Nickelodeon Launches Across the Middle East

LONDON/NEW YORK, July 22:
MTV Networks International is launching Nickelodeon Arabia, the 50th local
channel in the network’s global footprint.

The Arabic-language
channel, targeted to children ages 2 to 14, will premiere tomorrow on Arabsat
and Nilesat, reaching a potential 190 million viewers across the Middle East.
The channel will feature several original productions such as Shoof Kids, which features homemade videos submitted by
viewers. Nickelodeon Arabia will also air a range of hit international shows,
including the preschool program Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and Jimmy Neutron for the older set and tween live-action programs
like Drake and Josh and Unfabulous. Jumetna, the network’s Friday afternoon programming block, will include
interactive games for a range of its shows.

The channel’s website will
be available in both Arabic and English, and will include Nickelodeon content,
character games and more. The Nickelodeon Arabia team will work in partnership
with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products to build the licensing business
across the region.

Bhavneet Singh, the
managing director and executive VP of emerging markets for MTVNI, commented:
“Nickelodeon is the first global kids’ media brand to create a free-to-air
Arabic service across the region. Adding the voices of Arab children to our
worldwide Nickelodeon family is a significant milestone in the brand’s history
and we’re proud to launch a service that’s created just for them, reflecting
who they are and what they want. We see great growth potential for our brands
in the Middle East and we look forward to further expanding our business to
provide our audiences with a localised,
multiplatform, multi-genre portfolio of relevant content that appeals to every
demographic and every age group.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski