Nickelodeon (Middle Eastern and North African TV channel) facts for kids
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Logo used since August 1, 2023
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| Broadcast area | Middle East & North Africa |
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| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English and Arabic |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Networks EMEAA (Paramount International Networks) |
| Sister channels |
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| History | |
| Launched | June 1996 (Original in Showtime Network English Only) 23 July 2008 (in Arabic) 5 January 2015 (relaunch) |
| Closed | 8 September 2011 (original) |
Nickelodeon is a fun TV channel for kids and teens in the Middle East and North Africa. It's a special version of the famous Nickelodeon channel from the United States. You can watch it on OSN, which is a pay-TV service. This means you need to subscribe to watch it.
Until 2011, Nickelodeon Arabia was the last channel in the world to use the classic "splat" logo. This was a cool orange shape that looked like a paint splat.
Contents
Channel History
Nickelodeon first started in June 1996 on Showtime Arabia. Back then, it was only available in English. Later, a special version for the Middle East launched on July 23, 2008. This version had both Arabic and English sound options.
Nickelodeon was one of the first international kids' TV channels to offer shows in Arabic. Disney Channel was the very first.
By 2011, Nickelodeon Arabia was the only Nickelodeon channel still using the old "splat" logo. Other Nickelodeon channels around the world had changed their logos in 2009. For a while, the channel seemed to play the same shows over and over. Its website also stopped working.
On September 8, 2011, the channel suddenly stopped broadcasting. There was no clear reason why. A message appeared telling viewers to watch Nickelodeon shows on MBC 3. After a few days, the channel signal disappeared completely.
Relaunching Nickelodeon
Good news came on December 17, 2014! It was announced that Nickelodeon would return. A new version of Nickelodeon Arabia, including a high-definition (HD) option, launched on January 5, 2015. It came back on the OSN pay-TV service.
At first, the relaunched channel was only in Arabic. But in February 2015, an English sound option was added. A new website, social media pages, and a special Nickelodeon app were also launched. In 2018, Nickelodeon merged its Middle Eastern website with others in Southeast Asia and Africa.
Related Channels
Nickelodeon Arabia has some sister channels that also offer great content for kids.
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. is a satellite channel made for younger kids. It shows preschool programs from Nick Jr. that are dubbed into Arabic. The channel started on January 5, 2015, at the same time as the relaunched Nickelodeon Arabia. It also has an English sound option for viewers.
NickToons
Nicktoons is another satellite channel for Arab kids. It focuses on animated Nickelodeon shows. Many of these shows are older ones that are dubbed into Arabic. Nicktoons launched on February 15, 2017, and is also available on OSN. It uses a similar look to the Nicktoons channel in the UK and Ireland. You can watch it with an English sound option too.
TeenNick
TeenNick is a video on demand channel. This means you can choose when to watch its shows. It features Nickelodeon's live-action TV series. You can watch both old and new shows in English with Arabic subtitles. TeenNick started on April 15, 2017.
Channel Programming
The animated shows on Nickelodeon Arabia are available in both Arabic and English. The live-action shows on TeenNick usually air in English with Arabic subtitles. However, some special shows made by Nickelodeon Arabia itself, like Shoof Kids and Jamaatna, are in Arabic.
Many of the shows aired on the channel were older series. But for many Arab viewers, these shows were new to them. Some popular shows like SpongeBob SquarePants were always a hit. Interestingly, The Fairly OddParents first appeared on Disney Channel Arabia in 2006. It later came to Nicktoons Arabia in 2017.
Like many channels in the Arab region, Nickelodeon used to edit some scenes. This was mostly for scenes with kissing. However, after the channel relaunched in 2015, there is no longer any editing of content. In 2018, Nickelodeon Arabia also started showing Motu Patlu, an animated show from Nick India.
Original Shows on the Older Channel
Before the channel closed in 2011, it had some original shows made just for Nickelodeon Arabia.
Catch Match
Catch Match (كاتش ماتش) was a game show for kids. Two teams would compete in fun physical challenges to earn points. This show was filmed in Jeddah and was hosted by Taj Aser. It was a special show during the holy month of Ramadan.
Shoof Kids
Shoof Kids was another original show. It featured cool home videos sent in by viewers themselves.
See also
In Spanish: Nickelodeon Arabia para niños
