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Nickelodeon Picks-Up Returning Animated Hits Including Seventh Seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents, Plus More Episodes of New Nicktoon Back at the Barnyard and the Preschool Favorite The Backyardigans
NEW YORK, March 13 -- Nickelodeon, the number-one producer
of television animation in the U.S., announced today that it has green-lit
86 all-new episodes of Nicktoon favorites, including the network's top
three ranked animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents
and Back at the Barnyard and the preschool favorite The Backyardigans. The
announcements were made today by Brown Johnson, President, Animation,
Nickelodeon & MTVN Kids and Family Group.
"Our key animated properties continue to be innovative and fresh and
feature characters that our viewers have grown to love and really connect
with," said Johnson. "We are thrilled to be making another season of
SpongeBob SquarePants--a series we hope to make for a long time--as well
The Fairly OddParents, and adding additional episodes of our newest hit
series Back at the Barnyard and preschool gem The Backyardigans."
Picked up for an additional 26 episodes and currently in its sixth
season, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop-culture phenomenon and
one of the most popular series in kids' television history. It has been the
number-one animated program with Kids 2-11 for more than six consecutive
years, and its Saturday morning airing ranks as the top-rated program on
television among Kids 2-11. Adult viewers also continue to tune in and have
increased by 85% since the premiere of the show in July 1999. The most
widely distributed property in MTV Networks' history, SpongeBob SquarePants
is syndicated in 171 markets in 25 languages and is among the top rated
kids' shows, across broadcast and cable, in every major television market
around the world. SpongeBob SquarePants is executive produced by creator
Stephen Hillenburg.
The Fairly OddParents, picked up for an additional 20 episodes, has
consistently grown among both kids and adults since its March 2001 launch.
It is currently the number-three-ranked animated property on broadcast and
cable television among Kids 2-11, only following Nickelodeon's own
SpongeBob SquarePants and Back at the Barnyard. The series, currently in
its sixth season, is also a solid hit among teens and adults, who make up
57% of its 44.8 million viewers each week. Most recently, a February The
Fairly OddParents' special, "Fairly OddBaby", hit a ratings high with an
average of 8.8 million total viewers as the year-to-date's number-one
entertainment program on all broadcast and basic cable television in all
kids' demos, ranking second only to Super Bowl programming among overall TV
shows this year with kids and tweens.
Picked up for an additional 20 episodes, Nickelodeon's newest animated
hit Back at the Barnyard currently ranks as the number-two animated series
on television among Kids 2-11. Created by the Oscar(R)-nominated
writer/director Steve Oedekerk (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Ace Ventura: Pet
Detective), and based on the hit feature film, the series follows the
adventures of a group of party animals who live colorful lives undetected
by the humans living around them. Back at the Barnyard chronicles the
animal shenanigans that take place in the barnyard when the farmer's back
is turned and centers around a carefree party cow named Otis (voiced by
Chris Hardwick, Singled Out), who has recently become the patriarch of the
farm.
The Backyardigans, Nick Jr.'s hit animated preschool series, was picked
up for an additional 20 episodes and the series' fourth season. In The
Backyardigans, five high-spirited neighbors--Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua, Tasha
and Austin--meet in their adjoining backyards and use their imaginations to
transport themselves into different locations for epic adventures. In
season four, The Backyardigans will repair futuristic robots, become
dragon-riding delivery men, fairytale princess escape artists, Santa's
action Elf crew and a flower power superhero on exciting new musical
journeys. Preschoolers also will be introduced to a new slate of music
genres, including Roller Disco, Strauss Waltzes, Wall of Sound, Stax-Volt,
Rembetika and Ragtime. Each half- hour episode of the series features a
unique music/dance genre with four original songs, along with real
choreographed movements recreated in animation.
SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents are produced at the
Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif. Back at the Barnyard is
produced at the Omation Animation Studios in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
The Backyardigans is a co-production with Nick Jr. and Corus
Entertainment's Nelvana.
Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand
for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and
production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer
products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.
Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million
households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more
than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters
and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
SOURCE Nickelodeon
http://www.nick.com
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