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Potential Viacom / CBS Merger Latest: CBS-Viacom Merger Still on the Cards, and Could Only be a Few Months Away [Updated 11/19]

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Latest (11/19): Surprise - the CBS-Viacom merger could be a few months away, insiders say!

Not only is Stephen Colbert moving in with SpongeBob SquarePants, they’ll stay up all night playing “Grand Theft Auto” together.

That, at least, is shorthand for one of the surprising media-merger scenarios that’s getting pitched as Colbert’s network, CBS, gears up for talks with Viacom, the owner of “SpongeBob” broadcaster Nickelodeon, The New York Post has learned.

After CBS boss Les Moonves departed the network amid sexual-assault allegations in September, insiders said the TV giant’s board could announce a merger with Viacom in the next three to six months — a deal that Moonves had fiercely resisted.

“I would be surprised if we are sitting around in March and CBS and Viacom are not combined,” said one media executive close to the situation.

The source noted that the pressure to merge has intensified with the tie-ups between Fox and Disney and AT&T and Time Warner. An auction of CBS, meanwhile, has failed to attract other bidders.

But that’s not the only deal that media heir Shari Redstone — who controls CBS and Viacom through her ailing father Sumner Redstone’s holding company National Amusements Inc. — is weighing after reshuffling CBS’s board, sources say.

Another possibility is a three-way merger that also adds Take-Two Interactive, the video-gaming giant that owns the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, according to insiders.

Redstone’s longtime ally, Dick Parsons, abruptly stepped down as CBS interim chairman last month, citing health reasons. That prompted Redstone to replace Parsons with another friendly mogul — Strauss Zelnick.

The 61-year-old fitness fan, who has been chief executive of Take-Two for the past decade, now looks like a leading candidate to lead CBS and Viacom once they’re combined — possibly as their CEO, according to sources. That’s despite a hunt to replace Moonves that’s being run by executive-search firm Korn Ferry and is including candidates as diverse as ex-Disney exec Tom Staggs, former CBS exec Nina Tassler and HBO boss Richard Plepler, sources said.

Part of Zelnick’s appeal is his control over Take-Two, whose gaming franchises include the newly released blockbuster “Red Dead Redemption 2.” Bernstein analyst Todd Juenger recently argued that gaming companies are increasingly becoming takeover targets for traditional media firms.

“Video game publishers are net cash [as opposed to highly leveraged], put forth an entertainment product which is perfectly suited for young people and growing in engagement [as opposed to the opposite],” Juenger wrote in a research note.

While a Take-Two deal is far from assured, a source close to the situation said it nevertheless “could happen” as Redstone looks for ways to bulk up her holdings to compete with far bigger rivals.

“That’s what we call a triple bank shot,” the source added, noting that it’s still early days in negotiations.

Nevertheless, some insiders believe Zelnick has the savvy, the track record and the connections to make it happen. After attending Harvard Law School with former Sony exec Nicole Seligman — a longtime Viacom board member who is seen by some as Redstone’s closest adviser — Zelnick became the youngest-ever exec to head the 20th Century Fox Hollywood studio at age 32.

The brash wunderkind went on to run music powerhouse BMG Entertainment in the 1990s, only to leave in a clash with his corporate bosses. He then started Zelnick Media, an investment firm focused on smaller tech and media assets currently valued at $14 billion.

After leading an investor-staged takeover of Take-Two in 2007, Zelnick became chairman and CEO and the largest single shareholder of the video-game firm, which, today, has a market cap of just under $13 billion.

Zelnick declined to comment, but on a Take-Two conference call with analysts this month, he sought to quash rumors that he’s in the running for the CBS CEO job.

“The CBS role is specifically interim and non-executive,” Zelnick said. “So, you have to think of it as a board seat with a responsibility to convene meetings. Take-Two is where my head and my heart remains.”

To some insiders, Zelnick’s lawyerly comments sidestepped the fact that he’s hoping that he won’t have to leave Take-Two behind as he makes his comeback bid for the helm of CBS and Viacom.

“Strauss is very close to Shari and he’s the new chairman. I would look for him to maneuver. He’ll be CEO,” one source said. “It’s a package deal. He’s dying to run it.”

Reps for CBS and Viacom declined to comment, as did Zelnick and a rep for Redstone.

Latest (5/31): CBS stockholders have filed a class-action lawsuit (read it HERE) against the media company’s controlling shareholder, National Amusements, contending the Shari Redstone-run outfit has breached its fiduciary duty, reports Deadline.

The suit was filed in Delaware Chancery Court by the Westmoreland County Employees Retirement System. (Westmoreland County is in Pennsylvania, just east of Pittsburgh.) It contends that the execs in charge of NAI, which controls about 80% of CBS and Viacom, “breached and continue to breach contractual, implied obligations and fiduciary duties that they owe to CBS’s Class B stockholders.” The NAI control is achieved via a dual-class stock ownership structure, a setup commonly used by many startup companies and even at some mature ones, such as Facebook.

The retirement fund is seeking certification for class action status on behalf of all of CBS’s Class B shareholders. Lawyers for the pension fund argue that CBS’s board had the authority to issue a special dividend, as was the case earlier this month, when the majority of the board voted to dilute Shari Redstone’s voting control over the company.

In its suit, the fund accuses NAI chief Shari Redstone, the family’s National Amusements holding company, and two board members of harming Class B shareholders by interfering with this special dividend. “The Share Distribution Provision permits share distributions that are dilutive to the excessive voting power of the Class A,” the complaint says. “Sumner Redstone is no longer in control of CBS. His daughter has seized control, interfered with the management of the company and pressured the company to pursue her self-interested plan to combine CBS with Viacom.”

National Amusements issued a statement saying it was merely exercising its legal right to change the CBS bylaws.

“Furthermore, as detailed in NAI’s complaint, the efforts of the CBS Directors to unilaterally dilute the voting rights of its controlling shareholder are extraordinary, unjustified and unlawful,” the company said in a statement. “We are confident the court will uphold NAI’s action.”
The pension fund’s lawyers argue that Redstone and her allies broke their promise to act in good faith by using National Amusement’s controlling stake in CBS to effectively nullify the board’s vote through a last-minute bylaw change.

“This denies the Class B stockholders the protection that the Share Distribution Provision was intended to afford them against an overreaching controlling shareholder,” the lawyers argue.

The pension fund argues that the bylaw change, requiring approval of 90% of the board to issue such a dividend, is invalid for reasons similar to those cited by CBS’s attorneys. The lawyers are asking the Delaware Chancery to authorize the issuance of new, Class A voting stock to all CBS shareholder and find Redstone, NAI and board members David Andelman and Robert Klieger in breach of their fiduciary duties.

One recent report by a Western Pennsylvania newspaper said the pension fund serves 1,300 retired government workers and ended 2017 with $459 million.

The action by shareholders is the latest attempt to challenge the bylaws that give NAI, control of the company. CBS, in a special board meeting May 17, voted to overturn the bylaws and reduce NAI’s control to around 20%, after first taking NAI to court, seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent interference with the board vote. NAI then sued over that move.

Courtroom battles have not interfered with Shari Redstone’s efforts to lead CBS and Viacom through a challenging environment for traditional media companies. She was seen earlier this week casually chatting with attendees at the Code Conference, a prominent technology and entertainment conference in Rancho Palos Verdes.

All of the legal warfare has deep roots, but it has flared up in recent weeks after two attempts by Redstone to bring the companies back together amid overall industry consolidation. One effort at a reunion in 2016 was abandoned. The next, which began in January, led to the current meltdown. Both sets of talks ran aground over issues over managerial control and compensation, with CBS chief Les Moonves resisting efforts to install current Viacom CEO Bob Bakish as the No. 2 in a combined entity. A larger point of contention is that CBS has insisted that Redstone was trying to force a merger regardless of the downside. NAI emphatically denies that charge.

CBS declined to comment on the suit. NAI did not immediately respond to Deadline’s request for comment.

National Amusements was founded as a Boston-area theater circuit in 1936 by the father of longtime former CBS and Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, who took the helm of the company in 1954. Redstone would eventually expand the regional exhibitor into a global media power. During his six-decade run, the company bought Viacom in a bare-knuckled battle that involved Barry Diller, and then acquired CBS in 1999. CBS and Viacom operated together until deciding to split in 2006. Initially, the thinking behind the divorce was that then-high-flying Viacom, with Paramount Pictures, MTV and Nickelodeon, had too much upside to be weighed down by broadcast-and-localTV-heavy CBS. Stock-wise and operationally, it turned out to be the opposite scenario. Under Moonves, CBS went on a tear that continues to this day, topping the ratings charts and unlocking more shareholder value than Viacom, making Moonves and many shareholders wary of a combination with Viacom and newly critical of the NAI bylaws.

Shari Redstone, who earlier this decade had become estranged from her father, reconciled after the grueling process of ousting former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman. With the health of Sumner Redstone, 95, now fading, Shari Redstone has steered the family-owned company since 2016.

Latest (5/29): Extraordinary - and disturbing - revelations emerged Tuesday (May 29) about the tense — and, at times, allegedly physical — closed-door meetings between senior executives at CBS and Viacom, which remain locked in a battle over a potential merger, reports NBC News. Legal filings describe how Shari Redstone, one of the most powerful women in media, was reportedly manhandled by Charles Gifford, a member of the CBS board, with Gifford "grabbing her face and directing her to listen to him."

Redstone, 64, who is vice chairman of CBS and Viacom and the daughter of the ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone, is under fire from CBS, which claims that National Amusements, the holding company that retains 80 percent of the voting shares in CBS and Viacom, was usurping its role by trying to force a merger of the two and potentially replace CBS board members.

Redstone suggested that Gifford, for one, not be renominated. After one meeting got physical, according to the filing, Gifford later told Redstone that he had meant no offense, adding "that was how he treats his daughters when he wants their attention." Redstone said she responded that "she was not Mr. Gifford's daughter but instead the vice chair of CBS."

CBS, which was once tied to Viacom but separated in 2006, is trying to dilute National Amusements' control and prevent a potential merger. National Amusements fired back by changing CBS bylaws to prevent a potential dilution of its voting stock. The two parties are now in court.

The filings on Tuesday by National Amusements in Delaware Chancery Court called CBS' efforts to dilute its voting rights "unprecedented, unjustified and unlawful."

The filings also revealed that Redstone would likely have given up her controlling stake in both companies had the merger been approved, noting that Redstone had told CBS Chief Executive Les Moonves that National Amusements "would consider relinquishing its controlling interest in the context of such a transaction."

CBS' holdings include broadcast network CBS, premium pay channel Showtime, and book publisher Simon and Schuster; while Viacom, run by chief executive Bob Bakish, owns cable channels including MTV and Nickelodeon, and Paramount movie studios.

In a statement Tuesday, NAI said, "Earlier this year, Shari Redstone and Les Moonves discussed and agreed that recombining CBS and Viacom would benefit both companies’ shareholders, providing greater scale as needed for success in today’s media and entertainment landscape, and better positioning the companies for a larger transaction in which the combined entity could fetch an attractive premium that neither CBS nor Viacom alone could command."

Redstone later agreed that the two companies could not be merged, and Moonves, who grew "tired of having to deal with a stockholder with voting control" took "particular umbrage that the exercise of such stockholder's control has migrated from Sumner Redstone to his daughter, Ms. Redstone," according to the statement.

Sumner Redstone, who is 95, stepped back from day-to-day duties at CBS and Viacom, though he remains chief executive of NAI.

The filing also noted that Moonves has the right to terminate his own employment agreement and stands to make $180 million if he has "certain good reason" for doing so.

“Today’s reactive complaint from NAI was not unexpected," CBS said in a statement. "The amended complaint filed last week by CBS and its Special Committee details the ways in which NAI misused its power to the detriment of CBS shareholders, and was submitted after careful deliberation by all involved. We continue to believe firmly in our position.”

--Ends--

Also, from TheWrap:

National Amusements Says It ‘No Longer Supported’ CBS-Viacom Merger Before CBS’ ‘Unlawful’ Move

Shari Redstone fires back in latest salvo to Les Moonves’ attempts to dilute her family company’s voting control of media giant

Shari Redstone said on Tuesday that she and her family’s company, National Amusements Inc., “no longer supported” a Viacom-CBS merger and communicated that to the Viacom board before CBS’ board made an “unprecedented” move to strip her of her voting power over the media giant.

In a new complaint in the muddy battle for power at CBS, Redstone said that National Amusements had advised Viacom’s special committee that it “no longer supported” a merger between the two companies. And that this was before CBS filed a lawsuit against Redstone and attempted to dilute NAI’s voting power from nearly 80 percent to roughly 80 percent.

The basis for CBS’ suit against Redstone and National Amusements, which has voting control of both CBS and Viacom, is the concern that Redstone would go to what it deems harmful lengths, such as replacing board members, in order to force a merger with Viacom.

“Today’s reactive complaint from [National Amusements] was not unexpected,” CBS said in a statement. “The amended complaint filed last week by CBS and its special committee details the ways in which NAI misused its power to the detriment of CBS shareholders, and was submitted after careful deliberation by all involved. We continue to believe firmly in our position.”

CBS has said that a merger would not be in the fiduciary interest of shareholders. Redstone has deemed the board’s concerns unfounded — and that its move to issue dividends to dilute NAI’s control was “unprecedented, unjustified and unlawful.”

“[National Amusements] and Shari Redstone did not, and do not, intend to force a recombination of CBS and Viacom, whether by removing and replacing CBS directors or otherwise,” National Amusements said in a statement on Tuesday. “In fact, prior to CBS’s action, Shari Redstone had already determined and advised a special committee of Viacom’s board that NAI no longer supported a merger.”

In National Amusements’ complaint, filed in Delaware court on Tuesday, the company said that as merger talks began to break down toward the end of April, Redstone reached out to members of Viacom’s special committee to tell them she was questioning the viability of and continuing rationale for a CBS-Viacom merger.

CBS CEO Les Moonves’ reluctance to carve out a role for Viacom head Bob Bakish in the combined company coupled with press reports that inside CBS sources were disparaging Viacom gave Redstone doubts about the merger. Viacom’s special committee, however, told her a recombination still made sense, according to the complaint.

On May 14, along with filing a lawsuit against Redstone, CBS said it had decided to longer pursue a merger with Viacom. This came after the two sides had agreed to go “pencils down,” putting a pause to merger talks due to busy schedules that included the CBS network’s upfront presentation to advertisers, the complaint says.

“As [National Amusements’] complaint makes clear there was no ‘threat’ or ‘interference,’ and indeed there was no action that could possibly warrant the CBS directors’ unprecedented, unjustified, and unlawful efforts to unilaterally dilute NAI’s voting rights,” National Amusements said in its statement. “Unlike CBS’ complaint, NAI’s complaint is based on actual facts. Those facts demonstrate that CBS’ allegations are false, and that the CBS board and special committee took their actions not in response to any genuine threat, but instead because Les Moonves has tired of having a controlling shareholder.

“While Les Moonves is an extremely capable television executive, neither he, nor the board acting at his behest, is entitled to strip NAI of its voting control.”

--Ends--

Latest (5/24): CBS said media heiress Shari Redstone’s recent moves to keep an iron grip on the company’s board have been “disloyal” — including an alleged maneuver to block a potential acquirer of the broadcasting giant.

In an amended lawsuit on Wednesday, CBS claimed Redstone — who is pushing for CBS to merge with Viacom, whose board she also controls — had warned off an unnamed rival suitor from bidding for CBS, reports The New York Post.

“Ms. Redstone told the CEO of a potential acquirer of CBS that he should not make such an offer,” according to the amended complaint filed in Delaware Chancery Court.

That, in turn, deprived CBS stockholders of “a potentially value-enhancing opportunity that the board or the special committee should have been free to evaluate, even if to use as negotiating leverage in connection with discussions concerning Viacom,” according to the suit.

In Wednesday’s suit, CBS also gripes that Redstone — whose holding company National Amusements owns 80 percent of CBS voting shares — cheated shareholders when she issued a bylaws change last Wednesday that requires a 90 percent vote of the CBS board to approve a special dividend.

CBS, which devised the dividend to dilute Redstone’s voting power to 17 percent, filed a lawsuit earlier last week that attempted to protect the dividend plan, which was approved 11-3 last Thursday in a special board meeting.

A Delaware judge, however, has yet to approve the dividend.

“National Amusements exercised its legal right to amend CBS’ bylaws and this change was effective immediately. We are confident the court will uphold NAI’s action,” a spokeswoman for Redstone said.

CBS on Wednesday alleged that under Redstone, National Amusements has “acted to undermine the management team, including without board authority, talking to potential CEO replacements, deriding the chief operating officer, and threatening to change the board.”

The epic legal spat pits Redstone against CBS CEO Les Mooves, who seeks autonomy to run the combined companies.

In the lawsuit, CBS said its directors were forced to adopt the dilution plan to block the unwanted merger on Redstone’s terms. A CBS special committee has rejected Redstone’s merger offer.

Also, from AFP:

CBS board challenges Redstone control in amended lawsuit

Washington (AFP) - CBS filed a new complaint Wednesday seeking to wrest control of the media group from controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, accusing her of trying "reap private benefits" at the expense of other stockholders.

The revised complaint from the CBS board of directors comes days after a judge backed Redstone and rejected an effort by the board to block her from interfering with an evaluation of a potential merger with media rival Viacom.

The lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court claims that Shari Redstone, acting for her father Sumner Redstone through the family holding company National Amusements Inc, appears intent on pressing ahead with the deal for Viacom, which she also controls.

CBS asked the court to nullify Redstone's change in the bylaws which would require 90 percent approval by the shareholders, allowing her to effectively veto any board action.

The complaint said that despite her promises to the contrary, Redstone is on a path to reunite CBS and Viacom, which split in 2005, and could use her supermajority in voting shares to replace board members opposing her.

The family holding company owns around 10 percent of the equity of CBS but its special voting shares give it approximately 80 percent of the voting power. A similar plan is in effect at Viacom.

"She has sought to combine CBS and Viacom regardless of the strategic and economic merits of the transaction and to the exclusion of considering any other potential transaction," the complaint said.

It added that a special committee formed to consider the deal determined earlier this month "that a CBS/Viacom merger is not in the best interests of CBS stockholders" other than the Redstone family.

Shari Redstone and National Amusements, according to the complaint, have violated their fiduciary duty to shareholders by their actions.

They have failed, the suit continued, to live up to the "uncompromising duties of loyalty and good faith that preclude them from profiting inequitably at the expense of the company or its other public stockholders."

National Amusements, which has defended the corporate structure, said in response the latest filing that it "exercised its legal right to amend CBS' bylaws and this change was effective immediately."

"We are confident the court will uphold NAI's action," the statement added.

The lawsuit is the latest drama involving the media-entertainment empire built by Sumner Redstone, 94, whose fitness and mental status have been questioned in legal proceedings.

A separate legal clash ended in 2016 when Viacom chief Philippe Dauman agreed to step down and drop his lawsuit alleging a power grab by Shari Redstone in the absence of her incapacitated father.

CBS, which operates one of the largest US broadcast TV network, the Showtime channel and controls Australia's Network Ten, has resisted efforts to merge with struggling Viacom, whose brands include Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central and Paramount Pictures.

###

Latest (5/18): Shari Redstone won the first round Thursday (17th May 2018) of a messy legal battle for control of CBS Corp, but the media group said the fight is not over yet.

A Delaware judge rejected a petition from the CBS board of directors to block the Redstone family's holding company from interfering with the evaluation of any merger deal.

The decision allows Shari Redstone -- daughter of media empire builder Sumner Redstone -- to keep tight control over the television and media group, with the power to replace its board.

It also could clear the way for CBS to reunite with rival Viacom, although the Redstones' National Amusements Inc holding firm has said it is not seeking to force a tie-up.

CBS had sought to block any effort by Redstone and National Amusements to meddle with the board ahead of a planned meeting where it was to consider a measure to dilute her voting shares.

Delaware Chancery Court judge Andre Bouchard said CBS failed to show it would suffer "irreparable" harm if its petition were denied.

"I am not convinced that the harm plaintiffs fear would be irreparable," Bouchard said in a 17-page opinion.

"To the contrary, the court has extensive power to provide redress if Ms Redstone takes action(s) inconsistent with the fiduciary obligations owed by a controlling stockholder."

National Amusements welcomed the ruling, saying the judge blocked an "unprecedented motion to try to deprive a shareholder of its fundamental voting rights."

"The court's ruling today represents a vindication of National Amusements' right to protect its interests," said the holding company led by Shari Redstone, who controls the shares for her ailing 94-year-old father.

A CBS statement said the judge did not rule out a potential legal claim against Redstone for failing to act in the interest of shareholders.

"While we are disappointed that the judge did not grant a (restraining order), the ruling clearly recognizes that we may bring further legal action to challenge any actions by NAI that we consider to be unlawful, and we will do so," CBS said.

CBS pointed out that the judge wrote in his order that the media firm may be able to present "a colorable claim for breach of fiduciary duty against Ms Redstone."

- Future clouded at CBS -

The court fight brought into the open the power struggle between Shari Redstone and CBS chief Les Moonves.

CBS had claimed that Redstone was seeking to force a merger with Viacom -- which is also controlled by the family and which was split from CBS in 2006 -- on terms that were unfavorable to public CBS shareholders.

The Redstone holding company controls about 10 percent of the equity of CBS but has nearly 80 percent of the voting power through a special share class.

National Amusements has disputed the claim by CBS that it wants a merger without the support of both firms.

But the open clash is likely to lead to major shakeup at CBS in the event of a merger with Viacom. CBS shares sank around four percent following the ruling.

"Ultimately, we believe it is hard to imagine Moonves having a role in the combined company," BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield said in a note to clients this week.

"We have a hard time seeing how any of the independent CBS directors in addition to Moonves, can be allowed to stay, given they are actively seeking to violate National Amusement's shareholder rights under the CBS bylaws."

CBS divisions include its large US broadcast television network, Network Ten Australia, Showtime Networks and the publisher Simon & Schuster, among others.

Viacom operates the Paramount studios in Hollywood, along with cable channels Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central, and has content agreements with TV operators in Britain, Argentina and India.

The lawsuit is the latest drama involving the media-entertainment empire built by Sumner Redstone, whose fitness and mental status have been questioned in legal proceedings.

In a separate legal clash in 2016, Shari Redstone was accused of manipulating her incapacitated father to gain control of the media empire.

Additionally, CBS Corp.'s board on Thursday voted in favor of a dividend that would reduce the voting power that Viacom and CBS controlling shareholder National Amusements has at the latter, and it suspended its annual shareholder meeting that was scheduled for Friday. The company had on Monday sued its vice chair Shari Redstone, her father Sumner Redstone and the vehicle through which the Redstone family had controlled CBS and Viacom.

The company said it was "a unanimous vote of the directors not affiliated with National Amusements" and that the plan for dilution is still subject to court approval.

What the directors, did, specifically, was declare a dividend of 0.5687 shares of Class A common stock for each share of the company's Class A and Class B stock, which will mean that National Amusements will control about 17 percent voting control over CBS rather than 80 percent.

CBS, led by chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves, had on Monday filed a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court against its vice chair Shari Redstone, her father Sumner Redstone and the Redstone family's National Amusements. It said back then that a committee of independent directors at the company called for the Thursday board meeting to formally vote on the potential Viacom deal and possibly decide on issuing a dividend that would dilute NA's voting stake from approximately 79 percent to 17 percent.

With the expectation that the Redstones may attempt to interfere with the planned meeting, CBS in a preemptive measure demanded a temporary restraining order from a Delaware judge, which the judge denied on Thursday.

"The special committee believes that the company and its public stockholders face a serious threat of imminent, irreparable harm in Ms. Redstone's potential response to the special committee's unanimous decision ... May 12, 2018, that the proposed Viacom transaction is not in the best interests of CBS stockholders," the CBS motion had said.

NA called CBS' move "outrageous" and said it would vigorously defend itself in court. After Thursday's court decision, it said: "We are pleased by the court’s decision to deny CBS and its special committee’s unprecedented motion to try to deprive a shareholder of its fundamental voting rights. The court’s ruling today represents a vindication of National Amusements’ right to protect its interests. As we intend to demonstrate as the case proceeds, the actions of CBS and its special committee amount to a grievous breach of fiduciary duties and show no regard for the significant risk posed to CBS and its investors."

CBS said after the court decision: "While we are disappointed that the judge did not grant a temporary restraining order, the ruling clearly recognizes that we may bring further legal action to challenge any actions by NA that we consider to be unlawful, and we will do so."

It added: "As previously announced, the CBS board will hold a meeting at 5 p.m. today to consider declaring a dividend of shares of Class A common stock to all of the company’s Class A and Class B stockholders, as is permitted under CBS’ charter. This dividend would more closely align economic and voting interests of CBS stockholders without diluting the economic interests of any stockholder."

Also, from ZlotoNews:

CBS loses initial battle with shareholder

Shari Redstone wants to merge CBS with Viacom, another National Amusements company

The US media company CBS has lost an initial court battle amid a dispute with its biggest shareholder over control of the company.

A Delaware judge on Thursday lifted a temporary restraining order against National Amusements, which is owned by the Redstone family.

The ruling is expected to prevent CBS from taking steps to reduce National Amusement’s voting power.

CBS said it was disappointed but said it would continue its fight.

It said: “The ruling clearly recognises that we may bring further legal action to challenge any actions by [National Amusements] that we consider to be unlawful, and we will do so.”

Tensions between the two sides were triggered by Shari Redstone’s efforts to merge CBS with Viacom, another National Amusements company.

This week, a CBS committee decided the proposal was not in the firm’s interest. The company also announced plans to consider reducing National Amusement’s voting power by issuing a special dividend at a meeting on Thursday.

The firm argued that Ms Redstone’s interference in the merger process and other actions posed “significant threat of irreparable and irreversible harm” to CBS.

CBS had sought a temporary restraining order against National Amusements ahead of the meeting, arguing that Ms Redstone would block the plan to reduce her voting power by changing the board or its bylaws.

However, Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor Andre Bouchard said “a truly extraordinary set of circumstances would be necessary to grant such a request”.

“I am not convinced that the harm plaintiffs fear would be irreparable,” he wrote.

“To the contrary, the court has extensive power to provide redress if Ms Redstone takes action(s) inconsistent with the fiduciary obligations owed by a controlling stockholder.”

Despite the ruling, CBS said it would hold the meeting as planned.

‘Unprecedented motion’
National Amusements, which operates movie theatres in the US, UK and Latin America, controls about 80% of the voting power at both CBS and Viacom through a dual share class structure. The firm’s ownership stake is lower.

After CBS filed the lawsuit, National Amusements moved to amend the board’s bylaws, requiring a supermajority for certain measures.

National Amusements said the judge’s decision was “a vindication of National Amusements’ right to protect its interests.”

It said: “We are pleased by the court’s decision to deny CBS and its special committee’s unprecedented motion to try to deprive a shareholder of its fundamental voting rights.”

Viacom and CBS were previously part of the same company, but Sumner Redstone, Shari’s father, separated the two firms in 2005.

CBS subsidiaries include its flagship television network, television studios and the Simon & Schuster publishing firm.

Viacom includes Paramount, as well as media brands such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV.

CBS shares plummeted after the decision,

--Ends--

Also, from The New York Times:

Judge Rejects CBS Move to Strip Shari Redstone’s Control of Company

A Delaware judge on Thursday handed a victory to Shari Redstone in her dispute with CBS, the television network controlled by her family, but left the door open for further courtroom battles in a bitter, and unusually public, boardroom feud.

The decision was a blow to CBS’s chief executive, Leslie Moonves, a highly paid and well- respected media mogul who has long resisted Ms. Redstone’s quest to merge his company with its corporate sibling, Viacom. Still, the decision left a door open for CBS to challenge future moves by its main shareholder.

The ruling, by Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard of Delaware’s Court of Chancery, denied CBS’s request for a temporary restraining order against Ms. Redstone. CBS had sought to prevent her from interfering with a board meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at which board members were to vote on a special stock dividend that would have reduced her voting stake to 17 percent from 79 percent.

In suing Ms. Redstone, her father, Sumner M. Redstone, and their company, National Amusements, which owns CBS and Viacom, CBS argued that Ms. Redstone could seek to replace the company’s current directors with her allies in a maneuver similar to one she previously executed at Viacom. (Ms. Redstone, through her family’s holding company, denied considering such a move at CBS.)

Chancellor Bouchard’s ruling came amid a whirlwind week when the tension between CBS and its owner erupted into all-out war. On Monday, CBS sued Ms. Redstone, asking the court for the temporary restraining order. On Wednesday, less than an hour before the hearing in Delaware was to begin, Ms. Redstone moved to amend CBS’s bylaws to effectively give her control of the board.

In his decision, the judge wrote that CBS would have other legal avenues to challenge Ms. Redstone if the network believed that she had violated its independence.

“I am not convinced that the harm plaintiffs fear would be irreparable,” Chancellor Bouchard wrote. “To the contrary, the court has extensive power to provide redress if Ms. Redstone takes action(s) inconsistent with the fiduciary obligations owed by a controlling stockholder.”

In a statement, National Amusements said, “We are pleased by the court’s decision to deny CBS and its special committee’s unprecedented motion to try to deprive a shareholder of its fundamental voting rights. The court’s ruling today represents a vindication of National Amusements’ right to protect its interests. As we intend to demonstrate as the case proceeds, the actions of CBS and its special committee amount to a grievous breach of fiduciary duties and show no regard for the significant risk posed to CBS and its investors.”

CBS, in its own statement, said that although it was disappointed by the outcome, “the ruling clearly recognizes that we may bring further legal action to challenge any actions by N.A.I. that we consider to be unlawful, and we will do so. We remain confident that we will prevail in the lawsuit previously filed by CBS and the members of its Special Committee.

As for the board meeting scheduled for Thursday, CBS said it would proceed as planned.

--Ends--

Latest (5/17): Redstones abruptly change CBS' bylaws an hour before court hearing as struggle for control continues, reports The Los Angeles Times (H/T: Valdosta Daily Times).

