.svg){kind=logo} Logo used since September 4, 2023[a] | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | One Astor Plaza New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Languages | English Spanish (via SAP audio track) |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Media Networks (Paramount Skydance Corporation) |
| Parent | Nickelodeon Group |
| Sister channels | List
|
| History | |
| Launched | September 28, 2009 |
| Replaced | Noggin (channel) |
| Links | |
| Website | www.nickjr.com (Archive link) |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Affiliated streaming service | Paramount+ |
| Other service(s) | DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, YouTube TV |
The Nick Jr. Channel (commonly known as simply Nick Jr.) is an American pay television channel owned by the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Skydance Corporation. An offshoot of Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. programming block, the channel launched on September 28, 2009, in the space previously held by Noggin, and primarily targets children ages 2 to 6 years old. Its lineup features a mix of original programming along with series from the Nick Jr. block. To avoid confusion between the two entities, the channel has been identified on-air as the "Nick Jr. Channel" since March 2018 and on-screen until September 2023.
Noggin was originally relaunched in 2015 as a streaming media service and operated as a separate sister brand until its shutdown in 2024. Noggin's programming is distinct from Nick Jr.'s, carrying pre-teen programs both in its early years as a channel and also on the independent 2025 streaming service,[1] while the original 2015 streaming service featured a variety of exclusive series. From May 2021 to March 2022, the Nick Jr. Channel aired a "Noggin Hour" block of programming every Friday,[2][3][4] featuring series such as Noggin Knows and Kinderwood.[5]
Both the Nick Jr. block and channel are currently running, with the former airing weekdays on Nickelodeon from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET (hours vary during summer months, other school breaks, and major national holidays), featuring traditional commercial breaks for certain programs. As of November 2023[update], the Nick Jr. Channel is available to approximately 54 million pay television households in the United States — down from its peak of 77 million households in 2013.[6] Until August 2025, the channel's content was sent to Canada to air on a children's channel called Treehouse which lost the rights to air its content on September 1, 2025 along with the channel's Canadian counterpart to shutdown completely.
History
Nick Jr. block (1988–present)
Since its inception in 1977, Nickelodeon's channel space had aired preschool-oriented programs, including Pinwheel, which was their first original series. These were usually played on weekday mornings when older children were in school and younger children were not. This block ran from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. On January 4, 1988, Nickelodeon debuted a name for its preschool block: Nick Junior. Between September 1988 and mid-1989, the name was shortened to Nick Jr. on-air.[7]
At launch, the block mostly showed imported series purchased from other companies. Eureeka's Castle was the first original series that Nickelodeon made for the block. Brown Johnson, the former vice president of Nick Jr., stated in a 2000 interview that after Eureeka ended production, Nick Jr. became "a neglected daypart" compared to the main Nickelodeon.[8] "Without the investment of energy or money, the block floundered until 1994 when the network poured $30 million into a full-scale relaunch," said Johnson.[8]
On September 5, 1994, the Nick Jr. block began its relaunch and introduced Face, its first host and no longer ran commercial breaks as intermissions during shows.[9] Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window, the second and third original series made for Nick Jr., premiered. They resulted in 50% rating gains for the block. From then onward, Nickelodeon continued to create its own productions for Nick Jr. and foreign-made imports were phased out. Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer became ratings draws for both the block and Nickelodeon as a whole.
Before gaining its own spin-off network, the Nick Jr. block extended to several other networks: Nick Jr. on CBS from 2000 to 2006, and Nick Jr. on Noggin from 2003 to 2009. The Nick Jr. on CBS block ended on September 9, 2006, when CBS replaced its Nick Jr. programming with KOL Secret Slumber Party.[10] Nick Jr. series continued to appear on Noggin until its closure in 2009, when the Nick Jr. channel replaced it.
