Nick Jr. Deals in Kazakhstan & Afghanistan

LONDON: MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has landed agreements for Nickelodeon preschool programming in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, including the launch of the first ever Nick Jr. branded block worldwide.

Starting in November, Nickelodeon animated preschool programming will be localized for broadcast on pubcaster Kazakhstan1 and as a branded block on the new kids’ channel Balapan in Kazakhstan. The agreement includes 204 episodes of Nick content, including seasons one through five of Dora the Explorer, three seasons of Go, Diego, Go! and the first two seasons of Ni Hao, Kai-Lan. In Afghanistan, Nick content will be localized for the free-to-air satellite channel Ariana Television Network (ATN). The network will air seasons one and two of Dora. Dora the Explorer will be dubbed into Kazakhi, Dari and Pashto for the first time, bringing the total number of languages the show has been dubbed into to 31.

Maria Rakhmatullina-Ufland, the sales director for emerging markets at MTVNI, said, “We are delighted that Nickelodeon has grown its footprint in Central Asia with these two new deals, bringing high quality Nickelodeon preschool content to new audiences for the first time, dubbed into their local languages. We are looking forward to working with Kazakhstan1, Balapan and ATN to firmly establish the Nickelodeon brand as the destination for top-quality animation for kids and families in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.”