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via Nickelodeon press release:

NICKELODEON NOTCHES ITS BIGGEST JANUARY EVER, LED BY PREMIERES OF HOUSE OF ANUBIS AND BUBBLE GUPPIES

SpongeBob SquarePants “Legends of Bikini Bottom” Closes Nick’s Winning Month With 6.4 Million Viewers

NEW YORK–Feb. 1, 2011–Nickelodeon kicked off 2011 as the top cable network with kids 2-11, kids 6-11 and total viewers for the month, and posted its most-watched January ever with total viewers (2.4 million).  The month’s win was fueled by series premieres of the new live-action hit, House of Anubis, and the latest addition to Nick’s hit preschool line-up, Bubble Guppies.  Nickelodeon closed the month with a super-sized SpongeBob SquarePants special, “Legends of Bikini Bottom” (Saturday, Jan. 29, 10-11:15 a.m., all times ET/PT), which guest-starred Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) and Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) and drew 6.4 million total viewers–topping basic cable for the week with all kid demos.

House of Anubis nabbed the top telecast on broadcast and basic cable with all kid and tween demos in its premiere time period (Jan. 1, 8 p.m.).  Since then, the series has been earning double-digit gains with kids and tweens demos every week since, and is posting growth over last year with kids 6-11 (+8%) and tweens 9-14 (+29%).  The half-hour series, which follows eight students who stumble upon and try to solve a hidden mystery at an English boarding school, also bests direct competition, winning its regular time slot (7 p.m. ET/PT) with all kid and tween demos.

Nickelodeon’s brand-new Bubble Guppies premiered Jan. 24 as the network’s biggest preschool launch in three years with kids 2-5 (6.3/881,000 K2-5) and total viewers (1.7 million).  Since the premiere, the series is already growing its audience by double-digits, posting +11% growth, launch to date. The series, which is set in a vibrant 3D underwater environment and follows the adventures of a group of diverse preschoolers with colorful fish tails, airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT.

The premiere of SpongeBob SquarePants “Legends of Bikini Bottom” (Friday, Jan. 28, 8-9 p.m.) scored basic cable’s top telecast that day with total viewers (6.0 million, up +35% over last year) and was the day’s top telecast with kids 2-11 (9.3/3.3 million), kids 6-11 (9.7/2.1 million) and tweens 9-14 (7.0/1.5 million). A super-sized replay of the special drew even more viewers on Saturday, when “Legends” (Saturday, Jan. 29, 10–11:15 a.m.) drew 6.4 million total viewers–besting the Friday premiere by +6% and out-performing the year-ago time period by +91%.  Saturday’s super-sized “Legends” ranked as the top telecast for the week with kids 2-11 (10.3/3.7 million) and kids 6-11 (10.6/2.3 million). Overall, SpongeBob SquarePants is January’s top program on all TV with kids 2-11.

For the month, Nickelodeon averaged 2.5 million total viewers–the network’s biggest audience ever for January; a 3.8/1.3 million K2-11; a 3.4/736,000 K6-11; a 2.4/517,000 T9-14; and bested its nearest competitor by double-digits with kids 2-11 (+27%), kids 6-11 (+10%) and total viewers (+33%).

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA – News, VIA.B – News).