 1993-94 | Nickelodeon goes global, launched its first international channel in the UK Nickelodeon launchesThe Big Help |
| 1995 | Nick.com, Nickelodeon's official website, is launched |
| 1996 | Nickelodeon released its first, live-actionNickelodeon Movies film in theaters |
| 1999 | Noggin, a joint venture withSesame Workshop (formely CTW), is launched Nickelodeon premiered SpongeBob SquarePants |
| 2000 | Nickelodeon introduced split-screen credits Nick Jr. on CBS is launched |
| 2001 | Weekend night blockTEENick is launched |
| 2002 | The N is launched on Noggin and theNicktoons channel is launched Sesame Workshop sells their stake in Noggin to Viacom Nick Jr. on CBS becomes Nick on CBS TheNickelodeon Group is founded |
| 2005 | SNICK shuts down Nicktoons becomes Nicktoons Network |
| 2007 | On New Year's Eve, Nick GAS shuts down after The N spins off into a 24-hour channel, but two years later (April 23) on Dish |
| 2009 | Nickelodeon goes through a major rebrand: TEENick and The N merged to createTeenNick, Noggin was replaced by theNick Jr. Channel, and Nicktoons Network becomes Nicktoons Nickelodeon acquires theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise |
| 2010 | Nickelodeon begins co-producing theWinx Club franchise |
| 2012 | Female-aimed nighttime blockNickMom is launched on theNick Jr. Channel Viacom andDirecTV have a contract dispute, causing Nickelodeon to be taken off the service for several days while an agreement was reached |
| 2015 | NickMom shuts down |
| 2016 | Nickelodeon plans 24/7 music video channel that replaced MTV Hits Nickelodeon Suites Resorts becomesHoliday Inn Resort Orlando Suites – Waterpark |
| 2021 | NFL on Nickelodeon premieres in partnership withCBS Sports |
| 2023 | Nickelodeon introduced a new take on their classic splat branding after the2023 Kids' Choice Awards |
| 2024 | NickJr.com shut down and its content is moved toNick.com |
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Nicktoons was launched as a standalone channel on May 1, 2002, as Nicktoons TV, part of the digital cable-exclusiveMTV Digital Suite, in order to entice cable operators to pick up the network and give them a marketing advantage over satellite services.[citation needed] However, by early 2004, Nickelodeon management changed course and offered it todigital satellite servicesDirecTV andDish Network. The network was originally marketed as commercial-free, with comedic promos involving Nickelodeon Animation Studios, two-minute cartoon shorts from foreign markets, and former program promotions that had previously been used on Nickelodeon taking up commercial time. By September 23, 2005, as the network's distribution increased, it began to carry regular advertising.[citation needed]
On September 28, 2009, the network's logo changed as part of Nickelodeon's universal rebranding effort.[3] A high-definition feed was launched on August 13, 2013, and is available on several providers.[4][5] Like Viacom's other HD channels, any programming produced in 4:3 SD ispillarboxed on this feed. As the network blended in more Nickelodeon programming into its schedule, the Nicktoons website wassunset to aparking page directing viewers toNick.com before it was eventually redirected quietly to the latter website.
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Since its inception, Nicktoons has mainly aired programs carried over from the main Nickelodeon channel, with some occasional airing of Nickelodeon's live-action programming depending on Viacom's programming direction at the time.
Beginning in the mid-2000s, many older shows such asRocko's Modern Life andCatDog, were removed from the schedule as more acquired programming and Nicktoons Network originals were premiering, many were cancelled by the early-2010s, with some having different reasons, for example,Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes,Iron Man: Armored Adventures, andWolverine and the X-Men were effectively cancelled whenThe Walt Disney Company acquiredMarvel Studios in 2009.
Starting in the summer of 2024, the network's entire schedule is exclusively episodes ofSpongeBob SquarePants andThe Patrick Star Show, promoted asNon-Stop SpongeBob. The episodes air in a random and unthemed order.
Since 2006, Nickelodeon has used Nicktoons to burn-off the remaining episodes of under-performing shows, including shows both acquired and initially created for the Nickelodeon channel. Some first run shows includeAs Told By Ginger,Back at the Barnyard,Breadwinners,Bunsen Is a Beast,Fanboy & Chum Chum,Making Fiends,Harvey Beaks,It's Pony,The Legend of Korra,Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness,The Mighty B!,Pig Goat Banana Cricket,Planet Sheen,Robot and Monster,T.U.F.F. Puppy,The Penguins of Madagascar,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Welcome to the Wayne, andseason 10 ofThe Fairly OddParents. Some acquired shows that were moved over and finished their runs on the network includeAlvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks,Ollie's Pack andRabbids Invasion (though the series moved toNetflix for its fourth and final season).
On September 3, 2014, a two-hour Wednesday prime time programming block named NickSports was launched on the channel, tying into theKids' Choice Sports inaugurated that year.[6] The block presented mainly licensed programming focusing on sports, including theRob Dyrdek-starringWild Grinders andNFL Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core, along with sports-related feature films such asBend It Like Beckham,Cool Runnings, andSpace Jam.[6] Sometime in 2015, the block was moved to a Friday prime time slot. The block ended in September 2018.
From 2005 until 2009, Nicktoons Network used a robot mascot in bumpers and advertisements for the channel.[7] The mascot, named "ACOW," which stands for Animation Capital of the World (inspired by the network's then-slogan of the same name), was a complex robot character with a large singular eye, animated using "photo-puppetry."[8] ACOW was prominently featured on the NicktoonsNetwork.com website[9] and was used as part of the "Nicktoons Network: Animation Capital of the World" logo.[10] Several similar-looking eyeball-based characters were seen in promos for the network.