In a day of high drama even for the media industry's most combative family, Shari Redstone spent Wednesday furiously trying to outmaneuver CBS in a brawl for control of the storied media company.

The day ended in a Delaware courtroom where the judge, Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard, issued a protective order to prevent further changes to CBS or its board, according to a person close to the situation who was not authorized to comment.

About an hour before the hearing, the Redstone family, through its investment vehicle, National Amusements Inc., said it had amended CBS' bylaws to stipulate that any changes or authorizations of dividends would require a supermajority of board members. The move appeared aimed at preventing the board from voting Thursday to weaken the Redstones' hold over the company. They are locked in a dispute with CBS over a proposed merger with Viacom.

The high-stakes showdown came after several months of behind-the-scenes tensions between Leslie Moonves, CBS' chairman and chief executive, and Shari Redstone, the daughter of Sumner Redstone who also serves as vice chair of CBS.

Shari Redstone wants to merge CBS with another media company the family controls, Viacom, which owns MTV, Comedy Central, BET and Nickelodeon. CBS does not want to be saddled with the troubles of the weaker Viacom, and on Sunday a special committee of the CBS board determined that such a merger was not in the company's best interest.

That conclusion was a rebuff to Redstone, who believes the two companies would be stronger together as traditional media compete with such technology giants as Facebook, Google, Netflix and Amazon.

The judge is expected to swiftly decide whether CBS can move forward with a rare corporate maneuver to strip the Redstone family of their control over the company, treating them like ordinary shareholders.

CBS has planned to hold a special board meeting Thursday to issue a dividend that would dilute the Redstones' control over the company's affairs. The family's voting stock would be reduced from nearly 80% of the shareholder vote to 17%.

CBS said there was a provision in its charter that allows for such a dividend. It asked the judge to block the Redstones from making any changes to its board before Thursday's vote could take effect.

"National Amusements Inc. believes the irresponsible action taken by CBS and its special committee put in motion a chain of events that poses significant risk to CBS," the Redstone family said in a statement midday Wednesday. "Due to the magnitude of this threat, NAI was compelled to take this measured step to protect its position while also mitigating further disruption to CBS."

CBS has said it feared that the Redstone family would unilaterally make changes that would harm CBS shareholders. The Redstones' bylaws change reinforces the company's concerns, CBS said.

"The latest step by NAI provides further evidence of why we concluded that we had no choice but to file our action in the Delaware courts, in order to protect the interests of all CBS shareholders," CBS said in a statement after the bylaws change.

CBS sued the Redstone family Monday, alleging that Shari Redstone was trying to force a merger with Viacom Inc. even if it would harm CBS shareholders.

The Redstones filed a brief in the case late Tuesday, calling CBS' attempts to eliminate their voting control "egregiously overbroad and unjustified" and said the move would be "an unprecedented usurpation of a controlling stockholder's voting power."

The Redstones' National Amusements asked the judge to deny CBS' request to block the Redstones from making changes at CBS before Thursday's board meeting.

There is deep distrust on both sides. Moonves has bristled over media reports that Shari Redstone has been conducting a stealth search to replace him.

Moonves prides himself on his successful 12-year run managing the broadcasting company with little management oversight from the Redstones. But that changed in the last two years as the family patriarch, Sumner Redstone, who turns 95 next week, became ill and Shari Redstone began taking a more active role in Viacom and CBS.

Legal experts have called CBS' gambit to dilute the Redstones' power the "nuclear option." The Redstone family told the judge that such a severe remedy was not warranted, saying there was no clear evidence that Shari Redstone planned to make changes to the board.

National Amusements called CBS' effort "extraordinary both in scope and finality in response to unsupported allegations."

"NAI does not have, and has never had, any intention of replacing the CBS board or taking other action to force a merger," the company said in its Tuesday brief.

According to National Amusements, CBS has overreacted based on "unsourced media reports," that have cited knowledgeable people who have said that Shari Redstone was prepared to replace CBS board members with ones that were aligned with her views.

CBS, in a response filed Wednesday morning, said it "was not seeing ghosts."

"Five independent directors of undisputed renown — former CEOs and senior business executives along with the former dean of Harvard Law School — determined that [Shari Redstone] was such a serious threat to the corporation and all its stockholders that their fiduciary duties required action," CBS said in its court papers.

Shari Redstone already has one close ally on the CBS board: Robert Klieger, a Los Angeles attorney who served as Sumner Redstone's personal lawyer when the patriarch was sued by a former female companion. Klieger successfully represented Sumner Redstone in that fraught 2016 court case when the former companion, Manuela Herzer, tried to get Sumner Redstone declared mentally incapacitated. In 2017, Klieger joined the CBS board.

Last Friday, Klieger approached another board member, Bruce Gordon, and said National Amusements wanted a third board member, Charles Gifford, removed from the board before CBS' annual shareholders meeting Friday. In its brief, National Amusements said it had concerns with Gifford that stemmed from unspecified "incidents" that occurred in 2016 and 2017. (Gifford, 75, is a former Boston banker who has served as chairman emeritus of Bank of America Corp. since 2005.)

Earlier this week, National Amusements said the board member, whom it now revealed as Gifford, had engaged in "bullying and intimidation."

Gifford was not immediately available for comment. CBS defended Gifford on Wednesday, saying in a statement that he has "always conducted himself with courtesy, integrity and staunch dedication to all of our shareholders."

"It is unfortunate and revealing that NAI has resorted to baseless personal attacks against a member of CBS' board," CBS said in its statement. "The allegations regarding him are not only vague and unsubstantiated, they are utterly inconsistent with our knowledge of him."

CBS noted that Shari Redstone had previously supported Gifford's involvement in an important CBS board committee. In addition, six weeks ago, National Amusements said in a regulatory filing that it planned to support the reelection of all current CBS board members, including Gifford.

The corporate wrangling comes just two years after National Amusements unilaterally made sweeping changes to Viacom's board — moves that were announced via a fax that arrived in the office of Viacom's then-chief executive late one Friday in May 2016.

That dispute also wound up in a Delaware court, and Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman eventually resigned. That helped clear the decks for Shari Redstone to install Bob Bakish as the new chief executive of Viacom.

Talks about a Viacom-CBS merger broke down over her push to have Bakish serve in an influential role at the combined company.

UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with a Delaware judge issuing an order to prevent further changes to CBS or its board.

11:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from CBS about the Redstone family's bylaws changes.

11 a.m.: This article was updated with the Redstone family's move to amend CBS bylaws.

9 a.m.: This article was updated with CBS' Wednesday filing and statement and with additional background information.

This article was originally published at 7:25 a.m.

--Ends--

Latest (5/15): Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, privately concedes that his fight to wrestle control of the broadcast outfit from Shari Redstone could end with its sale to another player in the rapidly evolving media business, FOX Business has learned.

Insiders at CBS say a priority is achieving victory over Shari and her father, Sumner, who own a controlling stake through their holding company, National Amusements Inc. But these same insiders say Moonves is well aware of the challenges CBS will face as an independent company, given its relatively small size compared with the likes of Comcast, or if the courts allow, the proposed combination of AT&T and Time Warner.

With that in mind, Moonves will be open to a merger or being sold if the price is right. “Les knows what’s happening in the media industry,” said one CBS insider. “And he knows if he prevails here he could be sold.”

On Wednesday, a Delaware Chancery Court judge will hear arguments from CBS, which filed an unusual and explosive lawsuit earlier this week against the Redstones to dilute their controlling stake. The suit came after a contentious round of negotiations in which Shari Redstone was looking to merge CBS with the other media company the family controls, the ailing Viacom unit of National Amusements. Moonves has balked over price and her management demands.

Moonves plans a CBS board vote on Thursday to complete the dilution and strip control of the broadcaster from the Redstones. One CBS insider told FOX Business: "Les would never have even considered buying Viacom if Shari didn't force this on him."

The bold move by Moonves took the media industry by surprise, and if he’s successful, the outcome could have wide-ranging implications not just in the media business, but throughout corporate America. The lawsuit essentially puts the Chancery Court—which is regarded as the top legal venue for adjudicating more prosaic corporate disputes—in the position of determining something that is considered nearly unprecedented: Who is the rightful owner of a family company in a dispute between a controlling shareholder and management.

“The Delaware court usually doesn’t want to get involved in ownership disputes of this nature,” said a long-time media executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They want to make sure parties are merely following the rules. They don’t want to get involved in a family-type dispute.”

In a statement, National Amusements said it “is outraged by the action taken by CBS and strongly refuted its characterization of the events.” The company said it was not forcing CBS to merge with Viacom and that a possible deal seemed to be on track until Moonves filed the lawsuit. The Redstones believe that Moonves filed the suit to protect an unnamed board member from being ousted over “incidents of bullying and intimation.”

A spokeswoman for National Amusements declined any further comment, but FOX Business has learned through another company executive that National Amusements is planning to make its own filing with the Delaware court sometime on Tuesday. This executive wouldn’t rule out that the Redstones could fire CBS board members to prevent Moonves’ move to dilute National Amusements' control over CBS.

But people close to Moonves believe he’s got a strong legal case to make: Namely that Viacom’s assets – which include entertainment networks like Nickelodeon and MTV, are inferior to CBS’s entertainment and news programming and that Redstone was forcing a sale at inflated prices.

And Moonves is also thinking long-term, the people add: As the drama plays out in court and in the boardroom, Moonves and his management team have weighed the possibility of CBS being purchased or merged with another company, according to two CBS insiders with direct knowledge of the matter.

A CBS spokesman declined to comment on the matter but would not deny Moonves' thinking as characterized by the insiders.

People familiar with Moonves’ priorities said at least for the near term the 68-year-old CEO wants to run CBS as a standalone outfit and to leverage its premium entertainment and news programming. He is in the middle of a long-term growth plan and has been reaching internal benchmarks.

Investors have rewarded the company by snapping up its shares, which have climbed more than 10% over the past five years. Viacom has been a market laggard, with its stock losing half its value.

That said, people in Moonves’ inner circle acknowledge that if he prevails over Redstone, his company would immediately become takeover bait for large technology companies such as Apple or even Google or Verizon, which have enormous amounts of cash on hand for such a purchase and are looking for various forms of content.

Given the rapidly changing media business, where even profitable companies such as CBS are coming under cost pressure because of the phenomenon known as cord cutting, CBS would have to consider a merger partner if and when one comes along, these people added.

"Verizon has already expressed interest in CBS," Porter Bibb, managing partner of Mediatech Capital Partners, told FOX Business, adding that the telecom giant would probably prefer a combined CBS and Viacom because together the media titans are "worth at least 50% more than the two standalones would get individually."

The first order of business for Moonves is prevailing over the Redstones. Shari Redstone took the reins of National Amusements as the health of her 94-year-old father declined. She has sought to consolidate power, first by pushing out Philippe Dauman as Viacom CEO and then by attempting to reunite Viacom with CBS.

Moonves has resisted the merger for the past two years, openly suggesting that he would rather be fired than be forced to buy Viacom at what he thought was an inflated price. He has also balked at her management demands including a push to install Viacom CEO Robert Bakish as the No. 2 at the combined company.

But Moonves believes he has a good hand in opposing his nominal boss. First, if Redstone fired him, Moonves would walk out with an enormous pay package estimated anywhere from $150 million to $200 million.

And from a legal standpoint, he believes CBS bylaws allow him to oppose mandates from the controlling investors if they are not in the best interest of most CBS shareholders. While the Redstones hold a controlling interest in CBS, they don't own most of its stock. It is Moonves’ intention to dilute the family’s controlling stake to the point that it will vote like any other shareholder.

“Les believes he's got all the cards in this one," said a CBS executive. "If he loses and gets fired, he walks away even richer. If he wins, he is a hero to shareholders because the Viacom deal makes no sense."

And as another CBS insider said, if he sells the company down the road, he will end up with still more.

Also from The Hollywood Reporter:

Will CBS-Viacom Brawl End With Leslie Moonves' Golden Parachute?

Two media giants head to court as the TV mogul places a last-ditch bet on outmaneuvering Shari Redstone, with the fate of an empire on the line.

Is Shari Redstone the protagonist in a drama that could be titled "Daddy Dearest," in which her domineering father years ago quietly devised a method to block her from eventually taking control of his media empire? Or is CBS Corp., which stunned Redstone by suing May 14 to prevent her from forcing a merger with Viacom, just playing the long odds with an audacious legal argument? Has CBS chairman Leslie Moonves calculated that even if his side loses, he'll be paid handsomely to leave while sparing himself a possibly futile struggle to make a success of the combined companies?

Those are among the looming questions now that Moonves, 68, has launched open and potentially very personal warfare with Redstone, 64. CBS is arguing that a largely unknown (until now) provision in its charter allows the company to dilute the Redstones' long-standing control by issuing new voting shares to stock­holders. The implication is that in 2005, when mogul Sumner Redstone split his media empire into two stand-alone companies — CBS and Viacom — he slipped in a provision giving the respective boards a way to block his daughter should she eventually try to impose her will.

The Redstones' National Amusements holding company says it "strongly disagrees" with the CBS interpretation of the provision in question and that there never was any intention of forcing a merger.

Clearly Shari recoils at any suggestion that her now-ailing father meant to stymie her. While certainly Sumner did not always express a fond parent's faith in his daughter's ability to succeed him, she takes the position that Sumner supported her in 2005 when the companies were split and supports her today. (Whether Sumner, now a frail 94 and unable to speak, is capable of expressing an opinion on this issue could become a very sensitive part of the dispute.)

When Shari seized control of Viacom in 2016, then-chairman Philippe Dauman did not attempt to invoke the so-called "nuclear option," choosing instead to take a very large check (about $72 million) to go away. But to many observers, Dauman had long appeared to be phoning it in and stashing the cash while Viacom drifted deeper and deeper into difficulty as its cable channels (MTV, Nickelodeon) and Paramount studio faltered and the media landscape changed.

At the same time, Moonves — also richly remunerated (he made $69.3 million in 2017) — has long been the undisputed master of his domain and has delivered good results even in turbulent times for CBS and the broadcast industry. He commands the loyalty of his board and the support of many, though not all, Wall Street analysts.

Under pressure to deliver scale in an advertising market increasingly dominated by Google and Facebook, Shari has decided the best path for her family empire is to merge CBS and Viacom into one $32 billion company. But Moonves' insistence on maintaining control does not come as a surprise to anyone who knows him. And Shari was willing to leave him in charge of a combined company — for now — though initially she insisted on some meaningful role for Bob Bakish, her handpicked Viacom CEO. Some observers thought she had in effect blinked when she then agreed that Moonves didn't have to give Bakish, 54, a top job as long as he got a board seat. But CBS apparently saw that as allowing the camel to poke its nose into the tent, as lawyers like to say.

Now CBS has rejected the whole idea of a merger, opting instead to go to war. In legal papers filed in Delaware, the company questions Shari's earlier tactics in taking control of National Amusements and Viacom and explicitly argues that she "presents a significant threat of irreparable and irreversible harm" to CBS. It also claims Shari stymied a potential acquisition of CBS — sources say the suitor was Verizon — that would have benefited CBS shareholders. In response, National Amusements says it "is outraged by the action taken by CBS and strongly refutes its characterization of recent events. NAI had absolutely no intention of replacing the CBS board or forcing a deal that was not supported by both companies."

The move to dilute the Redstones' 80 percent voting power certainly is unusual, according to legal experts. "I don't know if it's going to work," says University of Pennsylvania law professor Jill Fisch. "Maybe nobody's ever thought of it." Columbia Law School professor John Coffee agrees CBS' move is "radical" and references two other corporations with dual-class share structures designed to ensure voting power. "Remember, if this can happen at CBS, it could happen at Facebook or Google years from now."

In the suit, CBS argues that the so-called "Redstone discount," meaning the family's super-majority voting control, has long been viewed by Wall Street as "a potential cloud and depressant on the market value of CBS stock." In other words, CBS shareholders suffer under Redstone rule, so the solution should be independence. Pointing to registration and proxy statements through the years, CBS claims the company has been held out to regulators and anyone buying common stock as an entity that would be governed by an independent board. The first test of this bold theory comes at a hearing May 16 in Delaware Chancery Court. But that's only the beginning. It won't settle the big issues such as Moonves' continued role at CBS and Shari's potential fiduciary-duty counterclaims against the CBS board.

And, of course, a deal could still be in the cards. As top Delaware corporate lawyer Francis Pileggi notes, "A lot of the time, litigation is used as a negotiating tactic." Especially when it comes to the Redstone empire.

Or Moonves may have another goal in mind. One longtime industry insider — the veteran of his own Redstone wars — says the odds of CBS prevailing in court seem to be so long that "it smells to me like Les wants to get canned, collect his pay and go home." That go-away fee could be much larger than Dauman's, between $180 million and $280 million, according to an analysis of recent SEC filings. And the clock is ticking. Unless a deal is reached, the nuclear war could take an additional toll on two companies struggling to keep pace with digital goliaths. Viacom disclosed about 100 additional cost-cutting layoffs on May 15.

Analyst Steven Cahill warns that if Redstone goes to the mat to keep control and push through a merger, that could lead to "names being dragged through the mud and uncertainty over leadership and corporate structure for some months or even years as legal cases play out, likely with a fair amount of name-calling along the way." The only sure thing: The lawyers will prosper and Moonves will, too.

--Ends--

Latest (5/14): CBS filed suit on Monday 14th May 2018, alleging that majority shareholder Shari Redstone is seeking to "force" a merger with rival Viacom on unfavorable terms, reports AFP.

The lawsuit filed in Delaware Chancery Court claims "breaches of fiduciary duty" by Shari Redstone and National Amusements, the holding company created by her father, 94-year-old Sumner Redstone.

CBS is seeking a temporary restraining order "to protect the status quo and to prevent imminent and irreparable harm" from merging CBS and Viacom, two media groups which were split a decade ago by Sumner Redstone.

The lawsuit alleges that Shari Redstone is seeking "to force through a merger of CBS and Viacom on terms that are contrary to the best interests of the public stockholders -- without allowing them any voice on the transaction."

This effort "would subvert the board-approved Special Committee process," evaluating a tie-up of the two firms.

CBS said in February it had established a committee to consider reuniting the two companies, combining CBS with Viacom's networks which include Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central.

The companies previously explored a combination in 2016, but later abandoned the effort.

Shari Redstone, acting on behalf of her father, effectively controls both firms through National Amusements through special voting shares.

CBS has called a special board meeting for Thursday that will consider issuing a dividend that would dilute the voting power of the holding company from 79 percent to 17 percent.

The dividend "would enable the company to operate as an independent, non-controlled company and more fully evaluate strategic alternatives," a CBS statement said.

The lawsuit said Shari Redstone could force a merger by replacing CBS board members.

"If Ms. Redstone can replace Board members or modify the Company’s governance documents in the next three days, it is uncertain that the board will be able to protect all stockholders by considering at the next Board meeting whether to take action in response to her threats and breaches of fiduciary duty," the suit alleges.

Also, from Deadline:

CBS Stakes Claim For Independence, Sues National Amusements For Breach Of Fiduciary Duty

In a dramatic escalation of the long-simmering tensions between CBS and controlling shareholder National Amusements, CBS and the Special Committee of its Board of Directors have filed a lawsuit looking to slash NAI’s controlling stake. While the near-term goal is to scuttle the proposed merger of CBS and Viacom, CBS says it seeks to operate as “an independent, non-controlled company,” with more strategic options down the line.

The suit (read it here) in Delaware Court of Chancery alleges breaches of fiduciary duty by National Amusements, the controlling shareholder of both CBS and Viacom. Shari Redstone, who runs National Amusements, has been locked in a struggle with CBS chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves over the company’s merger talks with Viacom. The flare-up comes on an already momentous week for CBS, which is holding its annual upfront presentation to advertisers on Wednesday and convening its annual shareholder meeting Friday.

The lawsuit seeks to prevent National Amusements from interfering with a special meeting of the board of directors. At the meeting, the directors will consider declaring a dividend of shares of Class A common stock to all of the Company’s Class A and Class B stockholders, as is permitted under CBS’ charter. The dividend would dilute the voting interest of National Amusements from its current level of about 79% to 17%. It would not dilute the economic interests of any CBS stockholder, the company said.

Redstone had reportedly indicated she would consider ousting Moonves and the entire CBS board if they stood in the way of the merger. One point of contention is the role that Redstone’s hand-picked CEO of Viacom, Bob Bakish, would play in the combined company. Moonves, who would run the re-merged entity, has favored CBS Chief Operating Officer Joe Ianniello over Bakish as his No. 2.

Wall Street reacted to the lawsuit by boosting CBS stock by 4%, while Viacom’s took a hit, dropping nearly 7% in morning trading. Many analysts in recent weeks have observed that Viacom needs the merger more than CBS. Viacom has been attempting to crawl out of a deep hole with a portfolio of cable networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, that has been hurt by cord-cutting and other disruptions to the traditional bundle. While CBS is experiencing similar headwinds, Moonves and his team have increased revenue from retransmission consent and content licensing. It has also debuted stand-alone streaming networks like CBS All-Access as hedges against live linear ratings erosion.

Reps from Viacom and National Amusements did not immediately respond to Deadline’s requests for comment.

The suit argues that National Amusements’ control derives from the company’s dual-class stock structure, not NAI’s economic ownership. A motion for a temporary restraining order looks to keep Redstone “from abusing NAI’s voting control and further harming CBS and its public stockholders in breach of their fiduciary duties,” according to the documents.

CBS is also demanding a May 17 board meeting to “discuss ways in which the Board may protect the Company against Ms. Redstone moving forward, including the potential issuance of a stock dividend that would dilute NAI’s voting power.” That gathering would come one day after CBS holds its customarily lavish upfronts presentation at New York’s Carnegie Hall, showcasing its upcoming TV season to deep-pocketed advertisers, with an after-party at the Plaza Hotel.

“The Special Committee has taken this step because it believes it is in the best interests of all CBS stockholders, is necessary to protect stockholders’ interests and would unlock significant stockholder value,” the company said in a press release. “If consummated, the dividend would enable the company to operate as an independent, non-controlled company and more fully evaluate strategic alternatives.”

CBS and Viacom were corporate siblings from 2000-2006. Since splitting, their fortunes have diverged in ways not envisioned by National Amusements founder and longtime chairman Sumner Redstone, Shari’s father. CBS after the separation became the most-watched broadcast network and has had a nearly two-decade run of ratings dominance.

Citing marketplace consolidation, Shari Redstone has long sought to recombine the companies, which have been holding formal merger talks since February. The main sticking points have been the management team and the value in the deal from the CBS side given the significant struggles at Viacom in recent years.

--Ends--

Also, from Bloomberg:

Les Moonves Sets Stage for Final Showdown With Redstone Family

Leslie Moonves has decided the fate of countless TV shows, from “Survivor” to “C.S.I.” Now he’s trying to write his own finale.

CBS Corp., where Moonves serves as chairman and chief executive officer, sued its controlling shareholder National Amusements Inc. on Monday -- an unusual legal maneuver intended to block an unwanted merger with Viacom Inc. and wrest control of CBS away from Sumner Redstone and his heirs, the very family that put Moonves in power.

This could be the last stand for Moonves, a 68-year-old former actor who has run CBS for the past 13 years. If he prevails, he would emerge from this legal dispute free from control of the Redstone family, for whom he’s worked for nearly two decades. Or he can get ousted from his company, an unceremonious end to one of the most storied careers in the modern media business.

CBS claims Shari Redstone, president of National Amusements, isn’t acting in shareholders’ best interests, and must be prevented from replacing board members to force the network to merge with Viacom on her terms.

A Delaware chancery court judge will hear CBS’s argument on Wednesday, a day before the company’s board is scheduled to vote on National Amusements’ voting stake in CBS. Judge Andre Bouchard must decide if CBS’s board has the power to dilute NAI’s voting control.

CBS Takes Redstones to Court as Hopes Fade for a Viacom Deal

A board committee set up to weigh the Viacom merger is recommending directors approve a stock dividend that would dilute NAI’s voting power to approximately 17 percent from 80 percent -- a move it says will protect the interests of CBS’s stockholders.

“No management team can perform in the shadow of the dangerous power Ms. Redstone wields,” the company said in a filing.

CBS filed suit after weeks of negotiations with Viacom, the owner of MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Studios, which also is owned by the Redstone family. National Amusements labeled the act an outrage, and said it would “defend our position vigorously.”

Shari Redstone has been urging Moonves to merge with Viacom since she and her father deposed that company’s CEO, Philippe Dauman, in 2016. Viacom’s value had plummeted under Dauman’s stewardship, and the Redstones hoped Moonves could restore the company to its former glory. Viacom, which also owns the Nickelodeon child-targeted channel, was once the crown jewel of the Redstone’s media assets.

Viacom’s CEO
The two companies are locked in an unusual tussle. The Redstone family controls both businesses, and they were one corporation before a breakup in 2005. Getting them back together has proved challenging. Shari Redstone has indicated she wants Viacom CEO Bob Bakish to become the combined company’s second-in-command. Moonves wants to keep his own people in charge.

Though Moonves was more keen to combine with a media company on stronger footing, he was willing to join with Viacom so long as he received assurances of his independence from the Redstone family. The billionaire and his daughter never gave him those assurances, CBS said in its legal filing.

Moonves, who had already seen the Redstones oust Dauman, opted to pre-empt any move against him by challenging his controlling shareholders’ grip on power by using the dividend as a defense measure, said Larry Hamermesh, a Widener University professor who specializes in Delaware corporate law.

Showing Harm
“It may be tough for directors to show there’s irreparable harm to the company that justifies the dilution,’’ Hamermesh said. “The dividend that dilutes NAI down to 17 percent is pretty strong stuff.’’

Other companies with stock structures that allow investors to use voting power to control a firm have come under attack in Delaware, said Charles Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware.

Last year, Facebook Inc. scrapped plans to create a class of nonvoting shares that would have allowed founder Mark Zuckerberg to retain voting control even while selling almost all his shares to fund philanthropic endeavors. “These dual-stock structures are becoming increasingly disfavored,’’ Elson said.

NAI owns about 10 percent of CBS’s shares, but the family’s voting power gives its nearly 80 percent control in CBS, which operates the Showtime premium cable network as well as its namesake broadcast network.

“While there is likely some months ahead of legal proceedings, we think this move all but kills a deal in any recognizable form,” Steven Cahall, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said in a note.

--Ends--

Also, from The Los Angeles Times (H/T: The Virginia Gazette):

CBS chooses 'nuclear option' against Shari Redstone: It sues to thwart Viacom merger

CBS Corp. has essentially declared war on its controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, setting the stage for an epic battle for control of one of America's oldest and most popular broadcasting companies.

CBS' board on Monday filed a lawsuit intended to thwart Redstone's effort to push through a merger of CBS and Viacom Inc., the other New York-based media company controlled by the Redstone family.

The legal gambit escalates a high-stakes feud that has been playing out behind the scenes between Redstone and CBS' Chairman and Chief Executive Leslie Moonves for much of this year.

"CBS draws first blood," John Janedis, media analyst with the investment firm Jefferies, wrote in a research report.

The lawsuit came following weeks of tensions between Moonves and Redstone over the possible CBS-Viacom merger. On Friday, a Redstone representative told CBS that Shari Redstone wanted an unidentified CBS board member to be removed in advance of the company's annual meeting with shareholders later this week, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.

CBS became alarmed, people close to the executive said. Moonves and several other board members have been suspicious about Redstone's motives for months. They worried that she would invoke the Redstone family's voting control to unilaterally reconfigure CBS' board. The company quickly mobilized and held a meeting with members of a special committee of the board on Sunday. The committee formally rejected the CBS-Viacom merger and prepared a pre-emptive strike.

CBS on Monday asked a Delaware judge for a temporary restraining order to prevent Redstone and her family's investment vehicle, National Amusements Inc., from trying to exert their influence before the board can meet Thursday and vote on a measure that would strip the Redstones of their control.

Moonves and other CBS executives have been stewing for months over CBS' falling stock price as investors became skittish about the potential for a merger with the weaker company, Viacom. Leaks to media outlets that Redstone was prepared to fire the well respected Moonves, should he oppose a merger, only served to bolster CBS' view that big changes were afoot.

Such fear is understandable. Only two years ago, Shari Redstone and her ailing father, Sumner Redstone, unilaterally made changes to Viacom's board, which immediately tilted the balance of power and led to sweeping management changes. According to CBS' lawsuit, Shari Redstone had been quietly interviewing candidates to replace Moonves.

The suit seeks to eliminate the Redstone family's clout by treating them like ordinary shareholders. Although the Redstone family owns just 10.3% of CBS' stock, they hold preferred shares — A shares — which give them nearly 80% of the vote.

Instead, at a meeting Thursday, CBS directors will consider issuing a dividend of Class A shares to all stockholders that would dilute National Amusements' voting interest to 17%.

"Ms. Redstone, through her recently obtained domination and control of [National Amusements], has taken actions over the past two years that have led the Special Committee to conclude that she presents a significant threat of irreparable and irreversible harm to the Company and its stockholders," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit, filed in Chancery Court in Delaware, accuses Shari Redstone of breaching her fiduciary duty to CBS shareholders in her pursuit of a CBS-Viacom merger. CBS contends merger talks have wiped out $7 billion in CBS market value, harming rank-and-file shareholders. Last year, CBS shares were trading as high as $70 a share, but lately have been hovering around $50.

CBS also alleged in its complaint that Redstone rebuffed the CEO of another company about a possible merger with CBS. The potential suitor was Verizon Communications, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.

CBS' board or its shareholders were not allowed to entertain discussions with Verizon — which likely would have sent CBS' shares soaring, the sources said.

The Redstones appeared to be blindsided by Monday's lawsuit, in part because CBS' special committee had made at least two offers to buy Viacom. Although talks were slow, Shari Redstone felt that progress was being made toward a CBS-Viacom union.

National Amusements Inc. said in a statement it was "outraged" by CBS' lawsuit. It "strongly refutes [CBS'] characterization of recent events," adding that it had "absolutely no intention of replacing the CBS board or forcing a deal that was not supported by both companies."

