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Nicktoons (USA)
American digital cable and satellite television network From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nicktoons (formerly Nicktoons TV and Nicktoons Network, currently on air as NickSpongeBob) is an American pay television channel and sister service to Nickelodeon. It was launched in 2002, and is named after Nicktoons, which is the brand used for Nick’s original animated programming. Both Nicktoons and Nickelodeon are owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Skydance Corporation through the Nickelodeon 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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 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2023) |
Nicktoons was launched as a standalone channel on May 1, 2002, as Nicktoons TV, part of the digital cable-exclusive MTV 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 to digital satellite services DirecTV and Dish 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 is pillarboxed on this feed. As the network blended in more Nickelodeon programming into its schedule, the Nicktoons website was sunset to a parking page directing viewers to Nick.com before it was eventually redirected quietly to the latter website.
On January 1, 2024, Nicktoons (along with TeenNick) rebranded to use the refreshed Splat logo and new on-air interstitials, similar to Nickelodeon back in March 4, 2023. This refresh also changes the color for "toons" from blue to turquoise.
As part of Paramount's efforts to honor the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, Nicktoons began to primarily run only SpongeBob and associated media daily beginning on May 13, 2024, promoted as "Non-Stop SpongeBob. All Day. Every Day." Repeat airings of new episodes of Nickelodeon's other animated series returned to Nicktoons later in the year. On May 23, 2025, Nicktoons temporary rebranded itself as NickSpongeBob during airings of "SpongeBob" shows, focusing exclusively on broadcasting only "SpongeBob" content throughout the summer.
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Programming
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| This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2024) |
Since its inception, Nicktoons 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 as Rocko's Modern Life and CatDog, 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, and Wolverine and the X-Men were effectively cancelled when The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Studios in 2009.
From 2006 to 2024, Nickelodeon often 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 include The Angry Beavers, As Told By Ginger, Back at the Barnyard, Breadwinners, Bunsen Is a Beast, CatDog, Fanboy & Chum Chum, Making Fiends, Harvey Beaks, Invader Zim, It's Pony, The Legend of Korra, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Mighty B!, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, Planet Sheen, Robot and Monster, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), The Penguins of Madagascar, Welcome to the Wayne, and season 10 of The Fairly OddParents. Some acquired shows that were moved over and finished their runs on the network include Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, Ollie's Pack and Rabbids Invasion (though the series moved to Netflix for its fourth and final season).
NickSports
On September 3, 2014, a two-hour Wednesday prime time programming block named NickSports was launched on the channel, tying into the Kids' Choice Sports inaugurated that year.[6] The block presented mainly licensed programming focusing on sports, including the Rob Dyrdek-starring Wild Grinders and NFL Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core, along with sports-related feature films such as Bend It Like Beckham, Cool Runnings, and Space Jam.[6] Sometime in 2015, the block was moved to a Friday prime time slot. The block ended in September 2018.
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International versions
Active channels
- UK & Ireland – launched on 22 July 2002
- Netherlands – launched in August 2, 2007
- Germany – launched in March 2010
- Africa – launched on September 30, 2014
- Scandinavia – launched on February 1, 2017
- Arabia – launched on February 15, 2017
- Turkey – launched on February 20, 2017
- Poland – launched on 15 February 2018
- Hungary & Romania – launched on 15 April 2019
- Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania - launched on 14 July 2020
- Australia - launched on 1 August 2023 (FAST channel on 10Play)
- Canada - launched on December 22, 2023 (FAST channel on Pluto TV)
- France - launched on 15 July 2025, replacing Nickelodeon Teen[7][8]
Defunct channels
- Latin America – launched on February 4, 2013, and closed down in late 2020, being replaced in major cable providers by the US feed of NickMusic
Mascot
From 2005 until 2009, Nicktoons Network used a robot mascot in bumpers and advertisements for the channel.[9] 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."[10] ACOW was prominently featured on the NicktoonsNetwork.com website[11] and was used as part of the "Nicktoons Network: Animation Capital of the World" logo.[12] Several similar-looking eyeball-based characters were seen in promos for the network.
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External links
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