Nickelodeon is 2010's Top-Ranked Cable Network, Marks 16 Years as Number One

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Driven by ratings juggernauts iCarly and SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon will finish 2010 in first place among all basic cable networks in total day–for the 16th straight year–among total viewers (P2+) and all kid demos, for the year to date (12/28/09-12/12/10) according to Nielsen Media Research.  Nickelodeon also closes the year averaging 2.3 million viewers P2+ and a 3.5/1.2 million K2-11, 3.1/680,000 K6-11, 2.3/498,000 T9-14, besting the closest competitor by double-digits with all key kid demos and total viewers.

iCarly "iSaved Your Life" (Jan. 18) is projected to rank as basic cable's top-rated entertainment telecast with total viewers (12.4 million) and with all kid and tween demos in 2010.  The series also posted solid year to year gains with total viewers (+61%) and its key demos kids 6-11 (+81%), tweens 9-14 (+109%) and kids 2-11 (+52%) in 2010.  

SpongeBob SquarePants—TV's number one animated series with kids 2-11 for ten consecutive years—will once again cap the year as the number one animated show among kids 2-11 (followed by The Penguins of Madagascar) and kids 6-11 on broadcast and basic cable.  The series is also cable's top animated show with total viewers.    SpongeBob's "Mystery with a Twistery" (Nov. 11) special was the year's top animated telecast with kids 2-11 on TV (10.3/3.7 million K2-11, +129%), and basic cable's number one animated series with 6.6 million total viewers (+122%).

Nickelodeon's Fred: The Movie, starring internet sensation Fred Figglehorn, premiered on Sept. 18 and scored 8.7 million total viewers and averaged a 17.8/3.8 million K6-11 and 13.0/4.6 million K2-11, landing the two-hour premiere the top spot as this year's number one TV cable movie with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11.  The TV movie also ranks as the year's number two entertainment telecast (behind iCarly's "iSaved Your Life") with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11 on all TV.

Additional Nickelodeon programming highlights for 2010 include (source: NMR, Live + 7 Day data):

• On Jan. 18, the premiere of Big Time Rush, produced in partnership with Sony Music, set a new record for a Nick series as the highest-rated and most-watched live-action premiere with kids, tweens and total viewers (7.1 million). Most recently, Big Time Rush scored a ratings win with "Big Time Christmas," (Dec. 4), an hour-long special, which featured special guest appearances by Miranda Cosgrove and Snoop Dogg ranked as basic cable's top program for the night, drawing 5 million viewers P2+.  BTR, the debut album from Big Time Rush, entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #3 and has sold nearly 200,000 copies.  The group has also sold over one million combined digital tracks to date.

• Nickelodeon's 2010 Kids' Choice Awards (March 27) continues to be a hit with kids and total viewers, drawing 8 million viewers P2+, and averaged a 10.9/3.9 K2-11.  The Awards also scored the most votes in the show's history—a record 118 million—and led Nick.com to its highest trafficked day ever.

• Victorious, a live-action comedy, starring Victoria Justice premiered on April 11.  Since its debut, the half-hour series has been the number one program in its timeslot (Friday, 8:30 p.m. [ET/PT]) with tweens 9-14 and teens 12-17 on all TV, reaching 15.1 million tweens and 11.4 million teens each quarter.  Recently, Nickelodeon aired the first-ever Victorious hour-long special "Freak the Freak Out" (Nov. 26), which drew 5.7 million total viewers and ranked as basic cable's top entertainment telecast and the number one telecast with all kid and tween demos on all TV for that day.

• Nickelodeon's The Penguins of Madagascar will close the year as TV's number two animated show with kids 2-11 and with total viewers on basic cable, behind only SpongeBob SquarePants.  The series is averaging a 5.9/2.1 million K2-11.

• Nickelodeon is also the number one destination for preschoolers on commercial TV, averaging a 4.0/561,000 K2-5 in total day, with the top five preschool series for K2-5: Max and Ruby (#1); Team Umizoomi (#2); Dora the Explorer (#3); Go, Diego, Go! (#4); and Ni Hao, Kai-lan (#5).  The debut of Team Umizoomi (Jan. 25), ranked as the network's highest-rated preschool series premiere in three years.  In 2010 Team Umizoomi averaged a 6.5/905,000 K2-5 (+18%) and 1.7 million total viewers.

Additionally, Nickelodeon Kids and Family networks—Nicktoons, TeenNick and Nick Jr.—are on track to deliver their best yearly performances ever with total viewers and their respective key demos, as well as solid year-over-year growth.  

Nicktoons–the fastest growing kids' net–had its highest-rated and most-watched year in history with boys 6-11 (+50%); kids 6-11 (+33%); and total viewers (+26%).  It also posted gains of +67% with boys 9-14 and +75% with tweens. Nicktoons impressive gains were fueled by Dragon Ball Z Kai, whose debut set a record as the number one rated series premiere among kids 6-11, boys 6-11, tweens 9-14, boys 9-14 and total viewers in the nets history.  The series ranks as Nicktoons most-watched series in 2010, averaging 549,000 viewers P2+.

Nick Jr.–Nick's 24-hour preschool network–will be the year's number one preschool cable network in total day, scoring its highest-rated and most-watched year ever with kids 2-5 and total viewers.  The network posted double-digit gains over last year–up +8% with kids 2-5 and +14% with P2+.   On Oct. 17 the network scored its highest-rated original series premiere ever with the debut of Dino Dan (October 17), which averaged a 3.9/403,000 K2-5 and 777,000 total viewers.

TeenNick—the 24-hour network for teens—delivered its most-watched year in 2010 with its core audience of teens 12-17 (+8% in delivery), and total viewers (+16%). TeenNick's record-breaking yearly performance was fueled by Degrassi, whose six-week summer telenovela-style television event (July 20-Aug. 26) posted triple- and quadruple-digit gains with teens 12-17 (+650%) and total viewers (+605%).  

Nick at Nite is projected to finish 2010 as basic cable's number one network in total day with Women 18-49, averaging a 0.7/417,000 W18-49 and 1.6 million total viewers. Nick at Nite's latest addition to its roster, My Wife and Kids, has posted growth for the network since its Aug. 30 premiere; posting double-digit gains with adults 18-49 (+25%) and women 18-49 (+20%).

Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group's portfolio of digital sites will close 2010 in first place among all kid and family web destinations based on 1.2 billion total visits, 12.2 billion total page views and average time spent of 58.1 minutes per visitor (source: ComScore U.S. Media Metrix, January-November 2010).

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st 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, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

Nickelodeon Programming Hours: M-Th: 7:00 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri: 7:00 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. (ET)

(Source: NMR, Live + 7 Day data through 11/28/10, Live + Same Day data through 12/12/10)

SOURCE Nickelodeon