The company said it raised "specific concerns about incidents of bullying and intimidation in relation to one CBS director, dating back to 2016. NAI has made every effort to deal with this matter privately and confidentially. Unfortunately, CBS' action today continues to enable and empower such conduct."

National Amusements was preparing to file its own court papers, as early as Tuesday.

"Pass the popcorn," Doug Creutz, a media analyst with Cowen & Co. wrote in a research report. "It is hard to gauge the chances of success for CBS, however, we view the suit as consistent with acting in the best interest of shareholders."

Shari Redstone has led the campaign for reuniting the companies, and this is the second time in two years that she has tried to make that happen. She believes they would be stronger together as traditional media companies gird for battle with such technology giants as Facebook, Google, Netflix and Amazon.

But CBS does not want to be weighed down by Viacom's cable channels, including MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon, which have lost steam in the ratings as viewers switch to streaming services that don't have commercials.

And Moonves and other CBS board members don't want Shari Redstone to have sway over the company that Moonves has successfully managed for 12 years.

"She has threatened to impose her and NAI's will on the company at the expense of all of the company's stockholders," CBS said in its lawsuit. "She has undermined management. It has been publicly reported that she will replace directors who will not do her bidding. She has sought to combine CBS and Viacom regardless of the strategic and economic merits of the transaction and to the exclusion of considering any other potential transaction."

The lawsuit is a "classic example" of why companies with two classes of stock, including CBS and Viacom, can be problematic, said Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware.

Under CBS' structure, holders of Class A shares have voting power, while those with Class B shares do not.

Redstone previously said that she would like Moonves to serve as chief executive of the combined company for at least two years. A sticking point in the merger talks is what role her handpicked lieutenant — Viacom CEO Bob Bakish — would play.

With its lawsuit, CBS went for the "nuclear option," said C. Kerry Fields, a professor of business law and ethics at the USC Marshall School of Business. The suit, Fields said, is Moonves' way of communicating to shareholders that CBS is on a strong trajectory under his leadership and should not be saddled with Viacom's troubles.

Fields said the judge will "undoubtedly" grant the temporary restraining order to prevent interference with the board's special meeting.

"Judges typically are sympathetic to applications for temporary restraining orders when there is a matter of great seriousness that might be upset if this injunction isn't put in place," he said.

CBS shares closed $53.65, up 2%. Viacom closed at $28.74, down nearly 5%.

UPDATES:

1:25 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from University of Delaware professor Charles Elson.

9:55 a.m.: This article was updated to include a statement from National Amusements.

9:05 a.m.: This article was updated to include comments from USC professor C. Kerry Fields.

8:10 a.m.: This article was updated to add that the lawsuit accuses Shari Redstone of breaching her fiduciary duty.

This article was originally published at 7:35 a.m.

--Ends--

Latest (5/4): Shari Redstone, the media heiress whose family controls CBS Corp and Viacom Inc , has offered CBS CEO Leslie Moonves to drop her demands for Viacom CEO Bob Bakish to be his No. 2 following a merger, as long as Bakish sits on the combined company's board, people familiar with the matter said on Friday, May 4th, reports Reuters.

Moonves has agreed to run the combined company for at least two years, as long as CBS Chief Operating Officer Joseph Ianniello will be president and chief operating officer of the combined company, so he can succeed him, sources have previously said.

Redstone, daughter of media mogul Sumner Redstone, has offered not to give Bakish any executive role in the combined company, but still wants him to sit on the board of directors and eventually succeed Moonves, the sources said on Friday.

Moonves does not want Bakish to be part of the combined company at all - either as an executive or board member - because he is seeking as much autonomy as possible in running the combined company, said one of the sources.

As a result of the impasse over Bakish's role, CBS executives have serious doubts that a deal will happen, the source said. CBS and Viacom have also disagreed about the stock exchange ratio that should be used in a merger, although the two sides are making progress on that front, the sources added.

The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. CBS, Viacom, and National Amusements Inc, the company of Shari Redstone, declined to comment.

Redstone offered her concessions earlier this week in a meeting with Moonves that included Richard Parsons, who recently joined the CBS board and is acting as a conduit between the two sides, the sources said.

There has not been any agreement about the composition of a combined company's board, the sources said.

Ten of the 14 director nominees for consideration at this year's CBS annual meeting are 70 or older. The average age is 72. The average for companies in the S&P 500 Index as a whole is 62. Two of Viacom's directors are 70 or older, according to the company's proxy statement.

Latest (4/11): Shari Redstone is likely to replace CBS chief Les Moonves if no merger deal is reached with Viacom, sources have told CNBC. CBS is expected to make another offer soon, but the new bid is expected to fall short on price, sources say.

If Moonves is removed as CEO of CBS, the exec could collect an eye-opening $184 million from the company, reports Deadline.

Latest (4/10): Viacom in recent days got an expression of interest from a major media and tech company — but it was rebuffed by Viacom, according to a source briefed on the situation, reports the New York Post.

That prospective bidder was particularly interested in Viacom’s Paramount Pictures unit as it floated an interest in the entire company, the source said. Meanwhile, other media companies have expressed an appetite for its TV networks, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET, according to sources. “If Viacom launched an open sales process, there would absolutely be buyers,” a source closely following the merger talks said.

Viacom’s reluctance to engage with suitors other than CBS has, in turn, convinced many insiders that CBS and Viacom are determined to overcome their differences, the source added.

Media tycoon Sumner Redstone — whose holding company National Amusements Inc. has voting control of both CBS and Viacom despite his only owning about a 10-percent economic interest in the media businesses — doesn’t want to let Viacom go, according to one source. Accordingly, “Sumner has made Viacom Shari’s baby,” the source added, referring to his daughter, Shari Redstone, who is now pulling strings as vice chair of both CBS and Viacom. “I would be very surprised if they sold Viacom.”

Latest (4/9): Viacom is pushing CBS Corp. to raise its takeover bid for the company, asking for a deal that would add nearly $3 billion to the valuation of the company. Viacom has asked CBS to raise its all-stock bid to a level that would value the company at around $14.7 billion. Viacom as expected is also pushing for its current CEO, Bob Bakish to be named president and chief operating officer of the combined company, to be led by CBS’ chairman-CEO Leslie Moonves. News of Viacom’s counteroffer was first reported early Monday (9th April 2018) by Reuters. A source close to the situation confirmed Viacom’s counteroffer despite the fact that both Viacom and CBS have yet to publicly acknowledge the statis of acquisition negotiations. CBS is speculated to reject Viacom's counteroffer.

Additionally, one of CBS Corp.’s biggest shareholders has written to the company’s board saying it should only proceed with a deal for Viacom Inc. if certain terms can be agreed on. The shareholder, who declined to be identified, wants CBS Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves and his management team to lead the combined company. If that doesn’t happen CBS should be compensated with a “clear premium” when the final share ratio of a deal is decided, according to the letter obtained by Bloomberg. A merger with Viacom isn’t the “optimal strategic path” for CBS, the shareholder wrote in the letter, dated March 21. It urges the broadcaster’s special committee of independent directors not to pay above current market price in any transaction. “Coming to the rescue of a weakly positioned, poorly executing, over-levered Viacom is not CBS’s burden,” the investor wrote. The shareholder is among the top 10 CBS holders, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as the details aren’t public.

Latest (4/4): Viacom has swiftly rejected CBS’s below-market offer to reunite the US media companies separated over a decade ago, kicking off what is likely to be one of the most hotly contested takeover battles in the traditional broadcasting and film industry. However, Viacom is speculated to make a counterproposal this week, people familiar with the matter have said.

CBS offered 0.52 of its shares for each Viacom class B share, valuing the owner of Nickelodeon, MTV and the Paramount film studio below its $12.8bn market capitalisation, said people briefed about the matter.

Viacom believed the bid failed to recognise the fair value of the company, people close to its senior management said, adding that CBS would have to offer more than 0.62 of its own shares to get a deal done.

The significant gap in valuation, however, is not the only obstacle to getting a deal done.

Les Moonves, chairman and chief executive of CBS, wants the combined company to be run by his lieutenants. According to people briefed on CBS’s proposal, Mr Moonves would remain in charge and Joe Ianniello, CBS’s chief operating officer, would be his second-in-command, leaving Bob Bakish, Viacom’s chief executive officer, out of the picture.

Shari Redstone, who controls both companies through the holding group National Amusements, favours Mr Bakish as the second-most senior figure in a combined company, said people briefed about the matter.

Negotiations between the two sides were likely to stretch for several weeks, said people close to both sides.

Although the Redstone family are keen to get a deal done, believing that a merger would generate significant annual synergies, it remains unclear whether an agreement between the top managers of the two companies an be reached.

A deal would reunite CBS and Viacom 13 years after Ms Redstone’s father, Sumner, split them in an effort to allow Viacom to grow faster.

At the time, Viacom was one of America’s hippest media companies, with many analysts believing that MTV and Comedy Central would experience record revenue growth based of the wide appeal they had on younger television viewers. However, with the advent of digital champions such as Netflix, HBO and Vice, Viacom’s top brands struggled to perform as expected.

CBS, which in the mid-2000s was viewed as the weaker unit of the then combined group, has instead flourished under the leadership of Mr Moonves. CBS’s stock value has more than doubled since the split, while Viacom’s has fallen below its debut as an independent company.

Original post:

Viacom / CBS Merger: Viacom Inc. Board Forms Special Committee to Evaluate Potential Combination with CBS Corporation

Viacom Inc. Board Forms Special Committee to Evaluate Potential Combination with CBS Corporation

Update (2/1): Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today announced that its Board of Directors has established a special committee of independent directors to evaluate a potential combination with CBS Corporation. The Committee has retained independent legal counsel and is retaining independent financial advisors in connection with this evaluation.

There can be no assurance that this process will result in a transaction or on what terms any transaction may occur. Neither Viacom nor the Committee intends to comment further until the process is completed.

About Viacom

Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling entertainment content - including television programs, motion pictures, short-form content, apps, games, consumer products, podcasts, live events and social media experiences - for audiences in more than 180 countries. Viacom's media networks, including Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, VH1, TV Land, CMT, Logo, Channel 5 (UK), Telefe (Argentina), Colors (India) and Paramount Channel, reach approximately 4.3 billion cumulative television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. Paramount Television develops, finances and produces original programming for television and digital platforms.

For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Viacom may also use social media channels to communicate with its investors and the public about the company, its brands and other matters, and those communications could be deemed to be material information. Investors and others are encouraged to review posts on Viacom’s company blog (blog.viacom.com), Twitter feed (twitter.com/viacom) and Facebook page (facebook.com/viacom).

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Update (4/3): CBS Corp. will offer less than the current market value of Viacom Inc. in its opening bid for the owner of Nickelodeon and MTV, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, showing how far apart the companies are as they explore recombining.

CBS' proposed all-stock offer — which could come in the next few days — is expected to put a lower valuation on Viacom than its current market capitalization, according to a person familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it.

In addition, the CBS offer is expected to stipulate that its chairman and chief executive, Leslie Moonves, would run the combined company for at least two years, the knowledgeable person said. Moonves' contract with CBS goes through mid-2021.

Viacom and CBS vice-chairwoman Shari Redstone is pursuing a merger of the two media companies that split more than a decade ago, according to multiple insiders who spoke to TheWrap.

With the Hollywood landscape quickly shifting, Redstone, president of the privately-held National Amusements that controls both media companies, has concluded that a bigger footprint is necessary for the companies to thrive. CBS’ core business is broadcast television along with multiple digital properties, while Viacom holds cable channels like Nickelodeon and Comedy Central along with the Paramount movie studio.

A time frame for any potential merger is unclear, but three individuals with knowledge of the companies said that Redstone is actively moving in that direction, which represented another shift in her back-and-forth mindset on the matter.

Viacom and National Amusements declined to comment, and CBS had no immediate response to a request for comment.

Viacom shares reacted quickly to the news. Shares of the company, which controls MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and the Paramount movie studio, rose nearly 10% Friday, or $2.95 a share, to $33.76 a share from $30.90. Volume was strong – 12.45 million shares – compared to average volume of 5.07 million.

Shares of CBS rose more modestly, up 1.85%, or $1.07 a share, to $58.83 a share from $57.78. Volume was 6.19 million compared with average volume of 4.01 million.

CBS chairman Les Moonves, who has long resisted talk of recombining the companies, is now open to the possibility, the insiders said. He would be the most likely person to run the merged companies, though Redstone is considering other candidates, according to two insiders.

An individual close to Moonves acknowledged the process to TheWrap: “He’s having active discussions with Shari and the board on a wide variety of issues all the time, including this one. And those discussions continue with regard to looking to merge the two companies.”

One insider told TheWrap that Redstone was looking at other candidates because Moonves was demanding an ownership stake and she thought his demands were too rich. The individual close to Moonves disputed this, saying: “At no time has he asked for an ownership position.”

The move to merge the companies represents another reversal for Redstone, who directly appealed to CBS and Viacom to merge in September 2016, then retreated from this in the following months, presumably because of Moonves’ opposition.

In a letter in September 2016 to both boards from her parent company National Amusements, she touted the potential of “substantial synergies” that a merger would bring. She called on the boards to “respond even more aggressively and effectively” to combat the challenges they both faced.

Redstone later reconsidered after ousting Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and replacing him with Bob Bakish — whom she installed after successfully wresting control of Viacom in a bruising boardroom and legal battle over succession plans involving her father, Sumner Resdstone.

“We talked about it, and what became apparent to me very quickly was that our assets were severely undervalued, which I had understood, but what I didn’t understand at the time was the significant upside that existed in our businesses once we had a good management team in place and the culture came back,” Redstone said at last May’s re/code conference.

The new merger talk comes amid a new period of consolidation in the entertainment and media industry. In December, Disney announced plans for a $52.4 billion acquisition of the bulk of 21st Century Fox’s movie and TV assets, while telecom giant AT&T is attempting to complete the $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner announced more than a year ago.

Meanwhile, the rise of streaming giant Netflix as well as the ambitious moves by tech giants like Amazon and Apple into the entertainment content space have set off a period of strategic change in the sector.

The market cap of Viacom is $12.7 billion, while the market cap of CBS is $23.2 billion.

In February 2016, the then 92-year-old Redstone stepped down as chairman of both Viacom and CBS amid questions about his age and mental competency. Moonves assumed the chairman title at CBS, while Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman was ousted and ultimately replaced by Robert Bakish.

Viacom and CBS had merged into a single company in 1999, which Sumner Redstone split in 2005 in an attempt to maximize shareholder value.

The Redstones control both the CBS and Viacom through their supervoting shares held by National Amusements.

As of December 2016, National Amusements, directly and through subsidiaries, holds approximately 79.8 percent of the Class A (voting) common stock of Viacom Inc., constituting 10 percent of the overall equity of the Company, and holds approximately 79.5 percent of the Class A (voting) common stock and 2.4 percent of the Class B (non‐voting) common stock of CBS Corporation, constituting 9.1 percent of the overall equity of the Company.

Also, from Variety:

Viacom, CBS Shares Rise After Report Suggests New Merger Talks Have Started

Shares of both Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. rose noticeably Friday after a new report suggested the two companies, both controlled by the Redstone family, could once again be considering the prospect of merging.

A report in The Wrap suggested Shari Redstone, president of the family’s National Amusements movie-theater chain, had recently sparked new discussions within the companies about a possible merger. Her father, Sumner Redstone, had combined CBS and Viacom in 2000, only to pull them apart six years later. National Amusements in September of 2016 formally requested that the boards of both companies consider the possibility of a new merger on an all-stock basis, then stopped the process at the end of that year.

CBS declined to comment. A Viacom spokesman did not immediately respond to a query seeking comment.

The report comes as more media companies are considering tie-ups that would give them a larger footprint in a sector that has been flummoxed by new technology and consumer patterns. Monetizing viewership of content has become more difficult as consumers migrate to new video screens and behaviors that aren’t measured as easily, crimping the flow of advertising support and undermining media companies’ ability to lock in fees from distributors.

To fight back against these trends, a number of prominent media companies have set big acquisitions or outright mergers. Among the recent combinations: Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable and Lionsgate and Starz. Other tie-ups have been proposed but not completed. Discovery Communications is expected to finalize its purchase of Scripps Networks Interactive later this year. AT&T is pursuing legal options to finalize its proposed merger with Time Warner. And Walt Disney has agreed to purchase a substantial chunk of 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, the FX and National Geographic cable networks and a passel of regional sports operations.

The companies that don’t embrace other assets have begun to look considerably smaller.

If a merger is being discussed, it is not on a fast track. A person familiar with the situation suggested no substantive steps in any process were taking place at the current time.

Viacom shares reacted quickly to the news. Shares of the company, which controls MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and the Paramount movie studio, rose nearly 10% Friday, or $2.95 a share, to $33.76 a share from $30.90. Volume was strong – 12.45 million shares – compared to average volume of 5.07 million.

Shares of CBS rose more modestly, up 1.85%, or $1.07 a share, to $58.83 a share from $57.78. Volume was 6.19 million compared with average volume of 4.01 million.

CBS has fared well in recent months, despite its medium size in the sector. The owner of the CBS broadcast network and the Showtime cable outlet has in recent months focused on maximizing the revenue it draws from its content by scrutinizing the fees it draws from retransmission and overseas syndication. Rather than make big acquisitions, CBS has launched a spate of new digital businesses, including the “CBS All Access” subscription video on demand service and a streaming-video news product, CBSN, that makes new use of content from CBS News. Leslie Moonves, the company’s chairman and CEO, has discussed the launch of a new streaming-video sports-content service and CBS has unveiled interesting plans for “All Access,” like a revival of the classic series, “The Twilight Zone.”

Viacom, meanwhile, has worked to recalibrate itself under a new leader. Bob Bakish took over as CEO of the company in December of 2016 and has since that time reorganized the company and placed new leaders in charge of MTV and set about to transform the company’s Spike cable outlet into a more general-entertainment property called the Paramount Network. A launch is slated in the days ahead. Bakish has also placed more emphasis on events related to some of the company’s big assets, including a new festival launched by Comedy Central.

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Also, from the LA Times:

Shari Redstone once again eyeing a merger of CBS and Viacom

Shari Redstone wants to recombine CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. to better fortify the two medium-sized media companies at a time when other entertainment companies are scrambling to bulk up.

There are no merger talks underway, three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to publicly discuss the situation said Friday. However, Redstone, whose family controls the voting shares of CBS and Viacom, ​​​​​​ increasingly sees a merger as a compelling option for the two companies that have operated separately for 12 years, according to these people.

Redstone, who serves as vice chair of both companies, has expressed her feelings to the leadership and boards of the two entities, according to the sources.

"Shari is determined to get them back together," said one of the sources. "Everything else she could think of went nowhere."

Redstone was not immediately available for comment.

Viacom owns MTV, Comedy Central, BET Nickelodeon and the Paramount Pictures film studio in Hollywood. CBS owns the CBS broadcast network, TV stations, premium channel Showtime and a boutique film studio.

Her rekindled interest in merging the companies, which was reported Friday by the Hollywood trade publication the Wrap, comes as little surprise. Redstone previously said she didn't support the decision by her father, the ailing mogul Sumner Redstone, to divide the family empire in 2006.

"I was never a great proponent of the split of the two companies," she said at a media conference in November 2016.

Earlier that fall, Redstone announced that she wanted the two companies to explore a merger and board-level exploration committees were formed. The stronger CBS began evaluating whether to acquire Viacom, but the talks fell apart in December 2016 over a valuation of Viacom, which has seen its stock fall more than 50% since early 2015.

Redstone also decided that she wanted to give Viacom Chief Executive Bob Bakish — who was appointed at the end of 2016 — a chance to turn around the company.

But much has changed in the last year. Key Viacom cable channels continue to struggle with ratings declines and accelerated cord cutting. Viacom generates its profit from cable TV channels, so the shrinking universe of pay-TV homes makes it more difficult to grow its business.

Compounding matters, Paramount is coming off another rough year, with recent flops such as "Suburbicon,""Mother" and "Downsizing." The studio ranked seventh last year among all distributors in market share in the United States and Canada, according to Box Office Mojo.

Paramount's new chairman and CEO, Jim Gianopulos, who joined last year, has been shaking up the studio's executive ranks in an effort to engineer a turnaround.

Meanwhile, CBS' stock stagnated in 2017 as investors grew less bullish on media.

Other medium-sized companies have become merger bait as traditional media companies see increased scale — and distribution — as a way to compete with the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazaon.com and Netflix.

Telecommunications giant AT&T is trying to buy Time Warner Inc., which owns HBO, CNN, TBS and the Warner Bros. movie and television studio. Last summer, two other cable programmers — Scripps Networks Interactive and Discovery Communications — agreed to their own merger.

Then last month, Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox stunned the industry when it agreed to sell much of the company, including the 20th Century Fox movie and television studio, to the Walt Disney Co. Analysts and investors predicted the blockbuster deal would trigger other consolidations, including a recombination of Viacom and CBS.

People close to the companies quickly cautioned that there was no timetable for a deal, or even if one would happen.

"There have been talks about this — and many other things — at the board level," according to one person close to CBS.

Others have speculated on the prospect of a roll-up of CBS, Viacom and Lionsgate. Lionsgate, in recent years, has been more successful than Viacom's movie division.

Viacom shares closed Friday at $33.76, up $2.95, or nearly 10% on Friday.

CBS stock closed up nearly 2%, or $1.05 to $58.83 a share.

###

Also, from Observer:

CBS and Viacom Reportedly Eyeing Merger

What once was broken may be made whole once again.

TheWrap is reporting that Viacom and CBS vice-chairwoman Shari Redstone is looking to merge the two media companies following their split in 2006.

Amid the Hollywood arms race that has seen AT&T attempt to acquire Time Warner and Disney swallowing up 21st Century Fox, Redstone, who serves as president of National Amusements Inc. and controls both media companies, is looking to scale her own business to keep pace.

CBS earns its keep with broadcast television—the small screen’s most-watched show, The Big Bang Theory, has them set up nicely—and several digital properties. Viacom owns Paramount Pictures, as well as popular cable destinations such as Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.

CBS led all television networks in total viewers last year, according to Nielsen data.

But how serious are these discussions? It depends on who you ask.

According to Reuters, “Viacom Inc and CBS Corp are not in active merger discussions, although controlling shareholder Shari Redstone has had exploratory conversations with CBS directors about recombining the companies.”

CBS declined Observer’s request to comment. Viacom has yet to respond, neither has National Amusements Inc.

No timeline for the potential deal has emerged yet, though TheWrap’s sources say Redstone is pushing for it. She and father Sumner Redstone unsuccessfully attempted to merge the two in 2016.

CBS chairman Les Moonves, who is said to have been against the merger for some time, is reportedly softening on that position. If the merger were to go through, he is thought to be the frontrunner to head both companies.

Here’s how one of TheWrap’s sources explained it: “He’s having active discussions with Shari and the board on a wide variety of issues all the time, including this one. And those discussions continue with regard to looking to merge the two companies.”

“I’m very confident that our unparalleled collection of businesses will continue to grow in their present form, as well as the many new platforms that are making a splash in the new media landscape,” Moonves said of the split back in 2006. The move was originally made to diversify the media conglomerate and regain the confidence of Wall Street investors.

This rumor pops up as other major deals are going down across Hollywood.

The aforementioned sale of Time Warner to AT&T comes with a price tag of $85.4 billion, while Disney’s acquisition of Fox set them back $52.4 billion. Some insiders have also posited that Apple is eyeing Netflix for an estimated $75 billion.

More details to come…

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Also, from Reuters UK:

Shari Redstone explores adding new CBS directors - WSJ

(Reuters) - Shari Redstone, a controlling shareholder of CBS Corp (CBS.N), has discussed adding new directors to the CBS board as she renews her push to merge the company with Viacom Inc (VIAB.O), The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Shari Redstone and Sumner Redstone, her ailing 94-year-old father, together control both CBS and Viacom Inc (VIAB.O) through their privately owned movie theatre company, National Amusements Inc. The Redstones failed in an attempt to merge the two companies in 2016.

Shari Redstone, who is vice chair of the CBS board, has had exploratory conversations with CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves and directors about recombining the companies, sources have told Reuters.

While Moonves is receptive to a combination, he has some reservations, sources have told Reuters.

Spokesmen for CBS and Viacom declined to comment.

CBS is looking to replace several of its directors at its annual shareholders meeting in May, and Shari Redstone is gathering names of possible candidates, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Shari Redstone’s push to revisit a CBS merger with Viacom has become more pressing in light of Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) planned acquisition of a majority of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s (FOXA.O) assets, the sources told Reuters.

A combined CBS, which owns cable networks including Showtime and The Movie Channel as well as the CBS TV Network and CBS TV Studios, and Viacom, whose businesses include Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, would have more negotiating leverage with cable and satellite companies.

In addition, Shari Redstone does not want to wait for the verdict on the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit to block AT&T Inc’s (T.N) $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N), which is set to go to trial in March, the sources told Reuters. The Justice Department is suing to block that deal on the grounds that it is anti-competitive.

If that deal were to fall through, it would mean both AT&T and Time Warner Inc may look for other companies to combine with, sources have said.

Viacom’s new CEO, Bob Bakish, has improved relations with distributors, found financing for Paramount Pictures after Chinese investors dropped out and shuffled programming.

Even so, Viacom’s stock is trading around $32 a share, below the $35-$38.80 range it was trading at when it and CBS explored a merger in late 2016.

It is unclear if the valuation and corporate governance issues that caused the deal to fail in 2016 remain.

Some analysts said they believe the selloff in Viacom, along with the consolidation in the media space, should prompt CBS to revisit the deal.

“We think now is as good a time as any to reexamine why we continue to believe this deal is the most logical and appropriate transaction to take place within our media coverage universe,” MoffettNathanson analysts wrote this week.

###

Also, via The Hollywood Reporter:

Shari Redstone Pushing for New Board at CBS (Report)

There are no active talks to merge the companies as of the moment.

If the board of directors at CBS isn't keen on merging the company with Viacom, then some of the directors apparently need to be replaced.

At least that's what Shari Redstone might be advocating, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Redstone and her family control both Viacom and CBS through their large stake in National Amusements, and insiders say she's been getting serious about her desire to see the two media companies combined again, as they were prior to splitting Viacom in two back in 2005.

CBS CEO Les Moonves and some others on the board, though, have been resisting, and CBS investors appear to be siding with them. On Wednesday, for example, Viacom shares jumped 4 percent at the prospect of a new merger-friendly board at CBS, while shares of CBS fell 2 percent.

Rumors that CBS will merge with Viacom pop up often, most recently last week, though by Monday it appeared to Wall Street that there was nothing concrete in the works, which removed a catalyst for Viacom's long-suffering stock to move higher.

On Tuesday, in fact, Rosenblatt Securities analyst Alan Gould lowered his rating on Viacom stock to "sell" based on his opinion that it won't merge with CBS anytime soon, while he reiterated a "buy" recommendation on CBS. The analyst says CBS would make a better partner with Verizon, among others, than it would with Viacom.

While insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that there are no active talks to merge Viacom and CBS right now, the Journal says that Redstone reached out to Moonves earlier this month to request that he start negotiating as early as this quarter.

Investors on both sides appear to be clamoring for something dramatic to happen, as shares of both Viacom and CBS trade for less than they did a year ago even as the stock market in general has been on a powerful bull run.

Plus, AT&T's pending acquisition of Time Warner and Disney's pending acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox has Wall Street presuming that media companies need to grow bigger, quickly, through acquisition, if they're to remain competitive.

CBS had no comment, and Viacom was not available for comment.

---

Also, from Variety:

Revival of CBS-Viacom Merger Talk Sows Tension Within Redstone Empire, Again

Chatter about Shari Redstone revving up an effort to recombine Viacom and CBS Corp. is sowing tension within both companies.

CBS insiders were aghast at a report in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday citing Redstone’s concern about a lack of long-term strategic planning at the Eye and the level of independence among its board members.

Meanwhile, Viacom executives are once again nervous about the potential for consolidation with CBS to bring wholesale changes to the management of the company, particularly the cable networks division. The sentiment among insiders is that things have only just started to settle down after a year of turmoil in 2016, before Bob Bakish was named permanent CEO in December of that year.

“Here we go again,” said an executive at Viacom’s MTV Networks.

Sources at both companies expressed surprise and frustration that the first stirrings of a re-merger effort are emerging through media reports rather than through the board room. A rep for Redstone declined to comment.


Redstone, who is vice chairman of Viacom and CBS, went public with her desire for the companies to reunite in the fall of 2016 but ultimately backed down after pushback from both boards on questions of price and governance. At that time, Viacom was on the ropes after a months-long legal battle between controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone, Shari Redstone and former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman.

CBS and Viacom were first brought together by Sumner Redstone in 2000. But six years later, the mogul opted to re-divide the companies into separate entities. At the time, Redstone said he thought it would help both companies realize their true valuation from the market. Shari Redstone is on record as having opposed the split back in 2005.

The $52.4 billion deal unveiled last month by Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox has quickly heightened pressure on smaller media conglomerates like CBS Corp. and Viacom to bulk up or be seen as a takeover target. The Redstones’ tight control of CBS and Viacom has frustrated past efforts for CBS Corp. chairman-CEO Leslie Moonves to engage in merger conversations with prospective partners such as Time Warner, Lionsgate and more recently, Verizon.

It’s understood that Shari Redstone has insisted Viacom be part of any M&A conversations involving CBS. That’s a big hurdle for suitors who might be interested in CBS’ broadcast assets and its vast library of TV shows.

Viacom’s biggest drawback is its reliance on the MTV Networks division as its engine of earnings and profits. Not only are the core Viacom cablers (MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central) facing ratings challenges, as is every other traditional TV outlet, but it’s clear that Viacom will have to shed some of its lower-profile channels in the coming years. How to put a price on those lesser channels today, given their steadily diminishing value, was a big part of the obstacle to re-merger discussions in 2016.

