While Nick certainly had plenty to brag about with new
and returning series aimed at its core kids during its upfront presentation to advertisers, former members of its audience can
revisit some of their old favorites on TeenNick.
Starting this fall, TeenNick will serve up some of its top fare from a generation past with a block bearing the moniker of "The 90s Are
All That!" Running nightly from midnight until 2 a.m., The 90s Are All That! will
rotate live-action and animated series from Nick's library from that decade,
including All That, Clarissa Explains it All, The Adventures ofPete &
Pete, Rugrats, Rocket Power, Salute
Your Shorts, The Amanda Show and Kenan
& Kel.
Saturday Night Live's Kenan Thompson, who made his mark
at Nick with All That and Kenan & Kel, introduced the block during the
network's upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on March 10. He will
also have a guest role, playing himself, in Nick original telefilm iParty with Victorious, mashing-up the casts from the network's live-action series hits iCarly and Victorious, which
debuts June 10.
Thompson's on-stage appearance at Manhattan's Jazz at Lincoln Center prompted, Cyma Zarghami,
president of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, to say, somewhat
wistfully, that she's known Thompson "since he was 12. It's great to have him
back, even if it's for just a little while."
The block will also feature forthcoming acquisitions and feature
films from the decade. TeenNick's audience
will have the opportunity to influence The 90s Are All That! lineup by
requesting their favorite shows via social media sites set up by the network, including
a dedicated Facebook fan site. Network officials said there are more than 9
million fans of Nick's Nineties' programming on Facebook alone.
Jim Perry, executive vice president, 360 Brand Sales, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group,said he received
positive
feedback about the upcoming TeenNick block from a number of clients and media buyers. "There were a lot of excited
30-year-olds telling us they grew up with these shows," he said.
Meanwhile, Nick at Nite will supplement its block of
vintage sitcoms with the 236-episode catalog of Friends, beginning this fall,
while the 122-installment family comedy Yes, Dear joins the lineup in 2012.
