Is Nickelodeon in the Same Predicament as the Disney Channel

[Hellion]

We all should've stopped reading comics, watching superhero cartoons, and buying toys & video games but most here still do.

 

[TMC1982]

That's my major issue with shows these days...both channels feature shows about famous or almost famous or trying to become famous kids...lets look real quick:

Disney Has Hannah Montana, Jonas/Jonas LA, Sonny With A Chance, on XD they have the show I'm In The Band, The Camp Rock Films, Startstruck (another DCOM)...and more probably...

Nick has iCarly, Victorious, True Jackson (to a degree), Big Time Rush (again musics terribe, but I think the shows ok), Spectacular! (tv film from a year or two ago), Naked Brothers Band...and more probably...

...sign of the times I guess...

Don't forget The Suite Life... to a certain degree (London Tipton could be considered a celebrity since she's loosely inspired by Paris Hilton), the High School Musical franchise (especially regarding Sharpay), and (although it's no longer on the Disney Channel) Cory in House (the premise being about living in the White House and interacting with the president's daughter). Nickelodeon even had shows recently, that while weren't necessarily about famous people or trying to be famous, were built around a famous person's relative (Zoey 101 with Britney Spears' younger sister, Unfabulous with Julia Roberts' niece, Romeo with Master P's son, etc.).

 

[Ipodman]

Thats why I loved Wizards of Waverly Place when it first started. But now its all vampires and werewolves and I dont understand how it became so unoriginal now. (Not that it was original in the first place, but now its not even funny anymore)

 

[Ratcrawler]

I sort of prefer the characters not really appearing to learn from their mistakes. They generally do, they just don't make a forced sounding sPeech about it. "I should never have sPread that rumor. And I shouldn't have believed it either. Now I'm grounded for 2 weeks! >.<;;;" and then the next episode they learn an equally obvious life lesson and get punished for just as long.

In regards to the live action shows on these networks, the quality is kind of all over the place. I do enjoy the Suite Life On Deck moreso than its predecessor because a) the twins can actually act now, and b) their globetrotting antics among colorful international stereotypes reinforces my belief that mankind is getting dumber. Their little ventures into the bizarre (alternate universe and demon princesses) are welcome knowing that if the show were actually grounded in reality, London would be having her third abortion, Zach would be expelled and Cody would be a pimply virgin.

iCarly's one of those shows that genuinely funny when the characters aren't trying to be funny i.e. on the titular web show. The social dynamic works.

I've yet to see Good Luck Charlie but from what I hear, it's a throwback to the old TGIF family sitcom before Step By Step turned every freakin' episode into the parents trying to sPice up their sex lives.

I've caught an episode of Jonas LA. I do not see it's appeal. And Miley Cyrus is OMG SO abbrassive!

My bigest disappointment so far though, is Cartoon Network's Unnatural History. A cool enough concept with the show's main character being raised by anthropologists studying old cultures all over the world and learning the type of skills we all wish we did. But it's wasted with the Harry Potter formula mysteries which get solved 15 minutes into its one hour run time. Here's a clue, kids! The culprit's not the super obvious one you confront! It's the one you confide in, even though they've never been in any other episodes!

 

[Spider-Vader]

Disney & Nick are just trying to sell s**** pop music, that's the only reason they've changed like this.

 

[Ipodman]

Seems like most of their publicity comes from the cds and concerts anyway

 

[The Question]

Disney & Nick are just trying to sell s**** pop music, that's the only reason they've changed like this.

I've also noticed Nick trying to ape the style of MTV.

 

[Spider-Vader]

Nah, don't see Nick trying to steal anything from MTV, if they did there'd be a million reality shows . I mainly see them ripping off Disney.

 

[The Question]

Nah, don't see Nick trying to steal anything from MTV, if they did there'd be a million reality shows . I mainly see them ripping off Disney.

Look at their format. Slime Time Live and U Pick Live were TRL with cartoons.

 

[Hellion]

Thats why I loved Wizards of Waverly Place when it first started. But now its all vampires and werewolves and I dont understand how it became so unoriginal now. (Not that it was original in the first place, but now its not even funny anymore)

i blame twilight......lol......it seems most episodes I caught recently were about the older son and his vampire girlfriend......

 

[redhawk23]

nick depresses me but at some point you must move on.

What really depresses me is what they've done to my formerly favorite channel, nickolodean canadian spinoff, The N. The N was targeted at a far older audiance and though made up mostly of reruns old if still awesome shows like The Adventures of Pete and Pete, My So Called Life, and Daria, they also had quite a few really good original shows, such as Radio Free Roscoe (a show about high schoolers who fight the establishment of their town with the power of indy music and their own radio station) and for a while even Degrassi was of fairly high quality (although once the main cast moved on it has since devolved into nonsense) At the beginning they also had rebroadcasts of some really good british shows. The N only broad cast in the evening and at night, but was totally awesome. They also had a very good website and a great (if rediculously laggy) forum.

