Nickelodeon gets green light for kids' show in China

<p>BEIJING: Viacom has signed on a Chinese partner for the May 1 </p><p>launch of a daily, one-hour programming block of its flagship kids </p><p>entertainment brand, Nickelodeon. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The programming block will be co-produced and distributed by Beijing </p><p>Tanglong Culture Developing Corporation to 100 cable and terrestrial </p><p>stations nation-wide. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Viacom currently co-produces four MTV programmes with Beijing </p><p>Television, Beijing Cable Television, Shanghai Television and CCTV for </p><p>the MTV Mandarin Music Honors show. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Nickelodeon expects to reach 40 million households in China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Christine Leo-McKerrow, vice-president of channel operations and brand </p><p>management for Nickelodeon Asia, said: "We have the flexibility to do so </p><p>many different things. We can look at genres, day parts and </p><p>demographics. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Leo-McKerrow said the programming block will feature a wide variety of </p><p>entertainment developed specially for kids, from game shows to live </p><p>action, comedy, science fiction and drama series. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Highlights include the comedy Cousin Skeeter, the pre-school series </p><p>Allegra's Window and the Global Guts game show. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Chris Walton, regional business director at MindShare, described the </p><p>upcoming launch as a significant breakthrough for the channel. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Like most things Chinese, the children's market in China is the biggest </p><p>in the world. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"With TV penetration, especially in urban areas, approaching 100 per </p><p>cent, TV-based media vehicles to reach this audience will be of high </p><p>interest to advertisers and agencies alike." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But he added: "Children are fickle and what is in today can be out </p><p>tomorrow, so Nickelodeon will have to keep very close to the Chinese </p><p>market to ensure it delivers appealing and appropriate content." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Others, however, warned of difficulties ahead, saying the channel will </p><p>need to pay special attention to their local station partner to ensure </p><p>"all commercials it sells do actually reach transmission and are not </p><p>zapped by station owners doing a bit of local selling themselves". </p><p><BR><BR> </p>