Nickelodeon (British and Irish TV channel)

The channel was launched in the UK on 1 September 1993 exclusively on Sky UK, originally airing for 12 hours and showing both cartoons and live action series. Off-air, the channel would air static logos, schedule information and teletext. Live presentation followed in 1994, branded as Nick Alive!. From October 1995, it started to timeshare with Paramount Channel. When Sky Digital was launched in 1998, Nickelodeon was in the original channel line-up on Astra 2A, and the channel was aired for three more hours. However, analogue-satellite services continued to shutdown Nickelodeon at 7 p.m. each day until analogue satellite was discontinued in 2001. Later, additional channels were added including Nick Jr. and a timeshift version.

During 2005 Nickelodeon were in talks with ITV[1]to form a joint venture to launch a free-to-air children's channel.

On 15 February 2010, the channel adopted the worldwide rebrand.[2][3] The TeenNick block also adopted the American identity.[4] On 30 April 2010, Nickelodeon's sister channels took on their rebrand logos.

An HD simulcast feed was launched on 5 October 2010 on Sky.[5] Later, it was picked up by Virgin Media.

The Nickelodeon channels available in the UK and in Ireland are operated through a joint venture with Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) and Sky plc trading as Nickelodeon UK Ltd. VIMN holds majority in shares (60%).

Over the years the network has produced series including Genie in the House (2006–2009) and the recent Summer in Transylvania. Apart from local continuity programming and Camp Orange, Nickelodeon UK mainly airs imported programming from the US network, Canada's YTV, and the children's division of Australian broadcast network Network Ten. House of Anubis is filmed in the UK, but is produced for the American channel and premieres in the US market first.

Traditionally, the Kids' Choice Awards in the United Kingdom and Ireland before 2007 included only an airing of the original ceremony from the United States. Nickelodeon UK from then on held a full ceremony for two years in 2007 and 2008 which included a fully local slate of categories and was held at the ExCeL London. No ceremony or UK-specific awards were held in 2009 after network budget cuts, and since 2010 only a few local categories are voted by children in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which are awarded each year by Nickelodeon presenters as continuity during the airing of the American ceremony on a one-day delay.

Nickelodeon Land is a section of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach resort in Blackpool which is a six-acre section of the park featuring themed Nickelodeon attractions and souvenirs. The Nickelodeon Land section of the park in opened April 2011.

• Official website