Nickelodeon Greenlights Third Season of Hit Comedy, Big Time Rush

NEW YORK, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon orders a third season of the hit live-action comedy Big Time Rush, it was announced today by Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon's President, Development and Original Programming. The series, created by Scott Fellows and produced in partnership with Sony Music, chronicles the adventures and misadventures of four best friends from Minnesota who move to Los Angeles and trade in their hockey sticks and parkas for a chance at music stardom.  Starring Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson, Big Time Rush will commence production on 20 episodes January 2012.

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Nickelodeon will premiere the music video for Big Time Rush's new single "Worldwide," off the group's RIAA Gold-certified debut album BTR (Columbia Records), on June 18.  Continuing to entertain fans around the globe with their music, Big Time Rush will embark on a tour this summer, making appearances across the U.S. and in Europe.  In addition, they will head back into the studio to record their second full-length album due out later this year.

"Big Time Rush's success both on and off screen is a true testament to the chemistry between the boys," said Cohn.  "Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan have connected with fans around the world and we are excited to bring even more music and comedic adventures to our audience."

Year-to-date, Big Time Rush ranks as the #1 series with K6-11 and the #1 live-action series with K2-11 on all TV.  Currently in its second season, the series averages 3.9 million total viewers per episode.  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, Korea, Brazil, UK, Argentina and Sweden, and is seen in 78 territories and in 17 languages via Nickelodeon channels and syndication.

A hit on both TV and the music charts, BTR, featuring original songs from the hit series, entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #3 and the Billboard Children's and Soundtracks charts at #1.  The group has currently sold over 2 million combined digital tracks to date. 

Big Time Rush's original songs written and produced under the guidance of Sony Music, and written by some of today's most successful songwriters and producers, including Brian Kennedy (Ciara, Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson), Jay Sean (Sean Paul, Taio Cruz, Lil Wayne and Justin Timberlake), Pascal Guyon (Leona Lewis, Anthony Hamilton) and Fraser T. Smith (Ke$ha, Mandy Moore).

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.  In addition, he is the creator and executive producer for Cartoon Network's animated sci-fi comedy Johnny Test.

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 American Recordings, Arista Nashville, Arista Records, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, BNA Records, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Roc Nation, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Gospel Music Group, and Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd 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).

SOURCE Nickelodeon