Nick Jr. channel (2009–present)
On February 23, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that Noggin would be replaced by a channel named after the Nick Jr. block. The intention was to bring the channel in line with the Nickelodeon brand identity, as reruns from the Nick Jr. library had been gradually overtaking Noggin's lineup since 2003. In July of that year, Nickelodeon unveiled new standardized logos for its five channels, intending to create a unified look that could better be conveyed across the services.[11]
When the Nick Jr. channel debuted on September 28, 2009, at 6:00 a.m. ET, a new logo was debuted and designed by New York-based creative director/designer Eric Zim. Although the use of an orange "adult" and blue "child" figure was discontinued in the new wordmark logo, the tradition of the "Nick" text being orange (representing the adult) and the "Jr." text remaining in blue (as the child) was retained.[11] Until 2012, the Nick Jr. channel retained Noggin's on-air branding style and played several of its programs, most notably the mascots Moose and Zee. It also continued not to accept traditional advertising or marginalize closing credits for promotion of other shows on the channel.
On March 1, 2012, the Nick Jr. channel received a new rebrand produced by Gretel Inc. Jessica DiCicco became the network's announcer, and the Moose and Zee mascots were completely dropped after nine years, removing one of the last vestiges of Noggin; as a result, some of the interstitial learning activities that originally featured Moose's narration (like the Puzzle Time segments) were recycled and replaced by her narration. The channel's slogan changed from "It's Like Preschool On TV" to "The Smart Place To Play" (which was also used as the branding for the Nick Jr. block), while several shows — The Upside Down Show, Oswald, Jack's Big Music Show, Franklin, Toot & Puddle and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends — were pulled from the lineup; most of them would return later that year, while the former could still be seen on the channel's website at the time.[12]
At this point, programming began to be hosted by characters from Nick Jr. shows. The Nick Jr. channel also began incorporating programming promotions and short features on that date; seven months later, on October 1, 2012, it started airing limited traditional advertising (for companies such as ABCMouse, Kmart, Chuck E. Cheese's, Nabi, Clorox, Walmart, Lysol and Playskool) in the form of underwriter sponsorships airing in-between shows, whereas its parent network airs longer traditional advertising.
On May 21, 2018, the channel refreshed their imaging with new interstitial pieces and updated curriculum notices, and began to promote themselves as the "Nick Jr. Channel" audibly and visually to avoid confusion with the Nickelodeon block.[13]
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On September 4, 2023, the channel rebranded to use the refreshed splat logo, as well as new bumpers and curriculum boards (to keep in line with the Nickelodeon block, which began using the new branding on July 5, 2023). On the same day, the "Nick Jr. Channel" logo was changed to one reading simply "Nick Jr." for the first time since 2009. However, new promos continue to refer to the channel as the "Nick Jr. Channel".
NickMom block (2012–2015)
From October 1, 2012, to September 28, 2015, a four-hour block of parent-targeted shows called NickMom aired from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ET. The NickMom name started out with a humor website in 2011[14] and the four-hour time slot aired comedies like Instant Mom and NickMom Night Out.
On September 9, 2015, the social media channels of NickMom announced that the four-hour weeknight block on the Nick Jr. channel, along with the NickMom website, would end operations by the end of September 28, 2015, due to Viacom's 2015 cutbacks involving acquired programming and also due to NickMom's low ratings[15] with the time vacated by NickMom returned to traditional Nick Jr. programming like Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Team Umizoomi, and Bubble Guppies. In the early morning of September 28, 2015, NickMom ended its 3-year run at 2:00 a.m. ET, with an airing of the film Guarding Tess. No sign off message was shown; after the film Guarding Tess, it faded straight into an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! at its end. NickMom's former website address is now used as a redirect to Nickelodeon's site for parental resources.
Following NickMom's closure, the Nick Jr. channel increased the amount of traditional advertising it aired, but also began scheduling programs in an inversion of the "off-the-clock" format where the network shortened some of its commercial breaks, allowing the network to air more programming. The "off-the-clock" format was previously adopted by various Viacom networks, such as TV Land, Nick at Nite and Comedy Central (though in a reversed form, the scheduling format for those channels was designed to add extra advertising loads).
