Nicktoons And Nick Jr. New Look Reportedly Revealed

During the year, Paramount revived the Splat logo on Nickelodeon which at the time was only viewable at the 2023 KCAs and applicable to consumers in the United States. As reported a few days ago, the revamped look is set to hit international shores by July 2023.

“It was time for us to really look at the brand, and look at our audience, and talk with our audience and revisit all the pieces of Nickelodeon,” Sabrina Caluori, evp of global kids and family marketing at Nickelodeon and Paramount, told sources.

As seen already, Nickelodeon is the only brand to have gotten a makeover while sister channels, Nick Jr. and Nicktoons in Africa alongside international brands TeenNick and Nick@Nite have yet to make the switch despite various reports claiming otherwise.

I mean idea of these brands aligning their logo to match that of Nickelodeon doesn't seem far fetched as BET and MTV had all undergone something similar years prior followed by various brands in their division so questions lurk on when the switch will happen.

As seen through MarkPipi's DeviantArt account are the soon to be launched logos for Nicktoons and Nick Jr. alongside Nick International.

Nicktoons only includes the Splat on the part labelled Nick while Nick Jr. goes for a more rounded approach as opposed to incorporating the Splat likely due to the fact it's the only other Nick brand get original programming as opposed to Nicktoons which is just repeats.

During the week, Paramount continued cutting back on their workforce and are currently merging network groups under one division. It wouldn't be shocking if at some point in time likely by 2027 they opted to phase out brands like Nicktoons for Paramount+.

Various licences for the Nick channels had been renewed through 2027 of course not much has been said about the Nickelodeon channels in Africa. It wouldn't be shocking if it went a similar route as seen with their international counterparts.

Paramount Division Run By Chris McCarthy Lays Off 25% Of Domestic Staff; MTV News Among Units Shut Down

In the latest wave of industry layoffs, the recently combined Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios as well as Paramount Media Networks, overseen by the division’s President and CEO Chris McCarthy, is reducing its domestic team by 25% today. McCarthy addressed the cuts, which he called a “very hard but necessary decision”, in a company memo.

According to sources, the basic cable networks were most heavily impacted, with a number of units being shut down as part of consolidation, mostly on the operations side.

Also folding is MTV News, the news production division of MTV, which was launched in the late 1980s. The unit already had undergone significant downsizing over the last six years. MTV News staffers took to social media to share the layoff news.

Among the senior-level executives impacted are Jessica Zalkind, SVP, Talent and Series Development, MTV Networks, and Todd Radnitz, SVP of Original Unscripted Series at MTV Entertainment Group and Paramount+, we hear. East Coast casting is being folded into the West Coast operation.

Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, has been largely spared this time, I hear, after it was hit hard in February when the two studios were combined, with Showtime taking the brunt of the cuts.

“This is a tough yet important strategic realignment of our group,” McCarthy said. “Through the elimination of some units and by streamlining others, we will be able to reduce costs and create a more effective approach to our business as we move forward.”

The new wave of cuts comes on the heels of Paramount Global falling way shy of Wall Street forecasts last week when the company reported a loss of $1.1 billion for Q1, leading to a 25% stock price drop.

Here is McCarthy’s full note:

Team,

As we finalize the integration of SHOWTIME and continue to transform our business for the future, we have set a great foundation for continued success by consolidating our group into two functions:

• Studios – integrating SHOWTIME and MTV Entertainment Studios into one powerful studio team
• Networks – combining nine separate teams into one portfolio group

This combination has resulted in an incredible track record of hits including Yellowstone, 1883, Tulsa King, South Park, The Challenge, Teen Wolf, 1923, Drag Race, Mayor of Kingstown, Your Honor, George & Tammy and Yellowjackets – which, taken together, drove record subscribers across Paramount+ and Showtime and helped Paramount+ lead the industry in new subscriber growth.

However, despite this success in streaming, we continue to feel pressure from broader economic headwinds like many of our peers. To address this, our senior leaders in coordination with HR have been working together over the past few months to determine the optimal organization for the current and future needs of our business.

As a result, we have made the very hard but necessary decision to reduce our domestic team by approximately 25%. This is a tough yet important strategic realignment of our group. Through the elimination of some units and by streamlining others, we will be able to reduce costs and create a more effective approach to our business as we move forward. Today we will notify employees whose positions are being impacted with leaders communicating the news directly to those teams/or individuals. These meetings will be followed by individual 1:1s with our HR partners.

