Nickelodeon Greenlights Fourth Season Of Hit Music Comedy Series Big Time Rush

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As music sensation Big Time Rush crosses the U.S. this summer performing to sold-out audiences and arenas, and with their hit single "Windows Down" climbing the charts, Nickelodeon has ordered a fourth season of their self-titled hit comedy series Big Time Rush.  Created by Scott Fellows and produced in partnership with Sony Music, the series chronicles the adventures of four best friends living the dream in Los Angeles, balancing their newfound fame, fans, music and girlfriends.  Starring Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson, Big Time Rush is slated to commence production on 13 episodes early 2013 in Los Angeles.

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The band's summer anthem "Windows Down," sparked by their strongest first week sales to date, is trending to be their biggest hit yet at radio, digital sales providers and online, with their music video approaching nearly three million views.  "Windows Down" will be Big Time Rush's third consecutive charted single at Pop radio.  The "Big Time Summer Tour" has the band entertaining fans in 60 cities, making appearances across the U.S., Canada and South America.  Their debut, gold-certified BTR and follow-up album Elevate, both entered the Billboard charts in the top 15 and currently total over 1.25 million albums sold worldwide and 3.5 million singles in the U.S.

"Our viewers continue to love the stories, music and comedic misadventures of Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan. Their authentic friendship and brotherhood connects them to each other and their audience, both on camera and when performing in front of thousands of screaming fans," said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon Group.

Currently in its third season, Big Time Rush ranks as one of the top ten live-action series with kids 2-11, kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14 across all of TV.  The series premiere of Big Time Rush was the highest-rated and most-watched live-action debut among all Nickelodeon series with kids, tweens and total viewers (6.8 million).  Also an international breakout hit, Big Time Rush ranks within the top 10 programs on Nickelodeon in key markets with key demos, including Germany, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa and Australia, and is seen in over 100 territories and in 20 languages via Nickelodeon channels and syndication.

Big Time Rush's original songs are written and produced under the guidance of Sony Music, and are written by some of today's most successful songwriters and producers, including One Republic's Ryan Tedder (Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson), Evan Bogart (Rihanna, Beyonce, Hot Chelle Rae), Toby Gad (One Direction, Alicia Keys, Fergie), Claude Kelly (Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Pitbull), "Tricky" Stewart (Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey) and Fraser T. Smith (Taio Cruz, Adele).

Big Time Rush was created and is executive produced by Scott Fellows.  The creative mind behind Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified Survival Guide, Fellows also executive produced the hit live-action series.  A prolific writer, producer and creator, Fellows has written for and produced live-action and animated series including Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents, Doug, 101 Dalmatians and KaBlam!. He served as show runner for Nickelodeon's live-action comedy series 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd and has written many of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards as well as the Teen Choice Awards, the Billboard Awards and the Country Music Awards. 

About Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including Arista Nashville, Beach Street Records, Bystorm Entertainment, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, Kemosabe Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, Reunion Records, Roc Nation, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Syco Music, Verity Music Group and Volcano. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. 

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd 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 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

For downloadable photos and additional information visit: www.nickpress.com.

SOURCE Nickelodeon