The coolness from top brass at CBS to a deal with Viacom has been palpable. It’s seen as a rescue effort for Viacom, which is still battling tough forecasts of declining affiliate and advertising revenue for its cable networks in the coming years. Viacom is also still in the early stages of a management turnover at Paramount Pictures, which hemorrhaged red ink during the previous three years.

CBS, on the other hand, has ridden the boom in content licensing to a series of record quarters. In March 2016, CBS laid out a five-year strategic plan at a daylong investor presentation in which it cited content licensing, international expansion, retransmission consent revenue, and new streaming platforms including CBS All Access and Showtime as pillars of its growth plan.

The Eye committed at that presentation to deliver 8 million OTT subscribers by 2020; last August, Moonves said CBS All Access and Showtime’s standalone streaming service were more than halfway to that goal. Retrans revenue, a big driver of profits, is projected to hit $2.5 billion annually by 2020.

On the international front, CBS has expanded Showtime’s reach in key foreign markets for the first time during the past two years, and it also swooped in on the fire sale of Australia’s Network Ten in November.

The level of detail that CBS laid out in 2016 and the progress reports delivered since then were cited by multiple CBS sources who were outraged by the reference to a lack of long-term planning in the Journal report, which cited multiple sources familiar with Redstone’s thinking.

The reported drive by Redstone to find replacements for some of CBS’ board members also rankled insiders, given the prominence of independent directors such as former Bank of America chairman Charles Gifford, former senator and Defense Secretary William Cohen, former NAACP president Bruce Gordon, and Harvard Law School dean Martha Minow. CBS typically holds its annual meeting in May. It’s unclear how many directors will be up for re-election at that time.

Sources said there is consternation within CBS over fears that tension between Moonves and Redstone could be destabilizing overall for the company. Sources close to the situation said that as of Wednesday, there have been no formal steps to initiate merger talks between the two boards.

---

Also, from Deadline:

Wall Street Has Mixed Response To Word Of Renewed Viacom-CBS Talks

UPDATED at 2:20 pm: Investor reaction has been mixed this afternoon to renewed speculation that CBS and Viacom are about to recombine.

A Wall Street Journal report this afternoon confirmed a story late last week that the former corporate siblings were again exploring a merger. An hour before the close of trading today, Viacom shares are up 2% to $31.96, given the perceived benefits of tying a cable-bundle-dependent company to the No. 1 broadcaster.

The two companies merged in 1999 in a then-momentous transaction, before parting ways in 2006. They had previously explored coming together again before abandoning plans in 2016. Given the Disney-Fox deal, AT&T’s pending takeover of Time Warner and a host of others, the urgency is growing for next-tier players to gain scale.


Sources said CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves had been deeply skeptical in 2016 about the value of the combining the broadcaster, which was thriving, with the struggling Viacom. And Viacom was optimistic about its prospects under the new leadership of Robert Bakish.

But the media landscape has shifted substantially since then.

“It’s ludicrous to thinking CBS and Viacom can be stand-alone companies,” said BTIG’s veteran media analyst Richard Greenfield. “It’s 18 months delayed for no reason other than Les Moonves’ obstinance. That’s what stopped this deal. In a world where Disney and Fox are merging, his obstinance no longer matters.:

What does matter, in the current climate, is scale. Content companies need a stronger balance sheet, in order to pursue sports, or need to amass a more content for an over-the-top service. CBS’s streaming service would be bolstered by Viacom’s wealth of children’s programming through Nickelodeon, Greenfield notes, not to mention Paramount’s film library.

According to the Journal, Shari Redstone is the chief proponent of the idea. She contacted CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, who previously had resisted the notion, to renew discussions about merging the broadcaster with Viacom.

The Redstone family controls CBS and Viacom through their holding company, National Amusements.

###

Also, from Reuters UK:

Exclusive - Viacom, CBS CEOs discuss potential merger: sources

(Reuters) - Viacom Inc Chief Executive Bob Bakish and CBS Corp CEO Leslie Moonves have had an exploratory discussion about merging the two media companies, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday.

The discussion is a potential first step toward a recombination of CBS and Viacom. The boards of both companies have regularly scheduled meetings in the next several weeks and are expected to discuss the potential merger, the sources said.

The discussion between Bakish and Moonves, which took place earlier this month, was preliminary and no decisions have been made, but it signals that Moonves, who has had reservations about a potential deal between the companies, could be more open to the idea.

The sources wished to remain anonymous because they are not permitted to speak to the media. Viacom and CBS declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Shari Redstone declined to comment.

CBS and Viacom explored and decided against a merger in 2016, at the urging of its controlling shareholders, ailing 94 year-old media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari Redstone. Those merger talks failed due to concerns by CBS’ directors and Moonves over the financial sense for CBS shareholders and governance issues.

Shari Redstone has continued to discuss with executives at both companies her desire to merge the two, which has gained steam since Walt Disney Co announced in December it would acquire a majority of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s assets, sources have told Reuters.

A combined company with CBS, which owns cable networks including Showtime as well as the CBS TV Network and CBS TV Studios, and Viacom, whose businesses include Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV, would have more negotiating leverage with cable and satellite companies.

“Scale matters now and is going to continue to matter in the future,” Shari Redstone told an audience at a luncheon at the Paley Center for Media in New York City last fall when asked about a potential CBS merger.

In a world with video streaming service Netflix Inc, which has a market capitalization of $113 billion and is dominating the media landscape, there is more pressure than ever on CBS and Viacom to merge, said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at BTIG.

CBS and Viacom combined would have a market value of more than $37 billion.

“There is an urgent need for scale,” he said. “And both companies are facing challenges that a combination could help address,” Greenfield said. “It is eat or be eaten.”

Bakish is expected to have a senior role at the combined company if the two companies agree to a merger, sources said.

Since he took over Viacom in late 2016, Bakish, 54, has improved relations with distributors, found financing for Paramount Pictures after Chinese investors dropped out and shuffled programming.

Even so, Viacom’s stock has been trading around $33 a share, below the $35 to $38.80 range it was trading at when it and CBS explored a merger in late 2016.

Viacom shares were last up 1.8 percent in afternoon trade. CBS shares were up 0.5 percent.

--Ends--

Also, from Variety:

CBS Corp. and Viacom Inch Closer to Formal Merger Discussions

CBS Corp. and Viacom are inching toward formally exploring a corporate reunion of the two halves of the Redstone media empire.

There is less opposition within CBS Corp. this time around compared to the last attempt by CBS/Viacom vice chairman Shari Redstone to bring the two companies back together in the fall of 2016. The early rumblings are that CBS would acquire Viacom in an all-stock transaction.

There are still big hurdles to clear in terms of valuation for Viacom, given the systemic concerns around its lower-profile U.S. cable networks, but there is also an understanding that the media landscape is changing fast and the potential for the two sides to work together on international growth initiatives provides rationale for a reunion. Viacom’s share price has also tumbled further during the past year, making a deal more attractive on a financial basis for CBS shareholders. As of Thursday, Viacom had a market cap of $13.8 billion, with shares closing at $33.61. CBS is valued at $22.7 billion, with shares closing at $59.27.


Sources close to the situation emphasize that neither side has yet engaged bankers or advisers to hammer out an agreement. But CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves and Viacom CEO Bob Bakish have had at least one discussion about the possibility of merging, according to a Reuters report Thursday.

Media reports earlier this month that Redstone was poised to nudge the two companies into merger discussions raised some hackles at both companies. But after the emotions settled, the positive attributes of a reunified company are said to have become clearer for both camps. It’s understood that Moonves would run the combined operation with Bakish serving as a key corporate lieutenant. In 2016, the merger discussions initiated by National Amusements, the Redstone family holding company, came before Bakish was appointed as permanent CEO and Viacom was still reeling from the public legal battle between the Redstones and former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman.

CBS and Viacom were first brought together in 2000 by Sumner Redstone, now chairman emeritus of both firms. The two were split up again in January 2006 out of Sumner Redstone’s frustration with a sagging stock price.

Moonves and Bakish have had a cordial relationship over the years. The two came to know each other after Viacom acquired CBS in 2000, when Bakish was running Viacom’s international channels division.

CBS’ management team has had a storied run of maintaining its status as the nation’s most-watched network, building Showtime into a major player, expanding its TV production activity, and diving into the OTT arena with CBS All Access. The expectation is that a recombined CBS and Viacom would have a stronger balance sheet to compete for talent, M&A opportunities, and for the pricey sports rights that have been crucial to CBS’ ability to wring top dollar out of MVPDs in retransmission consent deals.

For CBS, access to Viacom’s Paramount Pictures unit would help CBS’ Showtime pay cable network. The general streamlining of overlapping operations could yield savings of as much as $500 million, according to analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson.

The downside for CBS is that the enlarged company would be the antithesis of the strategy that the Eye has touted to investors for years. CBS Corp. and its handful of channels anchored by the mothership broadcast network has been able to command top dollar from MVPDs in retrans and carriage agreements because it has been able to drive hard bargains for two must-have channels: CBS and Showtime. Adding Viacom’s 25 domestic cable channels would change the dynamic of discussions with traditional and upstart MVPDs considerably.

Under Bakish, however, Viacom has taken big steps to channel most of its programming resources into six flagship cable brands — Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, BET, Comedy Central and Paramount Network (the rebranded Spike TV that debuted last week). Undoubtedly, it is only a matter of time before Viacom begins to shutter some of its lesser channels which are already losing distribution as MVPDs take a harder line in dealmaking and consumers embrace skinnier, cheaper bundles.

A deal between CBS and Viacom would also remove a hurdle to future M&A activity. It’s understood that the Redstones had previously balked at dealmaking opportunities involving CBS Corp. unless Viacom was also in the mix.

Reps for CBS, Viacom, and Shari Redstone declined to comment. The companies will likely have to acknowledge the brewing discussions by the time that both report earnings for the fourth quarter of 2017. Viacom is up first on Feb. 8, followed by CBS on Feb. 15.

--Ends--

Update - From Reuters UK:

CBS board to discuss potential Viacom merger on Thursday: sources

CBS Corp’s board is expected to discuss a merger with Viacom Inc on Thursday, sources told Reuters, a move that could begin a formal process to reunite the companies split by controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone more than a decade ago.

The board will need to decide if the deal is now attractive enough to CBS shareholders to overshadow concerns that scuttled a proposed tie-up pushed by Sumner and his daughter Shari Redstone in 2016.

The CBS board meeting is regularly scheduled and no announcement may come out of it, said the sources, who wished to remain anonymous because they are not permitted to speak to the media.

Viacom and CBS spokespeople declined to comment.

Viacom Chief Executive Bob Bakish and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves talked about the potential merger earlier this month, Reuters reported.

Viacom’s Nickelodeon and MTV networks and Paramount films could help broadcast-focused CBS’ All Access streaming service become more competitive, and the combined company could also better negotiate with cable and satellite distributors.

“They might be better able to develop more robust OTT offerings faster as a combined entity,” said Michael Nathanson, analyst with Moffett Nathanson, referring to “over the top” streaming.

Some could argue Viacom’s international presence is now more important for CBS given the rapid decline in U.S. cable subscriptions, some analysts have noted.

Walt Disney Co’s recent deal to buy Twenty-First Century Fox Inc assets has stoked a fresh push from Shari Redstone to rejoin the companies her father split in 2006.

Bakish has improved distributor relations, found financing for Paramount Pictures after Chinese investors dropped out and shuffled programming since taking over Viacom in late 2016.

But Viacom shares trade around $33, below a $35 to $38.80 range when the merger was last on the table, potentially making a deal more feasible.

CBS and Viacom last explored merging at the urging of ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone, 94, and Shari Redstone, who control both through privately held National Amusements.

Moonves and CBS’ board had concerns over corporate governance and the deal’s financial rationale, and the Redstones called off the effort in December 2016.

For CBS, which owns the CBS network, local broadcasters and Showtime, taking on cable networks could mean a difficult integration and tough negotiations, said Tim Nollen, analyst with Macquarie Research.

Merging for size alone may not make sense in the long term, and CBS could be better off on its own, some analysts cautioned.

Viacom shares were down 0.4 percent in afternoon trade. CBS shares fell 1.8 percent.

--Ends--

Also, from Reuters UK:

CBS, Viacom form special committees to explore merger

CBS Corp and Viacom Inc have formed special committees to explore a merger, the companies said on Thursday, the first step in potentially reuniting the companies split by media mogul Sumner Redstone more than a decade ago.

In separate statements, each company said that there is no assurance that the process will result in a transaction, and they would not comment further until the process is completed.

The companies had previously explored a merger in 2016 at the urging of ailing 94-year-old Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari, who control CBS and Viacom through privately held National Amusements Inc.

Those talks failed due to concerns by CBS’ directors and Moonves over governance issues and the deal’s financial sense for CBS shareholders.

But Shari Redstone has continued to discuss with executives at both companies her desire to merge the two, which intensified after Walt Disney Co announced in December it would buy a majority of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s assets, sources have said.

“National Amusements supports the processes announced by CBS and Viacom to evaluate a combination of the two companies, which we believe has the potential to drive significant, long-term shareholder value,” the company said in a statement.

CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves and Viacom CEO Bob Bakish held discussions in January about a potential deal. The boards of both companies decided on Thursday to begin a formal process to explore the deal through special committees.

The deal would pair CBS’s broadcast network, television studios and Showtime cable network with Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV.

That could help CBS’ streaming service compete with Netflix Inc and boost the combined company’s leverage with cable and satellite distributors.

###

Also, from the LA Times:

CBS, Viacom boards form exploratory committees to evaluate a merger

CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc.'s boards each have formed special committees to evaluate whether a merger of the two companies would benefit shareholders.

CBS' decision came Thursday during a board meeting, an important first step in a process that could result in the reunification of CBS and Viacom.

Within a few minutes of CBS' announcing its move, Viacom separately released a statement saying that its board had taken the same step.

Viacom's board has "established a special committee of independent directors to evaluate a potential combination with CBS Corp.," the company said in a statement. "The committee has retained independent legal counsel and is retaining independent financial advisors in connection with this evaluation."

The two companies are controlled by the Sumner Redstone family. Shari Redstone, daughter of the ailing 94-year-old mogul and vice chairperson of both companies, favors the consolidation. Redstone and her family, through its holding company, National Amusements, control nearly 80% of the voting shares of the two companies.

However, the special committees will be composed of independent shareholders who must weigh whether a transaction would benefit all shareholders.

"National Amusements supports the processes announced by CBS and Viacom to evaluate a combination of the two companies, which we believe has the potential to drive significant, long-term shareholder value," the firm said in a statement. "National Amusements does not currently intend to make any further comments regarding the process."

It's unclear who would run the combined company, if the merger comes together. Although CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves has a strong track record managing CBS, Redstone might instead favor Bob Bakish, the executive she tapped to be chief executive of Viacom nearly 14 months ago.

CBS and Viacom are both medium-sized companies in a rapidly changing landscape where huge conglomerates, such as AT&T and the Walt Disney Co., are trying to scoop up media companies to better compete against internet giants Google, Apple, Facebook, Netflix and Amazon.com. Viacom owns MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and the Paramount Pictures movie studio.

CBS, which owns the CBS television network, TV stations and Showtime, is the stronger of the two companies. Wall Street values CBS at $22.5 billion. Its stock closed up 2.3% to $58.93 on Thursday.

Viacom, which has a market capitalization of $13.6 billion, has been trying to overcome management missteps, including a lack of investment in television programming, an uneven strategy for online distribution and consistently poor-performing movies at Paramount Pictures. Viacom also blundered by buying back its stock at inflated prices.

Viacom shares on Thursday closed down less than 1%, or 21 cents, to $33.21.

The two firms, both based in New York City, were part of the same company until 2006, when Sumner Redstone separated them because he believed that Viacom with its then-powerful portfolio of cable channels would be a growth stock. The more sturdy CBS was expected to pay investors a healthy dividend.

But the television landscape has dramatically shifted since then. CBS has been able to boost its value on the strength of its programming. The company has substantially increased revenue through the fees it charges cable and satellite television distributors who want to include CBS in their pay-TV bundle.

At the same time, Viacom has seen its revenue shrink. As its networks have grappled with lower ratings, Viacom has come under pressure from Charter Communications and other cable providers to reduce its carriage fees.

###

Also, from Variety:

CBS, Viacom Move Toward Merger Talks as Boards Begin to Evaluate Possible Deal

CBS Corp. and Viacom have taken the first steps toward negotiating a merger as both companies have established special board committees to evaluate a possibility of a deal.

CBS said Thursday its board has assembled a committee of independent directors to “evaluate a potential combination with Viacom Inc.” Viacom said it has “retained independent legal counsel and is retaining independent financial advisors in connection with this evaluation.”

The news came after a regularly scheduled CBS board meeting was held Thursday afternoon.

“There can be no assurance that this process will result in a transaction or on what terms any transaction may occur. Neither CBS nor the committee intends to comment further, until the process is completed,” CBS said in a statement. Viacom’s board issued the same statement.


National Amusements, the parent company of CBS and Viacom, endorsed the moves with a statement of its own. National Amusements president Shari Redstone, who is vice chairman of CBS and Viacom, has urged the companies to consider a reunion, given the pressure in the media landscape by M&A among its traditional rivals — Disney’s acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox and AT&T’s effort to buy up Time Warner — and the entry into the content arena by digital and tech behemoths with extremely deep pockets.

“National Amusements supports the processes announced by CBS and Viacom to evaluate a combination of the two companies, which we believe has the potential to drive significant, long-term shareholder value. National Amusements does not currently intend to make any further comments regarding the process,” the company said.

The statements mark the latest sign that the reunion of the two companies is in the offing. There are still big hurdles to clear in terms of valuation of a deal, given the systemic concerns around the diminishing value of Viacom lower-profile U.S. cable networks. But there is also an understanding that the media landscape is changing fast and the potential for the two sides to work together on international growth initiatives provides rationale for a reunion. Viacom’s share price has also tumbled further during the past year, making a deal more attractive on a financial basis for CBS shareholders. As of Thursday, Viacom had a market cap of $13.6 billion, with shares closing at $33.21. CBS is valued at $22.5 billion, with shares closing at $58.93.

There’s speculation that the deal would be structured as an all-stock transaction with CBS acquiring Viacom. Share prices for both companies were up in after-hours trading following the board announcements.

CBS and Viacom were first brought together in 2000 by Sumner Redstone, now chairman emeritus of both firms. The two were split up again in January 2006 out of Sumner Redstone’s frustration with a sagging stock price.

During the past 14 months under CEO Bob Bakish, however, Viacom has taken big steps to channel most of its programming resources into six flagship cable brands — Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, and Paramount Network (the rebranded Spike TV that debuted last week). Undoubtedly, it is only a matter of time before Viacom begins to shutter some of its lesser channels which are already losing distribution as MVPDs take a harder line in dealmaking and consumers embrace skinnier, cheaper bundles. CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves has been vocal to investors about the importance of CBS focusing on a few must-have channels in MVPD negotiations rather than having to fight for carriage of lesser outlets.

A deal between CBS and Viacom would also remove a hurdle to future M&A activity. It’s understood that the Redstones had previously balked at dealmaking opportunities involving CBS Corp. unless Viacom was also in the mix. CBS is known to have had merger discussions with Verizon in recent months.

###

Also, from the Wall Street Journal:

CBS and Viacom, After 12 Years Apart, Again Explore Deal to Recombine

Shari Redstone, who with her father Sumner Redstone controls both companies, believes they need greater scale to compete

CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. said Thursday that their boards have formed special committees to evaluate a potential merger, a deal that would reunite the two big pieces of the Redstone family’s media empire.

Shari Redstone, vice chairman of both companies, is pushing for a merger, people close to the discussions say. She, along with her 94 year-old father, Sumner Redstone, controls CBS and Viacom, with a roughly 80% controlling stake in each company through their holding company National Amusements Inc.

This is the second time in less than two years that Ms. Redstone has tried to get CBS and Viacom back together, after they split up in 2006.

Ms. Redstone believes both companies need greater scale to better compete against bigger rivals, people familiar with her thinking say. The new push comes as AT&T Inc. tries to acquire Time Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co. has a pending deal to purchase the majority of 21st Century Fox ’s entertainment assets.

CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves has previously resisted attempts to merge with Viacom and people close to him say he is wary of the combination.

In a statement, National Amusements said it supports the moves by CBS and Viacom to explore the deal, “which we believe has the potential to drive significant, long-term shareholder value.”

CBS and Viacom said in statements they wouldn’t comment further on the matter.

Ms. Redstone took pole position in the family empire in 2016 after a power struggle in which Viacom’s earlier management team was ousted.

Now she faces the challenge of setting up both companies for the future, especially Viacom, owner of more than two dozen cable channels including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central and the Paramount Pictures studio. Viacom was especially hard hit in recent years as young viewers migrated away from its networks.

Merging with CBS is a tempting solution: It would help shore up Viacom’s balance sheet and combine its channels with a valuable portfolio that includes prime-time CBS programming, sports content such as NFL football and the premium cable channel Showtime.

Ms. Redstone reached out to with Mr. Moonves last month to make the case for restarting merger talks, people familiar with the situation said. Ms. Redstone also began pressing for new blood on CBS’s board, the people said.

CBS isn’t opposed to growing, but it isn’t yet convinced that Viacom’s assets are the best path to scale, a person familiar with Mr. Moonves’s thinking said.

Viacom Chief Executive Robert Bakish, meanwhile, has been attempting a turnaround there. When Mr. Bakish was named chief executive just over a year ago, the company was losing revenue, its debt was teetering on junk status, its channels were losing audience and its Paramount studio had just lost nearly half a billion dollars in a single year.

He has tried to right the ship by improving relations with Viacom’s distribution partners, slimming the company’s strategic focus to six flagship cable channel brands, starting a digital content studio and improving collaboration between divisions.

Under Mr. Bakish, Viacom has maintained its cable channel-carriage agreements but it has been forced in some cases to accept lower fees, hurting the long-term outlook for its distribution revenue.

Analysts think Viacom would have greater leverage to negotiate with distributors if it were part of CBS. MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson said a deal also could offer “substantial cost synergies.”

Others counter that in this case bigger may not be better. “We do not view ‘scale’ as an all-encompassing positive—especially when ‘scale’ just means slapping two completely different companies together just to get bigger,” said Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker in a recent note.

Both Viacom and CBS had fallen short of analysts’ initial expectations for profitability in 2017—although Viacom fared much worse than CBS—and the pressure to consolidate has only increased, people close to the situation say.


Ms. Redstone believes Mr. Bakish would make sense as Mr. Moonves’s eventual successor at a merged company, the people familiar with the matter said.

Inside CBS, Chief Operating Officer Joe Ianniello is seen as Mr. Moonves’s successor and has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave at the end of this year if he isn’t named president or if someone else is named president or chief executive, according to a regulatory filing.

Mr. Moonves, who is well-regarded by Wall Street, has a few cards to play against Ms. Redstone if he ultimately isn’t convinced that a merger is the right move. According to his contract, he can leave for “good reason” if a non-executive chairman is appointed, or if the board “ceases to consist of ‘original independent directors’ and ‘qualified replacement directors.’ ”

Ms. Ryvicker said in her report that a departure by Mr. Moonves would weigh on CBS shares.

###

Originally published: Saturday, January 13, 2018.

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Drake & Josh's Drake Bell Says They Have Some 'Really Clever Ideas' for a 'Drake & Josh' Reboot [Updated]

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And dishes on what their characters would be doing in 2018!


Getty Images / Frank Micelotta

Drake & Josh was a staple of many a childhood, and now it's been 11 years since the show was last on our screens, surely that means it's time for a reboot? It's 2018, after all.

Well, star Drake Bell is "absolutely" behind revisiting our favourite stepbrothers, and revealed that co-star Josh Peck has already been floating around some ideas too.


Getty Images / Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic

"I think any chance for Josh and I have to get back together would be awesome," he recently told Digital Spy. "I think the fans would love it. And I would love to see us do something again together. Josh is so great, we have such great chemistry.

"It's kind of a once in a lifetime thing in Hollywood to find that. I've made multiple films with the same person and still not had that kind of chemistry as I do with Josh. It's not just, 'Oh you've worked together for so long and it just happens'."

He also explained that Josh has come up with some "really, really clever ideas" for a Drake & Josh reboot, teasing: "They're so good. I mean I can't say any of them because if they actually happen I want them to be a surprise. But Josh has come up with some really great ideas.


"If we could find it in our schedules, because I'm always touring and he's always doing his thing. If we can find the time in our schedule and the stars align, I think we have the greatest… I think we have a really clever and great idea to come back."

Drake further suggested of what it could entail: "If Josh and I got back together, I don't think we would want to continue the same storyline. I think we would want to do something outside of the box.

"Josh is so creative and I just know that if he and I put our heads together we're not gonna want to do Drake and Josh Go To College. It's going to be something much more creative and interesting than just, 'Oh, what happened to Drake and Josh when they grew up?' It's got to be more interesting than that."


The 32-year-old also theorised where Drake Parker and Josh Nichols would be in 2018, musing: "I think Drake Parker is still living at home, and Josh probably went off and got a great job and is probably managing some artist.

"Or, I dunno, Drake went and got famous and huge, or maybe he still is and did get famous and became a rock star but he still is living at home. I have a feeling he still lives with his mom and dad."


Also, from Metro US:

Drake Bell says Josh Peck has the perfect Drake and Josh reboot idea

"Fuller House ain't got nothing on this."

Millennials who grew up watching Drake Bell and Josh Peck get into all kinds of antics on Drake and Josh will be delighted to hear that the duo has been workshopping ideas for a possible reboot.

Despite the pair's rocky relationship in recent years, with Bell calling Peck out at one point for not sending him a wedding invite, that's all water under the bridge. Not only are the TV brothers on good terms again, but they both seem eager to revisit their classic Nickelodeon characters. Bell recently revealed to Metro that they've been talking about a Drake and Josh revival, and that Peck actually has the perfect idea for a reboot that would avoid the college years/where are they now cliches.

"It would have to be like, for Josh and I to get back together, it would have to be something different," Bell tells Metro. "I'd want to do something that's more creative than that and I know Josh would too."

"Actually Josh, I can't tell the idea, but it's really good," he adds. "Josh came up with a little something that I think is probably the most genius and absolute most brilliant way to bring us back."

Drake Bell talks Drake and Josh reboot possibilities

As for what's preventing a Drake and Josh reunion, it all has to do with timing. Bell, who's a touring musician as well, admits that he's only in Los Angeles for a few weeks out of the year, so getting the gang back together would be a little tough.

"It's just scheduling and everything," Bell says. "If the stars align, I would do it in a heartbeat."

In addition to reuniting with Peck, Bell reveals that he would want the show's creator, Dan Schneider, to return as well. That may be even harder than getting schedules figured out, as Schneider—who was also the mastermind behind All That, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly and countless hit Nickelodeon shows—was recently let go by the network. "I definitely want Dan Schneider to write it, who did the show," Bell says.

Should everything fall into place, though, Bell thinks "it would be by far the best reboot.""Fuller House ain't got nothing on this," he says.

In the meantime, Bell is focusing on his music and giving back. The actor and musician is headlining a benefit show for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting on Tuesday night in Orlando.

The tragedy had a huge impact on Bell, who has family in the Orlando area. His friend Christina Grimmie was also killed during another shooting in the city at her concert, just days before the Pulse incident.

"Orlando is really close to me," Bell says. "It just hit us like a ton of bricks."

Aside from the benefit show, Bell is also working on new music that channels his eclectic musical tastes, including Latin-infused tracks geared towards his Spanish-speaking fans, as well as trap-heavy songs that stem from his work with hip-hop moguls like Tank God, who produced "Rockstar" for Post Malone, and Cassius Clay, who produced Rich the Kid's album.

Bell is also pals with Lil Pump, and recently created an acoustic cover for the rapper's hit song "Gucci Gang." What started out as a joke track quickly became a fan-favorite song for Bell at his concerts.

"I started playing it at concerts just as a joke, then people started requesting it," Bell says. "People were showing up with signs that would say 'Play Gucci Gang,' and 'You're the Gucci god.' It was so funny."

As for what's next for Bell on the stage or screen, you never know. Bell hopes to try even more new things with his work, even if it's just to stave off his boredom.

"I call it evolving. I think it's just boredom," Bell says. "I'm always trying to work on new projects, new sounds."

--Ends--

Update (11/19): There have been rumors swirling around social media in recent days that Nickelodeon is perhaps gearing up to bring back its highly acclaimed sitcom, Drake & Josh!

Until now, while the network still airs reruns of Drake & Josh on TeenNick, there has rarely ever been any indication of the network’s plan to bring back its hit sitcom. But now, as the actors have buried the hatchet and moved on following last years spat, Nickelodeon has itself hinted towards a potential comeback of the wildly popular show. While some people believe that the hint has more to do with Victoria justice and Hulu, it could mean that a comeback season of Drake and Josh is in the works on the network.

Nickelodeon recently tweeted“I think we ALL love Drake and Josh”. Retweets began to pour in the very next seconds. There was an overwhelming from the ardent fans of the show and they all came up with various reactions about the news. The initial reactions expressed surprise, where fans replied the network with phrases like ‘no you just didn’t’, or simply shared GIFs to express their astonishment; albeit all in delight. Nickelodeon; however, did not give any concrete intimation to fans. Instead, it just backed up the retweets ironically, leaving only subtle hints about its plans. Someone even asked Nickelodeon in a retweet if whether they were bringing back Drake and Josh, and without revealing any significant information the net replied with a "maybe".

However, Nickelodeon confirmed in a separate tweet that Nickelodeon confirmed that they have no current plans to bring back the beloved series, saying "We're not I'm just saying I miss the show".

Although a Drake & Josh reunion or reboot would not be impossible, it's now highly unlikely, as the show's creator, Dan Schneider has now left the network, and Bell recently revealed in a interview with Out In Jersey that he'd love Schneider to be part of the project:

There has been a lot of chatter as of late as to a Drake & Josh reboot. Have you spoken to Josh Peck about this? What are the odds?