Noggin Hour block (2021–2022)
On May 28, 2021, the Nick Jr. channel introduced an hour-long block of programming from the Noggin app every Friday.[4] The block was usually titled "Noggin Hour"[2] and was retitled "Noggin Presents" on days when it ran longer than an hour.[3] Series featured in the timeslot included the Noggin originals Kinderwood[5] and Noggin Knows, as well as the acquired shows Hey Duggee and JoJo & Gran Gran. Noggin interstitials played during commercial breaks, and a purple screen bug reading "On Noggin" was shown toward the beginning of each show.
Programming
The Nick Jr. channel schedule mainly features reruns from Nickelodeon's library of preschool programming, along with a few original series exclusive to the channel. As of 2022, the channel's lineup includes The Adventures of Paddington, Baby Shark's Big Show!, Bubble Guppies, Face's Music Party, Hey Duggee, Kiri & Lou, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Ryan's Mystery Playdate, Santiago of the Seas, and Team Umizoomi.
Related services
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
 |
Nick Jr. HD is the high-definition simulcast feed of Nick Jr. that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format; the feed first began broadcasting on August 1, 2013.[16][17] Like other Viacom-owned networks that have high-definition feeds, 16:9 sourced content broadcasts in HD, while 4:3 sourced content broadcasts pillarboxed. As of 2018, many providers carry the high-definition feed and downscale it for the standard-definition feed, broadcasting in 16:9 letterboxed to fit the 4:3 ratio. |
| Nick Jr. On Demand | Nick Jr. on Demand is the network's video-on-demand service, which is available on most subscription providers. |
| Nick Jr. on Pluto TV | Advertising-supported streaming service Pluto TV, which Viacom acquired in January 2019, added a free version of Nick Jr. on May 1, consisting mainly of older library and archive content.[18] There are also several channels on the service devoted solely to one Nick Jr. series around the clock, and overall advertising is reduced on these channels, as is done on the cable services. |
| Paramount+ | Programming from Nick Jr. was slowly introduced to what was then CBS All Access in November 2019 after the closure of the Viacom/CBS merger,[19][20] and was a part of Paramount+ from its March 4, 2021 launch. |
| Noggin | An educational brand launched by Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop. Its flagship channel launched on February 2, 1999 and occupied the channel space that is now held by the Nick Jr. channel. The Noggin brand was placed on hiatus in 2009 and relaunched as a separate streaming service on March 5, 2015; it has remained separate from Paramount+. In May 2021, the Nick Jr. channel introduced a block of programming from the Noggin app every Friday, called "Noggin Hour".[2] |
International
On May 16, 2011, MTV Networks launched two new channels, Nick Jr. and MTVNHD, in Asia. These 24-hour channels began to be available on StarHub TV in Singapore on May 18, 2011, and on Telekom Malaysia Berhad's Unifi TV in Malaysia on June 1, 2011. The channel launched aggressively to the rest of Southeast Asia later.[21]
An African version of Nick Jr. was launched on September 30, 2014, along with Nicktoons.[22] In Poland, Nick Jr. is available on Platforma Canal+ since March 2013. In Romania, Nick Jr. is available on UPC Romania since October 24, 2014.
Versions of Nick Jr. also exist in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands & Flanders, India, France, Italy, Latin America, and Australia. On November 3, 2017, Nick Jr. launched in Portugal.[23] In 2023, the European Nick Jr. channels started to merge together, sharing more and more the same schedule between some versions.
Nick Jr. is also available in Japan in the form of a programming block on the Japanese version of Nickelodeon.