Finally The N became its own 24 hour channel but rather than build on what they had they decided to destroy it. They filled the extra hours with zoey 101 and other crap shows mentioned in this thread. and soon it became strictly that. The quality was squeezed out and then they finally nailed the coffin shut by renaming the-n "Teenick". Really its just pre-teenick. Its a damn shame

 

[TMC1982]

nick depresses me but at some point you must move on.

What really depresses me is what they've done to my formerly favorite channel, nickolodean canadian spinoff, The N. The N was targeted at a far older audiance and though made up mostly of reruns old if still awesome shows like The Adventures of Pete and Pete, My So Called Life, and Daria, they also had quite a few really good original shows, such as Radio Free Roscoe (a show about high schoolers who fight the establishment of their town with the power of indy music and their own radio station) and for a while even Degrassi was of fairly high quality (although once the main cast moved on it has since devolved into nonsense) At the beginning they also had rebroadcasts of some really good british shows. The N only broad cast in the evening and at night, but was totally awesome. They also had a very good website and a great (if rediculously laggy) forum.

Finally The N became its own 24 hour channel but rather than build on what they had they decided to destroy it. They filled the extra hours with zoey 101 and other crap shows mentioned in this thread. and soon it became strictly that. The quality was squeezed out and then they finally nailed the coffin shut by renaming the-n "Teenick". Really its just pre-teenick. Its a damn shame

The last time that I checked, Teenick/The N was basically "the Degrassi channel" with recent original Nick shows (like Zoey 101) thrown in.

 

[redhawk23]

The last time that I checked, Teenick/The N was basically "the Degrassi channel" with recent original Nick shows (like Zoey 101) thrown in.

thats what I was saying, its completely degraded into uselessness.

 

[Spider-Vader]

I love how Nickelodeon is basically iCarly & Spongebob (usually the s***y ones from after the movie & the old writers left) 24/7.

 

[Ipodman]

In an episode of iCarly, they actually outright (not really outright, but obvious) declares Disney is ripping off their ideas. They even made fun of Disney's frozen head.

 

[Cmill216]

Let me first say, iCarly is f***ing brilliant. And sadly (depending on how you look at it) it's actually one of the better sitcoms on television right now.

I do find it very odd how both Disney and Nick have essentially dismissed their entire boy's demographic. I guess maybe they assume boys aren't watching television anymore and are more into games, but it doesn't really make much sense when you consider how lucrative the action figure market is.

That's why I'll never understand Disney's acquisition and subsequent treatment of Power Rangers. It's simple economics. Power Rangers was, and still is, a massive merchandising giant. Yet Disney did absolutely nothing to promote the brand, even going as far as to reduce its exposure year after year, to the point that they just said "**** it" and killed off the franchise. A franchise thats only competitor in the toy market over the past decade is Star Wars.

I don't understand how hard it is to find balance in your programming schedule. Nick at least tries by mixing their animated staples with their tweencoms, but Disney has become nothing more than a disposable pop star factory in the guise of a television network.

I mean, if their goal is to alienate an entire demographic, then mission accomplished. But it doesn't make sense for them financially to not diversify their lineup to appeal to all groups.

Case and point (and I hate being playing the nostalgia card) but go back and look at Disney circa 99. Anybody remember So Weird? You would never see some s*** like that on there now.

 

[Ratcrawler]

You know what really bugs me? These full minute long commercials for Jonas LA. They're basically narrated and summarize the entire episode minus the ending including the god-awful cliched plots like taunting a girl's ability to play golf and then finding out ZOMG she's good at it!

 

[TMC1982]

Let me first say, iCarly is f***ing brilliant. And sadly (depending on how you look at it) it's actually one of the better sitcoms on television right now.

I do find it very odd how both Disney and Nick have essentially dismissed their entire boy's demographic. I guess maybe they assume boys aren't watching television anymore and are more into games, but it doesn't really make much sense when you consider how lucrative the action figure market is.

That's why I'll never understand Disney's acquisition and subsequent treatment of Power Rangers. It's simple economics. Power Rangers was, and still is, a massive merchandising giant. Yet Disney did absolutely nothing to promote the brand, even going as far as to reduce its exposure year after year, to the point that they just said "**** it" and killed off the franchise. A franchise thats only competitor in the toy market over the past decade is Star Wars.