DB: I would love for a reboot to be launched. If we are going to come back, there has to be a solid form of creativity present. I do not want to do something cliché ala Drake & Josh: College Years. There has to be some more thought to it. Fortunately, I have actually spoken to Josh about this, and he has come up with some very clever ideas and concepts, which I think are genius. Our schedules just need to sync up, not to mention I would really love to have Dan Schneider, who executive produced the series, to be involved in the writing and creation of the reboot. I am always into getting The Beatles back together if the timing is right (laughs).

--Ends--

Watch more Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon!

More Nick:Nickelodeon and Paramount to Bring Rugrats Back for the Next Generation of Kids with an All-New TV Series and Feature Film!

Originally published: Saturday, August 11, 2018.

H/T: Formulatv.com; Additional source: Google.co.uk.
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Spannende Kart Race met Cromotag!; 🎶 De nieuwe hit van Bokado en Treasure! 🎤 | De Viral Fabriek | Nickelodeon Nederlands

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Spannende Kart Race met Cromotag! | De Viral Fabriek | Nickelodeon Nederlands



Cromotag, Dirk en Dré doen een levensecht spelletje Mario Kart! Wie zal er winnen?

🎶 De nieuwe hit van Bokado en Treasure! 🎤 | De Viral Fabriek | Nickelodeon Nederlands



Bokado en Treasure hebben een liedje geschreven en daarbij deze videoclip opgenomen!

Meer: http://www.nickelodeon.nl/shows/3723 | http://www.nickelodeon.be/shows/3723.

Meer Nick:No Job Is Too Big, No Pup Is Too Small! 'PAW Patrol Live: De Grote Race' To Visit The Netherlands And Belgium For First Time During Summer 2019!
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Swan Lake Ballet Music & Dance w/ Nella the Princess Knight 👯 | Nick Jr.

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Grab your dance shoes because you’re going to want to twirl, jump, and curtsy along with Nella and all her friends. 👯 Find full episodes of Nella the Princess Knight and more in the free Nick Jr. App!



In this video, boys and girls get to dance along with Nella, Garrett, Clod, Trinket, and all their friends in Castlehaven. If you love ballet dance moves, music, and mishaps, you’ll really get a kick and curtsy out of this Swan Lake inspired music video that highlights how fun it is to dance.

To find full episodes of the animated TV series Nella the Princess Knight, visit the free Nick Jr. App.

Kids can watch their favorite Nick Jr. preschool shows weekdays on Nickelodeon and all week long on the Nick Jr. channel: http://nickjr.com/tvschedule/

More Nick:Nickelodeon’s Debut of 'Butterbean’s Café' Serves Up Network’s Biggest Preschool Debut in Five Years!

Preschoolers can watch full episodes online, play games, and discover silly surprises in the free Nick Jr. App and at NickJr.com. Stream Nick Jr. for free in the Nick Jr. App on Roku and Apple TV or download full episodes for offline viewing on iTunes or Google Play.

You can also download premium apps featuring your child's favorite Nick Jr. shows on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon, including Nick Jr. Draw and Play and Nick Jr. Let’s Learn!

More Nick:Nick Jr. USA Premieres 'Rainbow Rangers'!
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GIRL POWER on the Set of Henry Danger! 🎥 BTS Ep. 4 | #SetLifeOnNick | Nickelodeon

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Riele Downs (Charlotte) and Ella Anderson (Piper) break down what it’s like to be the leading ladies on the set of Henry Danger Season 5! Check out what it’s like to work with Jace Norman, find out what they do outside of the show, and learn what their favorite sets and snacks are! Any #setlife secrets you want to know about? Ask the cast in the comments on YouTube!



What do YOU want to know more about life on set of Henry Danger?! Let Nickelodeon know in the comments on YouTube for a chance to be featured in an upcoming episode! 💙💯⭐

Check out some super behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the brand-new Henry Danger special "Thumb War" from Mike Caron, the first assistant director on Nickelodeon's hit superhero-themed comedy series Henry Danger!:

View this post on Instagram

@henrydanger THUMB WAR is THIS WEEKEND!!! & one of my absolute favorite episodes to direct! 😎 You’ve heard about The THUMBBUDDIES 👍👍, now meet STAINLESS STEVE! SWIPE ⬅️ @eddie_davenport owned this role & just wait till you see him in action! 💪💪😏😏😎😎 . . SWIPE ⬅️. Eddie, in addition to being an amazing actor is also a FAMOUS stunt performer! For all u that saw the movie “Logan” Eddie was @thehughjackman (yeah, THAT guy!) Stunt double!!! 🤯🤯 . And of course, #TGIF !!!!! And check back on Sunday for THUMB WAR BTS 😉 #hd5filming . . . #henrydanger #nick #nickelodeon #jacenorman #cooperbarnes #kiddanger #captainman #bts #behindthescenes #eddiedavenport #mikecaron #henrydangerseason5 #director #directorslife #dga #teennick #thumbbuddies #stuntman

A post shared by Mike Caron (@mikecaron_la) on

View this post on Instagram

@HENRYDANGER FILM SCHOOL 🎬🎬 OK students, hope you enjoyed your homework, THUMB WAR!! 👍👍 & here’s how we did the #thumbbuddies car crashing into #captainman ! The first 2 videos show one of the larger set ups I’ve directed & @vincedeadrick and his stunt team helped knock it out!!! 💪💪 It takes 3 separate setups to achieve. First you have the car drive in reverse and stop on a mark as “if” hitting someone . Then you shoot Jace reacting to the “hit”. Third shot is what these videos show you. Then our amazing post production team “marries” these shots all together with a split screen and bam! Car hit!!!! 🚗💥💥🔥🔥 Third video is me getting the cast & crew ready to go! Communication is key! 😎 . THANK YOU one & all for your continued support and I hope these posts inspire all future filmmakers!!!! 😎🎥📽🎬 Class dismissed! 😉😉 . . . #henrydanger #nick #nickelodeon #teennick #jacenorman #cooperbarnes #kiddanger #bts #behindthescenes #director #directorslife #superheroes #filmschool #mikecaron #vincedeadrickjr #eddiedavenport #stunts #filmmakersworld

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More Nick:Nickelodeon USA's November 2018 Premiere Highlights | Thanksgiving | Nicksgiving!
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It's Thanksgiving Week 🦃A Superstar #TBT & More! | #WinYourWeek | Nickelodeon

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Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and this year Nick are thankful for this epic new episode of Win Your Week! Thanksgiving is all about the fun, food and family, so this week we’re serving up an awesome Thanksgiving-themed Oddly Satisfying Sunday! Watch as Tina the Thankful Turkey reads your fan comments, and don’t miss a special Thanksgiving remix of JoJo Siwa’s new song, D.R.E.A.M! Featuring an amazing avocado carving from Nick Upgrades (http://bit.ly/NickUpgrades)!



Are you SO excited for colder weather? What is YOUR favorite activity to do when it's chilly outside?! ⛄🍁💛

More Nick:Nickelodeon USA's November 2018 Premiere Highlights | Thanksgiving | Nicksgiving!
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My Guardian Angel 2 | Coming Soon | TeenNick | Nickelodeon Israel

Henry, Jasper, Charlotte & Piper are Going to Cactus Con! | Henry Danger | Nickelodeon

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Henry (Jace Norman) and Charlotte (Riele Downs) are put in a tough place trying to help Jasper go to Cactus Con with Patina (Baby Ariel) in the brand-new Henry Danger episode "The Great Cactus Con", premiering Saturday, November 24 at 8:00pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon USA! Think this date is going to go well? Let me know what you think in the comments below! Catch more Henry Danger on Nick!





Did you hear? Jace and Baby Ariel will be starring in a brand-new Nickelodeon Original Movie, Bixler High Private Eye!

More Nick:Nickelodeon Announces Teen Sleuthing TV Movie ‘Bixler High Private Eye’!

Originally published: Saturday, November 17, 2018.
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Nickelodeon USA to Premiere New 'The Loud House' Specials 'The Loudest Thanksgiving' and 'Really Loud Music' in November 2018

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This fall, treat yourself to two brand-new The Loud House 30-minute specials! First, fill up with "The Loudest Thanksgiving" (aka "Fowl Play"), then jam out with "Really Loud Music"! Catch these all-new The Loud House specials, coming this November, only on Nickelodeon USA!



In "The Loudest Thanksgiving", premiering Monday, November 12 at 7:00pm ET/PT, faced with spending Thanksgiving apart, Lori and Bobby try to bring their crazy families together for the first time!


Then, in "Really Loud Music", premiering Friday, November 23 at 7:00pm ET/PT, hoping to win a song-writing contest, Luna contemplates whether she should go with a song that’s true to her sound or try to make something that the whole world will love.

“Really Loud Music” 🎸 Official Trailer | ‘The Loud House’ 30-Minutes Special Event



The Loud House: “Really Loud Music” 🎸 Second Official Trailer





“The Loudest Thanksgiving” 🦃🙏🏻 Official Trailer | The Loud House




More Nick:Nickelodeon USA's November 2018 Premiere Highlights | Thanksgiving | Nicksgiving!

Originally published: Sunday, October 28, 2018.

Additional source: @John C.
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Double Dare TRAP REMIX 🎶 ft. Liza Koshy, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell & More! | #MusicMonday | Nickelodeon

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Liza Koshy, Marc Summers, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Jamie Lynn Spears, LaurDIY & Alex Wassabi know how it goes down on Double Dare– and now it’s coming at you in musical form! What do you think the “Slip & Slime” dance looks like? Think you could conquer Mount Saint Double Dare? Let me know in the comments below! Catch more Double Dare on Nickelodeon!



❗ EMOJI POLL ❗What is the BEST part of Double Dare: THE PHYSICAL CHALLENGES 💪,THE OBSTACLE COURSE 🙌, or LIZA KOSHY ✌?!

Make sure to catch the reunion of the decade - the Kenan & Kel Reunion - in the brand-new Double Dare special"Team Kel vs. Team Kenan", premiering Wednesday, November 21 at 8:00pm ET/PT, only on Nick-Na-Nick-Nick-Na-Nick-Nick-Nick Nickelodeon USA!

More Nick:'All That' Alums Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell to Compete on Special Episode of 'Double Dare', Premiering Wednesday, November 21 on Nickelodeon USA!
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Brian Stepanek Reveals He Would of Liked to Have Seen 'Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn' Continue for 'Another Six or Seven Seasons'

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Actor Brian Stepanek is one of those people you see on TV playing the lovable, often pitiful character in all your favorite shows. He first appeared in our radar as Arwin Hawkhauser, the kooky janitor at the Tipton Hotel, which was the venue for all of Zack and Cody’s shenanigans in Disney's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Since then, he has been on many children's shows including, more recently, Nickelodeon's hit live-action comedy series Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, where he plays father to the eponymous quadruplets.


Currently, he has a recurring role in CBS'Young Sheldon as Mr. Hubert Givens, Sheldon’s (Ian Armitage) science teacher. Having worked with Chuck Lorre in projects like Two and a Half Men and Mom, Stepanek’s talents were already known to the show's creator, who brought him in for a few more episodes that had been initially intended for the character.

"What's great about working there is that it is a very, very well-oiled machine. Everybody there is very good at their jobs. They are the best people in the business. The writing is fantastic. It's extremely smooth and very easy," Stepanek told Meaww.

In the driver’s seat of this well-oiled machine, of course, is young Armitage, who Stepanek claims, continues to be a kid between takes, despite the fact that he is working. "He remains a kid. Between takes, he is reading a book. He loves to joke around with the crew and the crew is very aware that he is a kid. And, they try to keep that alive in him. He is really a pleasure to work with and a thrill," he gushes.


The show in which we see some of Stepanek's best work, 'Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn', met with an untimely cancellation earlier this year, and like most fans, he too believes that the show had more in the engine. (The Riker Brothers)

As someone who came up through Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, Stepanek obviously has quite a bit of experience working with children. The show in which we see some of his best work, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn met with an untimely cancellation earlier this year, and like most fans, he too believes that the show had more in the engine.

"There were a lot of things that kind of worked towards that show coming to an end. I absolutely loved working on it. For any actor to have a regular job and a regular gig to go to is just a joy and the pinnacle. That's what you're trying to get to," he elaborates.

"For four years I got to drive to Paramount every day and go to work and get to know the crew and my co-workers and the cast and the writers and it was just an absolute pleasure so I would have loved to have kept going but I wasn't privy to all the decisions that were made but I think it could have absolutely kept going."

If he could, he would have wanted to see his on-screen children go to college. "In my selfish actor-like way I would like them all to have been 20 years old and we got another six or seven seasons and they go to college and they all go to different colleges and they say goodbye to each other after spending all that time together," says Stepanek, further adding, "That's where I would have liked to have seen gone. Going to high school and see them all — irrespective of whether they go to college or not — starting their adult lives separately from each other."


We did get one of Stepanek’s other popular TV shows back in the day, in the form of Suite Life on Deck. However, that too ended in 2011 and now that Cole and Dylan Sprouse, the stars of the show, are back in front of the camera, should fans cross our fingers for a reunion? Definitely not for a TV show, Stepanek tells Meaww, but a movie could work very well.

"If they ever did a reunion, I think it would be better served as a movie rather than an actual series. I would just like to see everybody on the show again. I have worked on that show more than anything maybe I have ever done," he says, adding that being a new dad stopped him from really bonding with the cast on the sets, however, he still feels a sense of pride in the boys who have now become well-rounded actors and heartthrobs in their own right.

In his own words, "I can't help but be proud of them. I think the route they took is fantastic. They decided 'Hey we are done with this. We are going to go to college and live sort of a normal life, get an education, see what other things are out there that we are interested in', and to be honest that is going to make them better actors, because they have all the life experience to act and use these experiences as an actor. I root for them all the time. Any time I see them in something whether it's Dylan doing his movies or business or Cole doing photography and then going to act, whatever they do I always root for them."



Meanwhile, Stepanek can currently be heard as the dad in Nickelodeon's hit animated series The Loud House, and will be able to be seen in the upcoming movie Green Book, also starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, set for US-wide release on November 2.

Would you have liked to see Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn carry on? Or do you think the show ended at the right point? Sound off in the comments!

Watch Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn on Nickelodeon, and visit nick.com and the Nick App for more NRDD!

More Nick:Nickelodeon USA's November 2018 Premiere Highlights | Thanksgiving | Nicksgiving!

Additional sources: Just Jared Jr., Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn Wiki.
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Lucy Loud Tells Ghost Stories in The Loud House #5: After Dark Preview

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A sleepwalking sister! Space dreams and scientific surveys! A sudden surge of songwriting inspiration! Slippery, silent worm hunting and the stealthy seeking of a warm bath! The search for a sticky ghost! It's all happening in Papercutz's fifth brand-new The Loud House graphic novel "After Dark"!


There is no such thing as sweet slumber in the Loud House. In The Loud House #5:“After Dark”, witness what kind of antics the Loud kids – Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, Lily, and Lincoln (plus best friend Clyde) can get up to in the wee hours! One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a long, long night!

An all-new, all-night adventure dreamt up by the creative team of Nickelodeon’s unstoppable, hit show!

The Loud House #5:“After Dark” releases in the U.S. on Tuesday, November 27, and will be available to purchase in hardcover ($12.99) and paperback ($7.99) formats. A digital edition will also be available from Amazon Kindle and comiXology.

Fans in the UK will have a bit longer to wait until they can get their hands on The Loud House #5:“After Dark”, where it releases on Tuesday 9th July 2019, however, the wait will be worth it! Fans can pre-order it now on Amazon.co.uk (Kindle Edition: £6.38; Hardcover: £12.99; Paperback: £7.99)!

To celebrate, Newsarama has unveiled a super sneak-peek from the all-new The Loud House graphic novel "After Dark", which you can check out below!:


Following The Loud House #5:“After Dark”, fans can look forward to at least two brand-new The Loud House graphic novels from Papercutz and one all-new The Loud House from Random House in 2019, including:

Campaign Chaos! (The Loud House) Hardcover – January 8, 2019

by Mollie Freilich (Author), Random House (Illustrator)


An original chapter book--with a full-color insert--based on Nickelodeon's hit television series The Loud House!

This all-new chapter book is based on Nickelodeon's popular TV series The Loud House--home to Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, Lily, and . . . Lincoln Loud! Lincoln's secret to surviving in the Loud house? Always have a plan. With a little help from his best friend, Clyde, Lincoln can handle anything his sisters throw at him. And despite all the headaches, Lincoln wouldn't have it any other way! Fans of The Loud House and readers ages 6 to 12 will love this laugh-out-loud original chapter-book adventure, told from Lincoln's point of view; plus, it includes a removable full-color poster.

Product details

Formats available: Hardcover and Paperback
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Series: The Loud House
Authors: Mollie Freilich, Amaris Glass
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (January 8, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1984851489
ISBN-13: 978-1984851482
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces

The Loud House #6: Loud and Proud (The Loud House) Hardcover – April 30, 2019

by The Loud House Creative Team (Author)


Product details
Age Range: 6 - 12 years
Grade Level: 1 - 2
Series: The Loud House (Book 6)
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Papercutz (April 30, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1545802114
ISBN-13: 978-1545802113
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

The Loud House #7: The Struggle is Real - August 20, 2019

by The Loud House Creative Team (Author)


Product details

Age Range: 7 - 11 years
Grade Level: 2 - 3
Series: The Loud House (Book 7)
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Papercutz (August 20, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1629917966
ISBN-13: 978-1629917962
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

Papercutz will also release a The Loud House graphic novel compilation, featuring three fan-favorite previously released The Loud House graphic novels on Tuesday, January 22, 2019!:

Loud House 3-in-1: “There will be Chaos” “There Will be More Chaos” “Live Life Loud!” Paperback – January 22, 2019

by The Loud House Creative Team (Author)


Product details

Age Range: 5 - 11 years
Grade Level: 2 - 3
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Papercutz (January 22, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 154580530X
ISBN-13: 978-1545805305
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

More Nick:Nickelodeon Greenlights 'Los Casagrandes,' Original Animated Spinoff Of Hit Series 'The Loud House'!
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Wicked Cool Toys Announces 'The Loud House' Plush Toy Line | NYTF 2018 [Updated]

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Originally published: Monday, February 19, 2018.

US toy manufacturer Wicked Cool Toys has partnered with Nickelodeon to launch a line of collectible figures and plush toys inspired by Nickelodeon's top-rated animated series, The Loud House!


The eight-inch characters are expressive, colorful and feature Lincoln, Clyde, Luna, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lori. It is currently known whether the collection will also feature Leni, Luan, Lynn, Lisa, and Lily, but having a full set of characters would be fantastic. Available in fall 2018, the toy line is for ages 4 and older. Price: $9.99 (USD) each.

Wicked Cool Toys are currently showcasing their The Loud House plush toy line at the 2018 North American International Toy Fair in New York City.

Update (11/19): Wicked Cool Toys has released their first The Loud House plush toy, featuring Lincoln Loud! Full details below!:

The Loud House Lincoln 8" Stuffed Plush Toy - Nickelodeon TV Show Officially Licensed - Ages 3+
by The Loud House

Price: $14.99

- The popular character Lincoln from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show, The Loud House, is now available in a plush toy!

- Measuring 8", the Lincoln plush doll is made of super-soft, durable material and depicts his signature style!

- Be proud to be Loud! Children of all ages will enjoy this soft and cuddly plush toy depicting their favorite Loud House character, Lincoln Loud!

- Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series!

- Officially licensed merchandise. Polyester. Measures 8"h. For ages 3 and up.

Product description

Fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House will be thrilled to have the central character from the show as part of their collection of toys. The Loud House is Nickelodeon's top watched TV show starring Lincoln as the lovable and relate-able middle child. This realistic and officially licensed 8 inch plush toy portrays Lincoln perfectly, white hair and chipped front tooth included. It is wonderfully soft and quality stitched so it you can count on its durability to last. Lincoln fits perfectly on any display shelf and is also a great companion to take along with you while watching the show. Have a piece of the wildly successful show as part of your collection. Polyester. For ages 3 years and up.

Product information

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4 x 8 inches
Item Weight: 2.72 ounces
Shipping Weight: 2.72 ounces
ASIN: B07G8R2198
Manufacturer recommended age: 3 years and up


Update (9/10): In addition to The Loud House plush toys, Wicked Cool Toys will also be releasing two ranges of The Loud House plastic figurines!

The first range is The Loud House non-articulated Mini Figures, featuring eight characters from The Loud House. The range is currently available to purchase on Amazon.com as two four packs ($19.99 USD each) featuring seven characters (Lincoln features in both) or as one eight pack, featuring one Lincoln figure and one Lily figure ($34.99 USD). At the moment of writing, one of the four sets and the complete collection set are currently low on stock, so make sure to order today before they run out! Full details and pictures of the collection can be found below.

The second range is a Surprise Figure set, featuring Lincoln and his 10 sisters, and Clyde each with their own room. Each room can be connected to create your very own Loud House! The Loud House Surprise Figure set is currently waiting release.

Fans will also be able to find a The Loud House mini-clip plush for backpacks later this year!

The Loud House Figure 4 Pack - Lincoln, Leni, Lucy, Luna - Action Figure Toys from The Nickelodeon TV Show - 3" Each - Ages 4+


- Price: $19.99

- Popular characters from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show The Loud House are now available in a 4 piece toy figure set!

- Measuring 3" each, the action figure doll set includes Lincoln, Leni, Lucy and Luna!

- Be proud to be Loud! Children of all ages will enjoy playing with their favorite Loud House characters!

- Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series!

- Officially licensed merchandise. Plastic. Measure: 3"h. For ages 4 and up.

Product description

The popular characters from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show The Loud House are now available in a 4 piece toy figure set! Measuring 3" each, the action figure set includes Lincoln, Leni, Lucy and Luna! Children of all ages will enjoy playing with their favorite Loud House characters! Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series! Officially licensed merchandise. Plastic. Measure approximately: 3"h. For ages 4 and up.

Package Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 2.8 inches
Item Weight: 5.3 ounces
Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
Manufacturer recommended age: 4 years and up


The Loud House Figure 4 Pack - Lincoln, Clyde, Lisa, Lori - Action Figure Toys from The Nickelodeon TV Show - 3" Each - Ages 4+


- Price: $19.99

- Popular characters from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show The Loud House are now available in a 4 piece toy figure set!

- Measuring 3" each, the action figure doll set includes Lincoln, Clyde, Lisa and Lori!

- Be proud to be Loud! Children of all ages will enjoy playing with their favorite Loud House characters!

- Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series!

- Officially licensed merchandise. Plastic. Measure: 3"h. For ages 4 and up.

The popular characters from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show The Loud House are now available in a 4 piece toy figure set! Measuring 3" each, the action figure set includes Lincoln, Clyde, Lisa and Lori! Children of all ages will enjoy playing with their favorite Loud House characters! Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series! Officially licensed merchandise. Plastic. Measure approximately: 3"h. For ages 4 and up.

Package Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 2.6 inches
Item Weight: 5.3 ounces
Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
ASIN: B07H3XJ3YY
Manufacturer recommended age: 4 years and up


The Loud House Figure 8 Pack - Lincoln, Clyde, Lori, Lily, Leni, Lucy, Lisa, Luna - Action Figure Toys from The Nickelodeon TV Show - Ages 4+


- Price: $19.99

- Popular characters from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show The Loud House are now available in a 8 piece toy figure set!

- Measuring 3" each, the action figure doll set includes Lincoln, Clyde, Lori, Leni, Lucy, Lisa, Luna and an exclusive baby Lily!

- Be proud to be Loud! Children of all ages will enjoy playing with their favorite Loud House characters!

- Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series!

- Officially licensed merchandise. Plastic. Tallest measures: 3"h. For ages 4 and up.

The popular characters from Nickelodeon's top rated TV show The Loud House are now available in a 8 piece toy figure set! Measuring 3" each, the action figure set includes Lincoln, Clyde, Lori, Lily, Leni, Lucy, Lisa and Luna! Children of all ages will enjoy playing with their favorite Loud House characters! Makes a great gift for fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House cartoon series! Officially licensed merchandise. Plastic. Measure approximately: 3"h. For ages 4 and up.

Package Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 2.6 inches
Item Weight: 12.2 ounces
Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
ASIN: B07H3ZT43K
Manufacturer recommended age: 4 years and up


Below are more photos of Wicked Cool Toys' The Loud House booth display at NYTF 2018, via technobuffalo:


Rendered production samples of the character figurines

Which The Loud House plush are you hoping to get? What other The Loud House merchandise would you like to see? Let NickALive! know in the comments below!

More Nick:First Look at Playmates Toys 'Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Toy Line!

Source: Newsday; H/T: Huge thanks to @Gravity_Ferb and @xSunnyEclipse for the fantastic news!; Additional sources: Instagram /@loudly_fanarts, The Loud House Encyclopedia.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and The Loud House News and Highlights!

Genius Brands International’s New Preschool Series, 'Rainbow Rangers', Debuts on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. in Key 3 PM Timeslot, Reaching 90 Million U.S. Television Households and Delivering 15 Million Digital Marketing Impressions on Launch

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Official Genius Brands International, Inc. Press Release via GlobeNewswire:

Genius Brands International’s New Preschool Series, Rainbow Rangers, Debuts on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. in Key 3 PM Timeslot, Reaching 90 Million U.S. Television Households and Delivering 15 Million Digital Marketing Impressions on Launch


Launch Event Held at NASDAQ MarketSite In New York City on November 6th Featured Executive Speakers from Key Brand Partners, Including Mattel, MacMillan Publishing, and Gershwin Entertainment, as well as The Beacon Media Group’s Founder Shelley Hirsch




Genius Brands International (NASDAQ: GNUS) delivers its new animated adventure preschool series, Rainbow Rangers, on Nick Jr.!

Featuring engaging storylines rooted in themes of empowerment, diversity, friendship and sustainability, Genius Brands International’s Rainbow Rangers, which premiered on Nov. 5th on Nick Jr., follows the thrilling rescue-based adventures of seven 9-year-old girls who are Earth’s first responders, protecting people, animals, resources, and the natural beauty of our world. The series boasts a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, including Rob Minkoff (Disney’s The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney’s Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials), who is serving as head writer and co-creator. Genius Brands’ Chairman and CEO and multiple EmmyAward-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children's programming, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer, with legendary Disney alum Ruben Aquino creating key designs.

Genius Brands International, Inc.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Nov. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ: GNUS), a leading media company that creates, produces and licenses children’s multimedia entertainment content and products for global broadcast, digital and retail distribution, delivers its new animated adventure preschool series, Rainbow Rangers, on Nick Jr., reaching 90 million U.S. TV households. The series premiere is being supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign across display, social media, e-blast and influencers with the Rainbow Rangers trailers distributed across Genius Brands’ Kid Genius channel, Baby Genius channel, and Affiliate VOD and OTT channels in over 80 million households.

At the Rainbow Rangers launch event held yesterday at NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City, Genius Brands was joined by a roster of key brand licensing partners to present to investors an overview of the brand, including the upcoming 2019 retail launch of over 300 Rainbow Rangers-branded products coming to market from nearly 30 blue-chip manufacturers. Speakers at the event included Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands; Sam Susz, Director of Marketing at Mattel Toys; Erin Stein, Publisher at MacMillan Publishing’s Imprint; Todd Gershwin, CEO & President of Gershwin Entertainment, who unveiled their plans for Rainbow Rangers. Shelly Hirsch, Founder of The Beacon Media Group, ‘industry guru,’ and the single largest children’s media buyer in the U.S.—discussed the timeliness and commerciality of the brand.

Rainbow Rangers follows the adventures of seven diverse girls with seven different powers who work together to protect the planet and its animals. Empowering young girls is a powerful and timely message in today’s world,” explained Heyward. “Nickelodeon is currently home to eight of the top ten preschool shows on all TV, and its Nick Jr. is clearly an ideal environment in which to introduce Rainbow Rangers, which is now primed to be THE brand for preschool girls as we head into 2019 and the retail launch.”

“I believe there is a void in the children’s market for a real breakout new TV franchise, so the timing for the release of Rainbow Rangers could not be happening at a better time,” said Hirsch.

Beginning for back-to-school 2019 (July/August), Genius Brands will launch the U.S. retail program for Rainbow Rangers with products debuting across all categories of kid’s consumer products. Master toy partner, Mattel, will premiere a range of toys, including collectible dolls, traditional fashion dolls, role-play items, and a playset. Additional licensing partners include MacMillan Publishing’s Imprint (master publishing), Bentex (master apparel), Gershwin Entertainment (live touring show), A.M.E. (sleepwear), Berkshire Fashions (cold weather and accessories), BioWorld (bags, backpacks), Ceaco (puzzles), Disguise (Halloween costumes), Handcraft Manufacturing (packaged underwear), H.E.R. Accessories (jewelry and hair accessories), Jay Franco (bedding and bath), Dynacraft (bicycles), Kid Galaxy (bubble toys), Kiddieland (foot-to-floor ride-ons), Planet Sox (hosiery), KIDdesigns (youth electronics line), Cra-Z-Art (craft and activity kits), Esquire Footwear (sneakers, shoes and other footwear), Kittrich (school supplies and paper goods), and Basic Fun! (novelty toy line).

About Rainbow Rangers
Featuring engaging storylines rooted in themes of empowerment, diversity, friendship and sustainability, Rainbow Rangers follows the thrilling rescue-based adventures of seven 9-year-old girls who are Earth’s first responders, protecting people, animals, resources, and the natural beauty of our world. The Rainbow Rangers, who live in the magical land of Kaleidoscopia at the other side of the rainbow, have their own distinctive personalities and superpowers. Whenever there’s trouble for the people or animals of Earth, our seven heroines zoom into action and ride their Spectra Scooters across the rainbow to save the day. Viewers will join them on exciting adventures, but also see them at home having the same daily dramas and hilarities as every pre-schooler watching the show. And at its heart, Rainbow Rangers is about empowering and encouraging girls to take action and make a difference in their own homes and neighborhoods to improve and safeguard the planet.