I realize these decisions will be very hard for everyone, most of all, those who will be leaving. It’s not something we take lightly. We have some of the most passionate and dedicated team members, who bring their full selves to drive our brands and business forward. This is why it’s so difficult to say goodbye to our friends and colleagues. To those impacted, we deeply appreciate the passion and creativity you have brought every day. I want to thank you for your many contributions.

Our leadership team and HR partners are committed to ensuring this process is done with empathy and respect.

Sincerely,
Chris

New Series Alert: Barney's World Coming In 2024 To Cartoonito And Max

Warner Bros Discovery announced that it has picked up the new CG-animated series Barney’s World for Cartoonito on Cartoon Network and streaming on Max. The series, announced earlier this year as part of Mattel’s Barney franchise relaunch, will aptly be titled “Barney’s World” and will revamp the iconic character for modern audiences. Co-produced by Mattel Television and Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, “Barney’s World” will debut globally in 2024.

With all the heart and comfort of the original iconic dinosaur, “Barney’s World” is modernized with dynamic characters and music-filled storylines that highlight themes of love, community, and encouragement. Set in a local playground, Barney is joined by dinos Billy and Baby Bop and their three kid best friends. Throughout silly and imaginative adventures together, Barney helps kids explore big preschool emotions and shows them how to love themselves and other.

“Barney’s World perfectly exemplifies our ‘best in animation’ approach. It strikes the right nostalgia chord for today’s parents and introduces this iconic dinosaur to a new generation of preschoolers,” said Michael Ouweleen, president, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Family, and Boomerang.

“Having grown up watching the original series, many of today’s parents have fond memories of laughing, singing and learning with Barney and his friends,” said Fred Soulie, senior vice president and general manager, Mattel Television. “We are proud to partner with Warner Bros Discovery to reimagine this famed brand and bring a fresh and modern version of Barney to a global audience of families.”

The show will be executive produced by Fred Soulie and Christopher Keenan for Mattel Television and by Colin Bohm, Doug Murphy and Pam Westman for Nelvana.

Nickelodeon Refreshes Its Look For The First Time In 14 Years

The network will spend the rest of 2023 rolling out a new brand identity and refreshed on-air look that’s designed to invoke nostalgia and return to its history.

“It was time for us to really look at the brand, and look at our audience, and talk with our audience and revisit all the pieces of Nickelodeon,” Sabrina Caluori, evp of global kids and family marketing at Nickelodeon and Paramount, told sources.

The “Portal to Fun” campaign launched yesterday with the first of five spots. “Quartet” shows a bored kid at a family dinner, who then notices the orange splat above them on the ceiling. After sticking their head through the splat, the kid finds a barbershop quartet performing.

Nick found after internal research that the “core DNA” of the brand still resonated with kids today, according to Caluori.

“We take that to the best and the mess of being a kid,” said Caluori. “We did learn that, what’s fundamentally different now than when the brand was initially taking shape, is kids’ relationship to their parents and parents’ relationship to their kids.”

Research found that kids and their parents are looking for more ways to connect, and Nickelodeon saw an opportunity.

“That was an exciting unlock for us because it meant while we can continue to be the best and the mess of being a kid, we can use that to actually bring kids and families closer together, which they are longing for in this time,” said Caluori.

The marketing executive has been with Nickelodeon for less than two years and, as a self-described Nick kid, can personally relate to the familial relationships the new campaign brings.

“It’s the first brand I ever had any passion for as a kid, and now I’m a mom of three kids who are in the demo,” said Caluori. “It’s been really exciting for me to be able to look at the brand and look at everything that we’re doing through the eyes of my kids while also ensuring that everything that we’re doing still spoke to the Nick kid inside me.”

In the splat zone

To create the new identity, Nickelodeon partnered with six U.S. and international agencies. The company asked the agencies to come back with a spot that used the new brand work and represents Nick’s energy and identity through the lens of its most notable IP—SpongeBob, Paw Patrol, Blue’s Clues, Baby Shark, Loud House and Monster High—making sure there is a moment of the iconic Nickelodeon slime.

The first step came through Nick’s internal marketing team and its creative partner Roger. Once that was determined, the IP went out to other animation houses around the globe.

All five spots will run across Nickelodeon’s linear and digital social platforms in three phases.

The network teased the first phase during the Kids’ Choice Awards in March. There, observant viewers may have noticed Nickelodeon brought back its iconic “splat” and wove the new look into design elements throughout the broadcast and weekend-long coverage.

