| Nickelodeon | |
| Owner: | Paramount Networks EMEAA |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters: | London, UK |
| Area: | Romania Malta Hungary Czech Republic Slovakia Former Yugoslavia Bulgaria CIS Georgia Ukraine Moldova Turkey Austria Switzerland Baltic states Poland |
| Terr Serv 1: | GO (Malta) |
| Terr Chan 1: | Channel 331 |
Nickelodeon Global (formerly Nickelodeon Europe and Nickelodeon Commercial Light) is a specialized children's TV channel and the international version of the original American version of the channel. It is operated by Paramount Networks EMEAA in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and by Paramount Networks Americas in Latin America and Brazil.
Since the late 1980s, many European countries have hosted the American version of the channel, including the USSR in 1988,[1] where Nickelodeon became available without translation.[2] [3] This expansion followed the strategy used in 1987 for launching MTV Networks Europe.[4] Viacom (now Paramount) decided against establishing an independent Nickelodeon channel in Europe to minimize risks.[5] On 1 September 1993, Nickelodeon UK was launched in partnership with BSkyB, (now Sky UK), and this version was subsequently distributed throughout the rest of Europe.[6] [7] [8]
The pan-European channel was officially launched on 15 November 1998, under the name Nickelodeon Europe, broadcasting around the clock. Between 1998 and 2000, Nickelodeon Europe expanded to Malta, Romania, and Hungary.[9]
In the early 2000s, the channel introduced four programming blocks, Nick Movies, Toons on Toast, Nick Zone, and Nick Double. In 2004, Nickelodeon Europe expanded to the rest of Eastern Europe, including broadcasting in Russian. From May 2004 to September 2012, Nickelodeon Europe served as the main TV channel in the CIS and Baltic countries.[10] [11]
From 2008 to 2012, the channel experienced periodic technical issues, including audio track problems, which led to the broadcast of animated series in English for some time. During this period, promotional texts were also removed.
On Valentine's Day 2010, a new corporate logo was introduced, aligning with other Nickelodeon channels worldwide but featuring a new design.[12] [13] [14] That same year, the channel began broadcasting under a Czech license due to the country's minimum broadcasting regulations. The broadcasting center remains located in London.
Between 2010 and 2013, Nickelodeon Europe expanded to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. On 17 September 2011, the channel switched to widescreen broadcasting (16:9), and on 4 October 2011, it switched to HD format. In some countries, including the CIS, it is referred to as Nickelodeon HD.
In 2013, programming of the channel was taken over by Amsterdam.[15] [16]
In October 2017, audio tracks in Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian were added for the Baltic States.
On 31 August 2021, Nickelodeon Europe was renamed Nickelodeon Global, and the channel now serves 85 countries.[17] Nickelodeon Global retains the Czech license (RRTV) to ensure the continuation of legal broadcasting in the European Union in accordance with the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the Single Market Law after the UK left the European Union.
On 5 April 2022, a Kazakh-language audio track was added for Kazakhstan.[18] Since December 2022, Nickelodeon Global has once again been the main TV channel in the CIS countries (except for Russia and Belarus), replacing the local version, Nickelodeon Russia.[19]
On 1 June 2023, a Ukrainian-language audio track was added,[20] replacing the Nickelodeon Ukraine Pluto TV channel.[21] On 1 August 2023, the channel underwent rebranding, which included an updated logo and new design.[22]
Nickelodeon CEE was launched in early December 2004.[23] [24] [25]
This programming block starts on Sundays at 16:45 and features special episodes.
This programming block starts on Saturdays at 12:00 and features marathons episodes of popular shows.