Rainbow Rangers boasts a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, including Rob Minkoff (Disney’s The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney’s Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbiespecials), who is serving as head writer and co-creator. Genius Brands’ Chairman and CEO and multiple EmmyAward-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children's programming, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer, with legendary Disney alum Ruben Aquino creating key designs. Aquino is responsible for the design and animation of many of Disney’s most iconic characters from award-winning films including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan and Frozen.

About Genius Brands International
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s “content with a purpose” brand portfolio, which is led by award-winning creators and producers, includes preschool properties Rainbow Rangers for Nick Jr. and Llama Llama for Netflix; award-winning toddler brand, Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and financial literacy and entrepreneurship series, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. The Company’s content catalog also includes the animated series, Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, created with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment. Seeing the need to provide kids and parents with a safe viewing environment that offers premium enriching and engaging programming, Genius Brands launched the Genius Brands Network – comprised of Kid Genius Cartoon Channel and Baby Genius TV, as well as an exclusive Kid Genius Cartoons Plus subscription channel on Amazon Prime. The Network channels are available in approximately 80 million U.S. households via a variety of distribution platforms, such as OTT, set-top box, internet and mobile. Through licensing agreements with category leading partners, characters from the Company’s properties also appear on a wide range of consumer products for retail. For additional information please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:
Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may,""might,""will,""should,""believe,""expect,""anticipate,""estimate,""continue,""predict,""forecast,""project,""plan,""intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, under the heading "Risk Factors," and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to risk factors relating to its patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

###

Update (11/19) - Below is a transcript from Genius Brands' Tuesday, November 19 conference call, featuring the bits about Rainbow Rangers, via Seeking Alpha. To read the transcript in full, please visit seekingalpha.com:

Genius Brands International, Inc. (GNUS) CEO Andy Heyward on Q3 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNUS) Q3 2018 Results Earnings Conference Call November 19, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Executives

Michael Porter - IR, Porter, LeVay & Rose

Andy Heyward - Chairman and CEO

Analysts

Jim McIlree - Chardan Capital

Ishfaque Faruk - WestPark Capital

Operator

Greetings, and welcome to Genius Brands International Third Quarter 2018 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded.

I would now like to turn the conference to Michael Porter, with Porter, LeVay & Rose. Please, you may begin.

Michael Porter

Thank you, operator. Good morning, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to the Genius Brands third quarter conference call.

Certain statements in this conference call constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as may, might, will, should, believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, continue, project, plan, intend or similar expressions or similar expressions or statements regarding intent, belief of current expectations are forward-looking statements.

While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements which are based on information available to us on the date of this conference call. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions, and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, those set forth in the Company’s annual report or 10-K for the fiscal year end December, 2017 under the risk heading Risk Factors and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to risk factors related to the business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update the altered statements whether as a result of new information, further events or otherwise, except as required by law.

And now, I’d like to turn the call over to Andy Heyward. Good morning, Andy.

Andy Heyward

Good morning. Thank you, Michael. Welcome, everybody.

Today, I’m going to talk about the launch of our Rainbow Rangers animated television series on Nickelodeon and the transformational impact we foresee it having on the revenues and earnings of Genius Brands. There is nothing more important on our immediate agenda.

Before doing so, I want to take a moment and share some highlights from the recently released 10-Q statement, which was out last Wednesday for the Q3 period ending September 30, 2018. Some quick bullet points.

Revenues for the three months period increased 103% to $523,175 versus the same period in 2017. Licensing revenues increased by $116,245 due to advances from both Llama Llama and Rainbow Rangers during this period. Our Kid Genius Networks broadcasting revenues increased by $108,619, due largely to increased revenues from Twitch and Amazon Prime subscribers now beginning to grow. Home entertainment revenues went up by $41,516 due to Llama Llama delivery to our home entertainment partner and NCircle. Total expense during this period increased by $353,951, largely due to the ramped up production and that ramp-up of production will continue as we’ve already contracted for with Netflix to do a second season of Llama Llama and our expectation additionally to shortly begin a second season of Rainbow Rangers. And more detail across all the areas is in the Q, but there is a trend emerging of a Company with growing revenues across all of its key sectors.

Before talking about Rainbow Rangers, I also want to say a quick word regarding the untimely passing this last week of the great Stan Lee. Many people have reached out to ask how this will affect us at Genius Brands International, as we’ve worked so closely with Stan these recent years. Those of us who knew and worked with him are of course unspeakably sad over his loss. There will never be another of his talent. And for those who don’t know Stan Lee, I must share he was the creator of and in some cases co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers, Thor, the Fantastic Four, and many other hugely successful characters. His comic books sold billions of copies and his characters were made into animated TV shows like Motion Pictures, and endless consumer products generating billions of dollars of revenue for Marvel and the Walt Disney Company. His imagination and wit were unmatched, and those as myself who worked closely with Stan will miss him deeply.

Having said all of the above, on a professional level, Genius Brands and Stan created a joint venture together called Stan Lee Comics. Stan provided the creative seeds and we nourished them, together with his company POW! Entertainment, we created half a dozen original Stan Lee properties. These properties are managed by Genius Brands now, which together with his company owns them 50-50. Each one of them has Stan’s unique fingerprint, as the creator they already exist. They’re in our Genius Brands vault, and one property in particular Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders, he plays himself an animation and it is the only Stan Lee property in which he actually has ever played a role as himself.

Fortunately, Stan had already recorded the voices of his characters prior to his passing. We’re blessed to have worked so closely with him. And now having these properties, it is like having suddenly discovered six songs written by John Lennon that had never been brought to the marketplace. They’re valuable assets and the Genius Brands were fortunate to be the steward of this precious original Stan Lee intellectual property. We will diligently roll these into the marketplace and we believe they will bring strong, continuing value to the company as they are broadcast and exploited across all media and consumer licensing. A number of broadcasters and filmmakers have already contacted us about them, and we look forward to bringing them to the life.

Okay. Having said all of the above, without further ado, I want to get the Rainbow Rangers. Last week, on Monday, November 5th, Rainbow Rangers began being broadcast on Nickelodeon’s preschool channel, Nick Jr. It has been the culmination of four years of work which began with key retailers telling us they foresaw both the vacuum and an opportunity in gross preschool products in 2019. As many of our investors know, we went about recruiting a very unique team of the strongest creators in the kids’ entertainment industry. They included the director of Disney’s Lion King, the co-writer of Disney’s Frozen and the character designer of virtually every Disney character from Little Mermaid through Frozen.

Alongside them, we built the best animation team I have been a part of them with my three decades in this business and that having produced over 5,000 half hours of Emmy and award-winning animation, including numerous billion dollar brands among them, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hello Kitty, Inspector Gadget, Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Ghostbusters and others. The Rainbow Rangers team included the most accomplished writers, musicians, voice artists and animators. We presented the series to the Nickelodeon Kids Networks and we were fortunate that they licensed it and subsequently, upon seeing scripts and first episodes, placed it in their coveted 3 p.m. Monday through Friday time slot on their preschool channel, Nick Jr.

Through the efforts of our licensing team, led by our VP of Global Licensing, Lloyd Mintz, the former head of Consumer Products and Licensing for Hasbro Toys and prior to that the licensing unit of the Walt Disney Company, we secured an extraordinary lineup of consumer products licensees. Recognized as the Tiffany manufacturers in the industry, almost all of them worked at our first tier Disney licensees and the leaders in their respective categories. Beginning in July and August in 2019, we will launch the U.S. retail program for Rainbow Rangers with them with over 300 branded products debuting across all categories of kids consumer products.

Master toy partner, Mattel, will premiere a range of toys including collectible dolls, 3-inch dolls, 6-inch dolls, traditional fashion dolls, role-play items and a play set. Other product categories from the roster of blue-chip partners include apparel, publishing, sleepwear, bedding, bath, footwear, bags, backpacks, Halloween costumes, accessories, youth consumer electronics, health and beauty aids, cosmetics, bicycles, and ride-ons and Rainbow Rangers live touring show from the Gershwin company, produces of the Charlie Brown touring show and the Sesame Street touring show.

Okay. I am ecstatic to report that we have now received from the Nielsen company ratings from the first week of broadcast. They are the earliest indicators of Rainbow Rangers’ success and they have been very, very strong. We have verified these with Shelly Hirsch, CEO of Beacon Media, the largest advertising buyer in the kids business. And based on them for the first week, Rainbow Rangers showed a number of very strong metrics. The first and most important metric to look for is whether a show is able to retain the audience of its lead in show. In our case, the lead in show is Shimmer and Shine, an establish Nickelodeon franchise, playing in the 2:30 to 3:00 pm time slot. Based on the Nielsen ratings for the week of Monday, November 5th through Monday, November 11th, Rainbow Rangers retained and grew its audience from its lead in show against all demos, all genders and on all days of its first week of broadcast.

Separately, the margin by which Rainbow Rangers grew its audience from its leads in increased daily. By Friday Rainbow Rangers had showed 153% growth against its key target demo of growth two to five. In what has been a declining market, Rainbow Rangers increased Nick Jr.’s season average by 15%, and additionally, it outperformed Nick Jr. prior premier week programming by 21%. This, that was all the more impressive in light of the fact that Tuesday was an election day and kid viewing was down overall that day because an inordinate amount of adult viewing occurred watching television election coverage. Wednesday kids’ numbers bounced back and continued to grow the rest of the week.

After reviewing data from the first two days of broadcast on Nick Jr., Nickelodeon informed us that they had added encore place of Rainbow Rangers on Saturday, November 10th at 6:30 and Sunday, November 11th at 7:30 to build further awareness of the show and sample it in new time periods alongside various shows. During this first week, we outperformed established Nick Jr. franchises such as Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine, Blue’s Clues, and Peter Rabbit among others. It is our belief, and we will get this clarified that by Friday’s broadcast, Rainbow Rangers has become the highest rated program on Nick Jr. that is the most viewed program in our gross two to five target demo other than PAW Patrol, and possibly may have even beaten PAW Patrol on Friday. PAW Patrol is the juggernaut on the Nick schedule. And while we did not beat PAW Patrol for the weekly average, I should point out that it is a boys’ property, not a girls’ one. It has an audience curated over the last five years, and it had 41 broadcast on Nick Jr. over the week versus the seven for Rainbow Rangers.

PAW Patrol is a mission-based show with a number of creative similarities to Rainbow Rangers and in fact Rainbow Rangers has been called by the licensing community “the PAW Patrol for girls”. The comparison is very flattering. PAW Patrol is a franchise whose toys and consumer products this last year did over $1 billion in sales and it propelled its owners, Spin Master’s to a $5 billion market cap. As PAW Patrol became a mature -- as PAW Patrol becomes a mature property and is now peaking, we believe that Rainbow Rangers is positioned to become the next big hit. The Rainbow Rangers trend line is strong, especially so for its show in its first week. The momentum of growth through the week is a very positive sign, the kids are sampling, they like the show, and they’re coming back greater each day. And just as PAW Patrol indexed inordinately high with girls, we are also indexing inordinately high for boys, both boys, 2 to 5 and 6 to 11.

So, what does all this mean? We’re starting to get the picture of an emerging hit. What is the importance of this to Genius Brands, our revenues, our earnings, and ultimately our stock price? It is the basic connection between viewership and consumer products, a kids’ show which draws viewers, also sells licensed consumer products to kids. It is a foregone conclusion that a hit show sells a lot of consumer products. As I said, PAW Patrol sells now over $1 billion a year of products, and it’s turned Spin Master from a small toy company into a $5 billion market cap enterprise in a relatively short time.

At Genius, we have meticulously curated the very best licensees in the industry; starting with Mattel Toys, as I said earlier, to every possible category of kids’ product. We have over 300 SKUs, they’re poised and standing ready to be introduced in the marketplace in the third quarter like a tsunami. And as I said above, we have virtually every imaginable product for children under license and being manufactured. We continue to sign new licensees and expand the product offerings. The average royalty across all our product licenses which is paid to Genius Brands is 10%, which means that the company is paid a 10% royalty on all wholesale sales. I underscore this because it’s without inventory risk, manufacturing, marketing costs or any costs of any kind associated with the products.

I should add on a personal note, those of us inside Genius Brands who have worked on Rainbow Rangers now for the better part of four years from conception to marketplace, take pride that we also have a property which is not only showing the signs of the looming commercial success, but one grounded in positive values and positive storytelling for kids. Rainbow Rangers follows the adventures of seven strong diverse girls with different powers who use those powers to save the planet and its animals. The messaging is as positive as the nascent rating success. Both of these will inert to the commercial success and the impact on our Company’s revenues and earnings. It would be hard to deliver better news at this point. As the weekly ratings come in, we will continue to share them with you.

Now, I will be happy to take any questions.

Question-and-Answer Session

Operator

Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Our first question is from Jim McIlree with Chardan Capital. Please proceed with your question.

Jim McIlree

Thank you. Good morning, Andy, and congratulations on the ratings. I was wondering if you could comment a little bit on how this will help you sell Rainbow Rangers in other geographies and what the next steps would be on making sure that you have product available in the right retailers at the right time, or is that kind of baked already, and now we’re just waiting for continued viewership to drive product sales.

Andy Heyward

Okay. So, two questions there. Thank you. Let’s start with the first one, which is the international sales. We’ve already completed a number of international sales, and we will announce a lineup there in the coming weeks as it becomes more mature. We’ve been in dialogue with virtually every major broadcaster in the world. Mattel has a global license, they’ve given us a list of their priority broadcasters and we’ve been working to get them in place. There a number of other broadcasters, which we think will do the job as well, and that triggers additional guarantees from Mattel. I would say, the global marketplace is very small and very intimate. All of the broadcasters watch what goes on in the United States, they see if the show is performing. And I think we will be in a position in the next quarter to announce a very substantial lineup of global broadcasters. As I said, we’ve been talking to all of them. We don’t see that as a problem at all. American product is very coveted overseas and especially strong product that performs on one of the major networks as Nickelodeon.

Secondly, when product will be in the marketplace, that is a very curated process. Every licensee has reasons why they need to get theirs is in or not in at a certain time. But by and large, we’re going to see products coming into the market in July and August. We need to have the show on the air really for I’d say a good three quarters, so that the appetite is very strong. And as Lloyd Mintz, our Head of Licensing likes to say, there have to be all of these failed Google searches so that by the time content does appear on shelf, it becomes something like a frenzy. We have every possible category of product in place. And I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve never been in a position like this before where we’ve seen such a broad consumer products program prior to the first show being on the air. So, we’ve got all the major categories. Of course, Mattel is our anchored category with the toys, but we’ve got pretty much every product that you can imagine. And if the ratings continue as they have begun, then there will be no reason why won’t be seeing the products everywhere and a lot of them selling.

Jim McIlree

And as far as the ratings going forward, should we be aware of any sort of seasonality that might make the ratings particularly strong or weak during a time period, just so we’re not surprised by ratings moving about? So, I don’t know, I’m just guessing here, I mean Christmas is stronger or weaker or summer is stronger or weaker?

Andy Heyward

Generally, the viewing will go up as the weather gets bad. So, during the cold months, you are going to see greater viewing. But right now is the perfect time to launch a show, and that’s why show’s launched in the fourth quarter. And we will be getting these numbers -- generally speaking, we get them every Thursday and they follow for the previous week. So, this coming Thursday, we should have numbers that will reflect the second week of broadcast.

Jim McIlree

All right. Very good. Well, thank you and good luck, and let’s hope for a cold winter.

Andy Heyward

Thank you.

Operator

Our next question is from Ishfaque Faruk with WestPark Capital. Please proceed with your question.

Ishfaque Faruk

A quick question on Rainbow Rangers. You mentioned that PAW Patrol was a big hit for Spin Master Company. So, do you think Rainbow Rangers can propel Genius Brands higher in a similar manner, beyond the ratings, and your initial conversations?

Andy Heyward

Well, that would be our dream, if we were so fortunate to have a hit of the magnitude -- of a fraction of the magnitude of PAW Patrol. And these types of hits come along continuously, I mean there’s -- I mean you get a PAW Patrol or a Ninja Turtles or a Power Rangers or a Strawberry Shortcake or a Pokémon, any of those hits, they become multibillion-dollar businesses. As I said PAW Patrol did $1 billion of toy sales this last year. I don’t know what the total amount is in all categories, but that was just what was published from the Master Toy licensee Spin Master. It’s too early to say if we’re going to have a hit of that magnitude. But, I can say to you that all the signs are positive at this point. Everything that we would want in place for the perfect storm is there. We have the right broadcaster. I don’t know if you’ve seen the shows yet, the shows are superb with the creative talent that is in the shows is the absolute crème de la crème. It didn’t come out of the television industry; it came out of the motion picture animated industry. So, we have people from the most successful of Walt Disney’s animated motion picture’s Lion King and Frozen create this show. So everything is in place. The licensees are in place, the broadcasting is in place. Now, it’s just going to completely come down to if the kids like it and the viewership is there. If the viewership is there, the consumer products will sell. This show is designed for consumer products. [Technical Difficulty] Michael, you’re speaking on mute, Michael Porter. Sorry. So, anyway, go ahead.

Ishfaque Faruk

Okay. Yes. A follow-up to that is so -- and did Nick Jr. give you indications as to how many seasons they might… [Technical Difficulty] Excuse me, sorry.

Andy Heyward

Did they give us indications of what? I am sorry, someone spoke over you. I think Michael Porter, your line is not on mute and we’re hearing you talking. Go ahead.

Ishfaque Faruk

Yes. Did Nick Jr. give you indications of how many additional seasons if any for Rainbow Rangers they might renew it for?

Andy Heyward

No, they never would do that after the first week. But, they did tell us that they were very pleased with the performance of the show, and more importantly than telling us that they scheduled two additional runs right after only two days of broadcast. So, we were running on Saturday and Sunday now as well.

Ishfaque Faruk

And Andy, you -- other than Rainbow Rangers, what could be your next big property amongst the existing portfolio that you have?

Andy Heyward

Well, we have a very important property that’s coming out of the Stan Lee Comics portfolio and it hasn’t been announced yet, and I am not at liberty to do it, but again, with a very, very highly pedigreed creative team, no less than the one that we have on Rainbow Rangers and we’re working feverishly to get that ready for the marketplace now.

[...]

Operator

Our next question is from Tucker Anderson [ph] with Above All Advisors [ph]. Please proceed.

Unidentified Analyst

It sounds very exciting, and I’m real disappointed I have to wait till next July to get any characters. By the way, I think you not only have seven great characters, but I think Floof is going to be a breakout character too, if people haven’t seen the show. Two questions. First, could you talk about couple other properties, as you were asked about first? Where are we on Llama Llama in general, and could you give us some background on that?

[...]

Unidentified Analyst

And second, just given all the publicity about Stan, given his unfortunate death, is there any time priority in developing these properties to take advantage of that, and given everything else going on with you guys, do you have the bandwidth to fully take advantage of that at this point?

Andy Heyward

Yes. The answer is yes to both points. One is that there’s a tremendous appetite right now for all things Stan Lee. It’s been a priority for us for some time. And we have one property that I said a moment ago that we are working on full steam ahead right now, and it’s a partnership with Stan -- I mean, his company, and a major celebrity who will be attached to it. And we will be in a position to speak more to it shortly, but it’s extremely toyetic. It’s not going to be cannibalizing or competing with other superhero stuff from Marvel in the marketplace, it’s got a very unique niche and one that we have been told by retail has got an open field, just as we were told such by retail regarding Rainbow Rangers a few years back. As far as the bandwidth, we’re nothing going to be doing all six Stan Lee properties that we have at once or cloning them into spin-off, sell it once. There’s only so much you can do. And there’s only so much that we can properly manage. But, I think if we have this one out in the next year that we work to get done, we will be in a very strong position with three very strong properties. Llama Llama is going to grow dramatically for us as well. All signs are positive for that too. It’s a slower build than Rainbow Rangers, which starts with an explosion.

Operator

[Operator Instructions]

Andy Heyward

I want to just add one more thing -- excuse me for Tucker Anderson who just spoke. He mentioned one of our characters Floof. And for those of you who have not seen Rainbow Rangers, Floof is a unicorn and unicorns are extremely timely now. I have an 11-year-old daughter who I was at Target with month or so ago and she saw some unicorns there for -- that she got for Halloween costumes. So, they’re everywhere, they are everywhere, and this is a branded unicorn. Ours’ is called the Prismacorn because it’s a rainbow unicorn. It’s very fun character who steals a lot of the show.

[...]


Operator

Mr. Heyward, there’re no more questions at this time. Do you have any closing comments?

Andy Heyward

No. Thank you, everybody. We’ll keep you everyone informed as we continue to receive viewership numbers on Rainbow Rangers. We couldn’t possibly have had a more auspicious start. Thank you all.

[...]

--Ends--

Fans can visit nickjr.com, the Nick Jr. app and the official Rainbow Rangers show website, rainbowrangers.com to find out more about the show and its colorful superheroes and to watch exclusive video clips. Viewers can also follow the official Rainbow Rangers community on Facebook and Instagram for magical updates.

More Nick:Nickelodeon USA Premieres New Preschool Series 'Butterbean's Café'!

Originally published: Wednesday, November 07, 2018.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Rainbow Rangers News and Highlights!

No Job Is Too Big, No Pup Is Too Small! 'PAW Patrol Live: De Grote Race' To Visit Sweden For First Time During Spring 2019 [Updated]

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Based on the hit animated TV series on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., PAW Patrol Live!“Race to the Rescue” is coming Sweden for the first time ever during Spring 2019, bringing everybody’s favourite pups to the stage for an action-packed, high-energy, musical adventure!



Locally titled PAW Patrol Live!– "Räddningsloppet”, the Swedish leg of the hit PAW Patrol Live! live stage show is presented by VStar Entertainment Group, Nickelodeon and TEG Like Touring, in collaboration with organisers Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB and Lemon Group.

Update (10/6): Due to the huge demand for tickets, the tour PAW Patrol Live!– "Räddningsloppet” has added an extra performance to its stop at the Conventum Arena in Örebro on Saturday 9th February 2019! Please see the press release below for full details!

When Mayor Goodway goes missing during the day of the Great Adventure Bay Race, the pups come to the rescue. Join Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, Sky and Everest for the show’s first tour in across Netherlands and Belgium! Featuring a cast of everybody’s favourite PAW Patrol characters, PAW Patrol Live!“Race to the Rescue,” shows that “no job is too big, no pup is too small,” and shares lessons for all ages about citizenship, social skills and problem-solving as the characters each use their unique skills and teamwork.


Each performance will run for one hour and 20 minutes, including two acts and an intermission. All the actors and puppies in the show will speak Swedish.

PAW Patrol Live! – Räddningsloppet engages audiences with Bunraku puppetry, an innovative costuming approach that brings the PAW Patrol characters to life on stage with their vehicles and packs.

“Using Bunraku, puppetry elements are built into costumes worn by real actors to create a wonderful combination of life-size pups and to make a stronger connection with the audience. The PAW Patrol cast sings and dances, which brings a fun, realistic parallel between the animated series and the live show,” says Jim Waters, producer, VStar Entertainment Group.


The performance features up-tempo music and a brand new cleverly written script that is a good introduction to live theatre for kids. Classic theatrical scenery along with a high-tech video wall visually transports families to an authentic PAW Patrol environment, including locations from the TV series, like Adventure Bay, The Lookout, Seal Island, Farmer Yumi's farm and Jake's Mountain.

Special interactive video allows the audience to participate via interviews, solve clues with the Pups, follow Mayor Goodway and much more.


Tickets for PAW Patrol Live! – Räddningsloppet's Spring 2019 tour of Sweden are available to purchase now via http://www.pawpatrollive.se.

PAW Patrol Live! – Räddningsloppet's Spring 2019 tour of Sweden dates:

Saturday 2nd February 2019 - Linköping, Saab Arena

Saturday 9th February 2019 - Örebro, Conventum Arena

Sunday 17th February 2019 - Västerås, Bombardier Arena

Sunday 24th February 2019 - Malmö, Malmö Arena

Saturday 2nd March 2019 - Uppsala, IFU Arena

Saturday 9th March 2019 - Halmstad, Halmstad Arena [JUST ANNOUNCED]

Saturday 16th March 2019 - Helsingborg, Helsingborg Arena

Saturday 23rd March 2019 - Göteborg, Partille Arena

Saturday 30th March 2019 - Theatre TBA

Sunday 31st March 2019 - Stockholm, Annexet

Fans can visit http://www.pawpatrollive.se for the latest PAW Patrol Live! – Räddningsloppet news and information.

Below is Nickelodeon Nordics' official Press Release announcing the PAWsome news:

PAW Patrol Live kommer till Sverige 2019


ON, SEP 26, 2018 14:47 CET


En av världens största turnerande shower för barnfamiljer, PAW Patrol Live, baserad på det populära programmet PAW Patrol på Nick Jr, kommer till Sverige och startar turnén den 2 februari 2019 i Linköping. Showen har varit en publiksuccé i både USA, Australien och Europa och för första gången kommer de hjältemodiga valparna och Paw Patrol Live till Sverige.

Baserad på Nick Jr:s animerade succéserie kommer PAW Patrol Live! ”Räddningsloppet” till Sverige med sin helt nya turné. PAW Patrol Live för allas favoritvalpar upp på scenen för ett actionspäckat, energifyllt och musikaliskt äventyr med hög energi.

När Borgmästare Rospigg försvinner spårlöst under dagen för det stora loppet i Äventyrsbukten, kommer valparna till räddning. Följ med Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, Sky och Everest på deras första turné i Sverige, som börjar i Linköping och Saab Arena den 2 februari. Sverigeturnén avslutas den 30 mars.

- PAW Patrol är ett av våra mest älskade program bland de minsta barnen. Det är ett format som är både roligt och lärorikt, och valparnas egenskaper gör att många barn kan identifiera sig med dem. Vi vet att många barn, och för den delen även föräldrar, ser framemot att nu få se sina favoritvalpar live och utanför skärmen, säger Daniel Andersson, VP Product & Content för Nickelodeon, på Viacom i Norden.

PAW Patrol Live! "Räddningsloppet" visar att inget jobb är för stort och ingen valp är för liten. Genom att valparna använder sig av sina unika egenskaper och arbetar tillsammans, lär de alla åldrar om medborgarskap, sociala färdigheter och problemlösning.

Föreställningen innehåller musik med högt tempo och en åldersanpassad berättelse för barn. Med innovativa kostymer levandegörs karaktärerna i PAW Patrol på scen tillsammans med deras fordon och rekvisita. Ett klassiskt teaterlandskap tillsammans med en högteknologisk videovägg transporterar familjer till en autentisk PAW Patrol-miljö, med platser från TV-serierna, som Äventyrsbukten, Utkikstornet, Sälön och Jakes berg. Interaktiva inslag ger publiken möjlighet att delta via intervjuer, lösa ledtrådar med valparna, följa Borgmästare Rospigg och mycket mer.

- Vi är förväntansfulla och stolta att presentera PAW Patrol Live i Sverige. Det är en mycket rolig och engagerande musikal- och showföreställning för hela familjen, säger Stefan Papangelis VD, Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB, arrangör i Sverige.

Föreställningen är 1 timme och 20 minuter lång och innehåller två akter, med paus mellan akterna. Alla skådespelarna och valpar pratar svenska.

Längd: 1 h och 20 minuter

Presenteras av: VStar Entertainment Group, Nickelodeon och TEG Like Touring

Arrangör Sverige: Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB och Lemon Group

Biljettsläpp: 26 september kl. 10.00 via www.pawpatrollive.se

Mer information: www.pawpatrollive.se

För ytterligare frågor:
Stefan Papangelis VD Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB

Telefon +46 738 22 80 90

Turnéplan Sverige:

2 februari Linköping, Saab Arena

9 februari Örebro, Conventum Arena

17 februari Västerås, Bombardier Arena

24 februari Malmö, Malmö Arena

2 mars Uppsala, IFU Arena

9 mars Halmstad, Halmstad Arena

16 mars Helsingborg, Helsingborg Arena

23 mars Göteborg, Partille Arena

30 & 31 mars Stockholm, Annexet

Spin Master
Spin Master (TSX: TOY; www.spinmaster.com) är ett globalt ledande barn- och underhållningsföretag som skapar, konstruerar, tillverkar, licensierar och marknadsför en blandad portfölj av innovativa leksaker, spel, produkter och underhållningssaker. Spin Master är mest känd för prisbelönta varumärken som Zoomer®, Bakugan®, Erector® by Meccano®, Hatchimals®, Air Hogs® och PAW Patrol®. Sedan 2000 har Spin Master fått 92 TIA Toy of the Year (TOTY) nomineringar med 28 vinster över en mängd olika produktkategorier, bland annat 13 TOTY-nomineringar för Innovative Toy of the Year, mer än någon annan av sina konkurrenter. Hittills har Spin Master producerat sex tv-serier, inklusive succén 2007, Bakugan Battle Brawlers och nuvarande succén PAW Patrol, som sänds i över 160 länder. Spin Master sysselsätter över 1600 personer globalt med kontor i Kanada, USA, Mexiko, Frankrike, Italien, Storbritannien, Slovakien, Polen, Tyskland, Sverige, Nederländerna, Kina, Hongkong, Japan, Vietnam och Australien.