The second phase began yesterday with the launch of “Quartet.” And expect a second spot, “Rollercoaster,” to debut later this week. This spot depicts a kid in a waiting room who sees the orange splat, and then sticks their hand through, only to be dragged along a crazy rollercoaster ride—ending in, you guessed it, splat.

The third marketing phase begins in July and will run through the end of the year when Nick’s new branding look and feel debuts internationally in the U.K., followed by Latin America and further markets.

Why now?

The refresh comes ahead of a big upcoming slate for Nickelodeon, including theatrical releases for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Paw Patrol, as well as upcoming Paramount+ films like Good Burger 2 and Zoey 102.

“We have these movies that have some of the callbacks that we’re referencing and reinforce everything that’s great about this studio, but that are directed at either families or this more ‘adult’ Nick kid,” said Caluori.

To help further the marketing push, starting at the end of this month, Nickelodeon will be on the ground at 400 schools around the country, reaching 250,000 kids—and kids can vote to slime their favorite teacher. There will also be two large events coming in Philadelphia and D.C.

Nickelodeon was among the brands Paramount spotlighted at its upfront dinner for clients in late April. Paramount ad sales chief John Halley told Adweek that after the success of its decision to exit its usual upfront week presentation this year, the company is “not going back” to its traditional approach.

Infamous Heists And Historical Deep-Sea Treasure Hunts Are All Waiting On History Channel

Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan on the HISTORY Channel Africa (DStv 186) will bring to life some of the most devious and high-stakes heist attempts of all time, every Saturday evening starting 20 May.

Throughout history people have done anything and everything in their power to get their hands on lots of money, including formulating some of the most scheming heist attempts. Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan (Saturdays at 20h15) delves into these intricate schemes and the audacity of the criminal masterminds who risked their freedom for a shot at a lifetime of wealth and riches.

Greatest Heists is hosted by the legendary Pierce Brosnan, who is best known for playing James Bond in the Bond movie series. In this latest HISTORY Channel series, the multi-award-winning actor is embedded into each heist through state-of-the-art technology. Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan breaks down every aspect of the plan including the conniving team, the mark, the execution and finally the aftermath. The series also features leading criminologists, journalists, criminals, police, and historians to create an in-depth investigation into each real-life heist.

The eight-part docu-series investigates amongst others; the Baker Street Bank burglary which saw enterprising thieves tunnel underneath and up into the vault of a London bank and the notorious airline heist known as the Lufthansa Heist of New York. The Antwerp Belgium Diamond Heist, which saw thieves make off with more than $100 million in diamonds, gems, and cash after more than two years of planning, is also uncovered.

Then, also in May, underwater treasures are revealed in Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter on Tuesdays at 19h25 (starting 16 May). In this second instalment of the HISTORY original, Ross and his expert team - including legendary dive master Neil Brock, marine archaeologist Mallory Haas and dive buddy Mark Culwick – travel further around the world to dive even deeper on shipwrecks of major historical importance.

This new series follows Ross as he explores the remnants of some of the most significant moments in history. In a TV first, Ross and Mallory dive the wreckage of one of the world’s most famed shipwrecks, the Mary Rose – a warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. Assisted by historians and maritime experts, the team unearth new treasures and discover more about how and why the sinking impacted on the war and the King himself.

Of the series, Ross Kemp says, “It’s been exhilarating to dive with Neil, Mark and Mallory, into some of the most remote and dangerous wreck sites across the world. We have not only unearthed secret treasures but also discovered more about the history around them with some incredible finds and revelations along the way.”

Other wrecks explored in the series include the SS Mohegan, a luxury liner that hit the rocks off the coast of Cornwall on its way to New York; the SS Carnatic off the coast of Egypt in the Red Sea, a new breed of fast cargo ship delivering supplies to the colonies that hit a reef near Suez on its way to Bombay and two further merchant cargo ships, the Rosalie Moller and the Thistlegorm, along the Red Sea, tasked with resupplying troops to North Africa.

In the final episode, Ross travels to Normandy to dive some of the wrecks of D-Day; exploring the SS Empire Broadsword, a British troop carrier, and USS LST-523, a tank landing craft, as well as discovering some heroic acts as the wrecks reveal their secrets.

Tune in to the HISTORY Channel Africa, on DStv 186, to catch both Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan and Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter this May.