International versions of the TV channel include:
- Nick Jr. (UK and Ireland) – Introduced in 1993
- Nick Jr. Too/Nick Jr. 2
- Nick Jr. (Germany) – Introduced in 1995
- Nick Jr. (Latin America) – Introduced in 1997
- Nick Jr. (Australia and New Zealand) – Introduced in 1998
- Nick Jr. (Turkey) – Introduced in 1998
- Nick Jr. (Israel) – Introduced in 2003
- Nick Jr. (The Netherlands) – Introduced in 2003
- Nick Jr. (Wallonia) – Introduced in 2009
- Nickelodeon Junior (France) – Introduced in 2010
- Nick Jr. (Middle East and North Africa) – Introduced in 2008
- Nick Jr. (Italy) – Introduced in 2009
- Nick Jr. (Scandinavia) – Introduced in 2010
- Nick Jr. (Greece) – Introduced in 2010
- Nick Jr. (Southeast Asia) – Introduced in 2010
- Nick Jr. (Poland) – Introduced in 2010
- Nick Jr. (Spain) – Introduced in 2010
- Nick Jr. (Russia and CIS) – Introduced in 2011
- Nick Jr. (India) – Introduced in 2012
- Nick Jr. (Sub-Saharan Africa) – Introduced in 2014
- Nick Jr. (Portugal) – Introduced in 2017
See also
Notes
- ^ The logo's wordmark has been in use since September 28, 2009. Additionally, this is a variant meant for use on white backgrounds; the primary logo has a white (for Nick) and baby blue (for Jr.) wordmark in conjunction with a fully orange splat.
References
- ^ Barker, Kate. "Noggin spawns original education for older kids". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2014-12-08.
- ^ a b c "NickJr.com TV Schedule 2021". NickJr.com. May 28, 2021. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Nick Jr. TV Schedule 2022". NickJr.com. March 11, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Noggin Knows on Nick Jr". The Futon Critic. 2021.
completed airing its first season on 6/11/21
- ^ a b "Kinderwood on Nick Jr". The Futon Critic. 2021.
6/4/21: Dandy Dandelion (R)
- ^ "U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023". wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "The Rugrats Timeline -- Through 1989". 2012-06-16. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
- ^ a b Cable Vision. Cahners Business Information. 2000.
- ^ Nick to spend $30 million on kids (page 53) from Broadcasting & Cable
- ^ "DIC, KOL to Produce on CBS". Mediaweek. June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on July 13, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Nickelodeon unveils new logo". Variety. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Parents Rip Nick Jr. For 'Firing' Moose and Zee".
- ^ "Nickelodeon USA Debuts Nick Jr. Rebrand".
- ^ "NickMom | Humor & Funny Stuff for Moms". Archived from the original on 2011-11-26. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ "Unlike your laundry pile, some things do come to an end. We're sad to say NickMom will be going off-air and offline at the end of the month". Tweet from network's Twitter account. 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ "DIRECTV HD Channel Anticipation (Official Q3-13 Thread)". DBSTalk Community. October 2013. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ "Official AVS National HD Channel Lineups – Cable/DBS/Fiber/IPTV – Updated 10/2/14 – AVS Forum | Home Theater Discussions And Reviews". www.avsforum.com. 31 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2019-04-29). "Viacom Launching 14 Free Channels on Pluto TV, Sets Broad Digital Originals Slate". Variety. Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ "Nickelodeon Content Coming to CBS All Access". The Hollywood Reporter. November 25, 2019. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "CBS All Access to Add Nickelodeon Children's Programming". November 25, 2019. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Viacom Debuts Nick Jr. And MTVNHD". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ^ "Nick Jr. and Nicktoons to launch in South Africa". Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ Clover, Julian (November 2, 2017) "Nick Jr debuts in Portugal" Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine Broadband TV News.
External links
- Official website (United States)
- Official website (United Kingdom)
- Official website (Australia)
International websites
- Official website (Latin America) (in Spanish)
- Official website (Brazil) (in Portuguese)
- Official website (Spain) (in Spanish)
- Official website (France) (in French)
- Official website (Germany) (in German)
- Official website (Italy) (in Italian)
- Official website (Poland) (in Polish)
- Official website (Netherlands) (in Dutch)