VStar Enertainment Group

VStar Entertainment Group är ett ledande underhållningsföretag och producent av oförglömliga live-upplevelser i både USA och internationellt. Från koncept genom aktivering, skapar VStar anpassade turnéer med licensierade varumärken och med ett originalinnehåll som ger mycket engagerande underhållning för fans i alla åldrar. Med nästan fyra decennier av kompetens inom alla aspekter av eventproduktion och förvaltning levererar VStar nyckelfärdiga lösningar som teaterföreställningar, interaktiva utställningar och varumärkesaktivering. VStar skapar även skräddarsydda kostymer, storskaliga uppsättningar, landskap och 3-D-installationer, till professionella sportlag, Fortune 500-företag och marknadsföringsbyråer. VStar har sitt huvudkontor i Minneapolis och har presenterat mer än 39.000 liveuppträdanden i 40 länder och underhåller nästan två miljoner gäster årligen. Nuvarande VStar turnéer inkluderar PAW Patrol Live! Bubble Guppies Live, Cirque Dreams och Discover the Dinosaurs: Time Trek. Tidigare VStar (tidigare VEE Corporation) produktioner inkluderar Sesame Street Live, Barney, Bear in the Big Blue House, Curious George, Dragon Tales och Kidz Bop Live! Mer information finns på www.vstarentertainment.com

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon är ett av världens mest erkända och distribuerade multimedia underhållningsvarumärken för barn och familj. De har byggt ett mångsidigt globalt företag genom att sätta barnen först i allt de gör. Bolagets portfölj omfattar tv-programmering och produktion runt om i världen, samt speciella evenemang, konsumentprodukter, digitala erbjudanden, rekreation, böcker, filmer och initiativ inom sociala medier. Nickelodeons varumärken når 1,1 miljarder följare, som hela tiden ökar, i mer än 160 länder, via mer än 80 + lokalt kanaler och märkesvaror. Utanför Förenta staterna ingår Nickelodeon i Viacom International Media Networks, en division av Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), en av världens ledande skapare av programmering och innehåll över alla medieplattformar.

Life Like Touring

I Melbourne, Australien, har Life Like Touring skrivit, producerat och turnerat liveutställningar för några av de mest populära barnvarumärken i över 10 år, inklusive Ben and Holly, Chuggington, Dora Explorer, Peppa Pig, Octonauts, Sesame Street, Scooby-Doo och Yo Gabba Gabba! Life Like Touring-produktioner har upplevts i alla större städer runt Australien och Nya Zeeland, liksom Afrika, Asien, Europa, Mellanöstern, Nordamerika och Sydamerika. Life Like Touring-produktioner är mest känt för att underhålla små barn och förskolor deras yngre syskon, i den vackra omgivningen av en traditionell teater. På senare tid har de producerat en mängd teatralisk och tematisk underhållning som är utformad för hela familjen. Life Like Touring har tillsammans med sitt systerföretag The Entertainment Store arbetat för några av världens största underhållningsföretag, inklusive Cartoon Network, Disney, Entertainment One, Nickelodeon, Mattel och Warner Bros. Senast förvärvades Life Like Touring och The Entertainment Store av TEG Live och blev en del av Australiens ledande integrerade live-underhållningsföretag med överlägsna möjligheter inom biljett, digitalt, data och promotion av livesport och underhållning. Besök www.lifeliketouring.com

Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB

Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB producerar, arrangerar och förmedlar utställningar och shower på den internationella marknaden med globalt kända varumärkeskoncept inom områdena: underhållning, lärande, historia och vetenskap. Mer information finns på www.nordicexhibitions.com

Lemon Live Entertainment

Lemon är ett ledande live-underhållningsföretag som verkar i Europa, Mellanöstern och Afrika, särskilt i Portugal, Spanien, Tyskland, Angola och Cabo Verde. Över 1,5 miljoner att fått se sina idoler och favoritkaraktärer mitt framför sig, live. Under de senaste åren har de producerat och marknadsfört många shower i samarbete med några av de mest framgångsrika barnlicenserna och ledande TV-kanaler, som Canal Panda, RTP, RTVE och Super RTL. Slutsålda shower, i både enskilda och multi-branded-format. Vårt mål är att leverera det bästa och högsta levande innehållet live, både nationell och internationell.

Om Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon är världens största nätverk av underhållning för barn. Kanalen sänder dagligen mellan 05.00-22.00. Nickelodeon erbjuder ett varierat programutbud med tecknade serier, drama, komedier samt program för förskolebarn i Nick Jr-blocket. Några programexempel är SvampBob Fyrkant, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sam & Cat och Dora Utforskaren. Programutbudet sänds på svenska och kanalen distribueras av Boxer, Bredbandbolaget, Canal Digital, Com Hem, Sappa, Telia och Viasat. www.nickelodeon.se

###

Update - Below is Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB's official press release announcing an extra performance of PAW Patrol Live!– "Räddningsloppet” at the Conventum Arena in Örebro on Saturday 9th February 2019, via Mynewsdesk:

Extra föreställning insatt när PAW Patrol Live kommer till Örebro i februari.


Det är ett stort intresse när en av världens största turnerande shower för barnfamiljer, PAW Patrol Live, gästar Örebro den 9 februari 2019. Nu sätts en extra föreställning in för att möta den stora efterfrågan på biljetter när stjärnorna Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, Skye och nyaste valpen Everest gästar Conventum Arena nästa år.

Turnéplan Sverige:
2 februari Linköping, Saab Arena
9 februari Örebro, Conventum Arena
16 februari Stad presenteras inom kort
24 februari Malmö, Malmö Arena
2 mars Uppsala, IFU Arena
9 mars Stad presenteras inom kort16 mars Helsingborg, Helsingborg Arena
23 mars Göteborg, Partille Arena
30 mars Stad presenteras inom kort

Show längd: 1 h och 20 minuter
Presenteras av: VStar Entertainment Group, Nickelodeon och TEG Like Touring
Arrangör Sverige: Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB och Lemon Group
Mer information:www.pawpatrollive.se

Nordic Exhibitions & Events Ltd, founded in 2016, is located in Sweden. The company’s owners and directors have solid and extensive experience in national and international tourism through events such as exhibitions, sports, music and entertainment.

###

Mer Nick:Nickelodeon Scandinavia to Premiere 'Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' on Monday 22nd October 2019!

H/T: Mynewsdesk (II); Additional sources: Google.co.uk, Mynewsdesk.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Preschool, Nick Jr. Sweden and PAW Patrol News and Highlights!

Nick Jr. Italy to Premiere 'Becca's Bunch' on Saturday 22nd December 2018

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Nick Jr. Italy (Italia) will premiere Becca's Bunch, a brand-new animated preschool series that follows the adventures of a unique little bird who has a big heart on Saturday 22nd December 2018 at 15.10! Locally titled La Banda di Becca, Becca's Bunch will continue to air everyday at 15.10 on Nick Jr. Italia.


In Wagtail Woods a little bird called Becca and her bunch of friends are always ready for action! Becca has a innate curiosity and a wonderful way of looking at things. She sees adventure in every situation and as a result often bites off more than she can chew, landing herself and the bunch - Russell, Sylvia and Pedro - in some sticky situations. Thinking on her feet, Becca will urge a generation of kids never to give up, aim high and have big ideas, because once they do every day will be an adventure!

From her quirky dress sense to her hobbies, Becca is a bird like no other and chirps to her own tune. Her can-do attitude allows her big ideas to take flight on the most fantastical adventures with her three best friends. Becca’s infectious enthusiasm encourages her besties, aka The Wild Bunch, to seek out adventure in Wagtail Woods and boldly go where no bird, worm, squirrel and fox have gone before. The Wild Bunch haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on Becca’s list! With unique ideas, heart and positive thinking, the gang always manage to overcome any challenge they encounter in Wagtail Woods.

Becca's Bunch is an exciting, new entertainment show for preschoolers which merges live action, puppetry and 2D and 3D animation to create a textured world that the audience will want to reach out and touch!


Fans can visit the official Nick Jr. Italia Facebook page for Nick Jr. news and highlights.

Becca's Bunch (52 x 11') is produced by Dublin-based creative production, distribution and licensing company JAM Media. Nickelodeon acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to the series in the US and Pay TV rights for the rest of the world in October 2016. Becca's Bunchmade its debut on Nick Jr. UK & Ireland on Monday 2nd July 2018, and will roll out the series onto Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels around the world in the coming months. In addition, terrestrial broadcasters ABC Australia, CBC Kids (Canada) and France Télévisions (France) have picked up the series for their respective countries.

Talking about the series, Nickelodeon Senior Vice President (SVP) of International Production and Development Nina Hahn says the project was introduced to her and Nick’s Vice President (VP) of Content Acquisitions, Layla Lewis, at a very early stage. And it was love at first sight.


“[JAM Media] showed us the short even before they did the formal pitch into our larger group, which allowed us to give them feedback from multiple different filters on what we wanted to see,” Hahn says. “The content itself had a lot of the DNA of Nickelodeon, from the visual quirkiness, to the way the characters were developed and its strong female lead at the center. It really tapped into the kind of broad, emotional and simple ideas that we like to work with.”

Jam Media, which has studios in both Dublin and Belfast in Northern Ireland, pitched the series at Cartoon Forum in 2013 under the title Early Bird.

The news follows JAM Media naming JAKKS Pacific as the global master toy licensee for Becca’s Bunch. JAKKS has secured the exclusive global rights to produce figurines, playsets and accessories, vehicles, musical instruments, plush (feature and non-feature), every day dress-up, role play, arts & crafts, board games and accessories, Halloween costumes and accessories, outdoor/indoor furniture, wagons, ride-ons, play tents, ball pits, balls and outdoor games, all based on the spritely bird and her group of animal friends. Plush, figurines, musical instruments, vehicles and playsets are planned for a Fall 2019 launch at US retail. JAKKS joins previously signed Becca’s Bunch licensees Candlewick Press, which has taken publishing rights for the US, and Egmont, which is signed on for publishing in the rest of the world. Both companies are planning a Fall 2019 retail launch in key territories.

From Tuttogiocattoli:

La Banda di Becca
Nuova serie prescolare
Dal 22 dicembre, tutti i giorni alle 15.10

Becca vive nel bosco di Wagtail Woods insieme ai suoi amici, ed è sempre pronta a cercare l’avventura in ogni dove, spinta dalla sua grande curiosità e dal desiderio di scoperta. Avere un cuore d’oro e sognare sempre in grande sono gli ingredienti per le avventure migliori.

About JAM Media:

JAM Media, with operations in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, is one of the leading creators and producers of multi-award winning animated and live action content for the children’s and pre-school audience. The company pride themselves on delivering high quality, innovative, story-driven brands across multiple platforms based around engaging characters with humour at its heart. Shows include Becca's Bunch, PICME, Roy, The Slimefoots, Jessy and Nessy and Zig & Zag. The company was founded in 2002 by animator friends John Rice, Alan Shannon and Mark Cumberton. Visit http://www.jammedia.com to find out more about the company.

About Nickelodeon Italia:

Nickelodeon, al suo 38esimo anno di vita, è il brand numero uno al mondo di intrattenimento per ragazzi. Ha costruito un ampio business globale, mettendo sempre i ragazzi al primo posto: “kids first”. Il business di Nickelodeon include programmi TV e produzione negli Stati Uniti e nel mondo, oltre ad eventi speciali, consumer products, film, libri e offerte digitali. I brand di Nickelodeon raggiungono oltre 1,1 miliardi di abbonati in oltre 170 paesi e territori, attraverso gli oltre 80 canali locali e blocchi di programmazione. Fuori dagli Stati Uniti, Nickelodeon fa parte del gruppo Viacom International Media Networks, una divisione di Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA),uno dei leader nel campo della creazione e produzione di contenuti attraverso tutte le piattaforme. In Italia, i canali a brand Nickelodeon (NickJr, Nickelodeon, TeenNick) sono presenti in esclusiva su Sky. Nickelodeon fa parte di Viacom Italia, azienda guidata dall’A.D. Andrea Castellari.

Di Più Nickelodeon:November 2018 on Nickelodeon Italy | Rise of the TMNT | Henry Danger | Top Wing | Super 4 | 100 Things to Do Before High School!

Additional source: DeepL Translator.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nick Jr. Italia, Nickelodeon Italy and Becca's Bunch News and Highlights!

TeenNick Italy to Premiere 'The Bureau of Magical Things' on Monday 10th December 2018

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TEENNICK ITALY ADDS MAGIC & MYSTERY TO LINEUP WITH “THE BUREAU OF MAGICAL THINGS” PREMIERING 10th DECEMBER



TeenNick Italy (Italia) will debut the enchanting new live-action series The Bureau of Magical Things, created by Australian television producer Jonathan M. Shiff (H2O: Just Add Water), on Monday 10th December 2018 at 19:30! Following launch, new episodes of The Bureau of Magical Things (localised Italian title TBD) will continue to air weekdays at 19:30 on Teen Nick Italia.

Filmed in Brisbane and the Gold Coast of Australia, The Bureau of Magical Things combines magic, mystery, and a unique mythology to tell the story of Kyra, an ordinary teenage girl who is caught in a clash between an elf and a fairy then becomes magically transformed. As a “Tri-ling”—part human, part fairy, and part elf—Kyra teams with a group of magical teenagers and learns to use her newfound powers to keep the human world safe from the surprising, funny, and sometimes dangerous effects of magical chaos. But when these young guardians uncover a threat, humans, fairies, and elves must unite to save both their worlds!

The series stars Kimie Tsukakoshi (The Family Law) as Kyra, a confident teenage Tri-ling who exhibits powers of both fairies and elves; Mia Milnes as Lily, an optimistic and sweet fairy; Elizabeth Cullen as Imogen, a headstrong and ambitious elf; Julian Cullen as Darra, Imogen’s charming hipster elf brother; Rainbow Wedell (Terra Nova) as Ruksy, an orderly fairy and teacher’s pet; Jamie Carter (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) as Peter, Kyra’s longtime classmate and science fiction lover; Christopher Sommers (Hunters) as Professor Maxwell, a witty half-elf-half-human in charge of the local Magic School; Melanie Zanetti (The Leisure Class) as Orla, an elf agent working for the Department of Magical Intervention (DMI); and Nicholas Bell (I, Frankenstein) as Sean, director of the DMI and Lily’s father.


In the first half-hour launch episode, “A Magical Mishap,” ordinary teenager Kyra gets zapped when she touches a book that is the subject of a magical tug‐of‐war between a fairy, Lily, and an elf, Imogen. When Kyra wakes the next day, she can see and perform magic as a newfound Tri‐ling – part‐human, part‐fairy and part‐elf.

Nickelodeon has acquired the global rights to The Bureau of Magical Things (20x30'). The series made its debut on Nick USA on Monday 8th October 2018, followed by its debut on Nickelodeon in the UK and Ireland on Monday 5th November 2018, and is currently rolling out globally across Nickelodeon's channels and branded blocks in 170+ countries and territories.

The Bureau of Magical Things introduces a captivating fantasy world while promoting real world concepts like individuality, diversity and acceptance,” says Layla Lewis, Senior Vice President, Global Acquisitions and Content Partnerships for Nickelodeon. “We think kids everywhere will find something relatable in these characters’ journeys to finding their true selves, while learning to embrace and accept what makes them different.”


Season one of The Bureau of Magical Things is produced by Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, financed with the support of Screen Australia, the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland and the City of Gold Coast and will be globally distributed by ZDF Enterprises. The show was originally broadcast in Australia on Channel Eleven.



From Tuttogiocattoli:

The Bureau of Magical Things (titolo tbd)
Nuova serie live action
Dal 10 dicembre, dal lunedì al venerdì alle 19.30

Kyra e Peter scoprono l’esistenza di un mondo magico nascosto e parallelo al loro, popolato da fate ed elfi, costretti a nascondersi dagli occhi degli umani. Ma è in arrivo una minaccia che coinvolgerà sia il mondo umano che il regno fatato, minacciando gli equilibri esistenti...

--Fine--

About Nickelodeon Italia:
Nickelodeon, al suo 38esimo anno di vita, è il brand numero uno al mondo di intrattenimento per ragazzi. Ha costruito un ampio business globale, mettendo sempre i ragazzi al primo posto: “kids first”. Il business di Nickelodeon include programmi TV e produzione negli Stati Uniti e nel mondo, oltre ad eventi speciali, consumer products, film, libri e offerte digitali. I brand di Nickelodeon raggiungono oltre 1,1 miliardi di abbonati in oltre 170 paesi e territori, attraverso gli oltre 80 canali locali e blocchi di programmazione. Fuori dagli Stati Uniti, Nickelodeon fa parte del gruppo Viacom International Media Networks, una divisione di Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA),uno dei leader nel campo della creazione e produzione di contenuti attraverso tutte le piattaforme. In Italia, i canali a brand Nickelodeon (NickJr, Nickelodeon, TeenNick) sono presenti in esclusiva su Sky. Nickelodeon fa parte di Viacom Italia, azienda guidata dall’A.D. Andrea Castellari.

About ZDF Enterprises
ZDF Enterprises was founded in 1993 as a commercial subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest and most renowned TV broadcasters in Europe. Headquartered in Mainz, Germany, ZDF Enterprises is responsible for the worldwide sale of programs, the making of international coproductions, the acquisition of licenses as well as the merchandising of strong program brands in its own name, for the ZDF, and for third parties. ZDF Enterprises has successfully established itself as an independent market player on the German and international stage. Bound into a strong group, the company manages the largest German-language stock of programs in the world and, next to this, a continuously growing portfolio of international productions consisting of series and miniseries, TV movies, documentaries and children’s programs. In the course of the development and diversification process carried out up to now, many business fields in the television and media domains were made accessible in the ZDF Enterprises group. Thus ZDF Enterprises can provide a comprehensive, full-service offering today, and covers every step in the chain of origin and exploitation of successful TV programs, from development to production and up to the marketing of TV licenses, merchandising rights, online rights and much more.

About Jonathan M. Shiff Productions
Founded in 1988, Jonathan M. Shiff Productions is a leading producer of high quality children’s and family television. Renowned for live-action drama series that are exciting and engaging for a youth and family audience, the company’s children’s programming specializes in entertaining, fantasy-based adventures with exceptionally high production values.

Di Più Nickelodeon:November 2018 on Nickelodeon Italy | Rise of the TMNT | Henry Danger | Top Wing | Super 4 | 100 Things to Do Before High School!

Originally published: Thursday, November 15, 2018.

Additional source: Google Translate.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Italy, TeenNick Italia and The Bureau of Magical Things News and Highlights!

December 2018 on Nickelodeon Italy: Magical Things | Becca's Bunch | Knight Squad | Shimmer and Shine | Christmas + More

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Below is a round-up of Nickelodeon Italy's (Italia) programming highlights for December (Dicembre) 2018!


Nickelodeon Italia's November 2018 highlights can be found here.

Nickelodeon Italia: (canali 605 e 606 di Sky)

Knight Squad
New Episodes from Season One
Premiering: From Monday 3rd December 2018 at 18:00

Knight Squad
Nuovi episodi della prima stagione
Da lunedì 3 dicembre alle 18

Un mix di avventura e comicità, ambientate in una magica scuola per cavalieri in training, dove due ragazzi stringono una strana alleanza per proteggersi a vicenda e conquistare il loro sogno segreto.

Crazy Christmas with iCarly
Airs: Weekdays at 20:20 from Monday 10th December 2018

Nickelodeon invites you to celebrate the Christmas holidays with the gang from iCarly! Expect lots of random dancing and tons of spaghetti tacos!

Pazzo Natale con iCarly
Dal 10 dicembre, dal lunedì al venerdì alle 20.20

Dal 10 dicembre, su Nickelodeon, si entra nel vivo delle feste natalizie insieme ai protagonisti della serie iCarly. Torna la seconda stagione della serie cult, insieme alle incredibili avventure di Carly, Sam e Freddie, diventate tre webstar di Internet, e alle prese con relativi problemi e opportunità.

Xmas Band
Airs: Everyday at 13:30 from Monday 17th December 2018

It wouldn't be Christmas without music, and this Christmas, Nickelodeon are treating viewers to lots musical episodes of their favourite Nick shows, including The Thundermans (I Thunderman), Henry Danger, The Loud House (A casa dei Loud) and SpongeBob SquarePants (Spongebob), as well as JoJo Siwa: My World special!

Xmas Band
Dal 17 dicembre, tutti i giorni alle 13.30

Nickelodeon accompagnerà i più giovani lungo le feste natalizie con tanti episodi a tema musicale tratti dalle più belle serie del canale, sia di animazione che live action: I Thunderman, Henry Danger, A casa dei Loud, JoJo Siwa e Spongebob.

Nick Jr. Italia (canali 603 e 604 di Sky)

Shimmer and Shine Channel
Pop up channel
Monday 3rd - Sunday 9th December 2018 on Nick Jr. +1

Boom Zahramay! Nickelodeon's twin genies-in-training Shimmer and Shine are taking over Nick Jr. for a whole week! During the Shimmer and Shine Channel takeover, Nick Jr.+1 will air all the episodes from the first three seasons of Shimmer and Shine before the fourth season begins, along with episodes dedicated to the other little stars of Nick Jr., including Nella from Nella the Princess Knight (Nella la principessa coraggiosa), Sunny from Sunny Day, and Dora from Dora & Friends: Into the City!

Shimmer and Shine Channel
Pop up channel
Dal 3 al 9 dicembre solo su Nick Jr. +1

Il canale 604 di Sky per qualche giorno si trasforma in uno spazio interamente dedicato alle geniette combinaguai Shimmer e Shine, insieme alla loro inseparabile amica Leah. In programmazione tutte le tre stagioni della serie prescolare, insieme ad alcuni episodi dedicati alle altre piccole stelle di Nick Jr.: Nella la principessa coraggiosa, Sunny di Sunny Days e Dora di Dora & Friends.

Shimmer and Shine
New Episodes from Season 4
Premieres: Mondays to Fridays at 20:00 from Monday 10th December 2018

If the Shimmer and Shine Channel wasn't enough, get set to be whisked away on more magical adventures with the magical twin genies-in-training and their best friend Leah with brand-new episodes from the all-new fourth season of Shimmer and Shine! Boom Zahramay!

Shimmer and Shine
Nuovi episodi della quarta stagione
Dal 10 dicembre, dal lunedì al venerdì alle 20

Tornano su Nick Jr Shimmer e Shine, con i nuovi episodi della quarta stagione. La coppia di geniette, ancora apprendiste, involontariamente provocano piccoli pasticci nel tentativo di esaudire i desideri della loro migliore amica, Leah.

White Christmas
Airs: Everyday at 18:00 from Monday 17th December 2018

Catch Christmas-themed episodes of all your favourite Nick Jr. shows, including PAW Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines (Blaze e le Mega Macchine), Team Umizoomi and Bubble Guppies everyday at 18:00 from Monday 17th December 2018!

Bianco Natale
Stunt natalizio di Nick Jr.
Dal 17 dicembre, tutti i giorni alle 18

Tutti i giorni, una programmazione speciale con episodi tematici, che permetteranno di entrare nel vivo della magica atmosfera del Natale insieme ai coraggiosi cuccioli della squadra Paw Patrol, Blaze e le Mega Macchine, Team Umizoomi e Bubble Guppies.

Becca's Bunch
New Show [More Info]
Premieres: Everyday at 15.10 from Saturday 22nd December 2018

In Wagtail Woods a little bird called Becca and her bunch of friends are always ready for action! Becca has a innate curiosity and a wonderful way of looking at things. She sees adventure in every situation and as a result often bites off more than she can chew, landing herself and the bunch - Russell, Sylvia and Pedro - in some sticky situations. Thinking on her feet, Becca will urge a generation of kids never to give up, aim high and have big ideas, because once they do every day will be an adventure! Click here to find out more about Nick Jr.'s brand-new show!

La Banda di Becca
Nuova serie prescolare
Dal 22 dicembre, tutti i giorni alle 15.10

Becca vive nel bosco di Wagtail Woods insieme ai suoi amici, ed è sempre pronta a cercare l’avventura in ogni dove, spinta dalla sua grande curiosità e dal desiderio di scoperta. Avere un cuore d’oro e sognare sempre in grande sono gli ingredienti per le avventure migliori.

TeenNick Italia: (canale 620 di Sky)

The Bureau of Magical Things
New Show [More Info]
Premieres: Weekdays at 19:30

The Bureau of Magical Things combines magic, mystery, and a unique mythology to tell the story of Kyra, an ordinary teenage girl who is caught in a clash between an elf and a fairy then becomes magically transformed. As a “Tri-ling”—part human, part fairy, and part elf—Kyra teams with a group of magical teenagers and learns to use her newfound powers to keep the human world safe from the surprising, funny, and sometimes dangerous effects of magical chaos. But when these young guardians uncover a threat, humans, fairies, and elves must unite to save both their worlds! Click here to find out more about TeenNick's brand-new show!

In additional news:

-- Mustang Entertainment will release the brand-new Winx Club DVD Winx.Magica Avventura on Tuesday 4th December 2018!

Di Più Nickelodeon:November 2018 on Nickelodeon Italy | Rise of the TMNT | Henry Danger | Top Wing | Super 4 | 100 Things to Do Before High School!

Original source: Tuttogiocattoli; Additional sources: Google Translate, DeepL Translator.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Christmas on Nickelodeon Italy, Nick Jr. Italia and TeenNick Italia News and Highlights!

Nickelodeon Italy to Commemorate Children's Day 2018 with Dedicated Thematic Marathons on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

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Nickelodeon is also well known the world to being committed to defending the rights of children, giving them a voice and supporting them against all forms of discrimination. for being a cheerful brand, bringing kids fun, laughter and unpredictability through innovative programming, events and initiatives. Nickelodeon has always being committed to defending the rights of children, giving them a voice and supporting them against all forms of discrimination.


Although there is a general consensus on the importance of the rights of children, even today many children and adolescents are victims of violence or abuse, suffer discrimination, are marginalised, live in conditions of serious neglect, or are the subject of bullying.

Nickelodeon has always spoken the language of children and is always on their side, creating content that is clear and easy for kids to understand and making episodes of their favourite shows, and is dedicated to the different issues that affect children everyday.

On Tuesday 20th November 2018, Nickelodeon Italy (Italia) will support the United Nations'Universal Children's Day (La Giornata internazionale per i diritti dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza), a day celebrated annually which is dedicated to promoting international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare, with special marathons on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

On Nickelodeon, viewers can catch back-to-back La Giornata internazionale per i diritti dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza-themed episodes of their favourite Nick shows starting 20:00, including: The Loud House, Henry Danger, The Adventures of Kid Danger and iCarly.


At the end of the marathon, Nickelodeon will air a touching and powerful anti-bullying monologue, featuring an excerpt of “Monologo sul Bullismo" read by Paola Cortellesi, which tells the story of Giancarlo Catino, a 14-year-old boy who defeated bullies with the power of a hug. The monologue was filmed at SLIMEFEST Italia 2018 in June 2018.

Bullying is a phenomenon that is in constant growth, and victims of bullying can experience a wide range of bully tactics, from mockery and name calling to physical or verbal aggression. Bullying most commonly affects people in the 7-18 age group.

On Nick Jr., viewers can catch a special hour-long ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks marathon, featuring back-to-back episodes of the hit animated series that carry a

On Nick Jr (only sy Sky 603) will be scheduled from 8.30 pm a special thematic marathon, for the duration of one hour, with episodes from one of the most popular animation series of the channel, "Alvinnn!!! And The Chipmunks", also linked to World Children's Day.

The Nickelodeon network, which celebrates children and adolescents everyday by stimulating their creativity and desire to play and learn, is always in the front row when it comes to facilitating and encouraging an important path of awareness, with a view to education and awareness of its audience.

Below is Nickelodeon Italia's official press release announcing the news!

20 NOVEMBRE

- GIORNATA INTERNAZIONALE DEI DIRITTI DELL’INFANZIA –

IL NETWORK NICKELODEON IN PRIMA FILA

A SOSTEGNO DI QUESTA GIORNATA.


Maggiori informazioni su www.nicktv.it


Nickelodeon è il brand del divertimento, dell’allegria, della risata sana e dirompente, dell’imprevedibilità e dell’innovazione, ma anche attento all’infanzia e ai suoi diritti inalienabili. Da sempre il Network, per famiglie e ragazzi in onda sulla piattaforma Sky, è impegnato nella difesa dei diritti dei ragazzi, dando loro voce, e sostenendoli contro ogni discriminazione.

Nonostante vi sia un generale consenso sull'importanza dei diritti dei più piccoli, ancora oggi molti bambini e adolescenti sono vittime di violenze o abusi, subiscono discriminazioni, sono emarginati vivono in condizioni di grave trascuratezza o sono oggetto di atti di bullismo.

Nickelodeon da sempre parla il linguaggio dei ragazzi ed è dalla loro parte creando contenuti che possono essere per loro chiari e di facile comprensione, realizzando puntate delle serie da loro preferite e dedicate alle diverse tematiche che i ragazzi vivono ogni giorno.

Anche quest’anno Martedì 20 Novembre il network Nickelodeon sosterrà La Giornata internazionale per i diritti dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza con la messa in onda su entrambi i canali, Nickelodeon (Sky 605) e NickJr (Sky 603) di una programmazione speciale e dedicata.

Su Nickelodeon (solo su Sky 605), dalle ore 20.00 andranno in onda degli episodi legati al tema della giornata tratti dalle migliori serie del canale: “A casa dei Loud”, “Henry Danger”, “Le avventure di Kid Danger” e “iCarly”.

In aggiunta, al termine della maratona, verrà trasmesso il toccante e potente monologo contro il bullismo che la creator Jenny De Nucci ha letto lo scorso giugno sul palco dello SlimeFest di Nickelodeon a Mirabilandia, un estratto del “Monologo sul Bullismo” di Paola Cortellesi la storia Giancarlo Catino, un ragazzo di 14 anni, che ha sconfitto il bullismo con la forza di un abbraccio.

Il bullismo, è un fenomeno in costante crescita, che non racchiude più soltanto episodi isolati come atteggiamenti provocatori o derisioni, ma anche vere e proprie vessazioni che si traducono in aggressioni fisiche o verbali che coinvolgono soprattutto la fascia d’età tra i 7 e i 18 anni.

Su Nick Jr (solo sy Sky 603) sarà in programmazione dalle ore 20.30 una speciale maratona tematica, per la durata di un'ora, con episodi tratti da una delle serie di animazione più amate del canale, “Alvinnn!!! And The Chipmunks”, anch’essi legati alla Giornata mondiale dell’infanzia.

Il network Nickelodeon, che celebra ogni giorni i bambini e i ragazzi stimolandone la CREATIVITA’, la voglia di GIOCARE ed IMPARARE, è sempre in prima fila per agevolare e favorire un importante percorso di consapevolezza, nell’ottica dell’educazione e della sensibilizzazione del proprio pubblico.