I don't understand how hard it is to find balance in your programming schedule. Nick at least tries by mixing their animated staples with their tweencoms, but Disney has become nothing more than a disposable pop star factory in the guise of a television network.

I mean, if their goal is to alienate an entire demographic, then mission accomplished. But it doesn't make sense for them financially to not diversify their lineup to appeal to all groups.

Case and point (and I hate being playing the nostalgia card) but go back and look at Disney circa 99. Anybody remember So Weird? You would never see some s*** like that on there now.

Disney pretty much found the Power Rangers franchise expendable once and for all once they got a hold of Marvel Comics. And yes, I've said numerous times to myself that Nickelodeon as degenerated to being little more than the "SpongeBob SquarePants/iCarly Channel". It just like how Disney Channel has become virtually nothing more than a Radio Disney/Hollywood Records (Disney's own record company) pop star manufacturing company (with Phineas and Ferb being the only animated program of any remote relevance).

 

[GL1]

Let me first say, iCarly is f***ing brilliant. And sadly (depending on how you look at it) it's actually one of the better sitcoms on television right now.

I do find it very odd how both Disney and Nick have essentially dismissed their entire boy's demographic. I guess maybe they assume boys aren't watching television anymore and are more into games, but it doesn't really make much sense when you consider how lucrative the action figure market is.

That's why I'll never understand Disney's acquisition and subsequent treatment of Power Rangers. It's simple economics. Power Rangers was, and still is, a massive merchandising giant. Yet Disney did absolutely nothing to promote the brand, even going as far as to reduce its exposure year after year, to the point that they just said "**** it" and killed off the franchise. A franchise thats only competitor in the toy market over the past decade is Star Wars.

I don't understand how hard it is to find balance in your programming schedule. Nick at least tries by mixing their animated staples with their tweencoms, but Disney has become nothing more than a disposable pop star factory in the guise of a television network.

I mean, if their goal is to alienate an entire demographic, then mission accomplished. But it doesn't make sense for them financially to not diversify their lineup to appeal to all groups.

Case and point (and I hate being playing the nostalgia card) but go back and look at Disney circa 99. Anybody remember So Weird? You would never see some s*** like that on there now.

The music industry is more lucrative than the toy industry, I believe, and can certainly be accessed with less of an investment. It's simple economics. We're not just talking CDs here, we're talking about selling out major arenas and merchandising (including toys). And girls spend a lot more money anyway you slice it.

Any attempt to balance demographics is an attempt to be balanced and prudent and socially responsible, not to make money.

 

[Spider-Vader]

Where's the cartoons? You know shows like Ducktales & Angry Beaver (& the like) that could be enjoyed by everyone? Tween girls can go die for all I care, I miss TV that wasn't only geared to them.

 

[ALP]

Hannah Montana brings in billions for Disney.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Nick has pretty much gone the road of MTV. Where MTV once had actual music, now Nick once had actual cartoons. The only animated cartoons left anre Spongebob (which has lessened in quality) and Faily Odd Parents which was never very good.

 

[Cmill216]

The music industry is more lucrative than the toy industry, I believe, and can certainly be accessed with less of an investment.

Not sure:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/21/music-industry-piracy-hits-sales

"...taking total worldwide sales to $4.2bn"

http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_100201a.html

"U.S. retail sales of toys generated $21.47 billion in 2009"

 

[TMC1982]

Nick has pretty much gone the road of MTV. Where MTV once had actual music, now Nick once had actual cartoons. The only animated cartoons left anre Spongebob (which has lessened in quality) and Faily Odd Parents which was never very good.

It has been like that for maybe, at least the past ten years. Remember when SNICK was turned into "The SNICK House" with Nick Cannon and a large emphasis on musical performances? Also, shows like U-Pick Live were pretty much the a variation of Total Request Live.

 

[mclay18]

That's why I'll never understand Disney's acquisition and subsequent treatment of Power Rangers. It's simple economics. Power Rangers was, and still is, a massive merchandising giant. Yet Disney did absolutely nothing to promote the brand, even going as far as to reduce its exposure year after year, to the point that they just said "**** it" and killed off the franchise. A franchise thats only competitor in the toy market over the past decade is Star Wars.

At least Nick and Haim Saban had the sense to rescusitate the franchise since it still has potential and bring it over to a network that gave a damn. Reinventing itself every year with new costumes and cast kept it fresh and relevant.

Although, Disney didn't do a bad job marketing the first couple years of PR made under the Renaissance-Atlantic name (but never with a Disney brand marker on it). But they never gave it the marketing push Fox did when they owned Saban's video library.

And I'm glad Nick took steps to get more boys to watch their networks. Finally something underrated like RPM can be seen by more people on NickToons other than the 200 people that saw it on ABC Kids during its original airing.