Nickelodeon:

Nickelodeon, al suo 38esimo anno di vita, è il brand numero uno al mondo di intrattenimento per ragazzi. Ha costruito un ampio business globale, mettendo sempre i ragazzi al primo posto: “kids first”. Il business di Nickelodeon include programmi TV e produzione negli Stati Uniti e nel mondo, oltre ad eventi speciali, consumer products, film, libri e offerte digitali. I brand di Nickelodeon raggiungono oltre 1,1 miliardi di abbonati in oltre 170 paesi e territori, attraverso gli oltre 80 canali locali e blocchi di programmazione. Fuori dagli Stati Uniti, Nickelodeon fa parte del gruppo Viacom International Media Networks, una divisione di Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA),uno dei leader nel campo della creazione e produzione di contenuti attraverso tutte le piattaforme. In Italia, i canali a brand Nickelodeon (NickJr, Nickelodeon, TeenNick) sono presenti in esclusiva su Sky. Nickelodeon fa parte di Viacom Italia, azienda guidata dall’A.D. Andrea Castellari.

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Update (19/11) - From Tvzap:

Giornata internazionale dell’infanzia, Jenny De Nucci monologo contro il bullismo

Nickelodeon continua nel suo impegno in difesa dei ragazzi e martedì 20 novembre manda in onda una programmazione dedicata

Contro il bullismo, per i diritti dell’infanzia contro ogni discriminazione: anche Nickelodeon che nella sua programmazione è sempre alla ricerca del divertimento, dell’allegria, della risata sana scende in campo schierandosi ancora una volta apertamente in difesa dei diritti inalienabili dei più piccoli. Con una programmazione studiata ad hoc per il 20 novembre. Nickelodeon sosterrà La Giornata internazionale per i diritti dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza con la messa in onda su entrambi i canali, Nickelodeon (Sky 605) e NickJr (Sky 603) di una programmazione speciale e dedicata.

Molti bambini e adolescenti sono vittime di violenze o abusi, subiscono discriminazioni, sono emarginati vivono in condizioni di grave trascuratezza o sono oggetto di atti di bullismo. In particolare su Nickelodeon (solo su Sky 605), dalle ore 20.00 andrà in onda il toccante e potente monologo contro il bullismo che la creator Jenny De Nucci ha letto lo scorso giugno sul palco dello SlimeFest di Nickelodeon a Mirabilandia, un estratto del “Monologo sul Bullismo” di Paola Cortellesi, la storia Giancarlo Catino, un ragazzo di 14 anni, che ha sconfitto il bullismo con la forza di un abbraccio. Jenny ha concluso esortando i giovani: “Ragazzi aprite la bocca e ditelo ai vostri genitori”.

Jenny De Nucci, il monologo sul bullismo

MI CHIAMO GIANCARLO CATINO E CREDO NELL’AMICIZIA.
HO 6 ANNI E OGGI E’ IL MIO PRIMO GIORNO DI SCUOLA ELEMENTARE!
HO GIA’ CONOSCIUTO LA POPOLAZIONE DEGLI UNNI… SI’, SONO I MIEI COMPAGNI DI CLASSE.
GIOCHIAMO A BUTTARCI FUORI DALLA FINESTRA?!? ALLA FINE MI SONO BUTTATO… SOLO IO.
UN MIO COMPAGNO, UN PO’ ANTIPATICO, ANDREA ROZZI, MI HA SUBITO RIBATTEZZATO “BERSAGLIO MOBILE”…
QUINDI LA MIA SCHIENA FA DA ATTERRAGGIO DI AEROPLANINI DI CARTA, BUCCE DI BANANA… SI’, DI QUALSIASI COSA, MI TIRANO ADDOSSO… DI TUTTO.
OGGI, ALL’ULTIMA ORA, ADDIRITTURA MI E’ ARRIVATO… UN COMPASSO IN FRONTE.
E.. PERO’ E’ STATA UNA BELLISSIMA EMOZIONE… LA MIA PRIMA CICATRICE IN FACCIA… E’ STATO BELLISSIMO.
MI CHIAMO GIANCARLO CATINO E CREDO NELL’AMICIZIA!
HO 11 ANNI E ADESSO VADO ALLE MEDIE.
L’UNICO PROBLEMA E’ CHE ULTIMAMENTE HO MESSO SU UN PO’ DI CHILI.
QUINDI… GLI INSULTI SU DI ME SONO DIVENTATI ANCHE UN PO’ PIU’ SIMPATICI, DAI! ALLA FINE MI CHIAMANO: BIGNE’, SUPPLI’, MERDA, FOGNA, EHM.. SEGA… E QUALCHE GIORNO FA MI HANNO BUTTATO ADDIRITTURA IN UN CASSONETTO DELL’IMMONDIZIA. E SONO USCITO CHE ERO PIENO DI SCARTI DI CIBO E… SUGO. E NON LO SO SINCERAMENTE CON QUALE FORZA IO SIA TORNATO A SCUOLA.

MI CHIAMO GIANCARLO CATINO E CREDO NELL’AMICIZIA!
ADESSO FREQUENTO LE SUPERIORI, HO 14 ANNI E FACCIO IL LICEO SCIENTIFICO.
MI HANNO AVVOLTO NEL NASTRO TRASPARENTE E… MI HANNO DISEGNATO UN PENE, SULLA FRONTE.
E DOPO QUESTO AVVENIMENTO, A CASA HANNO CAPITO CHE COSA MI FANNO A SCUOLA.
SI’, LO SO, SONO STATO STUPIDO A NON DIRE NULLA AI MIEI GENITORI EH…
SOLO CHE MI SEMBRAVO, NON SO, DEBOLE E… UNA FEMMINUCCIA.

MI CHIAMO GIANCARLO CATINO E CREDO NELL’AMICIZIA!
STAMATTINA SONO ANDATO NELLA PALESTRA DELLA MIA SCUOLA E HO GUARDATO DRITTO NEGLI OCCHI IL PIU’ CAROGNA DEI MIEI COMPAGNI DI CLASSE.
L’HO GUARDATO… … … E POI L’HO ABBRACCIATO. COSI’ L’HO SCONFITTO.

MI CHIAMO GIANCARLO CATINO… E CREDO NELL’AMICIZIA!

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Also, from Corriere.it:

Il monologo contro il bullismo

Anche quest’anno il network Nickelodeon sosterrà la Giornata con la messa in onda su entrambi i canali, Nickelodeon (Sky 605) e NickJr (Sky 603) di una programmazione speciale e dedicata. Dalle 20 andrà in onda il monologo contro il bullismo che la creator Jenny De Nucci ha letto lo scorso giugno sul palco dello SlimeFest di Nickelodeon a Mirabilandia, un estratto del «Monologo sul Bullismo» di Paola Cortellesi che racconta la storia Giancarlo Catino, un ragazzo di 14 anni, che ha sconfitto il bullismo con la forza di un abbraccio.

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Di Più Nickelodeon:Nickelodeon's Declaration of Kids' Rights | June 7, 1990!

Originally published: Friday, November 16, 2018.

Additional sources: DeepL Translator, Google Translate, Google.co.uk, Wikipedia, Famous Birthdays.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Italy and Nick Jr. Italia News and Highlights!

November 2018 on Nickelodeon Italy | Rise of the TMNT | Henry Danger | Top Wing | Super 4 | 100 Things to Do Before High School

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Below is a round-up of Nickelodeon Italy's (Italia) programming highlights for November (Novembre) 2018!


Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Pictured (clockwise): Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and April O'Neil.

Nickelodeon Italia's December highlights can be found here.

Nickelodeon Italia: (canali 605 e 606 di Sky)

Henry Danger
New Episodes
Premiering: Weekdays at 18:40 from Monday 5th November 2018

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
New Episodes
Premiering: Wednesdays at 20:20 from 7th November 2018 [more info]

Nick Jr. Italia (canali 603 e 604 di Sky)

Top Wing
New Episodes
Airs: Weekdays at 19:30 from Monday 5th November 2018

Super 4
New Show (to be confirmed)
Premieres: Monday 19th November 2018 at 17:50
Airs: Weekdays at 17:50

TeenNick Italia: (canale 620 di Sky)

100 Things to Do Before High School (100 cose da fare prima del liceo)
Airs: Weekdays at 20:20 from Monday 12th November 2018

Additional Highlights:

-- Nickelodeon Italia will air the Lip Sync Battle Shorties: Holiday Special on Friday 21st December 2018, and JoJo Siwa: My World on Friday 28th December 2018!

-- Super! (Canale 47 DTT) will air Blurt! (Jeremy senza freni) on Friday 16th November 2018 at 20:00, and Lip Sync Battle Shorties: Holiday Special on Saturday 22nd December 2018 at 21:15!

-- DeaKids+1 will air brand-new episodes of Nickelodeon Latin America's (Latinoamérica) Kally's Mashup between Saturday 10th and Sunday 18th November 2018! Additionally, DeAKids + 1 transformed into the Kally’s Mashup Channel between Saturday 10th and Sunday 18th November 2018!

Also, from Funweek:

JoJo Siwa, la teen idol che combatte il bullismo e va pazza per i fiocchi | Foto - Video

La nostra intervista a JoJo Siwa, nuovo volto di punta di Nickelodeon e Super!. Dalla passione per i fiocchi a quella per il canto: tutti i talenti della nuova teen idol statunitense.

JoJo Siwa, ecco la teen idol che combatte il bullismo e va pazza per i fiocchi

“Forse non tutti lo sanno, ma ho iniziato a usare YouTube a 5 anni. Facevo video a caso, mi riprendevo mentre ballavo, all’epoca non lo usavo seriamente. Poi, a 12 anni, ho conosciuto una YouTuber a cena, Colleen Ballinger. Mi ha consigliato di usarlo, di produrre, perché tutti conoscevano YouTube. La sera stessa ho creato il mio canale, e da lì è partito tutto”.

A parlare è JoJo Siwa, statunitense, classe 2003. Giovanissima, come tutti i suoi fan, che ormai ne seguono le gesta quotidianamente, tanto che definirla una teen idol non sarebbe solo corretto, ma riduttivo.

Cantante, ballerina, attrice, youtuber e muser, JoJo Siwa è figlia di un’insegnante di danza e, proprio grazie alla sua passione per la danza, ha debuttato in TV nei reality show Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition e Dance Moms. Ora è uno dei volti di punta del canale Nickelodeon (il brand di Viacom International Media Networks Italia per ragazzi e famiglie presente in esclusiva su Sky al canale 605) e in Italia la vedremo presto anche su Super!, il canale in joint venture tra De Agostini Editore e Viacom visibile in chiaro sul digitale terrestre al canale 47.

Rkomi canta con Ubisoft per Assassin’s Creed: “Non seguite i consigli, seguite voi stessi”

Incontriamo JoJo a Londra: è fresca di SlimeFest (il festival che si è tenuto dal 20 al 22 Ottobre 2018 all’Arena di Blackpool), sul palco del quale si è esibita per due volte al giorno. Sfoggia vestiti coloratissimi, addobbati con i suoi immancabili fiocchi. Sembra ed è giovanissima, ma parla con una consapevolezza sorprendente, anche di temi non banali, come il bullismo.

“Ero in terza elementare, vivevo in Nebraska. – ci racconta JoJo – C’era una ragazza, che nel mio libro JoJo’s Guide to Sweet Life chiamo Lucy. Era vittima di bullismo. Io ero arrivata l’ultimo semestre e tutti mi dicevano di non parlarle. Lei però con me era sempre carina. Verso la fine dell’anno, organizzarono un grande party a base di gelati. La quantità di gelati che avevi a disposizione, dipendeva dai tuoi voti in matematica. Io devo ammettere che sono molto brava, per cui avevo accesso a tutto. Lucy è una ragazza un po’ diversa, per cui aveva voti molto bassi. Stava in un angolo da sola a piangere. Mi sono detta che non poteva andare bene una cosa così, quindi le ho portato tutti i miei gelati. Lì ho capito che qualcosa doveva cambiare”.

JoJo confessa poi di essere stata vittima di bullismo, ma di sapersela cavare. “Tante persone, invece, non sanno come comportarsi – continua – per questo mi batto”.

Il tema è così caro a JoJo, che la ragazza ha scritto anche una canzone in proposito, Boomerang (“Non mi importano cosa dicono gli altri – canta – tornerò indietro come un boomerang, non lascerò vincere gli haters”). E, in effetti, anche la sua carriera da popstar non è da sottovalutare, considerando che ama scrivere le proprie canzoni e che venera artisti come Gwen Stefani e Lady GaGa, che considera le sue più grandi ispirazioni.

Come se non bastasse, JoJo ha anche fondato una propria linea di fiocchi.

“I fiocchi? Beh li ho sempre indossati, penso da quando sono nata. Non scherzo! – ci rivela – Confesso che più cresco, più i fiocchi diventano grandi. Ho anche una mia linea di fiocchi, che ha un significato più profondo. Se indossi uno dei miei fiocchi, infatti, sei una Siwanator. Il che implica che tu sia gentile, educata e consapevole”.

JoJo Siwa su Nickelodeon e su Super!

JoJo Siwa sarà protagonista del Natale di Nickelodoen all’interno dello stunt natalizio, in onda venerdi 21 dicembre con Lip Sync Battle shorties holiday special da lei condotto, mentre venerdi 28 dicembre andrà in onda JoJo Siwa My World.

Su Super! (Canale 47 DTT) il 16 novembre alle ore 20.00 andrà in onda il film Jeremy senza freni con Jace Norman (Thunderman) e JoJo Siwa, mentre il 22 dicembre alle ore 21.15 andrà in onda Lip Sync Battle Holiday Special, condotto da JoJo Siwa.
Su Supertv.it, il sito ufficiale di Super!, ci saranno invece tantissime news giochi e un’esclusiva intervista a Jo Jo Siwa in cui racconterà segreti e aneddoti sia dei suoi progetti televisivi che della sua vita quotidiana.

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Also, from Pambianco News:

Viacom scommette sul fenomeno JoJo Siwa

JoJo Siwa approda anche in Italia. L’influencer americana da 17 milioni di follower sul social network asiatico TikTok, e oltre 7 milioni su Instagram e Youtube, è entrata all’interno del team Nickelodeon, brand di Viacom International Media Networks Italia per ragazzi e famiglie, presente in esclusiva su Sky e su Super!, canale in joint venture tra De Agostini Editore e Viacom visibile in chiaro sul digitale terrestre. Parallelamente alla messa in onda dei programmi televisivi, Viacom ha anche sviluppato un’articolata linea di prodotti in licenza: “JoJo – dichiara a Pambianconews Nadia Caron, senior director licensing di Viacom Italia, Grecia e Turchia – ha numerosi followers sui social. Nel contesto attuale, la sua popolarità ha reso particolarmente appealing lo sviluppo consumer product a lei dedicato. Sarà un progetto trasversale che toccherà tutte le categorie merceologiche, dal publishing al toys, al back to school, il food&beverage, il fashion e gli accessori”.

Ai libri recentemente lanciati con De Agostini si aggiungeranno dal prossimo febbraio alcuni capi Ovs seguiti da una linea back to school in partnership con Giochi Preziosi e ulteriori prodotti distribuiti nell’arco del 2019. “Sebbene ci siano state precedenti esperienze di licensing legate a live action di particolare successo per Nickelodeon, questa è la prima volta in tandem con un unico personaggio, JoJo lo permette essendo non solo social influencer, ma anche cantante, ballerina, attrice, amante della moda, portavoce di valori positivi”, spiega Caron.

La promozione del marchio JoJo Siwa in Italia segue un progetto elaborato insieme al canale Super!, declinato in varie fasi: il potenziamento della brand awareness attraverso il coinvolgimento di social influencer italiani cui è affidato il compito di ovviare al limite oggettivo della differenza linguistica; la programmazione su Nickelodeon e Super! di programmi come ‘Lip Sync Battle’, realizzato anche nella versione natalizia, e ‘Jeremy senza freni’, tv movie con Jace Norman; la presenza sul palco dello SlimeFest di Nickelodeon, evento svoltosi a Mirabilandia lo scorso giugno, con la partecipazione degli influencer suppoter del brand.

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Also, from Tvzap:

Henry Danger si sdoppia con Double Danger cartoon e serie live action

Dal 19 novembre da lunedì al venerdì alle 18,40 su Nickelodeon gli eroi moltiplicano i loro sforzi

Double Danger per gli eroi della serie Henry Danger: da lunedì 19 novembre alle 18.40 su Nickelodeon andrà in onda per una settimana una programmazione speciale tutta dedicata ai personaggi Henry Hart e Capitan Man.

I due protagonisti sono pronti a sdoppiarsi nella versione live action e animazione grazie alle due serie a loro dedicate: Henry Danger (live action) e Le avventure di Kid Danger (animazione) e come sempre sono pronti per sconfiggere il crimine.

Henry Hart, un normalissimo ragazzino di 13 anni che vive e studia nella città di Swellview, è alla ricerca di un lavoro. Recandosi al negozio “Junk’N’Stuff” per iniziare un lavoro come commesso conosce il supereroe Capitan Man, un uomo reso indistruttibile a causa di un esperimento del padre. Quest’ultimo lo assume come assistente dandogli il nome di Kid Danger, e con la promessa di non rivelare a nessuno la sua vera identità. La base segreta dove risiede Capitan Man, viene gestita dal geniale quanto strambo scienziato Schwartz, e si trova sotto il negozio e vi si accede con un ascensore.

Kid Danger è ovviamente l’alter ego del protagonista Henry Hart. Come lo show originale, anche gli episodi del cartoon seguiranno questa coppia di supereroi in nuove coraggiose avventure, durante le quali affronteranno nuovi cattivi con la forza del loro ingegno e le loro abilità nel combattere il crimine. Il compito più arduo per Henry sarà però quello di nascondere la sua identità alla famiglia e agli amici.

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Also, from Ginger Generation:

Double Danger: su Nickelodeon una settimana speciale con Henry Danger

Da lunedì 19 novembre alle 18.40 su Nickelodeon andrà in onda per una settimana speciale, lo stunt tutto dedicato agli eroi della serie tv Henry Danger intitolato: Double Danger. In occasione di questo imperdibile evento il protagonista Jace Norman ha mandato un saluto speciale ai fan italiani.

I protagonisti, Henry Hart e Capitan Man, sono pronti a sdoppiarsi nella versione live action e animazione grazie alle due serie a loro dedicate: Henry Danger (live action) e Le avventure di Kid Danger (animazione) e come sempre sono pronti per sconfiggere il crimine a colpi di risate!

Henry Hart (Jace Norman) un normalissimo ragazzino di 13 anni che vive e studia nella città di Swellview, è alla ricerca di un lavoro. Recandosi al negozio “Junk’N’Stuff” per iniziare un lavoro come commesso conosce il supereroe Capitan Man, un uomo reso indistruttibile a causa di un esperimento del padre. Quest’ultimo lo assume come assistente dandogli il nome di Kid Danger, e con la promessa di non rivelare a nessuno la sua vera identità. La base segreta dove risiede Capitan Man, viene gestita dal geniale quanto strambo scienziato Schwartz, e si trova sotto il negozio e vi si accede con un ascensore.

Kid Danger è ovviamente l’alter ego del protagonista Henry Hart. Come lo show originale, anche gli episodi del cartoon seguiranno questa coppia di supereroi in nuove coraggiose avventure, durante le quali affronteranno nuovi cattivi con la forza del loro ingegno e le loro abilità nel combattere il crimine. Il compito più arduo per Henry sarà però quello di nascondere la sua identità alla famiglia e agli amici, tra cui l’astuta Charlotte, interpretata da Riele Downs.

E voi guarderete Double Danger su Nickelodeon?

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From e-duesse.it:

DEAKIDS+1 DIVENTA KALLY’S MASHUP CHANNEL

Dal 10 al 18 novembre si accende il pop up channel dedicato alla serie prodotta da Nickelodeon e Powwow

Dal 10 al 18 novembre DeAKids + 1 (Sky 602) si trasforma in Kally’s Mashup Channel, un canale interamente dedicato alla serie Kally’s Mashup, con puntate nuove, materiali inediti, backstage, videoclip. Gli episodi inediti saranno in onda in simulcast con DeAKids (Sky, 601) ogni giorno alle 14,30 mentre domenica 18 è previsto – sempre alle 14.30 - il gran finale della prima stagione. Girata negli studi di Telefe in Argentina, la serie racconta di una giovane quattordicenne talentuosa che mente sulla sua età per poter entrare in un prestigioso conservatorio, così come dovrà nascondere la sua creatività dietro un nickname a causa delle rigide regole della scuola. Tra gli autori di Kally’s Mashup figura lo svedese Adam Anders (Hannah Montana, Glee, American Horror Story), mentre la serie è prodotta da da Nickelodeon, il brand di Viacom International Media Networks e 360 Powwow.

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Also, from Dtti:

Su Sky arriva il popup channel della serie “Kally’s Mashup”

Partita lo scorso giugno su DeAKids e a novembre già un successo incredibile: la serie argentina “Kally’s Mashup” diventerà protagonista del canale 602 di Sky, DeAKids + 1, per nove giorni, dal 10 al 18 novembre.

A partire da sabato 10 novembre, i telespettatori della serie potranno vedere tutto il giorno puntate nuove, materiali inediti, backstage, videoclip e contenuti della serie girata a Buenos Aires nell’esclusivo popup channel “Kally’s Mashup Channel” che prenderà il posto di DeAKids +1.

Gli episodi inediti della serie saranno in onda ogni giorno, in simulcast con DeAKids (Sky, 601) alle 14,30 mentre domenica 18 l’appuntamento per tutti i fan sempre alle 14.30 per il gran finale della prima stagione.

Autore e produttore della serie, tra gli altri, è lo svedese Adam Anders, che ha debuttato nella produzione di una serie sudamericana dopo aver lavorato a successi internazionali come Hannah Montana, Glee e American Horror Story. La serie coprodotta da Nickelodeon, il brand di Viacom International Media Networks e Powwow è girata negli studi di Telefe in Argentina.

Il cast di “Kally’s Mashup” è formato da giovanissimi attori che saranno presto amatissimi dai ragazzi di tutto il mondo.

Kally’s Mashup racconta la storia di una talentuosa quattordicenne di nome Kally figlia di genitori separati che per poter frequentare il prestigioso conservatorio Allegro si trasferisce a casa del padre che a malapena conosce. Kally in realtà non ha l’età minima consentita per accedere alla prestigiosa scuola e deve questa possibilità alla professoressa Abrankhausen che crede fortemente nel talento musicale della ragazzina. La sua bravura le causa non pochi problemi, infatti l’ambiziosa Gloria, figlia di un professore della scuola, si mette in competizione con lei per il titolo di miglior talento del conservatorio e non si farà scrupoli nel tentare di ostacolarla e metterla in cattiva luce. Kally si sente dunque un pesce fuor d’acqua: deve farsi nuovi amici nella nuova città, capire come muoversi tra le rigide regole del Conservatorio e imparare a vivere con suo padre. Non sarà facile! Nonostante Kally ami la musica classica per la quale ha un enorme talento, la sua vera passione è il Pop e la sua crescita artistica la porterà a unire i due generi musicali. I mashup di Kally saranno la sua forza, ma anche il suo grande segreto: le rigide regole del Conservatorio non le permettono di esprimere apertamente la sua creatività, cosi condividerà la sua musica, che ben presto diventerà virale, postandola col nickname @mica635. Tra i primi ad apprezzare la musica di @mica635 c’è Dante, un ragazzo più grande anch’egli musicista e vicino di casa di Kally che già al primo incontro si innamorerà di lui senza potergli confessare la sua identità segreta.

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Also, from Sky TG24:

Kally’s Mashup Channel, arriva il canale popup!

L’esclusivo popup channel Kally’s Mashup Channel prenderà il posto di DeAKids +1 dal 10 al 18 novembre . Gli episodi inediti della serie saranno in onda ogni giorno alle ore 14,30 mentre domenica 18 l’appuntamento per tutti i fan sempre alle 14.30 per il gran finale della prima stagione. Tra gli autori c'è Adam Anders che ha venduto più di 100 milioni di album

Partita lo scorso giugno su DeAKids e a novembre già un successo incredibile: la serie argentina Kally’s Mashup diventerà protagonista del canale 602 di Sky, DeAKids + 1, per otto giorni, dal 10 al 18 novembre. A partire da sabato 10 novembre, i telespettatori della serie potranno vedere tutto il giorno puntate nuove, materiali inediti, backstage, videoclip e contenuti della serie girata a Buenos Aires nell’esclusivo popup channel Kally’s Mashup Channel che prenderà il posto di DeAKids +1. Gli episodi inediti della serie saranno in onda ogni giorno alle 14,30 mentre domenica 18 l’appuntamento per tutti i fan sempre alle 14.30 per il gran finale della prima stagione.

Autore e produttore della serie, tra gli altri, è lo svedese Adam Anders, che ha debuttato nella produzione di una serie sudamericana dopo aver lavorato a successi internazionali come Hannah Montana, Glee e American Horror Story. La serie coprodotta da Nickelodeon, il brand di Viacom International Media Networks e Powwow è girata negli studi di Telefe in Argentina. Il cast di Kally’s Mashup è formato da giovanissimi attori che saranno presto amatissimi dai ragazzi di tutto il mondo.

TRAMA

Kally’s Mashup racconta la storia di una talentuosa quattordicenne di nome Kally figlia di genitori separati che per poter frequentare il prestigioso conservatorio Allegro si trasferisce a casa del padre che a malapena conosce. Kally in realtà non ha l'età minima consentita per accedere alla prestigiosa scuola e deve questa possibilità alla professoressa Abrankhausen che crede fortemente nel talento musicale della ragazzina. La sua bravura le causa non pochi problemi, infatti l'ambiziosa Gloria, figlia di un professore della scuola, si mette in competizione con lei per il titolo di miglior talento del conservatorio e non si farà scrupoli nel tentare di ostacolarla e metterla in cattiva luce. Kally si sente dunque un pesce fuor d'acqua: deve farsi nuovi amici nella nuova città, capire come muoversi tra le rigide regole del Conservatorio e imparare a vivere con suo padre. Non sarà facile! Nonostante Kally ami la musica classica per la quale ha un enorme talento, la sua vera passione è il Pop e la sua crescita artistica la porterà a unire i due generi musicali. I mashup di Kally saranno la sua forza, ma anche il suo grande segreto: le rigide regole del Conservatorio non le permettono di esprimere apertamente la sua creatività, cosi condividerà la sua musica, che ben presto diventerà virale, postandola col nickname @mica635. Tra i primi ad apprezzare la musica di @mica635 c'è Dante, un ragazzo più grande anch'egli musicista e vicino di casa di Kally che già al primo incontro si innamorerà di lui senza potergli confessare la sua identità segreta

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Also, from dituttounpop:

DeAKids celebra Kally’s Mashup con un canale dedicato dal 10 al 18 novembre

Kally’s Mashup canale dedicato al 602 di Sky DeAkids +1 dal 10 novembre
Ragazzi e ragazze fan di Kally’s Mashup preparatevi: sta arrivando una sorpresa tutta per voi! Dal 10 al 18 novembre il canale 602 di Sky DeAKids+1 sarà interamente dedicato a Kally’s Mashup!

Partita a giugno scorso la serie argentina è diventata subito un successo incredibile e proprio per questo DeAKids ha deciso di regalare ai fan una settimana per vedere tutto il giorno puntate nuove, materiali inediti, backstage, videoclip e contenuti della serie girata a Buenos Aires nell’esclusivo popup channel “Kally’s Mashup Channel” che prenderà il posto di DeAKids +1.

Gli episodi inediti della serie saranno in onda ogni giorno, in simulcast con DeAKids (Sky, 601) alle 14,30 mentre domenica 18 l’appuntamento per tutti i fan sempre alle 14.30 per il gran finale della prima stagione.

Autore e produttore della serie, tra gli altri, è lo svedese Adam Anders, che ha debuttato nella produzione di una serie sudamericana dopo aver lavorato a successi internazionali come Hannah Montana, Glee e American Horror Story. La serie coprodotta da Nickelodeon, il brand di Viacom International Media Networks e Powwow è girata negli studi di Telefe in Argentina.

Il cast di “Kally’s Mashup” è formato da giovanissimi attori che saranno presto amatissimi dai ragazzi di tutto il mondo.

Kally’s Mashup La trama

Kally’s Mashup racconta la storia di una talentuosa quattordicenne di nome Kally figlia di genitori separati che per poter frequentare il prestigioso conservatorio Allegro si trasferisce a casa del padre che a malapena conosce. Kally in realtà non ha l’età minima consentita per accedere alla prestigiosa scuola e deve questa possibilità alla professoressa Abrankhausen che crede fortemente nel talento musicale della ragazzina.

La sua bravura le causa non pochi problemi, infatti l’ambiziosa Gloria, figlia di un professore della scuola, si mette in competizione con lei per il titolo di miglior talento del conservatorio e non si farà scrupoli nel tentare di ostacolarla e metterla in cattiva luce. Kally si sente dunque un pesce fuor d’acqua: deve farsi nuovi amici nella nuova città, capire come muoversi tra le rigide regole del Conservatorio e imparare a vivere con suo padre.

Non sarà facile! Nonostante Kally ami la musica classica per la quale ha un enorme talento, la sua vera passione è il Pop e la sua crescita artistica la porterà a unire i due generi musicali. I mashup di Kally saranno la sua forza, ma anche il suo grande segreto: le rigide regole del Conservatorio non le permettono di esprimere apertamente la sua creatività, cosi condividerà la sua musica, che ben presto diventerà virale, postandola col nickname @mica635. Tra i primi ad apprezzare la musica di @mica635 c’è Dante, un ragazzo più grande anch’egli musicista e vicino di casa di Kally che già al primo incontro si innamorerà di lui senza potergli confessare la sua identità segreta.

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Di Più Nickelodeon:Nickelodeon Italy Unveils Autumn/Winter 2018 Programming Highlights!

Originally published: Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

Original source: Digital-Forum /@Andry10k; Additional source: DeepL Translator.
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